@stephdrewry It has been 6 days. Any progress? I did the buy one more pack and ration it out when I stopped. It works IF YOU’VE COMMITTED TO QUITTING.
I quit after 15 years of smoking. You have to WANT to do it. You have to ACCEPT that it will suck, and be prepared to deal with the moments that suck. It won’t kill you. It will pass. You have to be strong and face the music.
Once you form the idea that you WANT to quit in your head, keep that goal near the center of your thoughts at all times. When you really make the decision, when you really WANT to do it, you will become invincible. When you cultivate that internal resolve, a cigarette craving is just a pesky sensation that stands between you and what you already know you are going to do.
You obviously wanted to quit for your children. Now you need to quit without that sense of urgency. That’s why you have to WANT to do it. The reason why doesn’t matter. Committing to the process does.
I went from being a casual every now and then smoker to basically not doing at all when I started really pushing my training. I just couldn’t smoke at all anymore. It was too hard. So my priorities pushed me to quit. I would think that if training becomes a high enough priority, you will stop. I know this is a bit simplistic. but I am a simple human.
That’s one problem people have when they fail at quitting…they don’t try again for months when they should really get back on that horse (or off of it) the next day after a setback.
My dad smoked for 20 years and then he just quit. He said that he wanted to live a longer life. It’s a sort of awakening, you will get it or you won’t.
I was smoking 2 packs a day when I quit ~9 years ago. I smoked for 10 years. I was done. I had run out of cigarettes one day, and I totally understood I didn’t really want one, so much as it was the addiction causing me to want one. As jake7876 mentioned, I just got it. I didn’t want to be addicted. I didn’t want it to affect my health.
The reality is it is very difficult to quit. Extremely so. But it’s doable. I chewed a lot of gum and drank a lot of coffee. I was in a good point in my life when I quit; if things aren’t going well it’s going to be that much harder.
I’ve had a few (maaaybe 10?) cigarettes since then, particularly recently. It still has a hold on me.
I think you have to really get scared. My mother was smoking at least 60 cigarretes per day. I thought she was never going to quit it.
Doctor warn her once, but she did not listen. The second time doctor show her some photos of some other patients that he had and he told her how they died. She got so scared that she quit smoking in no time.
I smoke too- it’s a constant, draining battle and I usually cave in after a day or two, then I feel really crap and keep smoking until I finish the pack, promising myself I’ll never buy another, but within a few days I’ll have cracked and bought one. I’m seriously considering just accepting that I smoke.
The thing with people, and this seems completely normal, is that if they fall off the wagon they don’t get right back on but go on smoking for another 5 or 6 months or more before they even try again.
Right. There is now a plan. I’m going to dig out the behavioural therapy stuff I got given for anger management, anxiety, depression, etc. and apply the techniques in it to managing withdrawal rather than anxiety/depression/whatever. Starting at 12:00 tomorrow. Wish me luck guys?
No need to criticize someone who is trying to do whats right in life. People will judge, sure, but that’s not my problem. They judge to make themselves feel better about theirself…think about it. Anyways, how did the quit smoking come along? Success?! I’m looking at quiting vaping myself. Just another bad habbit/addiction I picked up after I quit smoking myself. But like u, I notice my workouts would be easier, breathing wise, without the vape. Sorry if u posted that u quit in this thread, I just don’t have time at the moment to read on as I’m getting ready to head out for work. Another day another dollor! lol. Thanks for sharing and hope u had and keep success!! - Soldier.
Well that’s five days totally clean plus two days before that of eking out my supply. At this point, I feel very much like cracking and buying a packet, but there’s no way in hell I am going through all that again.
If you were to go to other boards, you could bet your bottom dollar that EVERY reply would be a big anti-smoking rant. It is refreshing to see people are actually addressing the question in a more informative way rather than knee-jerk abuse.
As for fat loss, I can certainly sympathise with how smoking keeps one in reasonable trim. Smoking did blunt my appetite an awful lot, and I’d often reach for a smoke instead of a snack. There is also the argument that smoking boosts the metabolism, but I can’t vouch for that.
When I stopped smoking, I put on around 20 lbs of fat in three months. I found myself snacking like crazy (30 cigarettes a day is an awful lot of “idle time” to keep your hands and mouth occupied). I must admit that it made me hugely depressed.
But on the plus side, my energy came back in a major way. I bounced out of bed in the mornings and had full lung power; it was amazing to be able to run up the stairs without feeling out of breath. Then of course it was wonderful not to feel the “fear” any longer, having to replenish cigarettes on a daily basis.
I did finally get round to losing the weight again and getting in the best shape of my life, and I can honestly say that there is no way I could have done it if I was still smoking. The bottom line is that as a smoker, my heart would pound like crazy after running only a few hundred yards. But with the return of full lung capacity, I could do crazy amounts of cardio and calisthenics.
If you want to lose fat, drop the cigarettes, really. It is soooo much better and easier without them. Don’t be scared about putting on weight – you will only put on fat if you fail to watch your diet. To this extent, I would recommend you go on the Atkins Induction phase for a month or so (it will totally regulate how much you eat).
I smoked a pack or two a day for 10 years. I switched to a vape and after a couple of months of lowering the nicotine level I didn’t need it anymore. It’s amazing how horrible cigarette’s actually smell not being a smoker now.
