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Margret wrote: "My Dad’s twin is the worst. He’s in a group home now because he cannot function due to his wernicke korsakoff (brain injury from severe alcoholism). He was clean for probably about 2 years around 1..."

I fully agree that alcoholism is a disease and those that have it the worst need some sort of outside help to overcome it. Such a viscous, draining cycle on the person and their family. Good for your Dad for trying to help. I can't even imagine how hard their passing would have been on your family.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I watched my grandmama deteriorate and pass away at 80 from lung disease caused by smoking. It was horrible. So no smoking for me.

My absent father was an alcohol..."

Couple hours on wikipedia/webMD, and you've diagnosed yourself with a bunch of social disorders that explain why you're a night shift hermit...

idiffer wrote: "Sadly, I smoke. Worst lifechoice ever. Sports? Not anymore. + The prices are WTF-worthy."

Like Iain said, I think the price alone is enough to scare me off. Yikes!

Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I watched my grandmama deteriorate and pass away at 80 from lung disease caused by smoking. It was horrible. So no smoking for me.

My absent f..."

Preach! I need to stay away from WebMD. All the things are wrong.

Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: .."

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I ..."

Have you read Three Men in a Boat?
Early on, the one character, after reading some medical texts, becomes convinced he has just about every ailment known to man. He then goes to his doctor and tries to tell him all of the things wrong with him and how he would be of great use to those studying medicine. When telling friends of his, said friends agree he must have all of those things wrong with him and really, they have them too.

I haven't read 3 men in a boat... Mayim was talking about it over in Daughter of the Forest, tho, I think...

I was heavy into sports as a teenager and I could run 1 mile in grade 12 in 4:38! (I can't go to the corner store and back in that time now!) But a few years later when I went to college, I didn't have the money to drink the stress away like my fellow classmates so I smoked weed, hash, oil, sometimes all the together. Then, to save money I started smoking wine typed colts but it killed my lungs. I started smoking cigarettes then because I liked the brief high it gave me as it only lasted for 5-15 minutes, whereas, the other recreational smoking substances gave me the same high that lasted hours, usually accompanied by a sick stomach, pasties, and numb face! I kept smoking when I worked the bars because everyone did, and as a cab driver because I was working overnights and not much happens between 3am and 5am (plus you got extra tips if you'd let customers smoke in your car). It wasn't until I moved in with Anne that I could quit and it was only because I was in a new town, with new friends and none of them smoked. Being as social as I am, it's hard to quit when your entire social circle sparks up. So when I met Anne, I had a broken foot, smoked half a pack a day, no car, lived in a friend's basement because I couldn't find a job, played World of Warcraft for 10-15 hours a day nursing my broken foot, my possessions could fit in the trunk of a car, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. So you can definitely say that Anne saved my life because at that point I ballooned to over 300 lbs and had a bleak outlook on life with undiagnosed diabetes. So I don't know what she saw in me back then (I've always been a nice guy so that was probably it) but we've been together now for 9 years and 2 kids and still going strong! And I've been smoke free for 8.5 years!

*peeks head in*

Niki, Margaret, and Liam, I'm glad to hear about the breaking of the cycles in your families. I was lucky enough to grow up without tobacco or alcoholism in my family, so I ended up pretty straight-laced myself. Still, knowing friends growing up as al-anon regulars, I realize it's a disease that can affect friends and family long-term as well, even after they've quit. So more power to you.

I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee problems... I stick to walking 4-8 miles now when I exercise... more miles, takes a little longer, but less knee braces/icings... I caused real lasting damage...

Cheers to hero moms!
Mine is the reason I love reading so much (Although she is in an absolute different category with Sarah Jio books etc).

I'm told my aunt would smoke 3,4 packs a day when she was 20. Then she went to a hypnotist. Last year my mom said something about her smoking and she was like "Me? Smoking? I never smoked". She didn't accept it until my mom showed her a pic where she had a cigarette in hand and a full ashtray on the side. That was a hilarious scene. She was screaming WHYs and HOWs for a day because she couldn't remember any of it :) :) :)

Abhay wrote: "Was curious, how many here read / watch Naruto, the popular japanese anime / manga?

I'd highly recommend it. It's like badass ninjas meet super interesting magic system and crazy plot happens!"

I'm definitely a fan! I mean..... Kakashi....

I watched it more recently though, so I was able to skip all of the filler episodes. After watching everything I went back and watched whatever filler episodes I wanted. I learned my lesson with filler from Bleach!

Beste wrote: "I'm really curious of the ratio of smokers in this group. Opening a thread for this will be stupid so I'm randomly asking here.
Do you guys smoke?"

No smoking over here.

I hate running. I dreaded the three times a semester they made us do the mile run in high school gym class. I was pretty much always convinced I was going to die before I finished. My times were terrible.

And for my two cents on the smoking question, I have never smoked and I have never wanted to. I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke.
My grandpa smoked when he was younger, but as the story goes somewhere in the mid-1950s cigarette prices hit a point he felt was ridiculous and he stopped cold turkey then and there (he was a former Marine and incredibly strong willed, apparently he didn't find stopping difficult at all). My grandma on the other side smoked for years, only stopping around age 60 though she had tried to quit on a few previous occasions and found it too difficult. I hated that she smoked. Neither of my parents have ever smoked.

Iain wrote: "I haven't read 3 men in a boat... Mayim was talking about it over in Daughter of the Forest, tho, I think..."

You should read it. It is hilarious.

Iain wrote: "I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee problems... I stick to walking 4-8 miles now whe..."

I love working out on the elliptical machine so when we move I'm going to get myself one again. It's fun and low impact on my knees. Because of all my sports playing I had about 13 knee injuries split between the two of them and this machine definitely sheds the pounds without to much "ouchies".

Sarah wrote: "I hate running. I dreaded the three times a semester they made us do the mile run in high school gym class. I was pretty much always convinced I was going to die before I finished. My times were te..."

My grandpa rolled his own... he was from the Scottish Highlands... he had that real smokers rasp going...

I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the week, and I'll play ultimate Frisbee with a group of friends on Saturdays.

Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the week, and I'll play ultimate Frisbee with..."

When I lived in BC, I lived right next to a smooth paved lacrosse rink that was flooded in the winter for outdoor hockey, and in the summer it was roller hockey. So I was always there because it was always in use. Random people, random ages but we always had players. No goalies? No problem, ring it off the post to score a point! I miss playing the game so much!

Meanwhile... I weighed 360lbs when I visited the doctors a bunch over the summer with ulcer problems... weighed 340 by the time my problems were mostly resolved... need to lose more weight, frankly.. only reason I don't look as overweight as I am, is I'm 6ft 4in

Chris wrote: "Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the week, and I'll play ultimate..."

Two guys I play with actually played in travel leagues at the schools that they went to, so we all got pretty good after they came home and started helping us out a little bit haha. It's an awesome game, honestly. I'll play any kind of sport but Ultimate is my personal favorite.

I've never smoked.

Liam wrote: "Chris wrote: "Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the week, and I'll..."

Could you pack it up and travel to Utah once a week so I can play too?? :D The weather here is relatively nice all year long if you like the heat...

Beste wrote: "Cheers to hero moms!
Mine is the reason I love reading so much (Although she is in an absolute different category with Sarah Jio books etc).

I'm told my aunt would smoke 3,4 packs a day when she w..."

lol - hypnosis for the win!

Chris wrote: "I was heavy into sports as a teenager and I could run 1 mile in grade 12 in 4:38! (I can't go to the corner store and back in that time now!) But a few years later when I went to college, I didn't ..."

Thanks for sharing that. It sounds like Anne came at the right time. Our social circles really do play a huge role in shaping some of our decisions. It is totally awkward to be the only non-smoker (or nondrinker) in a group lol). and vice versa.

Melissa wrote: "*peeks head in*

Niki, Margaret, and Liam, I'm glad to hear about the breaking of the cycles in your families. I was lucky enough to grow up without tobacco or alcoholism in my family, so I ended u..."

Thanks. :)

Liam wrote: "Chris wrote: "Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the week, and I'll..."

I only played it once or twice in high school, it didn't really take off for my friends and I because at the time were were playing rugby and football. Then working nights for age 20-30 days significantly cut down on my sports playing time so I didn't pick it up them either, but when I did play it, it was fun. Kinda like flag football/rugby mix but with a Frisbee!

Iain wrote: "I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee problems... I stick to walking 4-8 miles now whe..."

Running is so hard on my knees. It's from all of those years crouching to shelve books. I do some light jogging, but Zumba is my preferred workout of choice. It's easier to forget the pain when you're having fun lol. Do you wear a pedometer or anything? I was wondering how many steps you clock in on an average night at work. I imagine it's quite a few...

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Beste wrote: "Cheers to hero moms!
Mine is the reason I love reading so much (Although she is in an absolute different category with Sarah Jio books etc).

I'm told my aunt would smoke 3,4 packs a ..."

I only wish she could remember who the hypnotist was :)

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Liam wrote: "Chris wrote: "Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately is lift during the w..."

If only ;]. I didn't know you lived in Utah. How do you like it? Me and my wife were just talking about how we want to travel around in that part of the country one day. I've been through California and Nevada, but I feel like there's so many gorgeous nature sights in Utah too.

Beste wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Beste wrote: "Cheers to hero moms!
Mine is the reason I love reading so much (Although she is in an absolute different category with Sarah Jio books etc).

I'm told my aunt woul..."

HA! The only time I've been with a hypnotist, it was in college, his name was Tony Lee, YouTube him if you want a good laugh!

I'm glad that worked for your mother though, it's crazy that even this many years later she still believes that she never smoked!

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee problems... I stick to walking 4-8 ..."

It would be more if I didn't spend half the time driving a forklift to get pallets of product out of the steel to stock... there is plenty of weight-lifting tho... 55lb bags of dog food, bulky furniture and steel shelving for garages... evened out with lift 45 packs of toilet paper and paper towels...

I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet (not diet, I mean lifestyle really) and extra weight makes joint/bone pain etc waaay worse but here I am, weight struggles as I’ve always had since my car accident, you’d think I’d learn someday? LOL!

Margret wrote: "I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet (not diet, I mea..."

One of my coworkers has been on the Keto thing for 6-9 months now... it's a lifestyle like you said... just cuts carbs and tracks things... gets to eat bacon and things like that... plenty of eggs... lost like 50 pounds I think... I know she was really happy to drop down to 199lbs a week or 3 ago... despite all the hassle her family has been giving her (mostly for making them look bad in comparison it seems... I think her mother or mother-in-law was telling people she was on diet pills)

Margret wrote: "I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet (not diet, I mea..."

Sorry to hear about the accident.
I was eating spontaneously whenever I want and whatever I want. Then 6 months ago I started working fulltime and eating at the same time of the day. You probably know better about this stuff but when you set your body on a schedule you directly start losing weight. (I also set 2days eating one of okra, leek, celery or spinach). It is not a significant diet like I didn't stop eating something or limited the amount I eat but it works. Lost 15lbs without any effort.

Liam wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Liam wrote: "Chris wrote: "Liam wrote: "I used to run all the time and had to stop because I got way too skinny haha. I lose weight so quickly when I do cardio. All I do lately ..."

I love it. I live in Southern Utah and it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I look out my window every day and marvel at how lucky I am. There are so many awesome sights to see here, all within about 50 miles of each other. I'd highly recommend a visit. :) Zion Nation Park alone is worth coming for.

Beste wrote: "I'm really curious of the ratio of smokers in this group. Opening a thread for this will be stupid so I'm randomly asking here.
Do you guys smoke?"

Beste, the only time I've smoked was when I was 14 and wanted to try it out. Put me off for life. My Dad smoked from the time he was 14 until 40 and then he just decided to give up. My husband smoked as well for 10 years, but it was before I was on the scene.

Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee problems... I s..."

Sam's Club: the alternative gym membership. At least you're up and moving I suppose. I switched to a desk job 4 years ago and it's all I can do to keep myself from a stupor throughout the day. I make myself get up and move around as often as I can, but the sedentary aspect wears on me.

Margret wrote: "I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet (not diet, I mea..."

I have so much more energy when I eat well. You'd think I'd learn too. It's so simple: eat better, feel better. Most days I'm like "Naww.... I'd rather be tired and lazy."

Iain wrote: "Margret wrote: "I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet ..."

Good for her! Especially since she apparently has family members who aren't supportive. That shit's hard enough as is.

I'm a total non sporty person. I'm one of those kids that use to walk the cross country course when I was at school. My kids are the complete opposite and really sporty. It's bizarre.

My husband and I do the 5:2 diet whenever we feel our weight creeping up. It gets us back down to I what I guess we both think is an acceptable weight for each of us. I like the 5:2 as you only really have to concentrate on what you are eating two days a week. Although, I think we have a pretty good diet, though I know I drink too much wine. It's probably my biggest food/drink weakness.

That’s how people are though. They get uncomfortable when you lose weight, or talk about losing weight. It’s always the same “you’re not fat�� etc etc and as soon as you do start losing weight they think you couldn’t have possibly done it right. I’ve been up and down the scale my whole life so I can empathize... 😂

People also get uncomfortable when you call yourself plus-sized, obese, or a big girl. Well guess what folks, I am. It comes from thinking that big people are less attractive, less valuable or lazy in general which isn’t true

Non smoker here!

Wow, thanks everyone for sharing your stories. It's really great to know that everyone feels comfortable here to share those really personal things and it was wonderful to hear all the stories about getting through rough situations and coming out the better for it. :)

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Iain wrote: "I think my best high school mile was 8:18... I was already 275lbs by that point I think... I tried running/jogging a year or 2 back and created knee pr..."

I need to lose more weight, but by the end of some shifts I can barely walk... the last 6 weeks I've been working a lot of 9-12hr shifts, we've been so busy and understaffed...

The moving around aspect is probably the biggest positive about my job... I could see myself being even heavier if I sat in a cubicle all day...

I'm not sure I ever tried cigarettes... second-hand smoke caused enough problems...

I was given a few beers as a kid, but never got past the taste... the few times I have drank excessively, it's been the allure of super-alcoholic mixed drinks like the Long Island Iced Tea that trick you with how nonalcoholic they taste that get me... expensive tho, so I can count on my hands how many times that's happened...

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Margret wrote: "I desperately need to lose weight, I let things like stress and chronic pain kick my ass way too much.

But it’s silly though, I feel amazing when I’m on an anti inflammatory diet ..."

I eat so many things that sound like a good idea when you're hungry, but the after-taste/after-effects are never fun...

Jenna wrote: "Wow, thanks everyone for sharing your stories. It's really great to know that everyone feels comfortable here to share those really personal things and it was wonderful to hear all the stories abou..."

I think I've gotten used to it hanging out on imgur this year... Imgur (front page anyway) is like 20% weight loss success stories... or gym bullying stories... etc...

@Margret: If you do something to better yourself, it makes them feel bad, because they can't be bothered to expend the effort to do the same... they'd rather you both "stay fat together" or whatever the improvement is...

Amen to that Iain

Not entirely sure where to post this.

Is anyone up for doing a buddyread of Anathem by Neal Stephenson? I am planning to read it, and would love to do so in company. If people are interested, I will request that it be set up as a buddyread.

Arkadeb wrote: "Not entirely sure where to post this.

Is anyone up for doing a buddyread of Anathem by Neal Stephenson? I am planning to read it, and would love to do so in company. If people are interested, I wi..."

There's a buddy read invite folder to invite people to read books you're interested in. I read this book earlier in the month and DNF'd. People say the second half it gets much better but I couldn't wait it out.