Excuse me while I pat myself on the back...

[Th232]

Congratulations Paul!

Now, about that Kiwi addiction, time to feed it again? :D

[Fred Sanford]

Paul,

That's awesome. It was tough for my dad to quit too but I think it's for the better.

Keep it up. That's kick butt about all the weight you lost. Did you just start eating better and exercise or what? Just curious.

Cheers. :)

[WhyNot]

Paul,
You have all the reasons to be proud of yourself!
I never tried dieting, but I do know how difficult is to quit smoking. I did it in 1992 after 20 years of enjoying cigarettes every day. Boy, I liked smoking! Quitting was very painful for at least six-eight moths, but eventually got better.
I still like the smell of good cigarette, but hopefully will never put it in my mouse again.
BTW, have you thought about biking instead of (or in addition to ) walking? You might like it.

WhyNot.

[The Deacon]

Thanks folks.

Weight loss has been probably 90% dieting and 10% exercise. Was almost 100% diet in the beginning, got winded too quickly for any serious exercise to be possible. Basically switched from living on a high fat diet consisting mainly of flour, potatoes, meat, and cheese to an extremely low fat one with virtually no flour, and far less ot the other three items. Can't remember the last time I ate anything fried.

Thought about a bike. Did buy a stationary recumbent that I use when it's too cold to be walking much. Several things kept me from buying a regular one. Probably the biggest one being the number of cyclists killed or badly injured around here every year. Not just kids either, fair number of them have been experienced adult riders trying to "live green". There are some bike trails around here, so I could get around that concern by investing in a carrier, transporting the bike to them, and avoiding the road. But that's one more expense, one more thing that requires time and preparation, and I was not crazy about the idea of mounting a bike rack on my PT convertible. If that were not enough, it's quite hilly where I live, and then of course theres four to five months of cold, snow and ice, and the question of where to keep it when not in use. One downside of my apartment - no garage. Came to the conclusion that walking was both safer and cheaper.

As for the Kiwi addiction, just packed up a couple pieces of stone Jano sent me from Slovakia, and a couple pieces of lingum vitae STR was kind enough to give me, and will be sending them off to SFSW presently. :D

[bh49]

Congratulation Paul,
We need you in good health.
I am very happy for you.
Roman

[EarthDog]

Paul,

That is inspiring.

Thanks!

[Jazz]

Awesome for you, brother! I also know how tough it is firsthand. Looking back - what a disgusting habit to do to oneself. Keep it up and fight it. I'm rootin' for ya. :)

- best wishes, Jazz.

[flyguy]

Very inspiring! I've got asthma, so smoking was never an option for me... (I'm not sad about that either)

I do know many, many friends that have quit only to start up a months (or a year) later.

Never quit being proud of quiting! :cool:

[JD Spydo]

If you want a couple of tips on keeping your weight under control ( or even losing some more weight) I have 2 things to tell you about that are so easy but yet they do indeed work for sure. I have a older friend who is in his late 60s that was getting overweight and his chiropractor of all things got him to start walking briskly on a daily basis and now he is up to 2 miles a day and it has done him wonders. I'd say he's lost close to 40 lbs in about 4 months.

Also another thing I've seen work well for a cousin of mine. He eats a great deal of raw fruit and raw vegetables. When ever he get the urge to snack he doesn't go for chips or pretzels he goes for a veggie platter. And my cousin also started doing a lot of brisk walking daily too. As simple as those 2 tips sound I do indeed know 2 people ( actually 3) that those regimens actually are working. I've seen it first hand. Unless you have severe joint problems or other physical malodies I'd ask you Doctor and see what he/she says.

Neither one costs much and both are easy to do. Give it try. Plus they will probably aid in keeping you from wanting to go for the cigarettes again. JD

[The Deacon]

Well, figured it was time to drag this one out of hibernation again, since I reached the four year mark today. If it inspires someone else to quit, or not to give in to the urge to start again, that's great. If not, that's ok too.

Nothing much to add beyond that. Weight went back up a bit, but seems to have stabilized at around 215. It's been hovering around that point for the last six months or so. There's part of me that would like to get it down some more, and another part that feels doing so amounts to fighting nature and may stress my body more than maintaining my current weight. Must admit I've grown a bit more intolerant of the smell of cigarette smoke, but maybe that's just because I've grown a bit more intolerant of a lot of things.

[tonydahose]

congrats Paul,,,i was wondering why i didnt recall this thread until i read the bit about the 4 yr mark...i guess i am still a newbie on here :D ...keep up the good work.

[bh49]

Good job, Paul. Congratulations on four years.

[bluemist]

I'll hit 3 years off cigs in March... I see people weighing 300 pounds walking uphill in 101 degree heat and puffing on a cigarette and I feel sorry for them but the ex smoker is the worst kind of smoking critic and part of me is just disgusted.. there are no pros for cigarette smoking.. only cons.. that addiction is tough to break, welbutrin helped me but it took 2 years to get off that and it was a total mindfook but all in all I'd say it was worth it.

I've found when breaking an addiction it helps to just accept that you will be uncomfortable for awhile, relish the challenge and accept full responsibility for the actions that led you into the mess.. it was important to me to embrace the discomfort and to never feel like I didn't deserve it.

<b>Never surrender, keep trying.. cravings for nicotine won't last longer than 2 minutes and as time goes by the cravings become less frequent. At 2.5 years I no longer have any cravings, not even when I drink...

[amen74]

Hi Paul. This is indeed really great news. Could you by any chance calculate your savings from not buying cigarettes? Sounds like a lot of extra cash for Spydies. :D

Congratulations!!! :)

[nathan310]

...for making it through six months without a cigarette. :)

That's awesome and hard as **** to do!

[Agent Starling]

Good going, Deacon! I know it couldn't have been easy to quit but 4 years tobacco-free is definitely something to be proud of! :D

Agent Starling

[dialex]

Now this is an achievement! Congratulations my friend and don't give up.

[The Deacon]

Well, another year older and still off the weed. :) Figured it was time to inspire some and annoy others with a "5 years smoke free" post. :D

Still intolerant of smoke, perhaps more than ever now that I'm retired since I have less exposure to it than before. No need to walk through the cloud just to get in and out of my office. Did put a few pounds back over the winter, hovering around 230 now in spite of walking an average of about 2 miles a day since April.

[UK KEN]

Paul

Well done old friend! :)

I hope that you continue to prevail.

Regards, Ken

[bh49]

Paul,
Congrats on five years. Good job.
Roman