breaking the habit

[kellymch2006]

I quit smoking on April 30 and took up eating/grazing/munching twenty four hours a day.

I live down the road from a Russell Stover's warehouse and I'd eat SF candy all day long. Peanuts or almonds by the jar. Lots of SF gum. My jaws have been moving for the past two and a half months.

I started this induction last Tuesday and on Wednesday I went to the beach with college buddies.

We talked non stop for four days so my jaws were still flapping. We got home yesterday afternoon and I slept a lot yesterday.

Today I've eaten so much just out of habit/ out of boredom. I keep wanting to get up and go in the kitchen and graze. I have plenty of legal foods but the thing is...I'm not the least bit hungry. I just want to flap those jaws.

[joee5]

Re: breaking the habit

I stopped chewing after 24 years last September and I gained no weight due to me quitting. Congrads on quitting, but blaming your weight gain to that is just an excuse. Get moving. God Bless, Joe

[kellymch2006]

Re: breaking the habit

That's what I'm having trouble with--"chewing."

You're absolutely right. When I decided to quit smoking, I gave myself permission to gain weight. Really, it was a conscious decision. I went and bought clothes a size larger.

I know that most people use weight gain as an excuse not to quit and I also know that MOST people gain weight. I was ready to quit and assumed I'd gain weight. What a self fulfilling prophecy.

And I used food as a reward. I've never in my life eaten the dessert at Carraba's. Until I quit smoking. I DESERVE this tiramisu!!!

Fortunately, quitting smoking didn't turn out to be half the challenge that I thought it would be and I took up a beginner's running program-exercising for the first time in my life.

Then I got an invitation to my twentieth high school reunion... It was on.

But anyway, for the past twenty years, I've been putting a cigarette in my mouth. For the past two and a half months, I've been putting SF candy and peanuts and almonds.

It's hard to just sit here and not be gnawing on something. I hope that habit gets broken SOON.

[chinadoll]

Re: breaking the habit

"It's hard to just sit here..." That's the key. I found that when you are gazing and grazing out of boredom you need to NOT be sitting around. It helps to get a messy hobby (I paint) that keeps your hands dirty, or take a walk, or drive around the block -- ANYTHING to get you away from the fridge.

[kellymch2006]

Re: breaking the habit

Good idea. How 'bout typing???

[joee5]

Re: breaking the habit

You need to prepare yourself mentally, if you plan on succeeding here. And once you are mentally prepared then you need to make yourself strong. Strong enough to resist temptation and succeed here. Then you need to keep yourself motivated. If you motivate yourself you'll lose the weight in no time and stay on course. Lastly, stay true to you. Be honest about what you are ingesting, you know what you can and cant have. If all you do is think about food all day long then you know that eventually you will turn to food, for closure if nothing else. Oh and watch that Sugar Free candy and stuff. Eat too much of that and the carbs start to add up, also give you the runs if you eat too much from that sugar alcohol. This is simply a suggestion of the things I would do and do daily. If you want it bad enough, you'll get there. If not, you'll be like scores of other posts on here. Trying Atkin's for the 99th time, and or failed once but trying again. Dont be a statistic, be a success story. You smoked, I chewed for a long time. We kicked one habit, now lets lose the other habit. God Bless, Joe

[kellymch2006]

Re: breaking the habit

Yeah, Joe, I agree. My first time around I lost the weight quickly and kept it off for about four years. I'm pretty proud of that.

I just wish I hadn't fallen into the mindset that quitting smoking=weight gain. I wouldn't be fighting this right now....

I really babied myself for the past two and a half months instead of putting on my big girl panties and sucking it up.

[joee5]

Re: breaking the habit

Well suck it up and get out and do something about it. God Bless,Joe