Getting there...

It has been almost 2 weeks since I was diagnosed with pneumonia and I am on my second course of antibiotics. Thank god I'm off the Levaquin and can start working out again.

Today I weighed in at 160.2, but I attribute a lot of my recent weight loss to my illness. I have not worked out regularly in almost two weeks and I miss it. I did get on my stationary bike today for 20 minutes and it was pretty difficult to stick it out that long. Before I got sick, I was on it for 30 minutes at a time.

As for quitting smoking...I have not completely kicked the habit yet but I have cut down dramatically. I'm smoking maybe 1/3 the number of cigarettes that I was previously. The idea is to keep cutting that down until I'm not smoking at all anymore. I can't just quit cold turkey, I've tried and it is a recipe for disaster. I really want to quit smoking...two serious respiratory illnesses in six months is telling me something: smoking is bad for you! I knew that, but I also have asthma and asthmatics ESPECIALLY shouldn't smoke.

I need to be as kind to my lungs as I am trying to be to the rest of my body. The rest of my body has rewarded my efforts with improved energy, stamina, and vigor, plus a reliably healthy blood pressure for the first time in my adult life and the confidence and energy I need to get out there and really enjoy my life. I think my lungs are JEALOUS. That's why they went and got pneumonia. They're trying to tell me something. Finally, I am ready to listen. I am ready to love my lungs.

Pneumonia and quitting smoking update, plus weight loss.

My weight has plunged this week, probably due to my lack of appetite caused by Levaquin (a strong antibiotic).

I had a follow-up at the doctor today and had another chest x-ray. The pneumonia is mostly gone. Mostly. My peak flow was terrible and my pulse-ox was not great so I had a nebulizer treatment which improved both, and my doc told me to USE MY ADVAIR (I have an advair inhaler already) and to QUIT SMOKING (duh).

I confess that I have had 5-6 cigarettes today, but normally by now I'd have smoked a pack so I think I am doing pretty well. Progress for me often comes in baby steps. No more than 10 in any one day this week. Next week I want to shoot for 7-8 a day. Then 5-6 a day. And so on. I can't just STOP SMOKING. It's too hard. Cutting down dramatically, then gradually week on week, is probably more realistic for me. I just have to be disciplined about it.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Quitting smoking, Day 0

On the way home from work I stopped off at Walgreen's and bought a box of nicotine patches. I have been a moderate to heavy smoker for 15 years and I am SICK SICK SICK of it.

I know the smoking caused the pneumonia. What else could it be? What other 33 year-old gets PNEUMONIA????

I'm sick of having a smelly house, smelly car, smelly clothes, and smelly breath.

I'm sick of always having to clean up after my habit; ashtrays smell bad to me too.

I don't like being sick and I don't like that it takes me a month to fully recover from a simple cold.

So now I'm wearing a SUPER DUPER STRENGTH nicotine patch.

Time since my last cigarette: 0 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes.

We'll see how long I last. Normally by now I would have smoked at least 2 on the way home and probably another since coming home. I am going to try to apply the same determination and willpower to THIS that I have to weight loss. I figure I've lost 93.6 pounds, I know a little something about WILLPOWER.

Wish me luck. I need it. I've had 2 serious respiratory illnesses in the last 6 months (bronchitis in late 2008 and pneumonia last week) and I am sick of it. Sick of coughing, sick of wheezing, sick of STINKING. Sick of throwing away good money to do it. I spend at least $50 a week on cigarettes. That's retarded.

Getting over pneumonia....slowly

I'm getting over the pneumonia very slowly. The muscle aches have gone but I'm left with a horrible cough. I'm taking Mucinex to try to cough up all the gunk and get rid of it. I have obeyed my doctor's orders to stay away from the gym; I get short of breath pretty easily just doing normal day-to-day things, and my medication is making me a bit nauseated. Not a good combo for the gym.

A hollow victory

I've dropped over a pound since my last posting but it is due to the pneumonia I was diagnosed with yesterday. Banned from the gym for at least a week, possibly two. Sucks!

Another mini-goal met, another milestone achieved!

This morning I met my mini-goal #8 of losing 35% of my starting weight. I have 1 more mini-goal between myself and my goal weight. I never thought I'd see this! I'm so close.

Plus, I achieved another milestone...another "decade" of weight lost. I've now lost 90.2 pounds. That is just amazing. I need to get 90.2 pounds of fat and stand next to it.

Can't deny it anymore

It's been coming on for about a month but there is no point in denying it any longer...I am once again in the grip of a severe depression. It's been about 2-3 years since I felt like this but I spent almost all of my 20s feeling like this so I know what it feels like.

Dunno when I'll snap out of it. Not planning on seeking help anytime soon; help never helped. It goes away when it's ready to go away.