weight loss cardiff answers:

No wax-worms are not a good regular diet. Wax-worms are incredibly high in fat compared to other feeders, and a staple of waxies would cause obesity, and put the Leopard Gecko at an increased risk of fatty liver disease. The best staple would be Crickets, Dubia Roaches, Pheonix Worms, or Mealworms.

weight loss cardiff answers:

Worm Reproduction…or how they make more worms!

How To

Reproduction dictates survival of a species. Organisms like worms which provide food for many others, must reproduce ample offspring to offset predation. OK, that is a mouthful, right? But it is true. All the creatures who live in the wild must have food. Worms are an easy target for them.

Here comes a short anatomy lesson on worms and the red wiggler, in particular. Most worms are hermaphrodites, meaning that each one is both male and female. Impossible you say! Not so. Read on: While worms possess both male and female sexual organs, red wigglers cannot produce offspring alone. Red wigglers must join for successful mating and reproduction to occur.

Some species of worms can produce offspring alone, these worms are parthenogenic, meaning they can produce offspring without cross fertilization. Eisenia Fetida are hermaphroditic but not parthenogenic. Got it? I knew you would.

When a red wiggler is sexually immature its body segments are uniform throughout its entire length. As it matures, it develops a bulbous gland about one third of the way down its body called the clitellum. It looks like a swollen band around its body. This area produces mucus needed for the cocoon production.

Two worms come together at the clitellum and use their hair-like setae to hold fast to each other. While joined they exchanged seminal fluid. At the same time, grooves on the underside of the worm help transport the seminal fluid to the seminal vesicles for later use. Each worm begins to secrete a mucus ring around itself.

After being joined for up to three hours, the worms separate. The mucus on each worm begins to harden as the worm starts to back out of, or slough off, this ring. During this process the seminal fluid, ovum and aminotic fluid are deposited into the mucus ring. As the ring passes over the worm’s head it seals, forming a lemon shaped, yellow colored cocoon. Over a period of weeks, the cocoon darkens to a beautiful ruby red as the hatchlings mature.

Here is must be noted that calcium is essential in the worms’ diet. Without calcium, worms will not reproduce. In most cases the organic waste you give your worms will have enough calcium in it. But to be sure the worms have an adequate supply, there are three simple ways to provide it:

1) pulverize your eggshells as finely as possible and add them to your bin.

2) grind up a calcium based antiacid tablet and add a teaspoon every week.

3) pick up an agricultural lime ( calcium carbonate) or dolomite ( calcuim-magnesium carbonate) at your local garden center and add a teaspoon weekly to your bin.

Caution: Do NOT use a construction lime such as slaked lime or quick lime as they will both quickly kill the worms.

To Recap:

> it takes two red wigglers to make more worms for your bin.

> during the three hours the two worms are joined: don’t bother them, or you will interrupt their private time, in making more worms for you.

> do ensure the worms have enough calcium, using one of the methods mentioned above.

Next time I will write about the cocoons, hatchlings, juveniles and adult worms and their stages of growth. Until them I hope you enjoy your worm bin and it teaches you more about your worms

weight loss cardiff answers:

Do NOT take diet pills! They are dangerous!!

Last year I was visiting my parents and took diet pills on top on my exercise routine and normal diet. I was 26 at the time, 5’11, 180 lbs. By week three I was sick. I had diarrhea, dry heaves, dizziness, headaches, and a general feeling of being sick. I thought I had caught the flu or something. I had lost 13 lbs in 4 days. One morning I told my mom I didn’t feel good. My vision kept blacking out and I felt (for lack of a better way to say it) stoned. Later that afternoon I was walking from the bathroom to my bedroom (a 5 foot walk) and I passed out. I was rushed to the hospital emergency where they did a bunch of tests on me.

My pulse was up to 120, My blood pressure was 150/40, they had to start me on an IV, the did an EKG on me, took blood and urine samples, and a whole barrage of other tests.

They finally got me stabilized and said that I was dehydrated and malnutritioned. I told him that I took diet pills. When I mentioned diet pill, the doctors face lit up and said that’s why. He said they can cause a whole bunch of health problems, including death. He told me to toss the diet pills or next time I might not be so lucky.

I was kept in the hospital for almost 10 hours, given 3 or 4 IVs, potassium, juices, and monitored (by the EKG, blood pressure, and heart rate machines) every 15 minutes.

Please take my story as a warning. If you seriously want to loose weight there are better ways (I know because I’ve lost weight after this)

The quickest way to lose weight is to cut out red meats, starches, breads, sugars, alcohol, and sodas.

Eat veggies (salads are good), soups, and drink TONS of water. If you get hungry between a meal, drink water to fill up.

In moderation eat white meats, and fruits (fruits contain natural sugars, and that can put on weight)

Practice portion control. Yes, you’ll feel hungry at first, but think of your goal, and soon your stomach will start shrinking and you won’t have that feeling anymore.

Eat 5 times a day. A small breakfast. A mid-morning snack, such as an apple. A small lunch. A mid-afternoon snack, such as carrots. A lite dinner. Do not eat any later than 7pm (6pm is better.)

Go exercise for at least an hour – two a day, incorporating weight training along with your cardio. Cardio helps to melt the fat, while weight training builds muscle. Muscle burns fat, even when you are resting. You get the idea. It also gives tone and definition. Also do a few yoga and pilates exercises to help tone those hard to reach and stubborn areas.