Smoking

You can do this! Drink lots of water. I find that I still get very overwhelmed and crave a cig pretty badly (5 weeks out), but if I pour a glass of water and excuse myself to another room for a few minutes, life gets easier. Although I know now that I was addicted to nicotine, I think I was mostly addicted to the habit of being able to take a "time-out" from life for five minutes.
If the glass of water seems ridiculous at the time (and it does sometimes) then I sneak 2 M&Ms for my break. Not gonna ruin my diet with just the 2.

You can! And congrats for quitting! Keep busy. I chewed a lot of gum after I quit. And for a short time, I took up knitting. It kept my hands busy. Everyone got scarves that Christmas! Good luck!

There's a million and one tips out there, but you just have to find the strength to do it. I've been on MFP since last April, and today I'm 3 weeks smoke free (and counting). I've quit and failed many times in the past and want to make this quit the last.

I'm on the patch, for me, that helps greatly. Again, for me, it's more of a mental battle than an oral fixation one.

Good luck to you!

P.S. No weight gain either.

Do it for your lungs! Seriously, next time you want a cigarette, think about the multiple toxins, tar, and chemicals that are blackening and shriveling your poor little lungs with each puff. That might do it :laugh: but seriously, you can do it. Just think, I mean, do you REALLY want an inanimate object not much bigger than your finger to run your life? I don't think so. you can do it!

Well I did it, NOT only am I dieting but I stoped smoking! I need some more encouragement though I am on day 4 of not smoking and week 3 of diet, Im trying NOT to binge eat as thats what I want to do instead of smoke. ANY ideas will be helpful thanks

Getting past Day 3 is the biggest challenge you will face... so now you are on Day 4 it will get better - I promise!

So many times I failed at Day 3 but, three years ago, I finally broke free and got my life back from nasty nicotine. No longer do I have to constantly worry about smelling horrible, spending money I don't have, waking up panicking at 2am because I smoked the last cigarette in the pack the evening before, getting irritable with everyone at work/at parties/at family visits because all I want to be doing is standing outside in the cold and rain having a cigarette. No longer do I feel like something else is in control of my life, making me feel utterly weak and miserable.

Do come on the MFP forum when you need some support, but also consider forums for former smokers. I managed to stop smoking using the national No Smoking Day forum (UK but open to all countries): http://forum.nosmokingday.org.uk/index.php

Also get a Quit Counter on your computer - every day it will pop up with how much money, days of your life etc you have saved. Google it or have a look on the No Smoking Day forum for details. I also found the Allen Carr Easy Way book invaluable for when I was having a bad day - it really makes sense.

You are doing amazingly well - keep it up and don't be afraid to ask for help.

I stopped smoking 3 years, 2 days ago. In that time:
* I've not smoked 21,598 cigarettes;
* saved £5,744;
* saved 76 days of my life (the best reason of all!)

I quit smoking using e-cigarettes. I've been smoke free for 3 years now. Since then I've encouraged several (23 people) of my friends and family members to switch over to the e-cigs, and they have all eventually quit, or at least quit smoking the regular cancer-causing kind anyway. Once you get used to them a little bit, you'll never want a regular cigarette again. I told myself if I'm going to smoke, it will have to be these. I once tried a regular cigarette at a party after being quit a few months, and it was disgusting. I hated the smoke, the feel, the smell. That was definitely a first for me. I've never had another one since. You can start with a mg that is similar to your regular cigarrette, and every week drop down till you're at zero. Then you find you don't even miss them. I still use them when I drink alcohol, they're much better than picking up a cigarette. Of course if you've gone cold turkey and are doing well, just stay quit, but for anyone else who can't seem to quit, you might want to give it a shot!