believeNme said:... I need another reason other than the obvious ones to motivate me to stop! i basically need to hear they'll slow down my fat burning or atrophy my muscle! Please any insight would help!!! TIA
This helped me all the times I've stopped (I've had three major quits in my life, hopefully third time's a charm):
What Happens When You Stop Smoking?
When you stop smoking, your body begins to heal itself. If you're thinking about stopping smoking, you should know:
20 minutes after your last cigarette
Blood pressure drops to normal.
Pulse rate drops to normal.
Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.
8 hours after your last cigarette
Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal.
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal.
24 hours after your last cigarette
Chance of heart attack decreases.
48 hours after your last cigarette
Nerve endings start to regrow.
Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
72 hours after your last cigarette
Breathing becomes easier.
Lung capacity increases.
2 weeks to 3 months after your last cigarette
Blood circulation improves.
Walking becomes easier.
Lung function increases up to 30%.
1 to 9 months after your last cigarette
Coughing, sinus congestion, and shortness of breath decrease.
Your body's energy level increases.
Your lungs are better able to fight infection.
5 years after your last cigarette
Lung cancer death risk decreases.
10 years after your last cigarette
Lung cancer death risk drops.
Risk of other cancers drops.
My father died of emphysema. Like Jenscats, I had the joy of watching him light up a cigarette AFTER pulling the oxygen mask off his face ... he never moved, of course, so he was sitting next to a 5' tall oxygen tank with an open flame, with his daughter in the room, what a sport. And even after watching him die, slowly, horribly, I still smoked over a pack a day of Winstons or Marlboros from age 17 to 27, then again from age 30 to 33 then one more time for a few years ... the last two times I quit cold turkey.
More reason to quit? How about why should you enrich the pockets of the tobacco company for the privilege of killing yourself? Seriously! Think about the side effects of smoking: it smells utterly foul (I can smell a smoker from more than ten feet away; why bother bathing and using perfume, you make yourself smell worse than a refinery when you light up), you cut your wind like you wouldn't believe, it costs serious amounts of $$. Think about the fact that you're a slave to tobacco: you have to plan EVERYTHING around it, going to a museum, going out to eat, going on a long trip. Smoking hasn't got ONE beneficial side effect: it tastes like shit, gives you headaches, makes you prone to getting colds, bronchitis, and sinus infections, and no, it doesn't calm you down on its own, you're calmed when you smoke because you've fed the monkey on your back. You'd be that calm if you weren't addicted in the first place.
Weight gain??? Forget it, it's hype. If you remain active and don't increase your food you don't have to gain anything.
Three days, I'm telling you, 72 hours tobacco free and you're home free ... if you really want it. You just have to decide you hate them, and you're not going to let them kill you any more.