Help you stop smoking

clarkecolin
clarkecolin Posts: 34 Member
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
I know this isn'y a calorie related topic but I thought I'd share my success of quiting smoking so that it may help those of you wishing to do the same.

History: -
How long I smoked for: 11 years
How many a day: 40
How long quit: 17 months.

Like everyone I started smoking casual and at a silly age of 22, just because everyone else I live with at the time did and the biggest mistake I made was buying that first package. Once you've gone down that road it's the beginning of a battling journey.

I smoke for 11 years and tried so many times to quip, I tried acupuncture, hypnosis (spent €700 on that), Nicotene patches, and Nicotene gum.

I can't say I enjoyed a single cigarette I smoked and it was a pure habit, but being out of breth walking up a stairs, having a heavy chest every morning and depending on these little white sticks everytime I got a little stressed was something I knew I didnt want to endure my entire life. Apart from that I didn't want all the health risks that smoking brings, maybe it wouldnt effect me today but tomorrow comes quicker than we'd all like. I was also afraid of gaining weight which didn't happen as I keep myself busy in the garden or went for a cycle or run & I made sure I kept of sweets etc.

In the end I managed it cold turkey without the help of any products. I found that exercise was a great motivator and I enjoyed running, which I done before I quit & I always said that I could enjoy running a hell of a lot more if my lungs were clearer.

It's your choice to quit and only you alone can manage that. Picking new years day it not a goot idea, instead pick a random day during the year and aim for that, but you have to really want to quit and quit for yourself and not others.

The first few days are though I won't lie, but try some fruit and lots of water and in time it will get a little easier.

17 months on and I don't miss them in the slightest, my wife smokes and thats a battle I hope she wins one day, but even if she smoke in the car or house it doesn't bother me in the slightest, in the early days of quiting it did.

Today when I see people standing outside a pub or office or where ever I wonder how I let myself be controlled by cigarette.

Quiting isn't easy, help from your family is great as long as they don't nag you or keep mentioning smoking, but it can be done, I did it and it was one of the hardest things I've done but I'm free at last & if you've started to quit or would like too then I wish you all the best, stick with it because it's a fantastic feeling when you know for sure you've beaten them.

Colin

Replies

  • renae5
    renae5 Posts: 393 Member
    I quit 4 1/2 months ago and have never felt better, literally... I feel 19 again!! I smoked for 16 years (ashamed to say) and quit by using Chantix, will power and exercise. My father and husband still smoke and I thought it would be a lot harder to not only quit but to 'stay-quit', but I have had No problems. I wish anyone trying to quit or even thinking about taking the step the best of luck, you Have to Want it and know you deserve to be happy and healthy without that crutch holding you back!
  • amyfly
    amyfly Posts: 137
    Thanks for posting this! I've been agonizing over quitting and my husband and I finally set a goal to be cigarette free by the end of Sept. I appreciate the inspiration - like you, I hate being controlled by these things and worry about the health risks, but I've also been dreading how difficult it is going to be. you're post reminded me that it doesn't matter how hard it will be, i am capable of doing this, just like losing weight was difficult when I first started on MFP. Here I am 4 months later, just 1 pound from my goal. Thanks again - hope I'm as successful as you!
  • krex
    krex Posts: 29
    Congratulations on not smoking! I smoked for 26 years at least a pack or more a day and I've been smoke free for about a year. My goal was to stop smoking and to lose weight. I thought the smoking was going to be hard and losing weight was going to be easy! I stopped smoking cold turkey and have lost 17 pds since January. I'm finding it way more difficult to lose weight but I'm not giving up! Congrats again and good luck with your new journey! :happy:
  • tlitzner
    tlitzner Posts: 124
    I smoked a pack a day for 14 years, my husband smoked 1-2 packs a day for 18 years. We quit together in January of 2009. We were just saying the other day that it was the best decision we ever made. It wasn't easy, but we were both glad that we did it together. We were totally committed. We did a combination of Wellbutrin (sp?), and the gum. We only took the Wellbutrin for a week. Hubby chewed the gum quite a bit but I only did at the very beginning as it gave me terrible heartburn. Within a couple of months I felt immensely better. We are now expecting our first baby and we are so glad that we took care of this well before getting pregnant.

    Just for info, hubby went to the doctor Friday. The doctor was listening to his chest and asked if he had quit smoking in the last 2 years. When he answered yes, the doctor said "I can tell, I can hear your lungs healing". We just thought that was very interesting. No clue what she heard lol.
  • clarkecolin
    clarkecolin Posts: 34 Member
    Well done all,

    Great to hear your sucess stories.

    Will have to use your login names sorry:

    Renaes - well done you, your over it now, pat yourself on the back.

    Krex - great stuff, no better feeling than to be rid of them.

    Tlitzner - what a lovely story, delighted for you and your husband that you've a baby on the way(I have to get around to that next).

    and finally Amy (amyflex), best of luck to you and your husband and well done for picking a date this year and now pushing it away until next year, ye will get there and be great support for each other, do it for yourselves but don't let each other down, like Tlitzner, you and your husband will be delighted in a few months when you've kicked the habbit. Please keep us posted, love good news.

    Colin
  • WendiL
    WendiL Posts: 4 Member
    I am glad I found this post. I am so outdone with myself. I started losing weight in the summer of 2009. Working towards a 50 lb lose, I'd lost 20 and was on the way. Keeping weight off in the winter is hard for me so I gained about 5 lbs back . I also decided to top smoking and set a quit day for MAY 2010. Long story short I quit smoking cold turkey kind of because I started with patches but found I really did need them. I had an electronic cig and really didn't need that either. It finally got down to me using a straw cut to cig length since most of my problem with smoking was behavioral. What I did not pay attention to was the weight gain possibility with stopping. I gained all of the weight back I lost and a few more lbs before I realized what was going on. My hand to mouth habit had transferred to food!!!!!!!

    So here I am starting over again.....sad and mad. :sad: :mad:
  • halobender
    halobender Posts: 780 Member
    I quit smoking about five months ago after having had smoked for five years. I started with three or more packs a day but by the time I decided to quit I'd been down to half a pack for about three or four months already.

    I actually decided to quit at the same time that I decided to get in shape, but two months before I really got into caring about my health (and began riding my bike all the time).

    Initially I was worried that I'd have a problem with putting on weight but it hasn't been too much of an issue. However, there is the incident that sometimes when I was hungry I'd just have a cigarette to suppress my appetite. Now that I can't do that I find myself hungry a lot. And I feel like my water retention levels have actually gone up since I quit smoking.

    Smoking was much easier to quit than my bad eating habits.
  • clarkecolin
    clarkecolin Posts: 34 Member
    Just read your post.

    Putting on weight is all to very much the problem here.

    Firstly well done for quitting the cigarette & secondly dont beat yourself up, you'll get there in the end.

    Loosing weight isn't easy but as you know by now the reward for looking & feeling great is priceless.

    Ad some walking or general exercise to your dailey routine & you'll be able to eat whatever you burn off, this does make a big difference.

    I was aiming to loose 27 lbs & have managed 25 to date by working at it.

    Hang in there...you'll be so delighted you did & remember bad days pass quickly & a few months of effort will pass quicker than you think so stick it out.

    Best of luck,

    Colin
  • clarkecolin
    clarkecolin Posts: 34 Member
    I quit smoking about five months ago after having had smoked for five years. I started with three or more packs a day but by the time I decided to quit I'd been down to half a pack for about three or four months already.

    I actually decided to quit at the same time that I decided to get in shape, but two months before I really got into caring about my health (and began riding my bike all the time).

    Initially I was worried that I'd have a problem with putting on weight but it hasn't been too much of an issue. However, there is the incident that sometimes when I was hungry I'd just have a cigarette to suppress my appetite. Now that I can't do that I find myself hungry a lot. And I feel like my water retention levels have actually gone up since I quit smoking.

    Smoking was much easier to quit than my bad eating habits.
  • clarkecolin
    clarkecolin Posts: 34 Member
    I quit smoking about five months ago after having had smoked for five years. I started with three or more packs a day but by the time I decided to quit I'd been down to half a pack for about three or four months already.

    I actually decided to quit at the same time that I decided to get in shape, but two months before I really got into caring about my health (and began riding my bike all the time).

    Initially I was worried that I'd have a problem with putting on weight but it hasn't been too much of an issue. However, there is the incident that sometimes when I was hungry I'd just have a cigarette to suppress my appetite. Now that I can't do that I find myself hungry a lot. And I feel like my water retention levels have actually gone up since I quit smoking.

    Smoking was much easier to quit than my bad eating habits.


    Smoking actually helps your body burn fat straingly enough, fair play to you though. Water will help as it'll fill you up.
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