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Hello All,

My name is Erin and I am now on my 22nd day of the whole 30 challenge.  I am sorry I never introduced myself, in fact this is the first time I have ever posted on a forum in my life. 

My whole 30 is going great, I am fitting into my old clothing and my pain levels are dropping.  I have sever endometriosis, fibroids, and IC; after multiple surgeries and too many medications to count I had actually given up on curing / relieving any of my issues related to my pelvic pain. I went into this with the idea of if I am going to be in chronic pain at least I can wear better pants while doing it and maybe relieve some stress along the way.  As much as I may enjoy cookies they just weren’t the stress reliever I was making them function as.

 

My other goal, and I know what you are thinking two goals is bad you should only work on one at a time, was to quit smoking.  Smoking is why I am writing my first ever forum post.  Seven years ago my now husband and I quit, close to a two pack a day habit.  I used food to quit, anyone remember silly staws?  After getting married, buying a house and then suffering multiple unemployment blows on top of chronic pain, I managed to pick up that nasty habit …again.  I am not trying to make excuses I did this to myself and I am trying desperately to find a way out that does not involve candy and gaining bulk I really don’t need.

 

I kicked this habit once before and I know I can do this again.  However my old techniques besides donut gorging are not working.  On day 30 I want to keep going with my nutritional foundation for another 30 days and knowing that I have them more firmly underneath my feet, also give up the cancer sticks. I want desperately to do this but I am also scared.  I am writing for any advice people might have about how to boot this horrible habit out the door?  Please.

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Hey Rita! You can do this! And I can say that because I quit a 30 year smoking habit and did a W30 at the same time. For me, focusing on my overall health made it a lot easier. Granted I didn't lose a ton of weight only 3 or 4 pounds during my W30 but didn't gain weight which was a major victory in my book. I don't have a magic formula all I can advise you to do is just throw them in the garbage along with the ashtrays and take them to the dump so you aren't tempted to dig them out. Then focus on making yourself the most awesome food you can. Because... You. Are. Worth. It. :)

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You can do it! I quit after 28 years, and I wish I had done it sooner. One thing I noticed was how much more time I had on my hands, and how much easier and faster cooking was without all those smoke breaks. I don't have any magic tips either, just lots of encouragement. My husband also quit, and we just celebrated six years smoke-free. He often uses redhead in his screen names, too. I'll be rooting for you!

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Baby steps. Just plan to quit for the next 20 minutes. And add 20 minutes. And when the craving is really bad, focus on your next W30 meal and... Wait. 20. Minutes. I know that the vast majority of smokers have to quit cold turkey, and that the vast majority of those who successfully quit, also went cold turkey, so when I tell you how I quit, it's not a recommendation to try something that is not usually successful; it's just so you have one more bit of knowledge to add to your store. I could not seem to get past even one single day without cigarettes when I first tried to quit. So I figured out how long I could go between cigarettes & each day I extended the time. I also set some off-limits times, such as when I was outdoors cigarettes were off limits. I enjoy fresh air so that worked for me. For you, it might be while you are cooking. I eventually started running outdoors as soon as I got up and that led to smoke-free mornings. Smoke-free afternoons soon followed. My last remaining hang-up was that one before bed. My nightcap, if you will. The first time I decided to skip my "nightcap" I almost panicked.... didn't think I could extend my "between cigarette time" by that much, but eventually I did it. Not long after that I started choosing whether the cigarette was going to control my bedtime or if I was. And that was the end of smoking for me. Somehow, mentally, along the way, I also became a "non-smoker" which is a world of difference from a "reformed smoker". My kids were little when I quit, and I quit for my kids' health. Now I'm a grandmother, and yes, I'm real ornery if someone thinks they can freely smoke anywhere near me. Hard to believe now how hard it was to quit, but quit I did, and you can too!

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I quit smoking cold turkey while I was also busy losing 80+ pounds. The Allen Carr "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" was incredibly helpful as was reminding myself that it doesn't get any easier tomorrow if I don't power through today.

Remember that cravings last only a few seconds....and at the beginning they might be strung together so they seem like one huge long one but they are not.....try to feel that teeny space between cravings because that feeling in between them...that feeling of calm and peace is what is going to continue to grow. Focus on that positive getting bigger/longer and less focus on the cravings getting shorter/less intense. It's turning the whole thing positive rather than experiencing it as a negative.

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Allen Carr "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" 

 

This is exactly what I was going to recommend and I feel really, very strongly about it.

 

I quit many times in my life, but only this time is for good.

 

Some people may scoff at the idea of a book -- but no.  

 

...No, you gotta read the book.  If you are serious about quitting, it will work.  Period.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441681944&sr=8-1&keywords=allen+carr+easy+way+to+stop+smoking

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I'm with you, Brewer, the book was what made me a non smoker....forever.

 

Me too - I will say it almost made quitting easy.  The 2 week or so withdrawal was still hard, but it dismantled all the arguments I used to have for caving in and  starting again.  You just put out your last cigarette and you are done. Very simple.  Not easy, but simple.

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All I can do is offer commiseration--I am also re-quitting smoking with this Whole30 that I'm doing.  And it's hard.  Day 2 of the Whole30 fell on Day 4 of no nicotine and I was in a serious world of hurt...but it's easier for me to just cut it all off at once and to focus on my total health improvement.  It's been a rough 10 days so far, but it is getting easier.  You can do it!  :)

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I quit 20 years ago cold turkey but I still came down with COPD. It's not a fun disease. I so want to tell people you are immune, this can happen to you. Fortunately, I quit and my breathing has stayed at 37% of normal for my age for the last 4 years and the doctor says I'll not get any worse as long as I eat right, exercise, and stay away from smokers. It.Is.Hard. You.Can.Do.It!

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The last time I quit (after 5 previous attempts) I used the nicotine gum. It made me so nauseated that I used it for one day, and carried it with me for another w weeks so every time a craving hit I could say I *can* use the gum if I really need to, but remember how it makes me feel.... Never had to use another piece.  It turns out as bad as the withdrawal from nicotine felt, it was still better than the nausea from that gum. :D

 

Kudos to you for doing this along with your W30. I say, go for it! And continue eating w30 while you get past the worst of it. You can do it! 

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Thank you so much everyone for the fabulous advice.  I downloaded Allen Carr's book and happily reading away. I have my date of non-smokerhood firmly planned and am actually looking forward to it.  Like I am about to lose this gigantic ball and chain.

 

 Who knows maybe next I will start exercising?!  Ok I am actually excited, who knew!

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Thank you so much everyone for the fabulous advice.  I downloaded Allen Carr's book and happily reading away. I have my date of non-smokerhood firmly planned and am actually looking forward to it.  Like I am about to lose this gigantic ball and chain.

 

Who knows maybe next I will start exercising?!  Ok I am actually excited, who knew!

 

Awesome.  :)

 

Let me know if you wanna talk weights.  ;)

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Thank you so much everyone for the fabulous advice. I downloaded Allen Carr's book and happily reading away. I have my date of non-smokerhood firmly planned and am actually looking forward to it. Like I am about to lose this gigantic ball and chain.

Who knows maybe next I will start exercising?! Ok I am actually excited, who knew!

I did. I went from 2 packs a day to learning how to enjoy running. Since quitting smoking 7 years ago I have done four 5Ks, 3 10Ks, 11 half marathons, 2 full marathons and a half Ironman (plus 6 shorter sprint Triathlons). Quitting smoking is the #1 best thing you can do for your health. Good for you for going for it!

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You may find that once you've freed yourself from the addictive substances in the garbage food our culture consumes, quitting smoking is easier. That was how it happened for me two years ago. Once I'd given up grains and sugar, one day I just decided not to smoke anymore, and I never did again. I'd smoked for about ten out of the previous fifteen years, having quit for extended periods at various times, but I know now that I am a non-smoker, 100%. 

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I'm with you, Brewer, the book was what made me a non smoker....forever.

 

Any recommendations for leaving this book lying around the house as a "please-pick-it-up-and-read-this" sort of message? Or would that make me That Person to my husband? 

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Is he interested in quitting or has been thinking about it? Says things like "I should really quit this" or anything at all like that? If there are no even inklings of quitting, I don't know that it works any more than telling someone that they need to lose weight....unless they are ready it can be the exact opposite reaction you are looking for.

 

That said, you know your husband best, if you think he would respond to it, ask him to just read it. No commitment required, but please just read this unique perspective on smoking/quitting.

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Is he interested in quitting or has been thinking about it? Says things like "I should really quit this" or anything at all like that? If there are no even inklings of quitting, I don't know that it works any more than telling someone that they need to lose weight....unless they are ready it can be the exact opposite reaction you are looking for.

That said, you know your husband best, if you think he would respond to it, ask him to just read it. No commitment required, but please just read this unique perspective on smoking/quitting.

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I'm close to a pack a day smoker and am on day two of whole 30. I know the book says to quit first, then do the whole 30, but I've tried to quit so many times and I thought if I can do this for thirty days ( even though it's technically uncompliant) quitting smoking would be (at least psychologically) easier.

Things are going well so far. No urge to cheat, no hangover symptoms yet. Cravings for cigarettes even seem to be fewer. So I'm hoping by the end of the thirty days I may be smoke free too!

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After quitting smoking many times in the past two years, I spoke with my Dr about Chantix. Very simply stated, it works by blocking the nicotine from your brain. It helped me tremendously! I chose a quit date a few days after I started taking it, but ended up quitting a day early because for me, smoking without getting the benefit of the nicotine made me not want to even do it. It did make me nauseous and bloated once I was taking the full dose (you begin taking a smaller dose and ease up to full dose)- but I just started taking half a pill instead, and that worked fine for me, no more side effects and still helping. There are times I still crave a cigarette, but after only a couple weeks of being a non-smoker, I am already feeling the benefits physically and that is motivation enough to let the craving pass. It doesn't last long, anyway. I did this on my whole30, and it was a great feeling to get myself healthy and turn over new habits.

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