Still Not Smoking and Other Things

[Janet]

Wow you guys are amazing.

I am surrounded by people who just are able to quit their bad habits and grow out of them.

Me? I eat horribly and have gained 20 pounds in 2 years. I smoke like 5 packs a day. I drink a lot.

I have tried to quit all three but I guess that's too much at once.

Eating was number 1. I have totally quit all fast food but I'm not perfect ( and I won't be until I quit working at Dominos 60 hours a week) but I hope to lose 20 pounds by spring. It's difficult ( as I type this I just ate raisonettes LOL) but I'm trying.

Cigs...well in NJ they are banning it from public places. BOOM...I think a lot of people feel they will quit when this happens. If I can't drink when I go out, I barely smoke any other time.

Drinking....that's too much fun to quit but I will say...I can't remember the last time I drank until I got sick. I did that for a long, long time but now it's like...as soon as I feel it, I stop.

So maybe I am not doing too bad...baby steps..but you guys are total inspirations!!

[CelticGypsy]

Why is it when you are on a diet like WW's or Atkins, you are always thinking of food constantly. When I am not dieting, I rarely eat. lol Weird

[CelticGypsy]

Originally Posted by jannieC

Not that anyone has asked , but I still haven't had a cigarette and it's been 6 weeks, 1 day (no, I'm not a freak- I have one of those Quit Meter things that tells me this.

It's been really hard. I am (was) a 20+ year hardcore smoker. My husband and I almost killed each other about 3 weeks ago (he quit too). I would say it was one of the bigger fights we've had in our 10 years together . We both did smoke that night (he had a whole one and I had 3 drags) but I think it's safe to say that we're winning this battle.

Between quitting smoking and the holidays, I realized I gained 15 lbs! So my mother and I joined Weight Watchers 2 weeks ago. I've lost 3.6 lbs so far and my mom has lost almost 5! My goal is to lose 15 lbs and get back to 130 and my mother is trying to lose 60 lbs. This has really helped with the quitting smoking because now instead of cigarettes, I'm thinking about food all the time! When I look at how I'm eating now, I can't believe the way I had been eating for the past few years. You know how people say, "I just eat whatever I want, whenever I want..."? Well, that really was me. I would never deny myself anything. If I wanted to eat something, I would. If I wanted to eat WAY TOO MUCH of something, I would. There has never been any kind of limit set on eating. Amazing. On the one hand, I've been able to spend many years enjoying fabulous, fatty, rich foods. On the other, I have a taste for that kind of food, which makes it extremely hard to change. But, I think quitting smoking prepared me for anything. If I can quit smoking, I can do anything.

Part of me feels weird not smoking and eating well. I feel like a traitor to the type of person I've always seen myself as. Like, as if becoming a healthy person is betraying the "real" me. That's hilarious. And stupid. I have a feeling that eventually, I am going to feel great about all this, physically as well as mentally.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that with everyone. Kind of a long and boring post, but if anyone is thinking of quitting smoking and would like some support, please PM me anytime.

Forgot to say...........good luck with WW's and your mom too. It is a good program. Good luck with no smoking too. I applaud your great efforts and your hubby's too.

[amber]

Originally Posted by Janet

Wow you guys are amazing.

I am surrounded by people who just are able to quit their bad habits and grow out of them.

Me? I eat horribly and have gained 20 pounds in 2 years. I smoke like 5 packs a day. I drink a lot.

I have tried to quit all three but I guess that's too much at once.

Eating was number 1. I have totally quit all fast food but I'm not perfect ( and I won't be until I quit working at Dominos 60 hours a week) but I hope to lose 20 pounds by spring. It's difficult ( as I type this I just ate raisonettes LOL) but I'm trying.

Cigs...well in NJ they are banning it from public places. BOOM...I think a lot of people feel they will quit when this happens. If I can't drink when I go out, I barely smoke any other time.

Drinking....that's too much fun to quit but I will say...I can't remember the last time I drank until I got sick. I did that for a long, long time but now it's like...as soon as I feel it, I stop.

So maybe I am not doing too bad...baby steps..but you guys are total inspirations!!

That doesn't sound too bad. Hey, I'm addicted to only working 20 hrs. per week, so you're way ahead of me there. I didn't quit smoking when they banned it in public places here. In fact, I don't think when I started smoking you could smoke in public places. You think you'll quit, but really everyone just goes outside the bar and chats with everyone else who is smoking.
Oh, and I gained 20 lbs in 6 weeks, so don't feel bad.
People here inspire me, too.

[Patti]

Originally Posted by amber

Good job, Patti! I don't understand in what way you guys feel bad when you first quit smoking. Do you feel like you have a cold, or do you get headaches, or what? I only noticed being squirrely talky from too much oxygen, ( )decreased appetite, and needing less sleep.


I wish I could cough something up, I haven't coughed up anything.

I felt like I had the flu and the worst cough ever. Today hasn't been quite as bad, but the cravings have been worse today. I'm thinking that may be because the nicotine is finally leaving my system and my body is trying hard to get a fix before it's too late.

Amber, I've quit smoking before and never coughed at all. This is the first time it's been like this for me. But I also smoked like double the amount I normally do last week, so maybe that's why????

[jannieC]

Originally Posted by Patti

I felt like I had the flu and the worst cough ever. Today hasn't been quite as bad, but the cravings have been worse today. I'm thinking that may be because the nicotine is finally leaving my system and my body is trying hard to get a fix before it's too late.

Amber, I've quit smoking before and never coughed at all. This is the first time it's been like this for me. But I also smoked like double the amount I normally do last week, so maybe that's why????

Your lungs are clearing themselves out. Or, trying to anyway.

[Patti]

^Yeah I know they're trying to clear out, but I was wondering why the cough this time and not any of the other dozens of times I quit.

[hayley]

Originally Posted by Patti

^Yeah I know they're trying to clear out, but I was wondering why the cough this time and not any of the other dozens of times I quit.

Because your lungs know this is the time you're going to stick with it! GO PATSY POO!

I had one cigarette yesterday at 2:30, and I'd had one at the exact same time the day before. 2:30's long passed today without me thinking about it, so it must be alright.

I love smoking. I don't particularly want to quit. I'm doing it for three reasons- 1) Saving money, 2) When I smoke, my boyfriend smokes too, and he shouldn't, because he's a cancer survivor and it's big on his list of no-no's, and 3) I want to see if I can actually commit to something and do it. I don't think any of these reasons are the right ones.

[Patti]

Originally Posted by hayley

I love smoking. I don't particularly want to quit. I'm doing it for three reasons- 1) Saving money, 2) When I smoke, my boyfriend smokes too, and he shouldn't, because he's a cancer survivor and it's big on his list of no-no's, and 3) I want to see if I can actually commit to something and do it. I don't think any of these reasons are the right ones.

Ya know, H, I like to smoke, too. I didn't particularly want to quit either, except I know it's really bad for me and I've been doing it far too long for it not to have done some long-lasting, if not permanent, damage. And I had some health issues start creeping in the picture and had three different doctors tell me it was time to quit. That's kind of scary. I mean doctors never say, "oh yeah go ahead and smoke." But this time they strongly recommended I walk away from the cigs, so I think I shall do my best to listen to them.

You're right about the reasons not being the "right ones", but if they work, then it's all good. But you do really have to want it for yourself.

[amber]

you two who like to smoke (who doesn't?) - Can you tell the difference in your lung power when you exercise? You know, that you can't exercise as long or as vigorously? Part (part? who am I kidding?) of why I quit is so I could lose weight more easily, and in general just look better for longer. Vanity, in other words. Oh, and to smell better.

[Patti]

I never had a problem with lung power while I was smoking. I could run a few miles, play racquetball for a couple of hours, or do an aerobics video fairly easily. What I did notice before is my pulse rate really dropped. My pulse rate is really low as a smoker (about 62 bpm). When I've quit smoking it's dropped down to about 50 bpm. And I will have an increased lung capacity without smoking, it just stands to reason. I haven't really been able to exercise since I quit, other than walking, because I can't breathe deeply or I go into major cough mode. Isn't that weird?!

[amber]

Originally Posted by Patti

I never had a problem with lung power while I was smoking. I could run a few miles, play racquetball for a couple of hours, or do an aerobics video fairly easily. What I did notice before is my pulse rate really dropped. My pulse rate is really low as a smoker (about 62 bpm). When I've quit smoking it's dropped down to about 50 bpm. And I will have an increased lung capacity without smoking, it just stands to reason. I haven't really been able to exercise since I quit, other than walking, because I can't breathe deeply or I go into major cough mode. Isn't that weird?!

That sounds great, actually - your lungs are expectorating quickly.
I guess some people just have stronger lungs. My dad gets really high scores on those breath tests at the doctor, and not just for a smoker - He's smoked for 40 years or so, I guess.
I like to blame my weaker lungs on the immense amount of second hand smoke my parents perpetrated on me growing up.

[jannieC]

I loved to smoke. Loved it. I would give a lot right now to have a cigarette. But I am not letting those bastards (the cigarettes) win.

When I quit last year (for 3 weeks) I had a horrible cough and congestion, "Quitter's Flu". This time I have had every single other possible side effect of quitting EXCEPT a cough. I don't know why that is. Drink as much water as you can, Patti. That will really help with the cough.