1200cal/day really works.

delicious_cocktail

TBH, I'm not sure where that line is but I don't think not supporting 1200 a day is reasonable considering the site itself recommends it as bare minimum. I choose not to judge what someone is doing or comment on their lifestyle but I will stick up for others and myself.

As long as we agree that there is some line, then we are (to abuse Winston Churchill) now merely haggling over [the line].

I'll not hold myself up as holier than thou while debating in this thread. Sticking up for the trampled masses is not as noble as you think, particularly when you have more experience.

There is a reason that so many people are so quick to condemn. Lurk for a little while. The same threads come up day after day after day. Look for patterns. Look at what is routinely successful. Look at what is routinely unsuccessful. Look at what is sustainable. Look at what is unsustainable.

Be as outraged as you like about people's attitudes, that's a matter of opinion and yours is valid. The broad inapplicability of a 1200-calorie daily intake is not a matter of opinion, but indeed, a matter of fact.

QuietBloom

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

Shaylyn1986

I understand what you're trying to say and I don't do 1200 a day as a long term solution. I stagger my calories. I've been doing this for 5 years and never fell back into bad habits. I don't wish for anyone to have an eating disorder and think they should do what works best for them. People seem to have an issue with what works best for some people is 1200 calories or staggering their calories. I don't have an issue or problem with anyone doing weight loss their way. I'm giving a perspective and it's not an unhealthy one that leads to anorexia.

EXACTLY. YOU DO NOT FOLLOW A 1200 cal/day DIET.

I don't fully intend to come off as screaming there, but holy crap man, you just said what a bunch of us have already told you. You are not following the "diet" that you are so aggressively defending.

No one has an issue with Calorie Cycling (what you called staggering). "We" have an issue with those who eat 1200 cals/day and have no reason to.

I repeat, the issue lies with those individuals who should NOT be eating that little because they have no medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so.

I don't know how many times I have to say it. I did 1200/cal a day to lose the weight I needed to just like the OP is trying to do.

Do you know everything about the OP and that she doesn't have a medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so?

QuietBloom

Is the point of the thread to say that 1200 works for some, but not for others? Because that's totally true...But maybe I'm missing the point.

I've lost a total of 115 pounds since 2009 in spurts (40 pounds hardcore for a couple of months, maintenance for a few months, 20 pounds for a couple, maintenance...so on). I'm pleased with my progress, because for me, it was realistic. I like having beers during the summer!

That being said, I know my body at this point, and the only way I can lose weight is if I eat roughly 1200 cals a day, with very little carbs. I've recently upped my carb intake because I've started a more-intense-than-I've-been-used-to workout regime within the last few weeks and I was not getting the most out of the workout.

Anyway, that works for me...actually, it's the only thing that works for me. I've had my metabolism tested, seen endocrinologists, got hormone tested, etc etc. All signs point to "you can't eat as much or what everyone else does, young lady".

And before anyone says "are you sure you're eating only that much?", yes, yes I am sure. I have a digital scale and I'm militant about measuring out my recipes. I freak out if I can't properly quantify how much/exactly what I ate in a day.

But! point is! That's just me! That's what works for me. Other people have different strategies, and great success! And that's great. I'd love to be one of those people, but i'm not...that's all.

(Stats: 29/F/5'7" SW: 300 lbs in 2009 CW: somewhere around 185 lbs. I stopped weighing myself since I started working out because my body does not want to lose weight when I weight train, and I didn't want to discourage myself)

Please elaborate, what specific conditions turned out to be the cause for this? What is the incidence of said condition in the general population according to your understanding from said Dr. appointment or reliable google research?

Jeez louise, that's a bit snarky, don't you think?

I have PCOS and insulin resistance (thanks to a ****ty diet/lack of exercise for the first 25 years of my life) both tested and confirmed from blood testing and continued visits with my Dr over the last 10 years. I have *also* had my metabolism checked because I was convinced that the steroid treatment after a small tumor was removed from my breast had changed the way I metabolised food.

Now, the "incidence of said condition(s)" are probably pretty low, in combination, I'd say. But, again, *for me* this is the sitch, 'tis what it is. For others, it isn't. And that's fine. But no one formula works for everyone, I don't think.

So you got your basal metabolic rate tested? Do you mind my asking what it is? I see a lot of posts from women struggling with PCOS and have a friend with insulin resistance who really struggles with her weight, so I'm very curious.

Shaylyn1986

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

I don't even know wtf you're talking about. Grad school just ended over the summer. I still live a sedentary lifestyle.

But yes.. trolling! Actually no, sticking up for a young woman who was getting **** on for her success.

Shaylyn1986

TBH, I'm not sure where that line is but I don't think not supporting 1200 a day is reasonable considering the site itself recommends it as bare minimum. I choose not to judge what someone is doing or comment on their lifestyle but I will stick up for others and myself.

As long as we agree that there is some line, then we are (to abuse Winston Churchill) now merely haggling over [the line].

I'll not hold myself up as holier than thou while debating in this thread. Sticking up for the trampled masses is not as noble as you think, particularly when you have more experience.

There is a reason that so many people are so quick to condemn. Lurk for a little while. The same threads come up day after day after day. Look for patterns. Look at what is routinely successful. Look at what is routinely unsuccessful. Look at what is sustainable. Look at what is unsustainable.

Be as outraged as you like about people's attitudes, that's a matter of opinion and yours is valid. The broad inapplicability of a 1200-calorie daily intake is not a matter of opinion, but indeed, a matter of fact.

Right. I never disputed the idea that 1200 a day is not good in the long-term. The OP is doing it for weight loss until she is ready for exercise again and thus, eat more.

delicious_cocktail

But, it seems like others in this thread have found what *doesn't* work for them...isn't that just as important? You've learned something about yourself. Great.

But, again, I must ask, why isolate those who have some success using a method that doesn't ring true with the crowd? Why not celebrate it?

I'm not sure. I doubt anyone wishes to attack individuals for being successful. I have an issue with people promoting protocols which are not simply ineffective but actually counterproductive for the majority. I feel it is critical for people to know the circumstances under which such protocols are appropriate.

So I will from time to time criticize the protocol, and may even criticize people for promoting the protocol, but would not begrudge someone their success. Using the bulimia example, however, I also wouldn't be high-fiving people for it either.

delicious_cocktail

Right. I never disputed the idea that 1200 a day is not good in the long-term. The OP is doing it for weight loss until she is ready for exercise again and thus, eat more.

High five. By the way you look amazing in your before/after.

Shaylyn1986

But, it seems like others in this thread have found what *doesn't* work for them...isn't that just as important? You've learned something about yourself. Great.

But, again, I must ask, why isolate those who have some success using a method that doesn't ring true with the crowd? Why not celebrate it?

I'm not sure. I doubt anyone wishes to attack individuals for being successful. I have an issue with people promoting protocols which are not simply ineffective but actually counterproductive for the majority. I feel it is critical for people to know the circumstances under which such protocols are appropriate.

So I will from time to time criticize the protocol, and may even criticize people for promoting the protocol, but would not begrudge someone their success. Using the bulimia example, however, I also wouldn't be high-fiving people for it either.

Unfortunately, that is what this thread has become. A young woman posted her success with 1200/cal a day and all she got was "that's not success!" "come back when you've done it longer than a week!" instead of positive feedback. I'm take all the flames for sticking up for her.

elbeerock

Is the point of the thread to say that 1200 works for some, but not for others? Because that's totally true...But maybe I'm missing the point.

I've lost a total of 115 pounds since 2009 in spurts (40 pounds hardcore for a couple of months, maintenance for a few months, 20 pounds for a couple, maintenance...so on). I'm pleased with my progress, because for me, it was realistic. I like having beers during the summer!

That being said, I know my body at this point, and the only way I can lose weight is if I eat roughly 1200 cals a day, with very little carbs. I've recently upped my carb intake because I've started a more-intense-than-I've-been-used-to workout regime within the last few weeks and I was not getting the most out of the workout.

Anyway, that works for me...actually, it's the only thing that works for me. I've had my metabolism tested, seen endocrinologists, got hormone tested, etc etc. All signs point to "you can't eat as much or what everyone else does, young lady".

And before anyone says "are you sure you're eating only that much?", yes, yes I am sure. I have a digital scale and I'm militant about measuring out my recipes. I freak out if I can't properly quantify how much/exactly what I ate in a day.

But! point is! That's just me! That's what works for me. Other people have different strategies, and great success! And that's great. I'd love to be one of those people, but i'm not...that's all.

(Stats: 29/F/5'7" SW: 300 lbs in 2009 CW: somewhere around 185 lbs. I stopped weighing myself since I started working out because my body does not want to lose weight when I weight train, and I didn't want to discourage myself)

Please elaborate, what specific conditions turned out to be the cause for this? What is the incidence of said condition in the general population according to your understanding from said Dr. appointment or reliable google research?

Jeez louise, that's a bit snarky, don't you think?

I have PCOS and insulin resistance (thanks to a ****ty diet/lack of exercise for the first 25 years of my life) both tested and confirmed from blood testing and continued visits with my Dr over the last 10 years. I have *also* had my metabolism checked because I was convinced that the steroid treatment after a small tumor was removed from my breast had changed the way I metabolised food.

Now, the "incidence of said condition(s)" are probably pretty low, in combination, I'd say. But, again, *for me* this is the sitch, 'tis what it is. For others, it isn't. And that's fine. But no one formula works for everyone, I don't think.

So you got your basal metabolic rate tested? Do you mind my asking what it is? I see a lot of posts from women struggling with PCOS and have a friend with insulin resistance who really struggles with her weight, so I'm very curious.

I had a BodyGem test (it was cheap - $100 through my gym which was conveniently located in a hospital), but didn't believe it, so I had this sleep study thing for actual results. BodyGem had me around 1300 I think, the sleep study had me at 1114 exactly.

This is going to be controversial, but I've been living with PCOS for years, and this is my experience - the only way I know how to handle PCOS is to eliminate carbohydrates.

Shaylyn1986

Right. I never disputed the idea that 1200 a day is not good in the long-term. The OP is doing it for weight loss until she is ready for exercise again and thus, eat more.

High five. By the way you look amazing in your before/after.

Thanks!! I'm maintaining my gamer girl figure. ;D

kyleekay10

I understand what you're trying to say and I don't do 1200 a day as a long term solution. I stagger my calories. I've been doing this for 5 years and never fell back into bad habits. I don't wish for anyone to have an eating disorder and think they should do what works best for them. People seem to have an issue with what works best for some people is 1200 calories or staggering their calories. I don't have an issue or problem with anyone doing weight loss their way. I'm giving a perspective and it's not an unhealthy one that leads to anorexia.

EXACTLY. YOU DO NOT FOLLOW A 1200 cal/day DIET.

I don't fully intend to come off as screaming there, but holy crap man, you just said what a bunch of us have already told you. You are not following the "diet" that you are so aggressively defending.

No one has an issue with Calorie Cycling (what you called staggering). "We" have an issue with those who eat 1200 cals/day and have no reason to.

I repeat, the issue lies with those individuals who should NOT be eating that little because they have no medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so.

I don't know how many times I have to say it. I did 1200/cal a day to lose the weight I needed to just like the OP is trying to do.

Do you know everything about the OP and that she doesn't have a medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so?

I'm not going to scroll through all of Part 1 to confirm, but honestly, I'm 99.9% sure I recall someone running her numbers and telling her she doesn't need to eat that little.

And as it was mentioned before, these discussions are also aimed at the silent lurkers. 1200 cals/day should not be advocated as "this is okay for everyone!" which is what both parts of these discussions are largely saying. It is not made clear enough by the majority of posters that 1200 cals/day is NOT for everyone and should ONLY be used by people with very specific stats (read: old, super short, ACTUALLY sedentary, specific health issues, etc).

And I understand you lost 1200 a day to lose weight. I'm willing to bet you didn't need to eat that little, though. I mean what's done is done- just saying.

Shaylyn1986

I understand what you're trying to say and I don't do 1200 a day as a long term solution. I stagger my calories. I've been doing this for 5 years and never fell back into bad habits. I don't wish for anyone to have an eating disorder and think they should do what works best for them. People seem to have an issue with what works best for some people is 1200 calories or staggering their calories. I don't have an issue or problem with anyone doing weight loss their way. I'm giving a perspective and it's not an unhealthy one that leads to anorexia.

EXACTLY. YOU DO NOT FOLLOW A 1200 cal/day DIET.

I don't fully intend to come off as screaming there, but holy crap man, you just said what a bunch of us have already told you. You are not following the "diet" that you are so aggressively defending.

No one has an issue with Calorie Cycling (what you called staggering). "We" have an issue with those who eat 1200 cals/day and have no reason to.

I repeat, the issue lies with those individuals who should NOT be eating that little because they have no medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so.

I don't know how many times I have to say it. I did 1200/cal a day to lose the weight I needed to just like the OP is trying to do.

Do you know everything about the OP and that she doesn't have a medical/health/height/activity reasons to be doing so?

I'm not going to scroll through all of Part 1 to confirm, but honestly, I'm 99.9% sure I recall someone running her numbers and telling her she doesn't need to eat that little.

And as it was mentioned before, these discussions are also aimed at the silent lurkers. 1200 cals/day should not be advocated as "this is okay for everyone!" which is what both parts of these discussions are largely saying. It is not made clear enough by the majority of posters that 1200 cals/day is NOT for everyone and should ONLY be used by people with very specific stats (read: old, super short, ACTUALLY sedentary, specific health issues, etc).

And I understand you lost 1200 a day to lose weight. I'm willing to bet you didn't need to eat that little, though. I mean what's done is done- just saying.

Yes I think we should let the topic rest. The weight came off as 35lbs over 6 months so it was a fairly normal weight loss time-frame.

LiftAllThePizzas

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

I don't even know wtf you're talking about. Grad school just ended over the summer. I still live a sedentary lifestyle.

But yes.. trolling! Actually no, sticking up for a young woman who was getting **** on for her success.

That's rather ironic considering your recent behavior in another person's success thread.

belindanjumo

Is the point of the thread to say that 1200 works for some, but not for others? Because that's totally true...But maybe I'm missing the point.

I've lost a total of 115 pounds since 2009 in spurts (40 pounds hardcore for a couple of months, maintenance for a few months, 20 pounds for a couple, maintenance...so on). I'm pleased with my progress, because for me, it was realistic. I like having beers during the summer!

That being said, I know my body at this point, and the only way I can lose weight is if I eat roughly 1200 cals a day, with very little carbs. I've recently upped my carb intake because I've started a more-intense-than-I've-been-used-to workout regime within the last few weeks and I was not getting the most out of the workout.

Anyway, that works for me...actually, it's the only thing that works for me. I've had my metabolism tested, seen endocrinologists, got hormone tested, etc etc. All signs point to "you can't eat as much or what everyone else does, young lady".

And before anyone says "are you sure you're eating only that much?", yes, yes I am sure. I have a digital scale and I'm militant about measuring out my recipes. I freak out if I can't properly quantify how much/exactly what I ate in a day.

But! point is! That's just me! That's what works for me. Other people have different strategies, and great success! And that's great. I'd love to be one of those people, but i'm not...that's all.

(Stats: 29/F/5'7" SW: 300 lbs in 2009 CW: somewhere around 185 lbs. I stopped weighing myself since I started working out because my body does not want to lose weight when I weight train, and I didn't want to discourage myself)

Please elaborate, what specific conditions turned out to be the cause for this? What is the incidence of said condition in the general population according to your understanding from said Dr. appointment or reliable google research?

Jeez louise, that's a bit snarky, don't you think?

I have PCOS and insulin resistance (thanks to a ****ty diet/lack of exercise for the first 25 years of my life) both tested and confirmed from blood testing and continued visits with my Dr over the last 10 years. I have *also* had my metabolism checked because I was convinced that the steroid treatment after a small tumor was removed from my breast had changed the way I metabolised food.

Now, the "incidence of said condition(s)" are probably pretty low, in combination, I'd say. But, again, *for me* this is the sitch, 'tis what it is. For others, it isn't. And that's fine. But no one formula works for everyone, I don't think.

Thank you so much for clarifying. It was not my intent in the least to come off as snarky but only as asking a sincere question in earnest regarding what type of condition would necessitate this. I had heard of PCOS and suspected it might be that and just wanted the clarification for anyone who might be reading and not have access to health care to know that it's a specific diagnosis and that they are free to google it and see it's actual incidence in the general population and weigh those odds in when deciding if they think this might actually apply to them or not.

My apologies if my brief and to the point tone came off as snarky :flowerforyou: . I really meant no harm.

Eh, no worries, I probably read a tone that was non existant. We're square.

I guess the point of me participating in this conversation after being a member of mfp for two years of lurking is to say that aren't we all fighting the same battle? We're all here for the same reasons - to better ourselves in one way or another.

But isn't it safe to say that "bettering ourselves" doesn't necessarily mean *just* losing weight? Maybe it's getting to know one's body as well. It's not going to be okay to eat the way you used to anymore in order to succeed, so this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. And how best to make it a lifestyle, than to have better knowledge of how your body works?

What I'm trying to say is that we all are fighting the same battle, but with different weaponry. Why speak ill of someone else's weapons? Maybe it works for them! Maybe they're doomed for failure! Who knows? But the point is, no matter what, they figured it out. And learning from your mistakes is what creates for a long lasting result, I think.

I'm questioning myself why I've participated in such a debate, as I don't normally speak up nor care, but when I read things like "just because you're a special snowflake" or "This isn't about YOU", I get a bit disheartened because this is a community. A community of people voicing what worked for them, and how excited they are to find out that it worked for them. it just seemed like the opposite of that was happening; people were being isolated, called out, because the methods used weren't the same as consensus.

In short, i guess, why speak ill of one's methods, if a. it worked well for them, b. they're able to sustain the method in order to become a lifestyle, and c. it's not like the method that you're using? Isn't that a bit mean? We're all here for the same reasons.

Just my two cents. Who knows. We're all here to get positive feedback, so hell, if 2300 calories a day works for you, **** yeah! If you need a much lower caloric intake to see any results, cool too! lets eat some miracle noodles together.

hahaha lets eat some miracle noodles indeed.

Shaylyn1986

Is the point of the thread to say that 1200 works for some, but not for others? Because that's totally true...But maybe I'm missing the point.

I've lost a total of 115 pounds since 2009 in spurts (40 pounds hardcore for a couple of months, maintenance for a few months, 20 pounds for a couple, maintenance...so on). I'm pleased with my progress, because for me, it was realistic. I like having beers during the summer!

That being said, I know my body at this point, and the only way I can lose weight is if I eat roughly 1200 cals a day, with very little carbs. I've recently upped my carb intake because I've started a more-intense-than-I've-been-used-to workout regime within the last few weeks and I was not getting the most out of the workout.

Anyway, that works for me...actually, it's the only thing that works for me. I've had my metabolism tested, seen endocrinologists, got hormone tested, etc etc. All signs point to "you can't eat as much or what everyone else does, young lady".

And before anyone says "are you sure you're eating only that much?", yes, yes I am sure. I have a digital scale and I'm militant about measuring out my recipes. I freak out if I can't properly quantify how much/exactly what I ate in a day.

But! point is! That's just me! That's what works for me. Other people have different strategies, and great success! And that's great. I'd love to be one of those people, but i'm not...that's all.

(Stats: 29/F/5'7" SW: 300 lbs in 2009 CW: somewhere around 185 lbs. I stopped weighing myself since I started working out because my body does not want to lose weight when I weight train, and I didn't want to discourage myself)

Please elaborate, what specific conditions turned out to be the cause for this? What is the incidence of said condition in the general population according to your understanding from said Dr. appointment or reliable google research?

Jeez louise, that's a bit snarky, don't you think?

I have PCOS and insulin resistance (thanks to a ****ty diet/lack of exercise for the first 25 years of my life) both tested and confirmed from blood testing and continued visits with my Dr over the last 10 years. I have *also* had my metabolism checked because I was convinced that the steroid treatment after a small tumor was removed from my breast had changed the way I metabolised food.

Now, the "incidence of said condition(s)" are probably pretty low, in combination, I'd say. But, again, *for me* this is the sitch, 'tis what it is. For others, it isn't. And that's fine. But no one formula works for everyone, I don't think.

Thank you so much for clarifying. It was not my intent in the least to come off as snarky but only as asking a sincere question in earnest regarding what type of condition would necessitate this. I had heard of PCOS and suspected it might be that and just wanted the clarification for anyone who might be reading and not have access to health care to know that it's a specific diagnosis and that they are free to google it and see it's actual incidence in the general population and weigh those odds in when deciding if they think this might actually apply to them or not.

My apologies if my brief and to the point tone came off as snarky :flowerforyou: . I really meant no harm.

Eh, no worries, I probably read a tone that was non existant. We're square.

I guess the point of me participating in this conversation after being a member of mfp for two years of lurking is to say that aren't we all fighting the same battle? We're all here for the same reasons - to better ourselves in one way or another.

But isn't it safe to say that "bettering ourselves" doesn't necessarily mean *just* losing weight? Maybe it's getting to know one's body as well. It's not going to be okay to eat the way you used to anymore in order to succeed, so this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. And how best to make it a lifestyle, than to have better knowledge of how your body works?

What I'm trying to say is that we all are fighting the same battle, but with different weaponry. Why speak ill of someone else's weapons? Maybe it works for them! Maybe they're doomed for failure! Who knows? But the point is, no matter what, they figured it out. And learning from your mistakes is what creates for a long lasting result, I think.

I'm questioning myself why I've participated in such a debate, as I don't normally speak up nor care, but when I read things like "just because you're a special snowflake" or "This isn't about YOU", I get a bit disheartened because this is a community. A community of people voicing what worked for them, and how excited they are to find out that it worked for them. it just seemed like the opposite of that was happening; people were being isolated, called out, because the methods used weren't the same as consensus.

In short, i guess, why speak ill of one's methods, if a. it worked well for them, b. they're able to sustain the method in order to become a lifestyle, and c. it's not like the method that you're using? Isn't that a bit mean? We're all here for the same reasons.

Just my two cents. Who knows. We're all here to get positive feedback, so hell, if 2300 calories a day works for you, **** yeah! If you need a much lower caloric intake to see any results, cool too! lets eat some miracle noodles together.

hahaha lets eat some miracle noodles indeed.

Haa I actually have those. I hate the rice ones and the angel hair ones. The fettuccine ones are doable if they cook enough lol.

Shaylyn1986

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

I don't even know wtf you're talking about. Grad school just ended over the summer. I still live a sedentary lifestyle.

But yes.. trolling! Actually no, sticking up for a young woman who was getting **** on for her success.

That's rather ironic considering your recent behavior in another person's success thread.

Oh yeah, the one where I said I tried crossfit and it wasn't for me but the women there looked great and proceeded to get flamed about every single thing?

Ah yes.. I'm such a bad, bad girl.

Phoenix_Warrior

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

I don't even know wtf you're talking about. Grad school just ended over the summer. I still live a sedentary lifestyle.

But yes.. trolling! Actually no, sticking up for a young woman who was getting **** on for her success.

That's rather ironic considering your recent behavior in another person's success thread.

Oh yeah, the one where I said I tried crossfit and it wasn't for me but the women there looked great and proceeded to get flamed about every single thing?

Ah yes.. I'm such a bad, bad girl.

Why did I picture Beyonce talking to Gaga?

Shaylyn1986

[/quote]

Why did I picture Beyonce talking to Gaga?
[/quote]

lol

belindanjumo

Used the fit bit site and mfp.

Your stories keep changing.

Yeah, well she just admitted that grad school is finished, so she is just trolling on here for fun.

I don't even know wtf you're talking about. Grad school just ended over the summer. I still live a sedentary lifestyle.

But yes.. trolling! Actually no, sticking up for a young woman who was getting **** on for her success.

That's rather ironic considering your recent behavior in another person's success thread.

Oh yeah, the one where I said I tried crossfit and it wasn't for me but the women there looked great and proceeded to get flamed about every single thing?

Ah yes.. I'm such a bad, bad girl.

lol. I think I need to read that thread. But in your defence you were just voicing your opinion.