I need suggestions!

Veil5577
Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm doing OMAD, I am on day two. One of the things I had to give up was gum. You see, to stop smoking I was chewing Nicorette gum.. which was working. But I was chewing a LOT of it, it got expensive, so I added regular gum to the mix, and I was chewing a LOT of that. Now here's what I mean by a lot.. grab a piece, chew it for 30 minutes, throw it out and grab another piece. All. Day. Long. The sugar and or carbs in that is not going to help me get to my goal so I had to give it up, and I'm smoking again... and I have found the craving for gum is worse than the craving for cigarettes... talk about ironic.

Anyway, I need suggestions to replace the gum to stop the oral cravings and cut the smoking down. I do not want to smoke. I'm an extremely nervous person and the only way to keep from killing my co-workers and anyone else who annoys me is either chewing something or having something to do with my hands. I've already bought two Japanese stress balls to use at work but I'd like something to chew on. I also got toothpaste and a brush and mouthwash to keep at work so my mouth will have the minty taste the gum used to give me. I've thought of buying mint leaves to chew on, but in case I can't find them at the store, does anyone have any suggestions as to something I can chew on all day? Something with no sugar or carbs? Overly funny and lewd suggestions are quite welcome. :tongue:

Replies

  • brandeka
    brandeka Posts: 28 Member
    Try Champix to quit smoking. It worked for me and I was a smoker for over 50 yrs. Never thought I would be able to do it, but it worked like a charm and even now, if I get a craving, it goes away in minutes.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.
    they sell sugarless gum.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.

    A stick of Orbit has 1g of carbs, according the database. If you chew 30 pieces, that's only 30g of carbs. I guess I still don't see the issue.

    And if that's too much for you, why not cut down to 10 or 15 pieces per day?
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.
    they sell sugarless gum.

    I'm not entirely sure what sugarless gum has in it to make it sweet, but I'd rather avoid gum completely if I can.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.

    A stick of Orbit has 1g of carbs, according the database. If you chew 30 pieces, that's only 30g of carbs. I guess I still don't see the issue.

    And if that's too much for you, why not cut down to 10 or 15 pieces per day?

    I'm trying to save the carbs and calories for dinner. I don't want to put any sugar or carbs in my system while I'm in fasting stage.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    I quit 2.7 years ago and it was tough - so I get that. I'm just wondering which you feel is worse in the long run - chewing too much gum for a while or smoking? I would be more concerned about tar and nicotine over the things in sugarless gum. If it was working, I would probably choose the gum.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I quit smoking 4 1/2 weeks ago after 30 years. If you need something in your mouth get one of those coffee stirrers. I did the patch the first 4 days then decided what was the point I was just replacing so I bagged those. Once the nicotine is totally out of your body, (first 3 days) it gets much better! I came close but didn't actually kill anyone and after the first two weeks I was much better to be around.
    Best of luck, great decision, YOU'VE got this!
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    Something I probably should have mentioned. I quit smoking TWO YEARS AGO and all that time I've been on either Nicorette or regular gum, or both.

    I have to quit completely. I can't afford Nicorette and it also has sugar and carbs in it, I'm pretty sure. The gum isn't good for me either, at the amount I chew.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    Something I probably should have mentioned. I quit smoking TWO YEARS AGO and all that time I've been on either Nicorette or regular gum, or both.

    I have to quit completely. I can't afford Nicorette and it also has sugar and carbs in it, I'm pretty sure. The gum isn't good for me either, at the amount I chew.

    Oh my goodness - that does make a difference in our answers. Congratulations! I would imagine the Nicorette gum would be about as addictive as the cigarettes. So I see your point. Since you're not smoking anymore, it is just a matter of getting through the nicotine withdrawal. If you were able to quit smoking - you can do this too. It will be tough for a couple of weeks, but it will get out of your system and then you're home free.

    Carry on - good for you.
  • Vicky9294
    Vicky9294 Posts: 4 Member
    I quit smoking a couple of times and I no longer smoke. What worked for me both times was Jolly Rancher Fire candy. It's cinnamon candy. It's too hard to bite into but there's something about it that helps too. I tried the fruit flavors when I couldn't find the fire and it wasn't the same. I think Walgreens has them. Give it a try.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.

    A stick of Orbit has 1g of carbs, according the database. If you chew 30 pieces, that's only 30g of carbs. I guess I still don't see the issue.

    And if that's too much for you, why not cut down to 10 or 15 pieces per day?

    I'm trying to save the carbs and calories for dinner. I don't want to put any sugar or carbs in my system while I'm in fasting stage.

    In that case, I have no helpful advice on what you could chew that has no calories, no sugar, and no carbs. I think you're looking for something that doesn't exist.

    Good luck.
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    For me with addictions, the only way out is through. Basically I cold-turkeyed it and it sucked for a few days/weeks, but then once the cravings pass, it is so worth it. I continued to have cigarette cravings (occasionally) for years after I quit, however they got progressively easier to ignore over time, and now I just find it completely repelling after 3 or 4 years.

    Maybe you could replace the undesired behavior with a healthy one, for example every time you have a craving, drink a few sips of water? It might take your mind off it til the next craving.
  • Burt_Huttz
    Burt_Huttz Posts: 1,612 Member
    Water.

    Also you shouldn't use smoking cessation products for a period of two years. They are not designed for that.

    I'm not certain what the dental ramifications are of soaking your gums in nicotine for that long.

    Perhaps just stop?

    If you can't just stop, because of your nerves - as you've cited - then consider psychotherapy. Seriously - you do not have to live your life in a perpetual high anxiety state.
  • losingforgood120
    losingforgood120 Posts: 94
    Try sipping water instead. I don't know if it would work... but that's what I started to stop stress eating. A little extra water = a little extra bathroom breaks. Better than overeating! And smoking/nicorette. I don't know if it will be enough but if you can combine it with some stress management techniques- deep breathing, visualizations, it could work.
    I quit smoking a couple of times and I no longer smoke. What worked for me both times was Jolly Rancher Fire candy. It's cinnamon candy. It's too hard to bite into but there's something about it that helps too. I tried the fruit flavors when I couldn't find the fire and it wasn't the same. I think Walgreens has them. Give it a try.

    This! I had a friend who successfully quit and they used cinnamon flavor. Someone got the idea the cinnamon and smoking don't go well together. My friend used cinnamon flavored toothpaste, those little listerine breath strips in cinnamon. Also drank a little grapefruit juice in the morning. (Supposedly helps decrease cravings.) It could just be a placebo effect but it worked! And exercise seems to help.
  • losingforgood120
    losingforgood120 Posts: 94
    A stick of gum has enough sugar and carbs to ruin your diet?


    :huh:

    Did you read my post? I don't stop at one piece. I can chew up to 30 pieces a day.

    A stick of Orbit has 1g of carbs, according the database. If you chew 30 pieces, that's only 30g of carbs. I guess I still don't see the issue.

    And if that's too much for you, why not cut down to 10 or 15 pieces per day?

    I'm trying to save the carbs and calories for dinner. I don't want to put any sugar or carbs in my system while I'm in fasting stage.

    In that case, I have no helpful advice on what you could chew that has no calories, no sugar, and no carbs. I think you're looking for something that doesn't exist.

    Good luck.

    Ice?
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    You have a couple of unhealthy or erroneous assumptions.
    I'm doing OMAD
    Binge eating is not healthy. It's an eating disorder.
    What he's promoting with his "one meal a day" program is binge eating.
    You do NOT want to have an eating disorder.
    Go back to eating normal portions of healthy foods several times a day.
    grab a piece, chew it for 30 minutes, throw it out and grab another piece. All. Day. Long. The sugar and or carbs in that is not going to help me get to my goal so I had to give it up
    Sugar is a carbohydrate.
    The small amount of sugar in regular gum isn't going to affect your diet, even with the huge amount of gum you're chewing.
    If you have sugar-free gum, you don't even have that worry.
    I also got toothpaste and a brush and mouthwash to keep at work so my mouth will have the minty taste the gum used to give me.
    That's a good idea. When you want something in your mouth, go brush your teeth.
    How about keeping a toothbrush handy so that even when you can't go to the bathroom you can have that stimulation?
    I've thought of buying mint leaves to chew on, but in case I can't find them at the store, does anyone have any suggestions as to something I can chew on all day?
    I need suggestions to replace the gum to stop the oral cravings and cut the smoking down
    Get a mint plant from the garden store & plant it in a big pot so it doesn't go wild & take over your yard. You'll have more mint than you know what to do with, for a fairly low price.
    How about: A rubber band. Pen. Pencil. Carrots. Celery. Drinking straw.
    Sugarfree gum.

    According to the wiki
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewing_gum
    Sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol has been shown to reduce cavities and plaque. The sweetener sorbitol has the same benefit... Other sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and acesulfam, have also been found to not cause tooth decay. Xylitol is specific in its inhibition of Streptococcus mutans, bacteria that are significant contributors to tooth decay. Xylitol inhibits Streptococcus mutans in the presence of other sugars, with the exception of fructose. Xylitol is a safe sweetener that benefits teeth and saliva production because it is not fermented to acid like most sugars.

    This says stevia & xylitol are used to sweeten sugar-free gum
    http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Chewing-over-sweeteners-for-sugar-free-gum

    Stevia, xylitol, sorbitol, and aspartame are natural. (Aspartame is man-made from 2 amino acids.)
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I can't bear to chew ice but I did sip water all day and that does seem to help.

    I KNEW someone would chime in about the OMAD program I'm following.. I didn't ask for advice about that, okay? I've done my research, it makes sense to me, I do not think it's unhealthy, and while eating a bunch of small meals every day may work for some people I know it will not work for me.. because I've tried it. And eating one meal a day, if it is a NORMAL portion, is not binge eating.

    I do plan to plant mint if I can get the landlord's approval.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    So my suggestion is - stop with the excuses and make a commitment to quit smoking and just do it already. Two years on nicotine gum, blaming carbs on gum, etc...they are all just excuses.

    I think when you are really ready to quit and let go of all the excuses, you'll succeed.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    So my suggestion is - stop with the excuses and make a commitment to quit smoking and just do it already. Two years on nicotine gum, blaming carbs on gum, etc...they are all just excuses.

    I think when you are really ready to quit and let go of all the excuses, you'll succeed.

    You are right.

    That's exactly what I'm going to have to do.
  • Burt_Huttz
    Burt_Huttz Posts: 1,612 Member
    So my suggestion is - stop with the excuses and make a commitment to quit smoking and just do it already. Two years on nicotine gum, blaming carbs on gum, etc...they are all just excuses.

    I think when you are really ready to quit and let go of all the excuses, you'll succeed.

    You are right.

    That's exactly what I'm going to have to do.

    WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!

    fireworks.gif

    YES!!!!


    Now go on and get it!
  • Juniper1221
    Juniper1221 Posts: 42 Member
    I quit smoking 2 and a half mos. ago and I did it by using the nicotine lozenges. I also go to a support forum called quit smoking message boards. Wishing you all the best!
  • katharineshalia
    katharineshalia Posts: 243 Member
    I don't know about the gum but have you tried those vapor cigarettes? My husband has a lot of nervous energy too and those give him a nicotine fix when he feels he might cave and have a smoke.

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