Still Not Smoking and Other Things - Page 3

strandinthewind · #31 02-08-2006, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

Honey, I am sure you have many talents that can earn you some cash! Just remember, your hedonism is really altruism.

A la my avatar!!!!!!

amber · #32 02-08-2006, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

That's cool you'll be at Earthjustice.

I wish I had your will when it comes to exercise. I HATE it. Especially cardio. I really want to stop eating meat, too; and that's also hard for me. Any tips?

Uh...tips...don't buy any meat?

I can't really think of anything special, it's just a craving you have to ignore or substitute like most others. Instead of buying meat last week, I bought walnuts. And there is such a vast array of yummy "meat" substitutes out there that it's pretty easy. For ground type beef, I prefer Boca. For veggie burgers I prefer gardenburger, but other kinds are good, too. Boca makes good fake sausage links. There's tons of veggie meals in the frozen foods section at my Whole Foods that look delicious.
One of the things I have to be careful of if not eating meat is not overloading on sugar or simple carbs (drinking is the worst). That messes with blood sugar, and makes you crave protein to stabilize your insulin. So it's a good idea to eat more complex carbs, and fibrous carbs.

Maybe you should just set a goal to try it for one week - I think you'll find it's a lot easier than you suspected, and if not, you have the knowlege that you can go back in a couple days.

Going Vegan - now that's pretty tough. At least if you are just vegetarian you can have dairy.

amber · #33 02-08-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

Ummm, this is what i would have a hard time quitting. Not that I'm a lush or anything, but I do drink more than once a week that's for sure, and beer is my weakness, especially the dark ales

.

Yes, it seems hard. I just felt craptastic and wasted too much time if I drank. And I smoked like a chimney. But that is because usually I wouldn't just have "a beer", or "a couple glasses of wine" - I would drink to excess. And I kind of had to "quit" drinking to quit smoking. Last week I did manage to have "a glass of wine" but I wanted more but didn't have any money.

So, while I can drink sparingly, it's difficult - and therefore I just save drinking for "occasions" - like a few weeks ago my bf Rain suprise visited me in town, and we went out and got ripped - occasions like that.

Then I don't feel bad.

If you don't drink that much, I wouldn't worry about quitting anyway.

GypsySorcerer · #34 02-08-2006, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Uh...tips...don't buy any meat?

I can't really think of anything special, it's just a craving you have to ignore or substitute like most others. Instead of buying meat last week, I bought walnuts. And there is such a vast array of yummy "meat" substitutes out there that it's pretty easy. For ground type beef, I prefer Boca. For veggie burgers I prefer gardenburger, but other kinds are good, too. Boca makes good fake sausage links. There's tons of veggie meals in the frozen foods section at my Whole Foods that look delicious.
One of the things I have to be careful of if not eating meat is not overloading on sugar or simple carbs (drinking is the worst). That messes with blood sugar, and makes you crave protein to stabilize your insulin. So it's a good idea to eat more complex carbs, and fibrous carbs.

Maybe you should just set a goal to try it for one week - I think you'll find it's a lot easier than you suspected, and if not, you have the knowlege that you can go back in a couple days.

Going Vegan - now that's pretty tough. At least if you are just vegetarian you can have dairy.

That's one thing I'm afriad of. I am addicted to carbs as it is.

But I've been adding more veggies, etc.

I don't eat pork and can do without beef. Chicken is probably what I have the most trouble not eating. I can only imagine how challenging going vegan would be. I know I would be healthier if I did, though.

amber · #35 02-08-2006, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

That's one thing I'm afriad of. I am addicted to carbs as it is.

But I've been adding more veggies, etc.

I don't eat pork and can do without beef. Chicken is probably what I have the most trouble not eating. I can only imagine how challenging going vegan would be. I know I would be healthier if I did, though.

Me, too. I said I try to be careful.

No chicken for a week - how hard can that be?

You could even buy Boca chicken patties.

GypsySorcerer · #36 02-08-2006, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Me, too. I said I try to be careful.

No chicken for a week - how hard can that be?

You could even buy Boca chicken patties.

It wouldn't be hard for a week at all. I guess if you stop eating it, you won't crave it.

amber · #37 02-08-2006, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

It wouldn't be hard for a week at all. I guess if you stop eating it, you won't crave it.

Oh, right. At least to some degree.

I still want hamburgers. I think I always will.

I think I made a deal with myself that if I really didn't eat any meat, that I could have a hamburger once a month. And also Salmon once or twice a month.

cliffdweller · #38 02-08-2006, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, right. At least to some degree.

I still want hamburgers. I think I always will.

I think I made a deal with myself that if I really didn't eat any meat, that I could have a hamburger once a month. And also Salmon once or twice a month.

Mmmmm, I can't give up grilled salmon. I make mine with a kick ass marinade...drool...

amber · #39 02-08-2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

Mmmmm, I can't give up grilled salmon. I make mine with a kick ass marinade...drool...

Exactly. I looooooooove Salmon. I can usually only afford it once or twice a month anyway, if that - so my "rule" isn't exactly too high of an expectation.

Tell me, what is your marinade made of? I don't usually flavor mine much, because I love the natural taste - but of course I want to try different ways. My cats practically kill each other over the salmon skin bits, too.

GypsySorcerer · #40 02-08-2006, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, right. At least to some degree.

I still want hamburgers. I think I always will.

I think I made a deal with myself that if I really didn't eat any meat, that I could have a hamburger once a month. And also Salmon once or twice a month.

Sounds like a good deal.

cliffdweller · #41 02-08-2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Exactly. I looooooooove Salmon. I can usually only afford it once or twice a month anyway, if that - so my "rule" isn't exactly too high of an expectation.

Tell me, what is your marinade made of? I don't usually flavor mine much, because I love the natural taste - but of course I want to try different ways. My cats practically kill each other over the salmon skin bits, too.

It's a marinade I buy that's pre-made. It's like a teryaki/honey concoction. It is out of this world. They (can't remember the brand!) also make a really good Cajun mariniade that I sometimes use too. I always marinade for 24 hours and poke the salmon thoroughly with a fork so the flavor seeps in every pore of the fillet. Now I'm hungry for salmon!

estranged4life · #42 02-08-2006, 05:32 PM

smoked more than 3 packs of cigarettes in my whole life, Last time I tried one was March 21,2005 due to obvious stress...Only smoked half a cig that evening/night since Deb bought a pack to calm her nerves (Weird, she was stressed moreso than I thought...She was and is a former smoker!)

I think smoking would not relax me the way it does everyone else in my family...Too pent up and angry, thus my drawing towards death/black metal which gives me somewhat a relief.

Besides, with the health issues I am currently suffering through smoking would not be wise at this time.

Anyways, congrats to anyone who can stop smoking...It must take alot of work to be successful!!!

Patti · #43 02-08-2006, 06:04 PM

Congratulations to all of you who have successfully quit smoking!

I had my last cig at 7:30am Monday morning, so I've been smoke free for about 58 1/2 hours and I have never felt so lousy in my life. I've coughed more in the last three days than I have in the last three years. I've quit smoking many, many times, but I'm really going to try hard to make it stick this time. I've always gained weight and gotten depressed so I start again. I already exercise a lot, so I just have to be really conscious of my food intake for a while and hope for the best. So, any good thoughts anyone could send my way would be very, very much appreciated!

And H, please stop now before it gets to be such an ingrained habit as it is for me. I've smoked off and on (mostly on) for 30+ years. You haven't smoked for that long, so it's not a way of life for you yet. Don't make it that way. I don't want you to end up like me!

jannieC · #44 02-08-2006, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patti

Congratulations to all of you who have successfully quit smoking!

I had my last cig at 7:30am Monday morning, so I've been smoke free for about 58 1/2 hours and I have never felt so lousy in my life. I've coughed more in the last three days than I have in the last three years. I've quit smoking many, many times, but I'm really going to try hard to make it stick this time. I've always gained weight and gotten depressed so I start again. I already exercise a lot, so I just have to be really conscious of my food intake for a while and hope for the best. So, any good thoughts anyone could send my way would be very, very much appreciated!

Yay Patti- you can do this. I wish I could tell you how badly I felt when I first quit. I walked into my doctor's office and when she asked me what was wrong, I said, "I feel like ****!". I feel 150% better now, and you will too.

To answer the other question (I'm too lazy to do the QUOTE thing):

I was a vegetarian for 12 years (see, I'm old too- 39 this year) and what I always told people was to try NOT eating meat for just one day a week. Then, wean yourself off day by day. I went cold turkey (heh) because I read a book called, May All Be Fed : 'a Diet For A New World' (I think this was the book, I thought the title had the word "Gentle" in it, but whatever). Anyway the book that I can't remember the title of changed my life. When I first went vegetarian, I lost a lot of weight. Eventually, I evened out. I would like to go back to eating no meat- I felt so much better about myself then.

Can I just say that I love you guys? Because I do; I am really loving this conversation.

amber · #45 02-08-2006, 07:12 PM

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.