sgt.barney

Not at all his favorite smell but today, The Sarge smells of ... Vegemite. EZPZ

Shame is such an utterly useless state of being. Don't go there. Don't do that. For any reason (not just this smoking thing) EZPZ

The fact that you are a Nicotine Addict. EZPZ

Facts don't particularly care whether you like them or not. Because closing your eyes, plugging your ears, and publicly shouting in the forum "Neener Neener!!!" always makes the facts disappear. EZPZ

There is one-and-only-one "right way". Namely: Stop smoking and never smoke again. All else is noise, confusion, and distraction. EZPZ

Industrial grade de-greasers cut the yellow/brown tar stains on everything. EZPZ

" tired of all the excuses " + "Mind was not in the right place " ==> Hmmmmmmm .... Isn't that just ... yet another excuse ... ? No. More. Excuses. EZPZ

Sarge sucked on an empty E-Cig for a good 3 weeks. Shaped like a cigarette. Looked like a cigarette. Gave him something to put in his hands and suck on like a cigarette ... but just sucking air. Sarge's Pops tried quitting with E-Cigs and it still hasn't worked for Pops Sarge to this day ... but the empty sucking of air really worked in those first few weeks for Sarge himself. EZPZ

Sarge logged over 1800 miles on The DreadMill (basement treadmill) that first year. Every time he wanted to smoke, he hopped on and ran a mile the fastest he could. Got up to running full marathons within a year. A typical year is under 1000 miles these days, with the past 13 months being exactly zero. Diddley-Squat. No. Miles . Logged. Achilles injury. EZPZ

Same as it ever was, Ev. Don't smoke: You win. Smoke: You lose. Make your choice and live with it. EZPZ

Sarge would strongly suggest you quit making excuses and stop smoking ... but what does he know? EZPZ

It generally took years to put on the weight. Sarge has NO IDEA why folks try to take it off in a month or two. That's a recipe for disillusion, demoralization, and failure. A pound a week is a good, do-able goal for most folks. You can usually manage this without much hunger. Two pounds a week if you are a glutton for punishment and have a high threshold for personal discomfort. Most mere mortals can not sustain three or more a week for a significant time period. If you've got 40 or 50 to lose, plan on taking a year. Too many try to do that in 3 or 4 months and find the hunger unbearable, give up in disgust and go back to gaining again.

Meat has a lot of water. A LOT. A pound of raw, uncooked meat can be up to 40% water - zero calories. 40% water, 60% calories (protein, fat) Cook off the water. Now a pound of cooked meat is 100% (give or take (not really, it still retains a lot, but significantly lower zero calorie water and significantly more higher calorie proteins and fats)). It's a calorie density thing. They are, literally, watered down in raw meats. If you're measuring pound-for-pound, cooked is more calories per pound. The same given hunk will have the same calories before and after cooking ... it'll just weigh a lot less. EZPZ

Nope. For weight loss, it does not matter. There may be other reasons - health, taste, ethical/moral reasons ... but for weight loss it doesn't matter if its Wild Boar, Fattened Pork Bellies... or Ice Cream Farking Sandwiches. Maintain a caloric deficit in line with your weight loss goal and it doesn't matter one iota what you eat. If you want to lose a pound a week, you need a deficit of 500 calories a day. 3500 calores is one pound. It doesn't matter what you eat. Enjoy your Ice Cream. EZPZ

Non-smokers have anxiety attacks, too. They deal with them without smoking. You should, too. Sarge is just sayin' - you are a non-smoker now. EZPZ

It works every time. The Human Body can't break the laws of physics. The Laws Of Thermodynamics are a thing, and "Conservation Of Energy" is inviolable. A caloric deficit sustained over time. EZPZ

To lose weight, carbs don't matter To lose weight, "bad calories" don't matter. To lose weight, "healthy lunch" doesn't matter. To lose weight, Beer doesn't matter. All of these may or may not matter in other contexts, but for simple weight loss forget about it. Your goal is one, and only one thing: A caloric deficit sustained over time. That's it. Nothing more is required. It is both necessary, and sufficient. A caloric deficit sustained over time. It's the only thing that works. It's the only thing that can work. All else is noise that confuses the issue, and gets in the way. Eat what you've always eaten - you'll do it anyway when you're tired of missing the things you like. Just eat less of it. Eat. Less. A caloric deficit sustained over time. Sarge recommends myfitnesspal. EZPZ

Don't be a DumbAss. If they never went away ... why would we quit? Of course they go away. Sarge hasn't craved a cigarette in over 7 years. ... but you can't get there if you keep doin' stupid sh*t, like smokin' ... right? EZPZ

> Remember when life wasn't so difficult No. As far back as Sarge can remember ... life was difficult. EZPZ

Stress doesn't trigger a crave. Stress is just an excuse that you will latch onto. EZPZ

Failure is a choice. Choose otherwise. EZPZ

EZPZ

One is never "helped" by taking away freedoms. EZPZ

(1) This is not The State's place - despite what folks think, this is a giant leap of overstepping bounds. Then again, The Sarge thinks same for banning of all drugs. Not government's place. (B) Did no one learn a thing during Prohibition? Or the (still better - and relevant/current) spectacularly unsuccessful failure known as The War On Drugs? (iii) Only Government can take something this bad and sell it as a GoodThing™ EZPZ

The Sarge doesn't particularly care that you choose to take a simple statement of fact as "belittlement". He can't help how personal perceptions warp the reality that NRT requires quitting a minimum of twice into some kind of personal insult. If you choose to take that as "belittling", that's your problem - don't blame Sarge. He doesn't care. EZPZ