Anyone who has done any one of the following?

%26gt;QUIT SMOKING OR DRUGS


%26gt;WENT ON A WEIGHT-LOSS EATING PLAN AND LOST SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT


%26gt;STARTED A PHYSICAL FITNESS PROGRAM


%26gt;BECAME AN AVID JOGGER/SWIMMER/WALKER





If you%26#039;ve done any of these could you tell me the impressions of how the change the change has altered your outlook of life. Tell me what you did, the reason you did it, and all the effects it had on your life. (it%26#039;s sort of an interview)|||I quit smoking 91/2 yrs ago. I went cold turkey and never looked back. The first two weeks were the hardest. I had already mentally quit. I had bought a new car and had decided I would not smoke in my new car. A few small changes like that helped.


I also started hearing about people I knew or friends knew finding out they had cancer. I guess it got me thinking about my own health and how I didn%26#039;t want to end up dying of cancer or carrying around a tank of oxygen.


It was June 7,1997. A gorgeous, hot day. I was siting out side tanning (another bad habit I have since given up) . I turned to my friend and said,as I was putting out a cigarette,This is going to be my last cigarette.%26quot; and that was it.


Weight-loss: About the same time I decided to seriously kick working out up a notch or two. It was summer and I love roller blading so I started with that. I could put miles in and feel like I worked my whole body out. I cross trained with biking and running.


I decided to do my own version of the no/low carb craze. I cut out bread, rice , pasta and potatoes to start. This made a significant change.in my diet since those four had become regular staples.


Again the first two weeks were tough but I can honestly say I never felt better. I purchased The South Beach Diet book and read it cover to cover twice. It explained what happens inside your body when you eat. It made sense. I now understood why I ate and craved the things I did. After learning about body chemistry I could make sensible educated choices about what to eat.I lost about 35 lbs. I went from a size 14/16 to an 7/8.


I had been a runner is high school and use to love to compete. I occasionally will run races now so I have a goal to train for. I hope to compete in a tri-athalon this year.


I had a gym membership forever and a day. I never got into the aerobics and stepping classes. The weather was starting to change so I figured I would start gong to the gym again. On of the trainers encouraged me to try a boot camp style class. I loved it!!! I found muscles I never knew exsisted. I became a regular 2-3 times a week at a Power Flex class.


The best way to train is strength training such as one of the above classes or weight lifting/circuits alternated by aerobic training such as running/biking/roller blading/eliptical/brisk walking/swimming etc...........


Give your body one day of rest or stretching only on this day.


Don%26#039;t forget to drink a lot of water (during this time period I also quit drinking pop)


If you are looking to make some life style changes what worked for me was an attitude of no excuses.


The reason I did all of this is I just didn%26#039;t like my life at the time. I wasn%26#039;t unhappy. I just wasn%26#039;t really happy.


By taking care of the physical I discovered it took care of the mental. My out look improved in all areas:work, family,friendships and of course romance. I felt more confident and excited to reach new goals.


I also met and married someone who has similar feelings about diet and excersise. We have enjoyed working out together and cooking healthy meals.


I would strongly urge anyone to start to make healthier changes in food choice and start excersising. Do it for yourself and your health. You will be glad you did. Small changes will lead to big differences over time!!!!!|||I lost a lot of weight. About 60 pounds. I felt really great afterwards. It was a sense of accomplishment and I liked the way I felt. It became fun to shop for clothes and go places. I did it because I was disgusted with the way I looked and felt and also knew that it was not healthy being that overweight.


I also quit smoking a few years ago. I had smoked for many years and tried to quit a few times, but it would only last a short time. I finally decided to get braces on my teeth and that when the braces were put on, that would be the end of my smoking. I figured that by the time the braces came off, I would have really kicked the smoking habit and it worked.|||The summer my Dad got diagnosed with terminal cancer, I went home to be with him.I%26#039;d been overweight,a smoker, and on-and-off anti-depressants.I was 23. Dad passed away at the end of the summer,and my self-destructive behaviour kind of peaked, I was drinking way too much, and things were just not good. A month after he died, I made the decision to change my lifestyle, and quit smoking. To fight the weight gain I%26#039;d heard goes along with quitting, I got an exercise bike and started taking care of my body (cutting back on drinking and bad food) Within three months I was in great shape and feeling more positive. I went off anti-depressants and kept exercising, and things have been good ever since,I%26#039;m 30 now. It%26#039;s not like I%26#039;m happy 100% of the time,but I don%26#039;t get anxiety attacks anymore,and I%26#039;m generally more energetic and a lot more positive than I was before. I also have better self-esteem. I don%26#039;t think I would%26#039;ve achieved the personal goals I have if I was still living an unhealthy lifestyle.|||Well I fall in the group of losing a substantial amount of weight.


I lost 125 pounds in 8 months (basically it was half of me - from a size 24 to a size 6/8). As one can imagine the changes were a lot - people actually didn%26#039;t know who I was (still don%26#039;t if they haven%26#039;t seen me since then which was 3 years ago now). But I basically did the majority of it over the winter months when people are indoors and I really never saw my neighbours that much - come spring - I was quite different.


Clothing, feeling better about ones self and I am much healthier now then I was with the weight on - those are the changes that are good. And oh.... people saying I look like I%26#039;m in my late 30%26#039;s when I%26#039;m actually over 50 doesn%26#039;t hurt either lol


Now, something that I guess I shouldn%26#039;t be surprised by - but it just says something is......... when I was heavy most men would you know walk thru a door ahead of me and not stay to hold it open or whatever (just an example). But since I lost the weight sometimes its almost like door open, they hit on me, ask for phone number etc etc etc........ I%26#039;m the same person on the inside - same personality - same likes and dislikes - same humour


its just the package that is different.


The way a woman looks in this world holds more importance sometimes then the kind of person they are and the pressures so many seem to be under to live up to what they should *look* like have many young ones hurting themselves medically.


I%26#039;ve been on both ends of the scale and people do treat you a lot by the way you look.


Would I gain it back? No, medically I%26#039;m healthier inside at a lower weight. But that also doesn%26#039;t mean a person that is heavier is any less of a person (and yes some are treated that way).|||I went off drugs. I was a drug addict from the doctors think 9-23 years old. I knew I had to get off drugs. I saw addicts just not live very long and I didn%26#039;t want that to be me. I went off cold turkey--not a real fun way, but a way. Afterward, I was put in a mental hospital for 30 days of observation. Then came the really hard part, I could not live where I lived before, I could not associate with the people I had before, I could not in any way, shape, or form be like that person I was only a short time ago. For the first 15 years after the addiction I had flashbacks. These were past memories of what I experienced-they could be good, but most often were not. Now, I cannot imagine ever being like that, always running from the law, into things that no one should have to be (prostitution). I married, had children and had a job for a long time.