Quitting SMOKING

[MZRivera85]

I did AMAZING today starting up with a diet and a plan. I am doing very lean meats, quinoa, green veggies (broccoli / green beans etc), no starchy white flour carbs. I even cut down my diet soda from 4 cans a day to 1!!! I have been substituting with water. I feel AMAZING in one days change.

I find quitting smoking hardest. Even more so than quitting drinking. I went to do 25 mins of cardio today and was gonna start weight training tomorrow. I did a whole 10 mins before i got winded. I was surprised I made it that far.

I don't want anyone to put me down because I did SOOOO amazing today and I feel great. Please let me know some of you former smokers how you quit. What worked best? Ive only had two today which is amazing. PLEASE HELP

Please let me know how bad smoking will affect my results and be honest. Thank you!

 

[musclemom]

Let's see, I'm 47. I started smoking when I was 17, smoked up to two packs a day for the next ten years, then got viral pneumonia and landed in the hospital for a week. I'd always sworn if I could go a week without them I'd stay off them but when I was released from the hospital I was jones-ing for one baaaad ... I chewed Nicorette for nearly three months but stayed off them.

Three years later I was going through major life stress and started smoking again, within a week I was back up to over a pack a day and smoked for about three years until I started getting pain in my chest when I laid down and realized I virtually couldn't breath when I laid on my right side. Decided to stop again, did it cold turkey this time. Planned it out, first cut back until I was under half a pack a day and then when I had three days off from work stopped completely, drank gallons of water, took tranquilizers, walked and lot and spent a lot of time in non smoking locations (like the library).

I've had at least three minor quits (picked them up for three or so months before quitting) since then and at least two other major quits (smoked for up to a year or more) since then. I'm a freaking expert and I totally applaud you. Even 5 minutes of cardio while you're smoking is a bitch.

I will warn you, it's awfully easy to cut way back and keep yourself at a low number of cigarettes indefinitely. That shit's dangerous because you can make all sorts of bargains with yourself. Pick a long weekend and take the full plunge, day one is the worst, then again around day 6 or so you'll get hit with this completely logical thought "Hey, I've gone about a week without smoking, I bet I could have just one". Yeah, that's a lie. So for one day this thought will be constantly in the back of your mind, but you get through it and when you wake up the next morning you'll be proud of yourself for not caving in. The next craving usually hits at about the three week mark and it will just come up out of the blue, that "I want a smoke" feeling and it will seem like the most logical thing on the planet, that you DESERVE one, in fact. Yeah, that's a lie.

I can't emphasize enough, keep up the good work and quit completely. Each time I've quit I've realized I didn't bounce back as quickly as the last time. I suspect I've done myself quite a bit of damage by going back to smoking over the years.

The problem is that cigarettes fill so many desires, they are a comfort, a reward, a hobby, appetite suppressants ... they affect our dopamine levels so nicotine withdrawal depression is very real, too, and if you get that depression the idea of having a cigarette can seem like the only way to ever cheer up again. I've heard the recidivism rate for tobacco is higher than heroine, I don't know about that but I do know that if you replace the tobacco with something you find rewarding -- exercise you enjoy is terrific because it can help boost your endorphin levels -- you have a much higher chance of success.

Besides, the damned things are just ridiculously expensive anymore. Add up what you're spending on them in a year and treat yourself to something really wonderful at the end of your first smoke free year.

 

[MZRivera85]

I love your honesty. I loved to see that we all have faults and that you slipped up here and there. Congratulations on having quitted permanently. Drinking is a huge trigger as well as driving in the car. Since I will not be drinking anymore, that one thing is killed off. I guess now that i have only smoked 4 cigarettes today there is no excuse for me to ever exceed that amount anymore. Will the sugar free honey lemon halls hurt my diet? I feel those help me immensely.

 

[musclemom]

I love your honesty. I loved to see that we all have faults and that you slipped up here and there. Congratulations on having quitted permanently. Drinking is a huge trigger as well as driving in the car. Since I will not be drinking anymore, that one thing is killed off. I guess now that i have only smoked 4 cigarettes today there is no excuse for me to ever exceed that amount anymore. Will the sugar free honey lemon halls hurt my diet? I feel those help me immensely.

Many, many people have multiple quits, especially with smoking. If the sugar free Halls help the cravings IMO stick with them. Trying to break too many bad habits while starting too many healthy ones simultaneously can be overwhelming and set up a failure, too hard to keep so many plates spinning, so if a few sugar free sweets keep you on track go for it.

Quitting from four cigarettes (when you're ready) is cake, especially if you change brands and go over to American Spirits (they don't have added chemicals -- regular cigarettes have chemicals that make them more addictive).

 

[mstiles87]

You could try the e cigs. I quit dipping using them and then naturally just stopped using it. Eight months clean no cravings.

 

[musclemom]

You could try the e cigs. I quit dipping using them and then naturally just stopped using it. Eight months clean no cravings.

I know a few people who have had success with them, seems that the people who are less nicotine addicts as opposed to being hooked more on the ritual/habit of smoking (or having something to do with their hands) itself fare the best. Frankly, they just make me crave real cigarettes Everyone needs to figure out what kind of smoker they are, some people are more habituated to the psychological aspects of it, some really get that reward hit in the brain like any other addict or junkie. Me, I'm a nicotine addict, I just can't touch the damned things and mild exposure to nicotine (like in gum or in the e-cigs) actually keeps the monkey ON my back longer (which is why I prefer going cold turkey and just coping with the cravings as they pop up).

 

[dubbzero]

I haven't smoke in 2 months thanks to my ecig and don't ever plan on smoking again

 

[dubbzero]

Also, my brother use to smoke a pack a day and hasn't smoked in 2 years thanks to his ecig. If you want some good websites for quality ecigs lemme know. If you buy at a shop you're likely to over pay and get a shitty product.

 

[musclemom]

I haven't smoke in 2 months thanks to my ecig and don't ever plan on smoking again

Congratulations, I said the same thing after I was 3+ years completely smoke free and after having fallen off the wagon more than once I've come to accept that shit happens and sometimes life gets in the way Beating myself up too hard just makes things 100x worse. You pick yourself up, realize you're in good company and get back on the wagon.