It’s not just about the burgers, you know? Yesterday, I ended up polishing off a box and a half of snacks, knocked back five Bud Lights... Not exactly something I’d brag about at a job interview, I guess. But hey, sometimes a person just needs to unwind, right? 😬
I gotta say, I’m really digging this forum (Fitness & Recreation). Since I decided to actually start living a healthier lifestyle about a month ago, I have to admit—I feel a million times better! I wanted to share that with you all, because if anyone happens to be lurking here looking for a sign to finally get moving and do something for themselves, maybe my experience will help. So, how did this whole thing kick off?
Last year, I happened to check my blood pressure and—surprise, surprise—it was sitting at 140/90. Of course, the usual suspects were to blame: cigarettes, zero movement, sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day, walking basically just from the office to my car, and way too much coffee... Just a standard evening hanging out with a beer when a friend drops by! She asks if anyone knows someone who wants to hit the gym. I thought to myself, 🤔 why not? Just sitting around, doing nothing, smoking constantly... yeah, it was time to do something for myself. And honestly, it worked. I got a "trainer"—or whatever you call the guy who shows you how to use the machines, since it was my first time ever stepping foot in a gym. Since I was carrying a few extra pounds, the trainer suggested I start on the stationary bike, so for the first two weeks, I just stuck to the equipment until I felt steady. After that, he gave me a toning program. The reps were supposed to be something like 15-15-15-15-8-8-10-10 (or something close to that, I can't quite remember)! Naturally, I didn't follow that perfectly; I was doing sets of 15-15-8-10. Plus, all that time on the bike! Now I’m doing roughly 15-15-15-8-10 🙂 and man, I feel great! Only one tiny little issue, though: my pants are starting to slide right off me, and everyone keeps telling me I look thinner. I actually thought it was impossible because I’ve been eating *more* than usual. Then I went and stepped on the scale and—bam—down four pounds! I went from 175 to 163. For context, I'm 5'8"! And since I was born in '94, I think I'm right where I need to be! 😬 I just need to figure out how to distribute the weight better!
The plan is to keep hitting the gym and, hopefully, finally quit the cigarettes! 😬
So, I heard these exercises actually work, especially for people who haven't relied on glasses too much and have a pretty low prescription. I actually went to see Dr. Pavić, and he told me straight up that I could potentially get back to normal vision in maybe a month? For me, though... it’s not that simple. I’m in this catch-22 where I shouldn't be wearing glasses *or* staring at a computer screen, but I'm a software developer. How am I supposed to function? Right now, I literally can't do my job without glasses, but the whole situation is just slowing down my progress. Has anyone here actually pulled this off? I really need some good news to boost my morale here. 🙂
So, does anyone actually have any experience with natural oculistics? I’ve been digging into this lately—doing my fair share of Googling—and stumbled upon these weird exercises meant to fix your vision. I even picked up a book called "no glasses, no good vision!" and started practicing. And get this... my prescription actually dropped! I was sitting at -5.25, and now I’m hovering around -3.5. I tested myself using Snell charts; before, I could barely hit 20/400, but now I'm seeing 20/200. For me, that’s huge progress!
Anyway, if anyone else is messing around with this stuff, let's swap stories. We can cheer each other on or whatever. My prescription dropped pretty fast at first, but now I feel like I’ve hit a bit of a plateau. Or maybe I haven't? I feel like there's still improvement happening, but it's moving at a snail's pace now, which is honestly getting a little frustrating! 🙂
Look, I’ll give you guys an update when I can, but that won't be until late August at the earliest! Honestly, I have no clue how I’m going to survive without my glasses—I’m basically blind without them, and I actually have to show up to work! Luckily, I’ve got my laptop, so I can manage, but I have to practically press my face ten centimeters from the screen just to make out anything. I’ve got my heart set on getting this sorted, so we'll see what happens!
As for contacts, hard lenses were always the winner for me! Sure, there was a bit of a learning curve getting used to them, but once I settled in? Zero issues. Plus, they actually helped stop my prescription from getting worse.
So, I finally made the call today and booked a Saturday at the end of August! The first session kicks off at 11 AM and apparently runs all the way until 5 PM. The real kicker? They told me I can't wear glasses OR contacts during the treatment. That means no corrective lenses for an entire month until I’m fully cleared! 😢 🙂
Like I mentioned before, my prescription is around -5 and my eyes are pretty different from one side to the other, but they promised everything would be fixed within a month. It’s kind of a drag since my job involves staring at a computer screen all day, but hey, I guess I'll just have to find a way to make it work!
So, I finally pulled the trigger and booked an appointment with Dr. Pavic! A friend of mine—well, a buddy who went through the whole therapy thing—claims he actually improved his vision by 10 diopters. Was the guy just pulling my leg? Who knows! Anyway, I’m heading in late August. Right now, I'm sitting at -5 with some astigmatism, so we'll see if this actually works. They told me if I stick to the exercises for a month, my vision might be right on the edge of being normal.
jadesailor14 said:Like I said above. I don't know the exact number, maybe around $100? But honestly, it really just depends on the brand and where you pick them up.
Ugh, missed that reply! Way too late! 🙂
I'm thinking two-week or monthly ones would be perfect for me. 🙂
jadesailor14 said:Yeah. Soft daily disposables are the way to go. They’re perfect for summer vacations or if you’re just too lazy to lug around cases, saline solution, and those annoying little tablets. Just grab a fresh pair every morning, pop them in, and then toss them at the end of the day. Easy. They come individually wrapped, usually in packs of 30.
Thanks—but does anyone actually know what the damage is on the price for dailies?
The thing is, I’ve been trying to "hack" my own lenses! 🙂 I bought some last year, but I only wore them for maybe two months before putting them away. I left them soaking in the solution, but since I haven't touched them in nearly a year, I was terrified they might be totally shot. Some lady at the shop told me it doesn't matter and that they should be fine to wear!
My issue with them? I hate how they seem to stick to my eyes like glue. And when I finally take them out, everything looks blurry... almost like they peeled off a layer of my eye or something? Is that a thing? Does anyone else get that weird sensation? Honestly, that's the main reason I haven't worn them in ages. 😬
Joseph Fisher2 said:Yeah, right... since when does wearing soft lenses make your prescription worse?! 😲 Nobody’s ever mentioned that one to me! All I ever heard was that my vision would keep changing as long as I was still growing... and mine actually went up by 0.5 over the last year and a half... should I be freaking out here?!
The soft ones are actually great, honestly. I just end up taking them out whenever I'm sitting in front of the computer or the TV because they bother me a bit too much. Probably just drying out, I guess.😕
How old are you anyway?
I hit a -5 by the time I turned 19 (hey, at least it's -5 and not -6, right?) 🙂 and switching to hard lenses actually helped me stop the prescription from climbing!
I've heard that your vision can shift while you're still growing, but I guess everyone is different!
If your prescription isn't massive, maybe try reading without any lenses or glasses at all—and try doing it from as far away as possible! Apparently, there's some theory that it helps strengthen the eye muscles or some other random stuff like that!
jadesailor14 said:Just a little trip down memory lane here... back in the day, maybe 25 years ago, the absolute best way to clean hard contact lenses was using Kossily baby shampoo. I actually had a colleague who used to wash hers with Charlie. You know, dish soap.
Heh, well, I’ve definitely been guilty of using Charlie myself, but only in those total emergencies when I was out somewhere and didn't have anything else on hand! Honestly? Every time I used Charlie, my lenses would just end up blurry and bone-dry.
So, I spent about ten years wearing contacts, though I’ve been lens-free for two years now! Honestly? The rigid ones were the best by far, and I stuck with them for five years. After that, I moved on to semi-rigid lenses for three years—but man, they were such a hassle to wear. Eventually, I tried the soft ones, but they drove me absolutely insane. You know that feeling when some tiny little "fiber" or "fine dust" gets caught and just sticks to the lens? It was maddening! Truth be told, I wouldn't touch contacts again, mostly because I spend way too much time staring at a computer screen, and my eyes just get so dry and irritated.
Here’s the kicker, though: my prescription is around -6.00 (honestly, it probably would've been even worse if I hadn't worn those rigid lenses, since my vision stayed stable during those first five years). And now, summer is right around the corner! Every time I go swimming and take my glasses off, I’m basically blind. So, I’m wondering—does anyone know what the move is here? What would be ideal for someone like me? I’ve read something about disposable lenses existing...
I haven't managed to get through the whole thing yet, but man, this looks pretty interesting!
I actually stumbled upon some other stuff about this online earlier, too... somewhere out there in the digital void, I'm sure. But where did it go? Can't find it right now! 🤔
If you’ve got a killer headache coming on, try drinking a black coffee with a squeeze of lemon—no sugar! ☕ It sounds absolutely revolting, I know, but the headache just vanishes. Honestly, I’ve never been one to rely on pills; I’ve never had issues with Advil or even antibiotics! 😎
Nathan Taylor3 said:First time posting here. I quit about a month and a half ago... And honestly? I’ve noticed most people just spiral into depression and misery when they realize they slipped up and had one or two—maybe three—after they supposedly "quit for good." They feel like they failed this grand, impossible ideal of "I quit one day and haven't touched a cigarette since..." It seems incredibly important to ditch that perfectionist mindset. For instance, boldpuma89 is feeling like crap because he bumped his dose from an ideal zero to maybe 3 or 4 a day... so fucking what? You used to smoke thirty a day, and now you're down to four or five. By any metric, that is a massive, freaking huge success. That old saying—I think Mark Twain said it—about how quitting isn't the hard part, it's just that he's "quit a thousand times," is actually pretty useful for most people who feel they "aren't strong enough" to stop instantly. But let's face it, we're all smokers, every single one of us. The real message there is that you need to just keep quitting, day after day... Plenty of people on here have mentioned they still smoke even after years of trying to quit... which means they are *still* in the process of quitting, maybe just not as frequently as us newbies. So, you just have to keep quitting smoking—whether it's for five minutes, half an hour, a whole day, a week, or a year...
You hit the nail on the head!
I wonder if anyone else has dealt with this specific moment:
"Hmm, should I light this one up or... nah, maybe not! Just one more and then I'm done..."
When I made that second decision *not* to light up, believe me, I didn't even miss it. Usually, if I do end up lighting one, I finish it feeling like I didn't even really need it anyway!
Or, sometimes what helps me right before I reach for one is just remembering the disgusting taste I'll have in my mouth, or how much my hands will smell, not to mention my hair! Sure, some might argue that if you're in a place where people smoke, you'll smell like it regardless. True, but it's a hell of a lot less than if I'm actually doing the smoking myself!
And one more thing!
I spend a ton of time working at my computer in a smoke-free room, and I just absolutely cannot stand the way my hands stink of smoke! The sensation of that smell... it's just awful. So, I'm sincerely hoping I can pull this off and be cigarette-free again!
I hadn't touched a cigarette since last June, but then a month ago, I lit one up and just... gagged. I actually looked at myself and thought, "Come on, you idiot, you can handle this." And now? Now I'm back at it, but only when I'm out of the house—and I'm going through them like crazy! Just one after another. It's disgusting. Honestly, it feels like I'm trying to make up for all the lost time I spent being a non-smoker! 😠
Here's the weird part, though: I absolutely cannot get used to that stale, burnt smell right after a smoke. Maybe it's the stress catching up with me? I really hope I can push through this slump.
Yesterday, I didn't light up once. Not even a single craving. But then again, I wasn't even outside! 😬
Listen, everyone—if you’ve quit before, do NOT give in. Just hang on through those twenty seconds of pure panic. If you don't, you'll find yourself sliding right back into a full-blown habit faster than you can blink!
Cheers to everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike. And for those of you struggling to quit, I'm rooting for you. I hope you join the non-smoking club very soon!