Weight

I have a confession.  I'm a lard butt. :)

Yes, that's probably saying it in a way that is politically insensitive, or not up to par with current cultural standards.  But it is my butt, and if I want to describe it as a lard butt I claim that right.

What's more important is that I don't cushion the truth of it because I want to change it.

I've tried my entire life. It's a fact. I've always been built far more like a front lineman than a ballerina. ;)  So do I expect any miracles, no, I don't. But any positive result at this point will make me happy. 

One of the problems is that the two things I've chosen to follow recently, authorship and game design, are both sedentary in nature. Tapping on a keyboard can't burn that many calories. Neither can moving a mouse as I create digital art. I confess, I'm not really that big of a conventional exercise fan. I hate gyms. I don't really like to go for hikes, I'm getting too old for it and it's not at all comfortable to do at 7,000-10,000 feet, which is the altitude everything around here happens at.

So I started looking back at when I really started gaining weight.

Back in high school I graduated at 205#. Finished Army basic at Fort Dix at 185# or so a few months later. Went to college, soaked my body in beer, then joined the Air Force in 1986. Soaked my body in some beer in the Air Force too. Finished the service heavier than I when I graduated high school. Got out of the service, got a sedentary job as an Air Traffic Controller.  Was 230# by 1995 or so. Shit.

But in 1999 I was still about that weight and then something critical happened. I quit smoking. BAM! It was like I shoved an air pump in my flapper and started inflating.

I just realized how pivotal that event was over the last few days.

So I researched smoking and weight gain. Smoking and weight loss. Found several testimonials that vaping induces weight loss in some people. Now I like nicotine. I just don't want all that tar and other chemicals that are in cigarettes, not to mention all the illness that is associated with smoking.

So tonight I decided to try vaping. Yes, I know, fad, trend, danger, blah blah blah.

Let me tell you the immediate effects I felt.

Positive:

1. It tastes great.
2. It's cheaper than smoking.
3. It doesn't stink, in fact it smells like caramel coffee in my office right now.
4. NICOTINE.  I immediately felt the influx of that chemical into my system. Side effects were clarity of thought and a feeling of focus. Things I felt were damaged when I quit smoking. Probably because nicotine altered my brain chemistry in the first place.  But I give you this study to ponder. 
5. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-a-nicotine-patch-make-you-smarter-excerpt/
6. And this excerpt from that article: "Plus it has long been associated with weight loss." (speaking about nicotine)

Negative:

1. I shelled out nearly $90 to get started with this new vice.
2. I got a nicotine headache. 
3. It's a bit rough on the throat, I'm told that is transitional. But I do wonder, is it the atomized nicotine, flavor, or an effect of warm vapor?  I'll let you know if I remember, which I might do now that nicotine is again a part of my brain chemistry.

That's it so far. There are a few articles saying that vaping is bad for you, but I'm not a believer yet because there aren't any accredited studies that say so.  Tobacco companies funded a study, but if there was ever a biased study in the world it would be one funded by the people who lose money if you vape.

Anyway, I welcome my nicotine overlord back into my life after a many year absence. I can already tell that this is a better way to approach the reason I ever smoked in the first place.

I talked to several people at the vape shop, J Vapes (silly name) and several of them quit smoking because of e-cigs. I don't see how that can be a bad thing. I leave you with another study about nicotine and intelligence. Not to brag, but I'm not a dummy without the nicotine. I see no reason not to step that up a notch if I can.

 http://www.sott.net/article/269265-Brain-Researchers-Smoking-increases-intelligence