any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

[just4me]

I really want to quit smoking. Since september I have given up the chips and junky carbs of course..for this WOE. I've given up my addiction to diet pepsi. I really want to give up the smoking. Have any of you done this? and if so do you think it affected your weight loss plan and goals. Yes I know I need to think of my health, that is of course why I'm here. However I don't know if I'm tackling too much in a short time period or if I should do it all and turn over that leaf. I'm also worried about constipation. I know any other time that I have quit for any amount of time that this has happened. I guess kind of scary that even that is affected by smoking.

I guess I'm wondering really did anyone find that cravings came back for things, or did the willpower fade with the struggle? I know that you can do anything you set your mind to but I'd like to hear other people's stories if they have been through this!

[Ohbehave007]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

I quit smoking before I started this WOE but honestly it shouldn't matter.

I didn't get cravings for food or anything, I just missed the darn thing between my lips . I chewed on gum, straws, pencils...but no real food.

You can do it!

[Barb1965]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

I'm right there with you Just4me, I really want to quit too, I was pretty close a couple of weeks ago (down to 8 per day from 2 packs) but I backslid. I personally think if I could just get rid of them completely it would help with this wol, as I'd know I could do more cardio once my lungs cleared out a little. I'll be watching this thread and hoping to read some good advice.

Also, if you are interested, maybe it would be helpful to start a thread for others trying to quit at the same time while doing this wol, I'd be sure to check in. Good luck!

[Brook]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking. Seriously- get it and read it.

I'm right there too, and it's a white knuckle experience for me at times, but it IS doable. I promise you. It really is.

[Shrew2u]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

I quit smoking before I started this WOE but honestly it shouldn't matter.

I didn't get cravings for food or anything, I just missed the darn thing between my lips . I chewed on gum, straws, pencils...but no real food.

You can do it!

I also quit before I started this WoE. I figured I would probably gain 10 or so pounds, then, once my weight stabilized, I would go ahead and start working on the weight. (Then I got pregnant just when I was beginning to address the weight...ah, well.) Since you're already following this WoE, I would say get comfy with Atkins then tackle the smoking. As with all changes in habit, eat the elephant one bite at a time, and don't get discouraged about being unable to swallow it whole.

I've been smoke-free for 18 months...except for that one time. About 13 months after I quit, I was out with Mr. Shrew (who'd also quit smoking) while my mom watched the babies. We went out for a really nice dinner, and the desire to have a cigarette after that was so strong it was crazy. We were 20 feet from a little store selling sundries and cigarettes. So we bought a pack, lit one up...one puff...two puffs...promptly handed both the lit cigarette and the pack to a guy sitting outside the store bumming smokes. It tasted so nasty, it was the best deterrent to re-acquiring the habit! Haven't craved a cigarette since.

[freshlysarah9]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

hey! i used the gum to quit smoking. that helped a lot, but exercising was another thing that helped. but the one thing i recommend to people is bee pollen. it helps nicotine cravings its wonderful plus i use it as my dietary supplement and its a bee-uty lol good luck!

[Suzanne_H]

Re: any advice on quitting smoking during this WOE

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/84844-need-some-non-atkins-suggestions-2.html

Here's a cool thread...

I suggest you check out Freedom From Smoking Online and work through the modules. You'll set a quit day and have the support you need to specifically tackle the issues ahead of you, and get information that will really help you keep the quit. I have 6 years quit now thanks to the American Lung Association's FFS Online and I owe them my life.

It will take 72 hours for the nicotine to get out of your system. Until the nicotine cleans out of your blood, you'll crave like a junkie. I was a two pack a day addict and had cold sweats, shakes, nausea. At the time I wasn't doing Atkins so I shortened the 3 day wait by drinking cranberry juice to cleanse my body. If you're on the berry rung I wonder if eating cranberries might be an option? Water will help... HYDRATE!

Spicy food, cinnamon toothpicks, anything that had a bite to it really helped stave off cravings. Jalapeno sunflower seeds were one of my favorites. Gum... didn't do much for this quitter.

Water, I can't overemphasize how important water is. I drank gallons.

Exercise was crucial. I needed to take lots of walks, breathe deeply, breathe slowly... and thoroughly enjoy the fact that I could. I have been diagnosed with COPD, but since about six months or so after my quit I have not had an asthma attack, no return of the chronic bronchitis. I call it nothing short of miraculous.

Did I mention water?

And a quit buddy can really help. I got a quit buddy through FFS and we're still in touch on FaceBook. We've never met. He lives in California, and I'm here in Tulsa, but I really don't think I could have kept my quit without my quit buddy.

Oh and there was this fella on FFS who was notorious for posting gross pics of diseased lungs and scars on people who had a lung removed and stuff like that. Very inspiring. LOL!!!

I pray you keep your quit. Even if you quit for five minutes, that's five minutes of sickarettes you didn't smoke. Keep trying and trying and trying again. Your health is worth every effort. I think we all have to find our own way, though, whatever works best for us.