For all the quit smokers (and why we gained!)... craving

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muth3rluvx2
muth3rluvx2 Posts: 1,156 Member
in Motivation and Support
I want a cigarette so badly right now it's stupid. Constant constant constant fight and its tiring. Chocolate helped for a while - and then I gained 20 pounds. Go fig, right. I will actually still have pissy moods because I don't have a smoke. I think about it as a means to get this weight back off (one of the top reasons women fail at a permanent quit). I could eat. That would abate the crave for a second. Chocolate is best - it hits closer to those nicotine receptors and pleasure centers triggered by those receptors than most anything else. So, if you all wondered why chocolate - there it is.

90 days its been. A couple of very minor slip ups that total one whole cigarette in those 90 days. Not because I want the cig - I want to smoke. All you quitters out there will get what I mean.

How long is the fight this danged hard? This tiring? When does it stop being every single friggin' day? Once in a while, out of nowhere, it just gets to me and I'm suddenly very defeated. Good thing there aren't any around - or I'd cave. It would be so easy... such a relief.... end the agony. 5 minutes... just wait 5 minutes.....

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  • osram34
    osram34 Posts: 54
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    its great that you quit smoking all that extra oxygen in your lungs when u do any physical activity will help burn more fat and will help your body regenerate faster. Im still having trouble quiting yet i know that when i do my physical activity would be more beneficial. My new quit date is soon ill keep u posted :)
  • adrianponting
    adrianponting Posts: 3
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    Congrats on quitting! It can feel some days very defeating! but look towards your goals, 3 months, 6 months, a year! I have been quit for just over a year now, sure i used food to help and now im working it off!! But it is better to have gained a little and have the chance to work it off and be even healthier (i used to eat badly and smoke! now im losing weight im eating really healthy so i treat that as another big PLUS for quitting smoking, maybe that could help you there too)

    Another good thing to think about is how much effort you've already gone through, and if you can make it to 90 days you can just keep going. Every day if gets easier and everyday is another milestone to look forward to!

    Always remember the 5 minute, and keep some ice handy (good no calorie activity that could really help)

    Sorry, i ramble and im terribly corny :P

    Good luck with it all!
  • bytelaw
    bytelaw Posts: 12 Member
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    Congrats on quitting and sticking it out. I quit 9/5/08, and it was almost a year before the cravings for a ciggie stopped popping up at least every few days. I was a 1+pack a day smoker, totally addicted, and smoked for 25 years, so quitting was really really hard. I gained 30 lbs when I quit, but it was totally worth it 'cause losing the weight is easier than quitting (and I know now that if I could quit smoking I can do anything). Now I never have cravings for a ciggie, I've broken all of the habits that I associated with smoking, I no longer have a smoker's hack all of the time, my asthma is way better (yeah, I know, how stupid is it for an asthmatic to smoke), my house and car and clothes don't reek, I can stay at any hotel without needing a stinky smoking room or to go outside all the time regardless of the weather, etc.

    It will get better, and eventually it will be fantastic, but it takes time. Every time you can hold out for 5 more minutes, that makes it easier to hold out for 15, then an hour, then a half a day, then a day, etc. Hang in there and be proud of what you've accomplished.
  • muth3rluvx2
    muth3rluvx2 Posts: 1,156 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I will be keeping these posts so that the next time it gets that bad (around 11 pm tonight), I have them to help get me through. A year.. good grief. I'm only 3 months in. And here I've always thought I had no will-power. ha.

    Osram - I got on meds to help (ADHD) which anyone can get on, to be perfectly honest. It's the only thing that kept the desire at bay *enough* to get through each 5 minutes. And take that 5 minute rule to heart. It's a big deal.

    adrianponting - you're right - every 5 minutes is a milestone! thanks for the support and ecouragement!

    Bytelaw - so you *really* know my pain. 20 years, about a pack a day, and very much an addict - psychological more than physical and that's what's killing me! And you're right, the SUPER cravings (ie: last night) happen every couple of days. The minor ones I can get through okay. Thanks for understanding...

    all of you.

    Another day. 91 - and counting.
  • rlsluvr
    rlsluvr Posts: 130
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    Let's see.... I quit smoking and really started this weight loss journey about 4 years ago. I was in a car accident, and my BF told me that if I didn't make an effort to get healthy my body would eventually fail me.... I was terrified.... I quit cold turkey and I've never gone back... Now I'm the smoking Nazi.... I HATE the smell, and if someone has just come in the office from smoking I can smell it immediately, or I roll up my windows and turn on the interior fan in teh car if someone ahead of me is smoking in their car...

    I used sugar free gum to start out with....I'd just chew away... it helped and eventually I quit doing that. Being able to breathe while excercising is a MAJOR plus...

    Everyday will get a lil easier... and befoer you know it, you'll be saying OMG it's been 4 years since I had a cigarette...
    Stay Strong... You can do it!!!

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