The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

Sue-UU

Hi dizzybee! Well that's those first 3 days finished with, well done for keeping so active. The £5 normally spent on fags being paid off of your debts will soon boost your pride in saving cash and saving your health! I agree with what you say about reading the posts of others who are going through it, it takes the feeling of it only being 'you' that's suffering, and that together you WILL all succeed.!

Well done dizzybee, have a great day tomorrow, staying strong and keeping busy!

Sue

larmy16

Hi all

I am so delighted to be off the nicotine, BUT I have gained all the weight I lost prior to stopping. This has been a feature of my life to date. Stop smoking, gain weight, start smoking as so miserable about the fat on my bones. How many times, I do not recall!

Well this time there are no illusions left regarding nicotine so now I have to tackle the underlying addiction of eating for other reasons than hunger. Last weekend for example I ate so much chocolate and just could not seem to stop!! I was not hungry atall, just had this compulsion to keep eating!

I am talking 10-12 lbs here.

I could do with a few words of encouragement here from all my fellow quitters. Please.

bluedog

It's a real inspiration to continue after reading about everyone else's efforts and achievements. Well done to all and keep going .

Had a bad day with really strong cravings/"desires" last friday afternoon which I nearly gave into .... until realising I hadn't put a new patch on that morning - oops! Still, I didn't give in and am very pleased as I think it demonstrated to myself that I probably have more will power than I credit myself with, plus the real desire is NOT to smoke, if you see what I mean?

larmy16 - Last week especially, I couldn't stop eating either and am regretting it too as if it was there, I ate it and grazed all day long. I get IBS so should know better and weight fluctuates enough without any -ahem - help! I've gone from enjoying the novelty of actually feeling hungry when first not smoking to paying the price after a weeks bingeing . This week I'm sticking to fruit and veg options and other items Sue-uu suggests a few posts ago - if I can stay off nicotine, then I have no excuse over controlling my eating is what I've told myself. I I love the crunchiness of carrots and celery which helps and found I can curb my sugar craving with honey. (I use this to sweeten herbal teas anyway.)

AnnaMonkey

Hello, I'm new!

I finished the Allen Carr book last night, so I'm not quite 24 hours without a cig. And I've never gone a full day without one!

I'm a bit nervous, I've never tried to quit before. The book made lots of sense and most of the time so far I've been okay with the fact that i don't want a cigarette it's just my brain that thinks I'm giving up something i enjoy. Not true! But occasionally I panic slightly.

Argh.

3XsAlady

I so sympathize with you larmy16. I regret to say that I too am bingeing day & night. I am now walking to my local supermarket (approx. 3 miles round trip) for exercise & hopefully weight loss. This morning I purchased my usual lb bag of wine gums & ended up in the restaurant ordering a fried breakfast.........what's all that about? I just can't help myself!

3XsAlady

Hi AnnaMonkey many congratulations on your decision to quit. I too quit with the Allen Carr method (just 3wks ago) after more than 30yrs of being a smoker & I really don't feel as though I've given anything up. I'm sure Sue-UU will be along shortly to give you some invaluable advice. In the meantime, Good luck to you, YOU CAN DO IT!

AnnaMonkey

3XsAlady wrote: »

Hi AnnaMonkey many congratulations on your decision to quit. I too quit with the Allen Carr method (just 3wks ago) after more than 30yrs of being a smoker & I really don't feel as though I've given anything up. I'm sure Sue-UU will be along shortly to give you some invaluable advice. In the meantime, Good luck to you, YOU CAN DO IT!

Thank you! It makes it so much better to hear of other people using the same method successfully! 3 weeks is a dream, well done for sticking it out!!!

73bugz

Hi Guys

Well it's been 108 days since i smoked my last cigarette and i feel sooooo much better for it, it's unbelievable. In fact i started running four weeks ago and now i can run for 30 minutes non stop. My breathing is ok and i have so much energy nowadays that i wake up at 5.30 am everyday raring to go. I don't have to leave for work untill 8.30 so just wake up to enjoy life once again now that i'm free from the fags and the depression that comes with them.

Annamonkey, like you, i cannot recall a single day when i never smoked a cigarette and i was a smoker for 20 years. I just kept thinking that i couldn't quit and would quite literally quit trying to quit, even before i started :rotfl:

Anyway, i managed to go a day without a fag by waking up with the worlds biggest hangover and staying in bed all day, i got out of bed once to use the loo at 4 pm and went back to bed and fell asleep till the morning. When i woke up, i had been smoke free for 24 hours and i just kept going. No patches or NRT, just good old cold turkey.

It was hard, and to be honest it was one of the hardest weeks of my life trying to give up that first week, but it has to be hard, so that its a reminder to you to never light up a fag again.

Best of luck everyone.

dizzybee

well today is day 4 and i am feeling fine been at work today so that kept me busy and just loading stuff on to e bay I'm finding i'm not over eating if anything i seem to be eating a lot less but give a few more days and i will be eating my way through the cupboards..

Sue-UU

Oh poor you Larmy! Never mind, you cracked smoking and you can crack the chocolate....I had to!!! :rolleyes: To anyone with a sweet tooth, the more you eat sweet food (especially chocolate) the more you'll want it. It's a bit like swapping one addiction for another IF you let it.! Try the advice bluedog's given and you'll find that it really does work. You've been terrific with quitting nick, now cut out the sweet stuff or you'll have loads of time wishing you had!!:o Get plenty of exercise and you can soon shift 10 - 12 lbs, but, as with 'you know what' you need to be strong and have plenty of self-discipline, but you CAN do it.!:j

bluedog wrote:

Had a bad day with really strong cravings/"desires" last Friday afternoon which I nearly gave into .... Until realising I hadn't put a new patch on that morning - oops! Still, I didn't give in and am very pleased as I think it demonstrated to myself that I probably have more will power than I credit myself with, plus the real desire is NOT to smoke, if you see what I mean?

Congratulations bluedog! :TYou said it all in that last sentence, you ARE strong and do have the will-power so keep reminding yourself of that occasion and how you conquered it and you'll soon be there!! Amazing what anyone can do with having that sort of great attitude!

Hi AnnaMonkey and welcome to the thread and to getting your life back again! As you'll see, I've sent you a PM with tips, try them religiously as they really do work. Use Orange Juice for the first 3 days to help with the cravings and until the nicotine has gone from your system, but be careful after that as too much unnatural sugar won't help and will raise your sugar levels. Try apples, large ones to chomp on! Or slice them up and nibble away at a slice whenever you feel a craving. The same with carrots and celery, nibble away with the right foods and you'll find things so much better.

Also try a handful of unsalted nuts (preferably Almonds) to have a nibble on as protein will help too. Not too many per day though or you'll put too much weight on. Plenty of exercise is a must and breathe all that fresh oxygen in to fill those smokey lungs and imagine all the dirty particles flowing free from you with every breath you exhale! Keep as active as possible, that includes doing something with your fingers. Look around for anything to fiddle with, pen, keys, a rubber even. Mainly you need to stay strong and NOT let the fags rule your life for a minute longer! 30 years is a long time, but not too long that you can't quit. There are many of us with records which match yours, but we can still get there! Too much time for regrets if you don't! Strengthen your resolve to "not smoke today" every morning and clean you teeth as often as you need, sometimes just a bit on your tongue to mix with saliva and squirt around you mouth makes all the difference. Change your life round to combat times that aren't so easy. Come on here and give vent as often as you like, we'll always listen! Go on Anna......quit for life - YOURS!!!

Whooops 3XsAlady!!:eek: Whatever are you up to! :eek:I thought you had a problem with the wine in the gums and I think what you did this morning goes to prove it!!! ;)Maybe this is getting you through at the moment, but how about mapping out a different route or ordering your wine gums by the crate!!! :rolleyes: You did make me giggle I have to admit to that. One way of looking at it (just for now, mind you) is that it's better than the blessed nicotine evils. How about doubling up the exercise....while you're still able!!:rotfl:

73bugz wrote:

It was hard, and to be honest it was one of the hardest weeks of my life trying to give up that first week, but it has to be hard, so that its a reminder to you to never light up a fag again.

73bugz, you are absolutely amazing...many congratulations for all you've achieved!! :TIt's wonderful to feel so refreshed when you've finished for good, the greatest feeling it really is. We need people like you coming on here and letting all the others know, that no matter how hard it is now, they too CAN succeed!!! Please everyone, take note of bugz's last sentence, it really is so very true and never worth taking the risk!!!

Very well done dizzybee!! Don't take too much notice of the food craving part as it doesn't affect everyone. We've had a few who have said the same as you. So even if it should cross your mind to nibble, try to resist!!!

Another day of the journey behind you folks and another fresher you to look forward to in the next one. You are doing marvellously! Keep it up, keep strong and keep healthy!

Sue