I’m in Europe, what’s up with the smoking

Only southern Europeans, Scandinavians, French and Dutch are slim. Germans, Belgians and the English are almost as disgustingly fat as you Americans.

zxcvzxcv wrote:

The smoking is so nasty that it drives me out of the bars, cafes, and restaurants in Europe. /

Which countries exactly.... because you see you cant smoke in bars, cafes and restaurants in Britain, Germany, Italy.... and has been for a while...

It is even worse in Eastern Europe than in Spain. One waiter in Belgrade told me this; “government keep the tobacco tax low so we don’t make trouble about all the funny stuff they get up to.”

long john slimmer wrote:

Yea, more smoking in Europe and the life expectancy is longer. They are less stressed. In the US we are too stressed, work too much. Maybe sitting down with a cup of coffee and a cigarette is a good way to relax?

No, in the US you are too fat- that’s why you die younger

I spent a few months in Spain last summer, and I agree. I saw so many healthy looking people smoking, and also quite a few people running. I did feel like I ate a lot, but I also never drove anywhere, so I'm sure consistently walking to work/errands helps keep down obesity rates? It was really strange.

The US actually has higher rates of cigarette consumption than England and Ireland, and it's pretty comparable to France. Southern and Eastern Europe are far worse though, especially the Balkans.

Also, in the US smoking and obesity are correlated with poverty. So it wouldn't surprise me if fat people here are also more likely to be smokers.

Cigarettes in the EU are regulated for tar, nicotine, etc. The result is a much milder and lighter cigarette than what people smoke in the US. Paris and some other big cities have made a lot of progress banning smoking in restaurants and cafes. But people still smoke like chimneys compared to the US.

The funniest s**t: A couple of Germans after finishing the NYC marathon couldn’t wait to get outside the security zone, so they could light up... Crazy I know... Maybe they had too much oxygen in their lungs after running for 4-5 hours... LOL... Go figure.

Been all around Europe. Europeans are smaller but only because they're not fat. It really shows what Americans are. In Europe, people just don't eat as much. Part is historical/cultural. Part is $. In America, people just eat, and eat. 3 meals or more a day. Over there, two small meals a day is common.

Smoking is a different issue entirely. You're more likely to smoke if you're bored and don't think much about the distant future. A lot of European countries are so screwed up with their borderline socialist economic systems that the average citizen doesn't have much of a chance of changing socioeconomic brackets. = boredom. = smoking.

KawauchiFTW_ wrote:

The funniest s**t: A couple of Germans after finishing the NYC marathon couldn’t wait to get outside the security zone, so they could light up... Crazy I know... Maybe they had too much oxygen in their lungs after running for 4-5 hours... LOL... Go figure.

I remember a friend of mine's Dad in HS had a picture in their basement of him running a marathon back in the 80s, he was in his 30s at the time. Lean, athletic frame in stride, pretty cool picture. He said, "yeah, I always wonder what I could have done had I not smoked a handful of cigs before my runs.." I remember calling bullshit and he laughed and would go, "why in god's name would I joke about such stupidity.."

You can be obese and live to a nice old ageand be fairly health. On the other hand I’ve seen plenty of people in their early 70s who are slim and die of copd or lung cancer.

Obesityfor someone who is 5- 8 is 197 pounds by the way

Lots of skinny fat people in Western Europe. They don’t lift weights or do any strength training. Their beaches are absolutely frightening. People with skinny arms with no muscles with fat bellies and saggy skin.

Smoking increases your hemoglobin. Greater O2 carrying capacity.

I suspect there is something to this. Back in the day, I smoked about a pack of unfiltered Camels a day as I sat writing at my desk, trained 90 miles a week, and ran many marathons in the 2:30s, with a best of 2:30. I eventually gave up them up , but I never ran quite as fast again.

I've heard that tobacco smoke contains high concentrations of carbon monoxide, which binds more readily to the red blood cells than oxygen. The body adapts to the reduction of oxygen in the blood by producing more red blood cells. I'm no physiologist and may be completely wrong here, but it sounds like it could have the same effect as living at altitude.

Non Smoking Brah wrote:

As a European, would rather be smoking than be a disgusting fat slob like 70% of Americans

I was surprised to see so many smokers on a recent visit to Greece. But, maybe it’s the Mediterranean diet, but their lung cancer rates are not that much different from the USA and they certainly live longer.

I had a great, great aunt, who lived in Ireland and she lived to 106 and still had all her wits about her till the end. They thought they’d stopped her smoking at 98, but at the funeral, a niece admitted she had still been sneaking her 5 Woodbines every day.

What do you think going to be like here once recreational weed is legalized everwhere?

Moderation. 5-10 cigarettes/day are not going to kill you.

1979 wrote:

Only southern Europeans, Scandinavians, French and Dutch are slim. Germans, Belgians and the English are almost as disgustingly fat as you Americans.

As an English resident I can confirm this. Most English people are horrendously out of shape and probably on a whole more unhealthy than Americans because there isn't both a large amount is smokers and obese people.