i think it was Dennis Miller who said we're either heart attack men or cancer men, we'll spend our lives fearing one or the other. i smoked forever, and you nailed it. you can't see yourself as a non-smoker. before i quit i was having all kinds of bad thoughts at night, couldn't sleep, thinking about having a heart attack at 33, worrying that i would smoke around my kid or make excuses to not be around her so i could smoke. it's a fucked up mind battle.
i also put a jar on the counter for the first couple months, every day i put the money i would have spent on smokes in there. i was gonna start my daughter's college fund with it, but i blew it in a titty bar. actually i bought a 4 track.
and the walking thing is good too. walk through downtown houston every day at 6pm and you will develop kevlar on your lungs and nothing will be able to hurt you.

TheeMajorMiller wrote:I'm convinced that if I could quit drinking and smoking that I'd be in much better shape.

This is correct. I quit smoking [cold turkey-really, I think it's the best way] this summer, and it was one of the best/worst/best again things I've ever done. For about two weeks I was very, very sick. It was like a cold, but with an entirely unproductive cough. Just hacking. A lot. Headaches. Crawling skin. I, like the Trompuss, am asthmatic, and so that probably made it worse for me. For three weeks or so I felt a physical ache for a cigarrette. It was terrible. Then it gradually faded. I still get jittery and crazy for one sometimes, at a bar, or the usual triggering places. I remind myself of how I used to feel the morning after a party, gasping like a fish, groping for an inhaler.
But I began working out about a month after I quit, and that has helped. Two miles of running on a treadmill [though it's getting cooler now, so I'm going to try actual running soon] to get the heart rate up, then about 45 min of assorted weight training. Three times a week. Everything about how my body works has improved.
Do it, man. You may PM me for moral support. Smoking is bad news. You'll feel better when you can breathe better.
I didn't quit drinking, though. But the days of the weekly bender are behind me.

glad you found a signature, full point. it was a pun that just wrote itself.

On the bill tonight:

TheeMajorMiller wrote:
sprawling beast bitch (Cleveland, OH)

metropolis (Nashville, TN)

I was finally able to quit smoking this year (w/ a few minor relapses), but in turn have gained a bunch of weight. Music always helps- listened to PiL's Metal Box last night at the gym, which is good workout music, although I got a lot of funny looks from people. Hey- it sure beats Godsmack or whatever they pump through the speakers there these days.

Ooo-wah-ah-ah-ah! Oh wait, that's Disturbed.

In about March of 2004 I was up to about 237lbs. That was the heaviest I had ever been. I'm 6'3", so it's not like I was obese, but the weight was all in the wrong place (my gut, which in turn made my dick look small). I slowed down my drinking (by coincedence, not to lose weight), and started exercising. I would do a half hour on an eliptical machine whenever I could (usually about 4 days a week avg.) and do about 100 crunches (about 9 different types, 3 a day). I lost about 25lbs by the end of July 2004. I really didn't change what I ate at all, I just watched it a bit. I did start eating breakfast everyday, but it was usually crappy cereal (Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, etc.). After that I did cut back on my eats a little bit and started running instead of the eliptical every other workout. I also added some weights with a bowflex my parents bought for me. By December 2004 I was down to 190-195lbs. That's the lightest I've been since high school, I'm 28 now. Since I got engaged in February, I have put a little back on because this summer was so busy that I was only able to work out 2 days a week (if that), but I've maintained it at 200-205lbs which I'm fine with at this point, especially knowing that some of that weight is muscle.

The biggest thing for me was sticking with it long enough to see some results. At different times during college and after, I'd try to start a workout routine and it would last about a week. I pretty much realized I wasted a lot of time sitting on my ass after work sleeping, so if I didn't have shit to do, I'd workout. Once I saw results, I couldn't wait to get home and workout. It became a part of my day as much as jerking off at least three times was.

I feel a ton better since I started exercising. I have a lot more energy during that day, I sleep well, I feel better about getting up in the morning, etc...

ann landers had a nice tip in her column last week.
"if your gut is making your dick look small, having it held by smaller hands will make it appear larger and more menacing."

i got it up on my fridge.

trompuss wrote:ann landers had a nice tip in her column last week.
"if your gut is making your dick look small, having it held by smaller hands will make it appear larger and more menacing."

i got it up on my fridge.

I noticed that when my 6 year old cousin and I were uh...nevermind.

Nico Adie wrote:(Americans may call this "5 a side soccer". To those Americans I say, "Fuck you, it's called football.").

It bothers you when different places give different names to the same activity? Don't worry, I don't think most Americans would call it "5 a side soccer."

More likely, "5 on 5 soccer."

Nico Adie wrote:

hench wrote:* walking instead of driving

This is the single most effective and practical way to lose weight and also keep healthy. I walk about 6 miles a day now, and I feel a lot healthier. I've lost 2 stones since deciding to walk.

I bet this would work great for me! My commute in to work is about 20 miles or so, so as long as I can start leaving the house at 4:30am or so and don't mind getting back home after 9pm, I should be down to almost nothing in no time.

The walk-instead-of-drive argument only carries so much (wait for it..) weight. Sorry.

two and a quarter years later and now i'm at 190... so i'm focusing more strongly on getting exercise/watching what i eat in order to offset my geek-ass sit-at-a-computer-for-14-hours-a-day lifestyle & get down to 175.

i've completely cut the beer from the diet - that eliminates a minimum of 450 calories/day. many more on fridays and saturdays.

doing my best to control portion sizes and substitute vegetables for kettle chips when i want a snack. that's difficult, but the vast array of spices in my kitchen helps immensely.

going to the gym 2x/week for cardio & strength training.

but the totally rad secret weapon is this:



for xmas this year, tmbgitw bought me an indoor bike trainer and an odometer.

i've not been riding my bike for a while because i've been doored three times in three years and i'm feeling skittish. plus, it's cold as hell outside. this way, i can rig my bike up in my studio, in front of my computer, go on a 23 mile ride (and burn like 1300 calories) while i watch an episode of the wire. do that 1x/day & that's some serious exercise. it's completely awesome - i highly recommend it for any of the prf cyclists...