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

[The Deacon]

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


EDITED TO ADD: For the benefit of anyone opening this thread for the first time or who has, understandably, forgotten it, it was started in FEB 2005 and gets resurrected on anniversaries of the day I stopped smoking.

[vampyrewolf]

way to go, now buy a celebratory knife for yourself... you've earned it

[JD Spydo]

I would say that the Deacon deserves a titanium ATR for that feat. So everyone on the forum put in a dollar each :D

[Simon G]

Very well done to you, sir! Unfortunately, I have to fight with the nicotine monkey every day! :mad:

[Jimmy_Dean]

congrats, I know first hand it's quite an accomplishment!
I had stopped for a while until the old habit came back to kick me. You're doing better than I am

[CKE]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[CutEngineer]

Very good! Don't relax too much yet though. I spent years leaning into clouds of smoke just for the smell.

When I decided that I wanted to quit, it took several tries. Once I quit for more than a year before I lost my way. The final solution was to bet a friend (an honorable friend) $100 that he would smoke before I did.

I am cheap enough that no matter how badly I thought I wanted a cigarette, I wanted the money more.

While my friend was honorable, he was a sore looser, and paid me off in pennies. He lasted about 10 months, but didn't tell me for several more months.

Finally, the cravings went away. And now, after 17 years, I can truly say that that cigarette smoke stinks.

How are you doing on weight gain?

[Senate]

Great news Paul!

I'm glad I never started :)

[spyderknut]

ATTA BOY!









one day at a time...... :cool:

[silverback]

Very good, keep it up!
I'm four months smoke free now. (pat on back)

The hard part isn't the quitting, that's easy. It's hard not to start again. :D

[mikewww]

Excellent !!!!!! I did this years ago, and found that the best reward was (beside the health benefits) That I could SMELL THINGS AGAIN !! I now find the smell of smoke to be a huge turn-off. So, go out and buy yet another Spydie! :) :) :) :) :)

[Manifest]

Congratulations! And like others have said, buy yourself a nice new Spydie! :)

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha my friend!

Right on man...RIGHT ON!!! ;) I too. would suggest you go and get yerself a :spyder: , but uh...which ones DON'T you have? :confused: (Linerlockers not included) :rolleyes:

God bless you bro :cool:

[Ted]

Congrats! You probably save a lot of Spyderco-money while not smoking...

[wotanson]

Way to go Paul, any tips? I quite once cold turkey, lasted two years, I've been back five years now, and I can't quit to save my life now. A friend said Welbutrin (spelling) worked for him, but I'm reluctant to resort to drugs. Cheers and congrats!!!!!! Rob

[dialex]

Congratulations Paul. Now it's time to treat yourself with a big cigar! :eek:

[Shiden]

Congratulations. That is very, very good to hear. I hate smoking.

Shiden

[The Deacon]

Thanks everyone!

Can't claim to have kicked the habit, started smoking at 13, quit at 35 and went two years without one only to pick up right where I left off in a moment of stress. Took me another 23 years to try giving them up again. Started this thread because someone suggested that it making it "public", like CutEngineer's $100 bet, would be one more incentive not to go back. Up to now, think I had only told a couple folks.

VW - that's how I justified the CF Navigator I got last week.

JD - thanks for the thought, might be the only way I'll get an ATR before they go out of production and become "collectible".

Senate - yes you are, not starting is a heck of a lot easier than stopping.

Simon, Dean, Wotanson, coughing up blood can be a great motivator, but not one I'd wish on anyone else.

CutEngineer - as I said above, was off them for two years once before, taking it one day at a time now. Must admit I stopped leaning into clouds of smoke after the first week. Sometimes think maybe my old sofa is still acting as a "patch" considering all the nicotine it absorbed over the years. Old car died about a month ago, had been a rolling ashtray for seven years, but had not been smoked in for five months. Rented one that came equipped with an overflowing ashtray, that plus the stress of suddenly "needing" to go car shopping damn near made me start again. Got through that and the new car didn't come with an ashtray or lighter. As for weight, probably have put on a couple pounds, have been using a mixture of Chex Party Mix, raisins, peanut butter M&M's, and Pepperidge Farms Goldfish to keep my hands and mouth busy. I try not to over do it, but am sure that coupled with the reduced amount of exercise I get in the winter (down from way too little to none :o ) it has had some effect.

Silverback - Congrats to you too! Perhaps we ought to make one of those pacts, where the first one to revert buys the other a :spyder:

mikewwww - True, but the smell thing is a two edged sword. There are smells I can now enjoy more, like the aroma of Chocolate Haupia flavored Kona coffee brewing that is wafting through the air here right now thanks to Daywalker. :cool: But there are others, which I could pretty much tolerate and ignore before that now either make me nauseous or drive me straight up the wall. The smell of immitation butter flavored microwave popcorn is about at the top of that list. :eek: I swear one of these days I'm going to barf all over my keyboard at work from it. :o

Ted - I probably had one of the least expensive habits going, was rolling my my own for the last 15 years so it was only costing me about $15 a week. That may have made it easier to stop too. Don't think they put all the additives in rolling tobacco they put in commercial cigarettes here in the US. Plus, the Rizla rollbox I used rolled a nice thin stick, so less tobacco, and thus less nicotine per cigarette.

Alex - you devil, but I was thinking more along the lines of a couple tokes off a nice fat Jamaican... never mind. ;)

If all goes well, will "resurect" this thread in August and every six months thereafter.

[dialex]

Good luck Paul. I don't smoke (however, I grew in a house full of cigarette smoke), but my father does and has serious problems (coughing all the time, difficulties in swallowing aso.). :(
I know he'd readily pay a fortune to quit but he lacks the will :( While he tried several times, but we found he was hiding away from us to get his drag(s). :( During all this time he pretended he smokes no more than 4 - 7 cigartettes daily. :eek:

[fret]

:) Great to hear that. Congratulations. I don't smoke due to health problems. I have had relatives and friends pass away painfully from the smoking diseases. Right now my friend's wife is undergoing chemotherapy due to smoking. A cancerous lump in the left lung. Hopefully the cancer did not spread? Time will tell.

[boxer93]

Paul,
Great! Keep it up. I hope that you never go back to this habit.
Chris

[thombrogan]

Fret,

Prayers sent for your wife.

Paul,

Great news! Keep up the great work!

[vampyrewolf]

started smoking when I worked at BK... between school and work I was stressed out... 25hrs a week for sleep didn't help. went for about 2.5yrs on ciggs...
quit for 14months, then stress got me again... smoked capt black mini cigars for a year, quit on labour day. So this is month 5.
I've had a couple cigars when my buddy bought and offered me one, but I'm done with smoking.

Figured the $50 a month I was spending could be put towards either a bottle of scotch or knives.
My first month was the hardest, not a problem now.

[KBR]

Take it one day at a time, Deacon.

You can do it!!! :D

[Jurphaas]

Good Show Paul, you show more character than I do at the moment! I'll go polish my spydies and be ashamed of myself.
Jur. :D

[Stevie Ray]

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

Good job Paul. I know you're glad you gave it up.

[jhillas]

Thats great news. I quit myself 6/1/04 and have been using nicorette gum. First the 4mg now the 2mg and starting to wean off of it. I have quit many times before, sometimes for as long as a year. Its true that "just one or two" will creep right back into full scale smoking. Keep it up. Its worth it.

[The Deacon]

Made it through another three months without reverting to my old habit and without defenestrating any of my co-workers, or my computer at work. It may be silly, but I figure posting it here somehow helps keep me from succumbing to the occasional urge to light up.

[Fisher of Men]

Paul,

Keep it up man. It's hard. I did it too. I quit about 7 years ago.

Best thing for ya.

God Bless you.

Cheers,
David

[Gerard Breuker]

Congratulations. I tried to quit twice the last couple of years but due to some very unfortunate events after about 6 to 8 weeks found myself unable to keep it up. I am slowly preparing myself for a new attempt but holding out until my life quietens down a bit.

[greencobra]

Good job. I quit last November 1st so it's been about that long for me. You need to have a lot of self discipline to quit.

[Piet.S]

Keep it up Paul, remember there is no innocent occasional smoke after you'v been hooked. You earned some pride.

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: good for you, Paul! Quit smoking and you can take up 3 new bad habits and still be ahead! :spyder:

[MeJoomeok]

Way to go...hardest damn thing I ever had to quit!

Now the liquor is different....LOL :D

[The Deacon]

Time for me to dredge up this thread again. Just hit the 1 year mark today! And, although there have been a couple close calls, did it without increasing my body count.;) :D
http://www.paulberetta.com/images/ani_gifs/jumping.gif

[Piet.S]

Congrets Paul, keep it up. Its for a good cause. Besides wasn't it a stupid filthy habbit after all? Been there, done that, so I can say it.

[333]

hello all

Congratulations Deacon, quite an accomplishment you have achieved.
Keep at it and soon you will be free of nicotine.
One day at a time, slowly but surely you will succeed. :)

333

[mikewww]

Congratulations, Paul. Now for the five-year smoke-free stint. I believe you lose the nicotine in about a week, but the craving lingers much longer. Having stopped for a year, you should now find the smell of cigarette smoke offensive. This in itself should prevent you starting again. If you are offered a cigarette, DON'T DO IT !!! Don't even take a drag, just to show that you can stop. This has been the undoing of many a stopee !

All the best

Mike

[UK KEN]

Paul

Great work! Think of all the extra cash you have to spend on hobbies ;)

Keep it up mate! :D

Ken

[spyderknut]

Really quite excellent Paul.

I am sure there are still times when you'd love to light one up or think 'maybe just one'.

Days add up to weeks then months, years and decades.

I hope you've seen some positive health benefit. Food taste different? If you've not actually noticed any difference, I am sure your body has.

Keep it up, you are strong!

[TheKnifeCollector]

CONGRATULATIONS!! I know how hard it is to quit smoking!! I myself recently have celebrated 4 years on July 6th, at 6pm.

[spydutch]

Way to go Deacon. I can't get myself stopping and I admire the ones who can. Keep on....

[pjrocco]

Great job Deacon.... You have more will power than I do.

Keep it up!

One year with no cig = New knife!!!!!

[ghostrider]

Congratulations Deacon. One year is quite the accomplishment. My personal nicotine habit was Kodiak. Had it quite for about three years, and then started up again. Now, I’ve been two years without. You did it a lot longer than I, so that habit must have given you fits. You’ve certainly earned the right to be proud.

[smcfalls13]

Congratulations Deacon. I would point out all the benefits of quitting, but at this point, you've already figured it out, and all the benefits have already been mentioned, so it will be a simple "congratulations" then.

Keep it going.

[WORKER#9]

good job!! I am coming up on a year without chewing skoal, I was physically sick when I quit, 20 years of chewing will do that to a man. i still struggle but not one slip up in 10 months. thanks for the inspiration. keep up the good work. worker

[Vincent]

tabbaco is bad

[pjrocco]

good job!! I am coming up on a year without chewing skoal, I was physically sick when I quit, 20 years of chewing will do that to a man. i still struggle but not one slip up in 10 months. thanks for the inspiration. keep up the good work. worker

Worker,

Did you cause damage to your lips or mouth?

20 years!?!? :eek:

Good job on quiting....Keep it up! :)

[WORKER#9]

No my teeth and gums are fine, I have all my original teeth, including wisdom. at 37 years old the dentist said my teeth and gums are just fine, weird but true. I have heard the horror storys but I chewed a tin a week, some guys I know chewed a tin in a day. So although I chewed for a long time it was not in as much volume as some, I think this helped. I started chewing in high school when I was 16, and just kept it up for twenty years! I do feel much better now that I have quit. worker

[Vincent]

some tabbaco products just dont affect people.

My mother has smoked for 30+ years and she has 100+ lung and body compacity.

her dr. was amazed,

same with my Grandma,

But 2 of my grandfather both have had cancer due to smoking.

[ghostrider]

No my teeth and gums are fine, I have all my original teeth, including wisdom. at 37 years old the dentist said my teeth and gums are just fine, weird but true. I have heard the horror storys but I chewed a tin a week, some guys I know chewed a tin in a day. So although I chewed for a long time it was not in as much volume as some, I think this helped. I started chewing in high school when I was 16, and just kept it up for twenty years! I do feel much better now that I have quit. worker
Right before I quit, I was going through a tin in about a day and a half. Big huge dips that would last for about an hour. I certianly don't miss it... anymore.

[WORKER#9]

Right before I quit, I was going through a tin in about a day and a half. Big huge dips that would last for about an hour. I certianly don't miss it... anymore.

Yes my good friend, who also quit had that style, very hard style of chewing. I was a little more moderate, but if he ran out of chew he would kill my can in one dip! LOL WORKER

[224477]

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


Paul, I somehow missed this one :o

CONGRATULATIONS ! ! !

I myself am too weak for that, have switched to low nicottine/low tar cigarettes (Reemtsma R1), smoke about 10 pieces a day, but cant quit finally.
I used to smoke red marlboro´s, there were times I did 30 a day, so this story with the R1 is my little win. :o

I admire your strong will to quit.

J.

[The Deacon]

Thanks to all. Truth is, like a mule, it took a couple sledgehammer blows to my head to get the message across that I really had only two choices. You would think coughing blood would convince anybody to stop then and there, but nooooooooooo, only took a few days to talk myself into the notion that it was just a fluke. Second time around did make me realize I was wrong about that.

[dialex]

I think I know how it is Paul. I don't smoke, but my father does. Here in Romania they say "he smokes like a snake" :confused: although I've never seen a snake smoking (at least so far) ;).
And it shows: coughing, difficuties in swallowing, you got the big picture :( About a year ago, he started coughing blood and reduced his ratio from 20 - 30 cigarettes a day to 4 - 6. This untill he felt better, of course, now he's back :mad:
Good luck, Paul, and remeber what Mark Twain used to say: "To quit smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I quit smoking myself at least a hundred times so far" ;)
OTOH, I read somewhere that smoking is bad for the lungs and throat but good for the brain. According to statistics, smokers seldom develop Alzheimer, Parkinson or sclerosis. (Perhaps that's why I munch a cigar now and then, my brain cells need preservatives) ;)

[HoB]

Good for you! Congrats!

[The Deacon]

Time for me to resurrect this thread once again, since today marks three years since I quit smoking.

http://www.paulberetta.com/images/ani_gifs/jumping.gif http://www.paulberetta.com/images/ani_gifs/jumping.gif http://www.paulberetta.com/images/ani_gifs/jumping.gif

For those interested:

Has not always been easy, has not always been fun, but coughing blood seems to have provided a strong enough incentive to keep me from lighting up again. Must admit I've been sorely tempted a few times in moments of stress. But I know that I've been very lucky, the past three years may very well have have been my least stressful since puberty.

Don't think I've become "much" less tolerant than I was before I quit, then again I've always been a highly opinionated and fairly intolerant SOB, so that's not really saying much. ;) Do find it's much easier to avoid second hand smoke and residual tobacco odors now than it was the last time I quit, thirty years ago. Between living alone and changes in the laws that limit exposure in public places, building entrances are about the only "hot zones" left. Am sure that's been a help. :D

Gained lots of weight the first eighteen months. As many who quit smoking do, I substituted "munchies" for cigarettes. Went from 245-250 to almost 310. Reached the point where both walking and breathing were becoming difficult. The quarter mile walk from my office to the parking garage required at least one, sometimes two, stops to catch my breath. Realized that had to change, so started dieting. Took all of that, plus more, off over the last eighteen, down to 205 now and intend to get down to 185 eventually, although am in less of a rush to do that than I was to drop the first 85 pounds. Have gotten back to where a two mile walk is enjoyable, and a three mile one tolerable.

Have experienced some interesting changes in my senses of taste and smell. Some food taste much better, some much worse. Never was much for "fishy" fish, but cannot bring myself to eat fish of any kind anymore. Steak, on the other hand, has become an almost religious experience. :D So have local tomatoes at this time of year. Using a wider variety of spices now, but less of any one of them.

Will see what the next couple years brings.

[zenheretic]

Rock On and congrats!

http://img282.imageshack.us/img282/5505/bandbheadbangop0.gif

[hanswurst]

Congratulations, Paul. Not only for quitting smoking but also loosing the weight. Takes a lot of willpower to accomplish either. Keep it up.

[AUXCOM]

Awesome Paul,

Congratulations on both the smoking and weight - KEEP IT UP!!

[Th232]

Congratulations Paul!

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

[David Lowry]

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 hell 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

[Peter1960]

Mens sana in corpore sano- as the old Romans said.
I hope you feel good for plenty of years.
Take care! Peter

[FLYcrash]

Congrats, Paul!

You motivate me to stop smoking. I'd told myself that my last pouch of rolling tobacco would be my last, but I bought another one in a moment of weakness, one of those slow, groggy afternoons.

If walking starts to bore you, maybe you'll reconsider the bike...it's a wonderful way to see the countryside on rural roads.

[ront]

Paul, way to go on 5 years now. That is just awesome man!!

Ron

[Water Bug]

Congratulations, Paul, on such an outstanding achievement!

[The CoPilot]

Happy Anniversary, Paul! Quitting smoking was the best gift that you could have given yourself (and all your friends and family who care about you)!

Congratulations once again!

[The Mastiff]

Good job Paul. I know from experience how difficult it can be. I quit 17 years ago, and still occasionally wish I had one.

I've had it kill a few friends and family members so I'm always pleased when I see someone I know quit.

I put on some weight after I quit, but it came back off some time later. I was eating a lot more when I quit I guess. Everything normaled out again after that.

[dialex]

Hi Paul, this is impressive. Congratulations and go get a cigar to celebrate... ;)

[skatenut]

Congrats, Deacon!

I finally stopped several years ago and have no intention of ever starting again ! nowadays the nicotine patches seem to make stopping easier. however, when I stopped in 1991, I didn't use any patches and I truly found it awful! I still regret I can't smoke a good cigar now and then, but then the addiction would start again.

[spyderknut]

one day at a time

[spyderknut]

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

Get a hitch installed and get a hitch rack. No high lifting. Easy to remove, install. You cannot wreck your bike driving into your garage like I did ONCE.

[aebfroman]

Quitters never win.

; )

[The Deacon]

I've thought about a bike quite a bit. My Patriot would be a lot easier to mount a carrier on than the PT Convertible was. But the negatives still heavily outweigh the positives for me.

Put simply, I just can't see what advantage riding a bicycle offers me over walking, unless I was using it as transportation. Any weather I'd consider riding in, I can walk in. In fact, I tend to think you'd get colder on a bike than on foot, just due to the wind chill factor.

It would mean one more fairly large bit of clutter in my small apartment. Especially during the four or five months it's too cold to ride. I'm on the ground floor, so it wouldn't be too hard getting it in and out, but it's still more of a nuisance than just walking out the door.

Cost is another negative. Hiking boots and a decent trekking pole for the trails, plus a pair of comfortable shoes for paved paths cost me less than $250 total. From everything I've read, a halfway decent bicycle, plus a hitch receiver and bike carrier, will cost me at least $1000, perhaps more. He may be the bike world's equivalent of the snobs who claim all FRN knives are junk, but the one bike person I've spoken to locally claims spending "only" $650 for a bike is just throwing money away. Best price I can get on the receiver and carrier was $350, installed. Then, on top of whatever the bike costs, there are also the "incidentals". A helmet, at the very least. Lock, if for nothing else to lock the bike to the carrier. Tools perhaps, but I probably have most, if not all that I'd need. Air pump probably, seems the bikes today no longer come with one.

Then there's logistics. Any park I can transport a bike to in order to ride, I can hike in. In fact, there are more trails open to hikers than to bikes and none where bikes are allowed but pedestrians are not. I can also just walk to one of the two grocery stores I normally shop in. It's a 2 mile round trip to the nearest one and just under 4 miles round trip to the other. Sidewalks almost all the way, so walking is safe. Riding a bike on the roads around here is not something I'd even consider doing.

[FLYcrash]

I can see that you've thought about the bike quite a bit. Kudos to you for that. Bicycles can be a consuming hobby unto themselves (they are for me!), and I totally understand why many don't get into it.

I guess I get a lot of pleasure out of the mechanical side of bikes (building and fixing bikes, both my own and my friends') as well as riding them. The transportation factor is big in my lifestyle (I don't own a car). Besides that, the main advantage to me of riding a bike over walking (don't get me wrong, I love walking and hiking too!) is the sheer quantity of nice scenery you can absorb in a given amount of time - be it a 15-mile roll after work to downtown and back or a long, 100-mile Saturday down quiet paths and near-deserted highways to the next state. It's true, though, that biking gets tough below about 15 or 20 degrees, and road salt is murder on the components.

I've spent several times on bikes what I have on knives, perhaps a grand on tools and 3.5 grand on my "good" bike, a steel light tourer I built myself. I spent my 2008 economic stimulus check entirely on the (American-made) hubs and bottom bracket bearings for it. It makes me happy, but it would be ridiculous to expect that it would make everyone happy. (Though feel free to PM me if you ever want to know more about bikes!)

Regarding cost, $1000 can get you a very decent bike and $650 is in no way a waste if you know what to look for. My "car" that gets me everywhere is a '74 Raleigh three-speed that I bought used for $100 and have refurbished for maybe $350 in parts.

Ultimately, the point is that you're active. Exactly how that looks is different for every person, but in all cases it's something to be proud of. :)

[Water Bug]

Overall, walking is best for you. I do believe walking is considered better than running. And, both provide a better workout for you than riding a bike.

For me, a bike came in handy during college and graduate school when I needed to get from one class on one side of the campus to another class on the other side of the campus in a relatively short period of time. Driving on campus was out of the question due to limited parking and the need for permits, and walking, although better for you, was timely when you couldn't get classes with longer "layover" periods between them. What I did do, though, was often hitch my bike to a bike rack in close proximity to several classes for the day and walk to them, saving the bike to cover longer distances and dragging those text books home.

[firebert]

way to go! I just did the same :)

[kbuzbee]

Congrats Paul! 5 years is a real milestone!

As to the weight/exercise thing. Walking is great. If you are really dedicated it really is about all you should need.

We recently bought a Bowflex. Was thinking that muscle loss is responsible for many senior injuries. Read a stat that said the average 70 yo can not lift 10 pounds over their head!

It's not gonna get us into the Olympia contest or anything but it's pretty compact and does a lot! Let me know if it's of any interest and if you have any questions.

The wife and I are both using it 4-5 days a week now.

Ken

[jimbo@stn24]

Ken,

Another benefit of maintaining muscle mass as you age is it helps with weight control. Simply put, the more "engine" you have to feed fuel to, the less escess food energy gets stored as fat. From what I've read, our rate of metabolism remains constant throughout life, as we age we lose muscle mass.

[kbuzbee]

Ken,

Another benefit of maintaining muscle mass as you age is it helps with weight control...

Exactly what got me into it!

About 6 mo ago I was 335# w/ 54" waist (I'm 6'6" BTW)

Now I'm 285# w/ 44" waist.

Don't do much cardio (except using the reel mower for 3 hours to cut the @#$% grass every 4-5 days :rolleyes:). Try to do a lower body every 3-4 days and an upper body workout every 3-4 days.

And rebalanced the diet to 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% (mostly healthful) fat @285gr protein/day. At least that's the goal;)

Seems to be working

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Ken

[mrappraisit]

Deacon -I've been coming here for two years and had no idea this thread existed. Congrats... smoking is one nasty and expensive habit, glad you kicked it.:)

[Jurphaas]

Hi Paul - Congratulations on your fifth smokeless year. Great willpower and stamina! I quit for the second time in my life the day after my retirement July 2006. No problems what so ever. Smoke stinks and I don't want to be near smokers, that's all.
Good for you and keep your healthy life style a float! b.t.w. you look great in Hawai shirts.... :)
Cheers,
Jurphaas. ;)