quit smoking tomorrow...HELP!!!?

Fififantastic

I've decided it's finally time to give up the smokes for good! I've bought the patches and read all the instructions and warnings. I've signed up to an on-line quit website, I've started thinking about how I will reward myself with all the money I will be saving. I feel positive and ready to quit but I'm worried about undoing all the hard work I've put into losing weight. My partner smokes heavily and thats going to make it hard but I'm ready for that. I will continue to track my food and exercise and drink plenty of water, I know I want to quit smoking, but I'm scared of gaining weight. Any tips on how to beat this horrible addiction would be greatly appreciated.

Bexx435

Congratulations on your decision to quit! Giving them up was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm so glad I did it. Recognize your usual smoke times (after meals, before bed, while driving, etc.) and plan ahead. You should keep healthy snacks like carrots and celery on hand to munch on. Also, I liked to have cinnamon toothpicks, stirrer straws, and pens in my purse - anything to keep my hand/mouth busy when I got a craving. If you feel like you want to smoke, go for a short walk instead. And gum, lots and lots of gum.

As far as mental motivation to stay a quitter, remember that "If you have just one you will be back where you started. And where you started was desperately wishing you could be where you are today." I still say this to myself whenever I think about having one.

Best of luck!

Alkirra

Yep, everything the above poster said! I'm 4 weeks as a Non Smoker tomorrow after 33 years of a pack a day 16mg !

I also think every time I get a craving 'ok water first, sugar free gum 2nd and chew like mad! It really does help if you try changing your mind set first, that and stay moving. I'm now addicted to gum and water lol . Just stay away from your partners smoke wafting past you and that will also help. Cheering you on!

Good luck Fifi, you can do it!

VassiT

I had my last smoke three months ago.I gained three pounds (which is nothing) I believe.I have started my diet a few days ago,my three pounds are gone and I feel great.If you really want to quit, you can do it.
I f you like coffee,try to have three or four during the day.It helped me a lot.Good luck!!!

srp2011

Get Allan Carr's book, The EasyWay to Quit Smoking. It's the best investment I ever made - I quit 20 days ago, and the thought of a cigarette gags me now. It really helps to change your mindset and keep you excited and positive about quitting. It is possible to avoid the dreaded weight gain if you substitute exeercise and water for smoking, and really watch what you eat, but for the first week while you're going through physical nicotine withdrawal, don't worry about the weight - just do what you need to do to get through it. The health impact of a few extra pounds is nothing compared to the damage smoking does, and you can lose the weight later. But I'm within a pound of where I was when I quit so it can be done - the gym has become my new addiction and I look forward to my run all day :-) But again, make quitting your priority.

Also a tip I saw someone else post was to put a bunch of cigarette butts in a jar with water, covered, and whenever a craving hits, go take a big whiff - if that doesn't turn you off, nothing will :-) Good luck!

ctwetty

your on the right track, I quit smoking for my final time on Jan 13 2002 and utilized that money to buy a new Toyota so for me when I really wanted to smoke I remembered how much I really wanted a new car. Further, yes keeping your hands busy I ate a lot of cuties(those little tangerines) and water is your friend I drank a great deal of it and started running. I did not run far or fast but I needed to start new routines to break that old habit of get up, lite up, have coffee (I now only drink 2 cups a day in the morning).

Weight gain they say you are probably going to gain about 7 pounds, but if you get moving from the start it will be less than that and even if you gain the 7 the majority of people lose that in the first year.

I quit at about 47 and my metabolism was already causing problems so the running helped me not gain so much, and once I was off the cigs. for about 9 months I started to see some weight loss and if I would have just kept up my routine I would have still been ok, but life makes me lazy sometimes.

I quit through our program at work (department of public health) and of the 12 of us that went through the program only 3 went back after 5 years, the patches helped me, so good luck- its all about changing your routines

Jeni322

Congratulations on your decision to quit! I am now 125 days smoke free. It is very tough not to replace the cigarettes with something else. At work for me it was frothy cappuchinos and at home I did end up eating more than what I had. I put back on some of the weight I'd already lost but it's nearly all gone again after 3 weeks of being back on track.

So even If you do put on a few lbs, big deal! You will lose it again. You are gaining back years of your life by quitting smoking.

I wish you the very best of luck on your quitting journey - it will all be worth it in the end, I promise xx

LilacRunner

I have battled for years and years to try and quit smoking! I finally did it in December with the help of an electronic cigarette. I'm even at the point now that I don't need a cigarette when I go out and have drinks! Please please consider trying one. They are amazing, they do not harm your health, and they are soooo much cheaper in the long run. Like I said, it is the only thing that has actually gotten me to quit. NOTHING else worked for me. Let me know if you have any questions

rtn1911

Allan Carr's book is excellent! Look at the thousands of reviews and average rating on Amazon.

pcasso87

I am going to be completely honest with you and I hope you take my advice if you really want to quit.

I’m 24 years old and I had the misfortune of starting to smoke when I was 15, by age 18 I was already buying a pack a day, at age 20 I was smoking a pack and a half a day. I tried quitting smoking when I was 22 and 23 both times with patches and they did not work for me at all I still had cravings after weeks of using the damn patches. I am going to tell you what worked for me since I have been over 6 months smoke free. I don’t even get cravings any more and I despise the smell of cigarettes now and love the fact that people can’t smoke in public places anymore.

Here is what you have to do:

1- Quit smoking cold turkey prepare yourself mentally after you puff your last cigarette. Patches will give you a nicotine rush still so you are not ridding your body of that horrible addictive drug.

2- Throw away your ashtrays and lighters or at least put them in a place where they are not visible or easily accessible my hiding place was a box in the attic.

3- Bye bye cigarettes throw away any boxes etc

4- Try exercising, it will take your mind off smoking and make you feel good about your change in lifestyle.

5- Try not drinking alcohol for at least 3-4 weeks after you quit, drinking alcohol will only raise your cravings.

6- Try not to be around smokers since it will spark up your cravings.


You might be thinking this guy thinks this is really easy, i'm going to be honest its not. For the first week you will be craving for a cigarette every single minute of your day the second week gets better I promise after the third week you start loosing your interest in smoking and will not have any urges. Your body is a wonderful thing after you smoke your last cigarette it starts healing it self and repairing all the damage caused from years of smoking after a year or so your lungs will almost look like a non-smokers lungs. Your body gets rid of the nicotine after 72 hours but the mental part is the hardest addiction to overcome since your body has been used to years of smoking.

Tips:

- If you have stopped smoking for 3 weeks and light one cigarette you have to start again the whole process so try to focus and don’t give in to smoking think of all the hard work you have gone through you are almost there!!!

- Think of the benefits there are many out there for me it was:
1- Saving money- Yes smoking is expensive (I was saving $4,297.93 a year from quitting)
2- Health- you will feel better less tired, more active, you will breathe easier.
3- Smell honestly I always hated the smell of cigarettes, my clothes smelled like an ashtray. Think of your car, home, etc.
4- If you have kids think of their health and the example you are giving them by smoking.
5-Smoking kills- Yes it does, my grandfather died of emphysema caused by smoking, one of my best friends father is having a battle with cancer as we speak caused by smoking.... Tons of people I know have died by it. So if you don’t quit sooner or later your will perish by cancer you can lower this risk by quitting. By the way my grand father had a horrible death, people who die from emphysema die a terrible death similar to drowning.

Here are some links that might help you quit.

Quit smoking savings calculator:
http://kpocu.org/smo_sav.shtml

Quit smoking timetable benefits in hours, weeks, months, and years!! Must read!!
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/a_benefits_time_table.html

I really hope you reach your goal!!

Regards,

Polo

Fififantastic

WOW!! Thank you all so much for the encouragement and helpful advice. I keep hearing about Allen Carrs book, so I will definitely go out and buy it. The thought of having to start all over again if I have just one cigarette is a good motivator to NOT have even one.:smokin: :noway: I am afraid of putting on weight but, yes the thought of how harmful and deadly smoking is has made me re-think my priorities. Living with a few extra kilos/pounds, which I can lose again is alot more appealing than losing my life. Again, thank you for your advice and if anyone who has posted wants to add me as a friend, please feel free. Dont be afraid to check in on me and keep me accountable. Smoke free life, here I come!!!

wave143j

I quit over 5 months ago. My husband and I smoked together, me for 18 years, him for over 20. I was able to quit. Unfortunately this was not his time and he picked it back up. The quit smoking timetable was a huge motivator for me. In fact I still keep a copy in my purse and read it when I get the bad cravings. (Yes it is true the cravings still come even to a friend of mine who quit 25 years ago but they don't last long.) I ate a large amount of gummy bears for about a month but I only gained 6 pounds which is gone now. You can do this. You will look back and wonder why you were chained to the habit for so long.

mzjessicab

You can try cold turkey- but if it doesn't work- don't get discouraged. ....Actually, NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) may be helpful. Speak with your doctor about gradually decreasing your doses and that could ensure a higher chance of not picking up again... Different remedies for different people. I have clients who are 7 years clean who started off with NRT...

douglernerold

I only smoke one cigarette every 10 years, so it's hard for me to really appreciate the problem with giving up smoking, but I imagine it's very similar to my food addiction, or some people's alcohol addiction.

I know some people for whom it is very difficult. But in my own family, my father smoked a lot until he was like 50 years old. Then he just decided one day to go cold turkey and I never knew him to smoke another cigarette again until he passed away at age 82 a few years ago.

So it definitely is possible to give it up, even if you've smoked for a long time.

Part of it is probably physical addiction to the nicotine. Part of it is probably just having something in your mouth and fiddling with something. You can probably get sucking candies for that.

Think of the resale value of your old computers when you put them up on eBay and say, "used in a non-smoking environment!"

doug