Perfect or worst time to quit smoking? (during weight loss)
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And a double hit to home plate...0
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Blah, triple post.0
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I've saved enough money in 9 years to take so many vacations that I never would have had the opportunity to enjoy if I were still smoking. Who would you rather see go on vacation - you, or the children of the tobacco executives?
I never heard this one. You might want to stop buying milk, too, unless you want to send all those farm kids to the Riviera.Anyone that wants to stop smoking, read the declassified tobacco industry documents and see what they think of you. Seriously. I read those and they made me SO... angry.
One quote from an R.J. Reynolds executive struck me as the most offensive thing I've ever heard -
"We don't smoke that c**p. We just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the blacks and the stupid."
Yep. That's what the tobacco executives think of their customers. Nice.
I hate to break this to you, but tobacco execs are no more "evil" than the rest of them. Pretty much all high-level corporate management are only concerned with the bottom line.
^^^^ Ummmm.... are you kidding me right now??? Are you on something?0 -
Personally, I've found that like Cathalain mentioned, imagining the evil of tobacco companies is incredibly motivating. If you don't think tobacco companies are evil, I don't know what to say. If you don't think they're a special and unique kind of evil, again, I'm at a loss. The real trick to quitting smoking, in my opinion, is to get UNbrainwashed or to reverse brainwash yourself, however you want to word it. Smokers are brainwashed. Pure and simple. I just quit three weeks ago. I smoked for almost 12 years and loooooved almost every one of them. I mean, I loooooved it. I mean, close your eyes, inhale slowly, look like you just had sex- loooved it.
But something started to switch around in my head. It began to lose its hold. I began to hate the smell on my own hair and clothes (even after washing face and hands with soap after EVERY smoke and wearing a smoking jacket). Every time I hugged my children, a part of me would wonder if my scent was, in their little memories laced with the stench of stale smoke. ... was that their mother's "signature scent"? I wanted to be pure for them. So I would SCRUB after every smoke. I would change clothes, wear a hat, etc. Then I began to wonder "why don't I want to be pure for me?" I began to just feel like I was failing myself in some way. I became a closet smoker- no one knew but my husband and co-workers. And still the shame I felt from WITHIN became exhausting. Here I was pondering life and the future over a cigarette. The thing that would rob me of that life and that future, was so intricately weaved into my existence.
Read the book. Read the book. Read the book. (Allen Carr's Easy Way)
My most recent theory is that we can brainwash ourselves into believing anything. I've been thinking about it. If commercials and movies and videogames and facebook and etc. etc. can desensitize us to violence or influence our values, politics, etc. ... then surely, the right literature, recordings, conversations (like this thread) and self-affirmations can help us change our thinking about our health and food. Surely we can brainwash ourselves to enjoy healthy eating and smokefree living, right??? Am I crazy??? I might be. I haven't smoked in almost 3 weeks. Lol0 -
I've saved enough money in 9 years to take so many vacations that I never would have had the opportunity to enjoy if I were still smoking. Who would you rather see go on vacation - you, or the children of the tobacco executives?
I never heard this one. You might want to stop buying milk, too, unless you want to send all those farm kids to the Riviera.Anyone that wants to stop smoking, read the declassified tobacco industry documents and see what they think of you. Seriously. I read those and they made me SO... angry.
One quote from an R.J. Reynolds executive struck me as the most offensive thing I've ever heard -
"We don't smoke that c**p. We just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the blacks and the stupid."
Yep. That's what the tobacco executives think of their customers. Nice.
I hate to break this to you, but tobacco execs are no more "evil" than the rest of them. Pretty much all high-level corporate management are only concerned with the bottom line.
^^^^ Ummmm.... are you kidding me right now??? Are you on something?
No, actually that's pretty much how it is. If you think the tobacco execs are bad. Try the pharmaceutical industry. Or people who make children's toys. Or supermarkets.
People with a kind and caring attitude to life and their fellow man do NOT make it to the top of big business. The way the world works I'm afraid. And the point that you should stop buying something because the dollars might make the people who sell them richer. Is well ... stupid. I mean if you follow that line of reasoning you wouldn't buy anything. I mean yeah you could say I would rather go on holiday than smoke. That's understandable. But the way you say it it's like your own little personal war with the big scary tobacco execs. It's kinda creepy tbh if you smoked it was your decision. Don't blame anyone else.0 -
[/quote] It's kinda creepy
[/quote]
^says the person who quit smoking for fitness goals, not fear of cancer. ???
There's nothing creepy about being pissed that billionaires are getting rich off of a product that kills 400,000 people a year. Obviously the reason to quit is to NOT DIE, but certainly, the mental picture of a douche bag riding my oxygen tank to the bank helps out a bit.
Also, ethically speaking, tobacco execs ARE worse than other execs (whose products don't kill 400, 000 people a year). Business is the bottom line. We all know that. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about profits. UNLESS your product is killing people. Not sure how else one defines evil.0 -
It's kinda creepy
^says the person who quit smoking for fitness goals, not fear of cancer. ???
There's nothing creepy about being pissed that billionaires are getting rich off of a product that kills 400,000 people a year. Obviously the reason to quit is to NOT DIE, but certainly, the mental picture of a douche bag riding my oxygen tank to the bank helps out a bit.
Also, ethically speaking, tobacco execs ARE worse than other execs (whose products don't kill 400, 000 people a year). Business is the bottom line. We all know that. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about profits. UNLESS your product is killing people. Not sure how else one defines evil.
There are many good reasons to quit smoking, but needing to picture an evil Mr. Moneybags to do it is rather bizarre.
Do you think tobacco execs have to take a test, in order to get promoted, where they have to prove their evil nature? All those high-level execs are quite interchangeable.
Perhaps you should lobby your representatives, and work on making smoking illegal. That may be a better use of your time, and then you wouldn't weaken your anti-smoking argument (which I didn't even think was possible until now) with images of the boogeyman.0 -
Oh geeze.
laurenz1017: I hope today's going well for you. I am enjoying this thread as well. :drinker:0 -
Anytime to quit is the perfect time. Do it now--today!
My thoughts exactly... I quit at the "worst" time.. i quit new years of 2012, a month and a half into my deployment in afghanistan... now that was hard but hey i did it!
YOU CAN DO THIS!0 -
I did try smoking a cigarette... once. It was one of the nastiest experiences I've ever had. Made me cough like hell, tasted vile, left a nasty taste in my mouth..... that was it. Nothing even tolerable, let alone pleasureable, about it. Then I had to watch my father die from tobacco-caused cancer. I cannot for the life of me understand why people do this.... especially to the point of addfiction.0
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Oh geeze.
laurenz1017: I hope today's going well for you. I am enjoying this thread as well. :drinker:
Thank you mrslynah!!
It's getting much better. Smoking less and less and when I do the actual desire is lessening also. I'm reading Allen Carr's book and his teachings are resonating with me and becoming more and more obvious. Like "Duh! Why didn't I think of that before?" No I haven't COMPLETELY quit yet, but I will. I've gone from about 10 a day to 2 with very little issues so something is working. Unforunately I have a few busy days ahead but then it's back on the exercise/health wagon. Looking forward to it!
Also, mrslynah, I loved your post where you wrote about your children's memory of you being laced with smoke. That's so poignant. I have thought the same thing with my nephew. I don't even smoke in the car before I go to see him now, but before when I would, as soon as I parked my car I would spray myself with perfume (I keep it in my car). Then as soon as I walked into their house I would wash my hands before I touched him (he's 2). It's so nice to be able to hug my family without the fear and guilt that they can smell it on me. I'm sure it brought them much fear and disappointment in me for years. My mom and brother came over to my place the other day (which is rare) and it was so nice to not have to air out my apartment and use all kind of scented stuff to mask the smell. 0 -
It's kinda creepy
^says the person who quit smoking for fitness goals, not fear of cancer. ???
There's nothing creepy about being pissed that billionaires are getting rich off of a product that kills 400,000 people a year. Obviously the reason to quit is to NOT DIE, but certainly, the mental picture of a douche bag riding my oxygen tank to the bank helps out a bit.
Also, ethically speaking, tobacco execs ARE worse than other execs (whose products don't kill 400, 000 people a year). Business is the bottom line. We all know that. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about profits. UNLESS your product is killing people. Not sure how else one defines evil.
Actually no pharmaceutical companies are WAAAY worse than tobacco companies in the regard to their cost to peoples lives. Guess you had better stop taking medicine. And has anyone even bothered to calculate how much influence the supermarkets tendency to stuff sugar and salt into EVERYTHING has influenced the rise of chronic illnesses. Oh unless of course you don't care about people dying that aren't from your own country or aren't "eating healthy". And don't even get me started on the textiles industry and their sweat shops. And yeah it is creepy. You shouldn't live your life trying to find ways to stave off death. I mean a truck could hit you tomorrow or you could get a blood clot or something equally sudden. By all means quit smoking for your own health that's understandable. But to obsess over other peoples second hand smoke while at the same time caring not a jot about traffic air pollution just seems like a personal crusade to make other people share your misery since you "had to quit" and that is creepy. There is no more radical anti smoker than most ex smokers. On the other hand there is nothing but reason in quitting smoking because I want my lungs to work better so I can be fitter. Unless you mean to say that anyone who wants to push their fitness rather than sit on the sofa all day is creepy. In which case I think you are on the wrong site.
I dunno perhaps it's because I grew up in a dangerous country. I've seen people close to me die suddenly quite a lot. And this "I'm gonna live forever" approach just seems farcical and juvenile. You only get one ride on the roller coaster of life. There's nothing wrong with taking a few or even a lot of steps to ensure the ride has every chance of being a long one. But you really shouldn't forget to enjoy the ride. Even if it comes at the expense of a little duration.
So let the smokers smoke. If they enjoy it that much that they are willing to possibly shorten their lives and damage their physical capability then you have absolutely no reason to rain on their parade. Not when your inhaling enough tar and carcinogens from ordinary road vehicles to match "second hand smoke" 10 times over.
Or if you really want to stick to your convictions go harass anyone who drives a non electric car instead. As they are definitely the bigger problem.0 -
It's kinda creepy
^says the person who quit smoking for fitness goals, not fear of cancer. ???
There's nothing creepy about being pissed that billionaires are getting rich off of a product that kills 400,000 people a year. Obviously the reason to quit is to NOT DIE, but certainly, the mental picture of a douche bag riding my oxygen tank to the bank helps out a bit.
Also, ethically speaking, tobacco execs ARE worse than other execs (whose products don't kill 400, 000 people a year). Business is the bottom line. We all know that. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about profits. UNLESS your product is killing people. Not sure how else one defines evil.
Actually no pharmaceutical companies are WAAAY worse than tobacco companies in the regard to their cost to peoples lives. Guess you had better stop taking medicine. And has anyone even bothered to calculate how much influence the supermarkets tendency to stuff sugar and salt into EVERYTHING has influenced the rise of chronic illnesses. Oh unless of course you don't care about people dying that aren't from your own country or aren't "eating healthy". And don't even get me started on the textiles industry and their sweat shops. And yeah it is creepy. You shouldn't live your life trying to find ways to stave off death. I mean a truck could hit you tomorrow or you could get a blood clot or something equally sudden. By all means quit smoking for your own health that's understandable. But to obsess over other peoples second hand smoke while at the same time caring not a jot about traffic air pollution just seems like a personal crusade to make other people share your misery since you "had to quit" and that is creepy. There is no more radical anti smoker than most ex smokers. On the other hand there is nothing but reason in quitting smoking because I want my lungs to work better so I can be fitter. Unless you mean to say that anyone who wants to push their fitness rather than sit on the sofa all day is creepy. In which case I think you are on the wrong site.
I dunno perhaps it's because I grew up in a dangerous country. I've seen people close to me die suddenly quite a lot. And this "I'm gonna live forever" approach just seems farcical and juvenile. You only get one ride on the roller coaster of life. There's nothing wrong with taking a few or even a lot of steps to ensure the ride has every chance of being a long one. But you really shouldn't forget to enjoy the ride. Even if it comes at the expense of a little duration.
So let the smokers smoke. If they enjoy it that much that they are willing to possibly shorten their lives and damage their physical capability then you have absolutely no reason to rain on their parade. Not when your inhaling enough tar and carcinogens from ordinary road vehicles to match "second hand smoke" 10 times over.
Or if you really want to stick to your convictions go harass anyone who drives a non electric car instead. As they are definitely the bigger problem.
You're making quite a few assumptions about me, and frankly, you're off base. This thread isn't about the food or pharmaceutical industry; if it was, you'd know my thoughts on those. Not sure why you are posting in this thread. If OP were happy smoking, she wouldn't have posted. I have no problem with smokers. I never mentioned second hand smoke. I made a personal choice, a difficult one. OP wants to quit smoking. I'm here to share my personal experience and encourage her.
You've been on MFP for 4 months and have over 700 posts. I hope that the rest of your input on this site is more productive than what you've offered here.
Anyway, laurenz1017, you're doing fantastic! Keep us posted!0 -
It's kinda creepy
^says the person who quit smoking for fitness goals, not fear of cancer. ???
There's nothing creepy about being pissed that billionaires are getting rich off of a product that kills 400,000 people a year. Obviously the reason to quit is to NOT DIE, but certainly, the mental picture of a douche bag riding my oxygen tank to the bank helps out a bit.
Also, ethically speaking, tobacco execs ARE worse than other execs (whose products don't kill 400, 000 people a year). Business is the bottom line. We all know that. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about profits. UNLESS your product is killing people. Not sure how else one defines evil.
Actually no pharmaceutical companies are WAAAY worse than tobacco companies in the regard to their cost to peoples lives. Guess you had better stop taking medicine. And has anyone even bothered to calculate how much influence the supermarkets tendency to stuff sugar and salt into EVERYTHING has influenced the rise of chronic illnesses. Oh unless of course you don't care about people dying that aren't from your own country or aren't "eating healthy". And don't even get me started on the textiles industry and their sweat shops. And yeah it is creepy. You shouldn't live your life trying to find ways to stave off death. I mean a truck could hit you tomorrow or you could get a blood clot or something equally sudden. By all means quit smoking for your own health that's understandable. But to obsess over other peoples second hand smoke while at the same time caring not a jot about traffic air pollution just seems like a personal crusade to make other people share your misery since you "had to quit" and that is creepy. There is no more radical anti smoker than most ex smokers. On the other hand there is nothing but reason in quitting smoking because I want my lungs to work better so I can be fitter. Unless you mean to say that anyone who wants to push their fitness rather than sit on the sofa all day is creepy. In which case I think you are on the wrong site.
I dunno perhaps it's because I grew up in a dangerous country. I've seen people close to me die suddenly quite a lot. And this "I'm gonna live forever" approach just seems farcical and juvenile. You only get one ride on the roller coaster of life. There's nothing wrong with taking a few or even a lot of steps to ensure the ride has every chance of being a long one. But you really shouldn't forget to enjoy the ride. Even if it comes at the expense of a little duration.
So let the smokers smoke. If they enjoy it that much that they are willing to possibly shorten their lives and damage their physical capability then you have absolutely no reason to rain on their parade. Not when your inhaling enough tar and carcinogens from ordinary road vehicles to match "second hand smoke" 10 times over.
Or if you really want to stick to your convictions go harass anyone who drives a non electric car instead. As they are definitely the bigger problem.
You're making quite a few assumptions about me, and frankly, you're off base. This thread isn't about the food or pharmaceutical industry; if it was, you'd know my thoughts on those. Not sure why you are posting in this thread. If OP were happy smoking, she wouldn't have posted. I have no problem with smokers. I never mentioned second hand smoke. I made a personal choice, a difficult one. OP wants to quit smoking. I'm here to share my personal experience and encourage her.
You've been on MFP for 4 months and have over 700 posts. I hope that the rest of your input on this site is more productive than what you've offered here.
Anyway, laurenz1017, you're doing fantastic! Keep us posted!
haha tough talk from someone who thinks giving up smoking for fitness goals makes you "creepy". I think I'm pretty on base actually. And since you didn't actually take time to debate any of my points and just threw around juvenile veiled insults. And questioned of all things my right to call you on your opinions. Needless to say in any forum topic after a while the debate can become somewhat removed from the original subject matter. That does not mean you just get to dismiss it as irrelevant because you don't like it. Lol ... Why are you even posting here. Seriously can't believe you said that with a straight face. I'm just gonna leave it at that. I will just chalk my actually meaningful replies to your posts and your questions as wasted time on a closed mind.0 -
I smoked for 18 years, averaging a pack a day. March 2014, my roommate quit after reading a book called "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Alan Carr. I wasn't convinced. I'd tried to quit before. There isn't an easy way to quit. It's either pills, which i didn't want, or replacement, or some other trick to help.
But i read the reviews on Amazon and other sites. And i figured, "what the hell, the book costs three packs of smokes. If i quit for at least three days, it's paid for itself."
On March 8th, 2014 i smoked my last cigarette and finished the book (my roommate quit a week before, and we both are nicotine free today). While there were occasional cravings, they were not frustrating like previous times i quit cold turkey. I never lost my temper, never had to really struggle to stay quit.
Ironically, our cases were switched. It was the fact that quitting smoking turned out to be so much easier than i expected that convinced me it was time to lose weight and get healthy in general. And in all honesty, it has been a lot easier than i thought it would be earlier this year, while i smoked cigarettes and over-indulged in fast food....
good luck to you.0 -
I smoked for 17 years. Most days a pack and a half, some days up to 3. I smoked A LOT! I tried everything to quit. Patches and gum didn't do anything. Zyban and Welbutrin made me crazy and paranoid. With horrible dreams. Alan Carr's book was decent, but not enough to help me quit.
I would think about quitting all the time and wish there was a way to quit and not be completely miserable. Then I tried an E-cigarette and now I have been smoke free for 353 days. That is about 10,619 cigarettes I haven't smoked. I started at 24mg of nicotine and slowly lowered it to 0mg, used 0mg for a while then got rid of the whole thing all together.
It was SO easy compared to any other way. I would still think and dream about smoking a lot, but I never did, almost a year now. A BAD year too, my Dad died of brain cancer... my Grandpa died a month later...and I didn't even think about smoking when I was SO stressed and SO sad I couldn't handle it. If I can make it through that, I will be smoke free forever!0 -
I smoked for 17 years. Most days a pack and a half, some days up to 3. I smoked A LOT! I tried everything to quit. Patches and gum didn't do anything. Zyban and Welbutrin made me crazy and paranoid. With horrible dreams. Alan Carr's book was decent, but not enough to help me quit.
I would think about quitting all the time and wish there was a way to quit and not be completely miserable. Then I tried an E-cigarette and now I have been smoke free for 353 days. That is about 10,619 cigarettes I haven't smoked. I started at 24mg of nicotine and slowly lowered it to 0mg, used 0mg for a while then got rid of the whole thing all together.
It was SO easy compared to any other way. I would still think and dream about smoking a lot, but I never did, almost a year now. A BAD year too, my Dad died of brain cancer... my Grandpa died a month later...and I didn't even think about smoking when I was SO stressed and SO sad I couldn't handle it. If I can make it through that, I will be smoke free forever!
Well done! And so sorry about the awful year :flowerforyou:
I'm thrilled to say I'm now on day 6 smoke free with an e-cig. And I smoked for 21yrs in all.0 -
I smoked for 17 years. Most days a pack and a half, some days up to 3. I smoked A LOT! I tried everything to quit. Patches and gum didn't do anything. Zyban and Welbutrin made me crazy and paranoid. With horrible dreams. Alan Carr's book was decent, but not enough to help me quit.
I would think about quitting all the time and wish there was a way to quit and not be completely miserable. Then I tried an E-cigarette and now I have been smoke free for 353 days. That is about 10,619 cigarettes I haven't smoked. I started at 24mg of nicotine and slowly lowered it to 0mg, used 0mg for a while then got rid of the whole thing all together.
It was SO easy compared to any other way. I would still think and dream about smoking a lot, but I never did, almost a year now. A BAD year too, my Dad died of brain cancer... my Grandpa died a month later...and I didn't even think about smoking when I was SO stressed and SO sad I couldn't handle it. If I can make it through that, I will be smoke free forever!
Wow that's amazing. I quit for a year in 2006. Used the patch. I lost my fiancee to brain cancer in 2007 so I know how hard it is to see a loved one struggle with that and not light up. We had quit together. I started up again the day of his funeral. So stupid. It would have been great if I hadn't started again. Sorry the book didn't work that well for you. I hope it works for me and I think it is already giving me a different outlook that I hadn't really thought of before. I tried the patch again about a year ago and it made my arm hurt really bad. E-cigs/vapes hurt my lungs. I can barely inhale without coughing it out. I haven't heard of anyone else having that problem...
Well, let us know when you get to 365 days!:drinker: :bigsmile: Congrats! 0 -
I smoked for 17 years. Most days a pack and a half, some days up to 3. I smoked A LOT! I tried everything to quit. Patches and gum didn't do anything. Zyban and Welbutrin made me crazy and paranoid. With horrible dreams. Alan Carr's book was decent, but not enough to help me quit.
I would think about quitting all the time and wish there was a way to quit and not be completely miserable. Then I tried an E-cigarette and now I have been smoke free for 353 days. That is about 10,619 cigarettes I haven't smoked. I started at 24mg of nicotine and slowly lowered it to 0mg, used 0mg for a while then got rid of the whole thing all together.
It was SO easy compared to any other way. I would still think and dream about smoking a lot, but I never did, almost a year now. A BAD year too, my Dad died of brain cancer... my Grandpa died a month later...and I didn't even think about smoking when I was SO stressed and SO sad I couldn't handle it. If I can make it through that, I will be smoke free forever!
Wow that's amazing. I quit for a year in 2006. Used the patch. I lost my fiancee to brain cancer in 2007 so I know how hard it is to see a loved one struggle with that and not light up. We had quit together. I started up again the day of his funeral. So stupid. It would have been great if I hadn't started again. Sorry the book didn't work that well for you. I hope it works for me and I think it is already giving me a different outlook that I hadn't really thought of before. I tried the patch again about a year ago and it made my arm hurt really bad. E-cigs/vapes hurt my lungs. I can barely inhale without coughing it out. I haven't heard of anyone else having that problem...
Well, let us know when you get to 365 days!:drinker: :bigsmile: Congrats!
My husband and farm manager both have e-cigs, and still smoke the real thing as well, it isn't working for them at all. Much to my dismay as I'm a non smoker and hate the fact that two men I love are slowly killing themselves.0
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