Preparation to quit smoking

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C00LL10N
C00LL10N Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Back on food awareness. I wish to quit smoking and my first step on that path is getting a healthy eating pattern.
I love eating so I think this is the hardest part.

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  • Eddie266
    Eddie266 Posts: 26
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    I don't know what approaches you've taken, but I recently made that change and will share a little secret. I was a heavy smoker for 30 years and 110 days ago I stopped just like that. No patches, gum, or meds, just a book to help you understand a little about why you smoke. I can tell you I feel a ton better and keep noticing small improvements everyday. The book is Alan Carrs "Easy way to quit smoking" and I know a number of people this book has worked for. I hope you find this helpful and GOOD LUCK!
  • Alisonmay74
    Alisonmay74 Posts: 3
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    I had managed to stop for three months... Then had my 40th birthday, far too much wine and I was reaching for the cigarettes!
    I started using a vapouriz pen, like a shisha pen, which helped!
    Just need to get into some training to make you realise how much more you could do if you stopped the evil tobacco!
    Good luck, the first day is the worst, if you can get through that it's quite easy! ????
  • 20Grit
    20Grit Posts: 752 Member
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    It's mental, you gotta want it, more than anything. I haven't had one in 8 years.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    I quit 406 days (or 10,151 cigarettes) ago by switching to e-cigs.

    There are many ways to quit smoking. Keep at it until you find one that works for you.
  • katlynrose85
    katlynrose85 Posts: 32
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    It's hard. I'm on day two of no nicotine. One thing that helped me was I quit smoking at work about 3 months ago. So everyday I worked I would go nine hours without smoking. No going outside with co-workers etc. Not only did it cut out almost 8 cigs a day I also felt a lot better at work and realized how much drama I was getting involved in by hanging out with the smokers at work. Sooo I feel it's probably a lot more easier for me at this moment to finally commit to quitting all day every day. Start small and work your way to Zero! Also remember that if you do have a smoke here and there, don't just go and buy a pack and start smoking again. Have that one smoke and get back to your quit plan. Never give up! Good luck!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,698 Member
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    I used to smoke two packs a day and quit in 1993. My trick was to bribe myself for positive reinforcement.

    When I quit, my smoking habit cost around 20 euros a week, so the price of a new CD way back when. At the start of the week I would buy myself a little gift with the cigarette money (typically a new CD) and my contract with myself was to hold off on smoking until the gift was paid for.

    As time went on, I would buy myself bigger gifts with longer periods of cigarette money (ie designer shoes with three months of cigarette money). I stopped needing this motivation after a year and a half.

    Best of luck with qu8tting.
  • Menecairiel
    Menecairiel Posts: 164 Member
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    Back on food awareness. I wish to quit smoking and my first step on that path is getting a healthy eating pattern.
    I love eating so I think this is the hardest part.

    I quit awhile back. I started on the nicotine products to help with the craving (not e cigarettes!!! It is breaking a habit, not just removing the smoke). In my case, it was mints. So I was on them for awhile. Then I cut back on the nicotine mints but took normal sugarfree mints instead.

    It's hard. But you can do it. Your appetite will go up, you will be thinking about it. A lot.

    All I can say is...you can do it, but you have to be mentally ready for it too. Since you have a plan, my suggestion would be:

    Spend a month to change your eating habits. Then cut down on the cigarettes. Last day, just have one. Go over onto something to replace it...then cut down on it all. It can take awhile, but you can do it!
  • Menecairiel
    Menecairiel Posts: 164 Member
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    Oh, also...

    Quitting smoking is like when you say you have a headache: you will get 1 000 000 different answers and stories of how it is done! Everyone is unique, find what works for you!
  • Quivo
    Quivo Posts: 44 Member
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    i started smoking when i was 15 and then one day about 8 years ago i just decided i didn't want to smoke anymore. i didn't use anything, i was just ready to stop. every now and then i'll get a craving for a smoke but it goes away quickly.
  • KateV888
    KateV888 Posts: 20 Member
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    Quit 78 days ago using both the patch and the gum. Am off the patch now, still using the 2 mg gum and looking forward to getting off that. Not in a hurry, though, as the most important thing is that I stick with this quit.

    I meant to lose weight, but have only been able to maintain my weight since I quit - which is still not bad. MFP has kept me front gaining.

    I've found that changing a lot of my habits at once (the food I eat, exercise, walking, sleeping) to be healthier helps with quitting. It all reinforces each other.
  • daydream58
    daydream58 Posts: 572 Member
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    It's binary. You want to smoke or you don't. You don't have to go for perfection. If you want to screw up a few times in the first few months - so what. Every day YOU decide and nobody else. It's a decision but once you decide, it's really not that hard unless you let it be. Don't let the drama of it get to be part of who you are. I told myself that all the smart people had already done it and I didn't want to be left behind, heh. I practice quit for a year, then smoked again for two years, then quit again for 2 years, then smoked like CRAZY for a year and then quit for a month and then had one or two within a few months and then it was over. That was fourteen years ago. Was it perfect? Nope. Did it eventually work? Yep!

    I also did something you may not have heard before. I bought a supply of silly putty. Play with it every minute you're awake if you need to. The extra supply is to hand out to all your friends, co-workers and family because they WILL WANT TO TOUCH YOURS and it's kind of gross - so just let them have their own, LOL!

    Good luck. You CAN do it. Remember it's not about the mouth for everybody, so sugarless gum or candies are great for some, but for me it was about the hands, so the silly putty was a must.
  • evelyn_HFC
    evelyn_HFC Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi! My husband smoked for 13 years straight and my sister in law started selling Young Living Essential Oils and we decided to try them out since you were supposed to use them for so many things (we have already used purification to freshen the house, thieves to diffuse in the air, panaway to get rid of headaches/muscle aches, lavender to help get to/stay asleep, etc). My husband started using peppermint and lemon (you put a little on your upper lip and the outside of your nose) whenever you get a craving. He has not quit for over a month!!!!!! If you are interested in more info on the oils you can friend me and I can get you more info but I am not trying to sell the oils, just letting you know what worked for my hubby!!!!!
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    Back on food awareness. I wish to quit smoking and my first step on that path is getting a healthy eating pattern.
    I love eating so I think this is the hardest part.

    Have patience--while stopping the cigarettes is a laudable goal, it can be a difficult addiction to break. My parents did so after seeing one set of grandparents die from cancer (by the time my grandmother was diagnosed, it was WAY too late to start treatment).

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