Good deficit yesterday. I was able to start packing and got two loads of laundry done and put away so that was a big accomplishment for a Monday night.
I am a smoker. I haven't talked about it here in a long time but I wanted to make a list like my "Reasons to lose Weight" list. I am not a heavy smoker. I usually smoke about 5-7 per day. I also only do it at night unless I am super stressed at work which only happens once in a blue moon. I smoke the most when I am drinking and on the weekends. When I travel with my mom, I don't smoke. That means I will be 8 days without a cigarette. In the past, I would come home and resume smoking right away... This time I am entertaining the the thought of quitting... here are the reasons why:
- To be healthier
- Have better lung capacity
- Save money - $1,200 per year! (approx.)
- Whiter teeth
- Fresher breath
- Food tasting better
- Not smelling like an ashtray
- To add years to my life
- Not being socially ostracized for smoking (banned in parks, beaches, downtown area)
- To avoid deadly diseases like Cancer and Emphysema
Those are some pretty darn good reasons. I have never seriously thought of quitting before so this is a good sign. I also have some friends that recently quit and they were heavy smokers. My best friend Debby and Larry want to quit too so there would be support there. Thoughts to ponder for sure. Until next time...
I used to be a smoker myself. I was never really addicted. I smoked heavily though when I was younger because I would be out clubbing and I would chain smoke. I have been off them for 11-12 years. And only smoked part time 4 -5 years before that. I am so glad I quit. I loved the whole thing about it at the time but the fact that I have lessened my chances of getting sick from smoking is so worth it. We can not stop the normal aging process that much but we can eliminate our chances of many diseases by being at a healthy weight and not smoking or drinking excessively.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best in quitting. It would be an awesome gift to yourself.
I recently quit being a full time smoker. I was a light smoker, less than ten a day... but I could tell a difference after I quit. Mainly being less winded and food had more taste!
ReplyDeleteI still pick up a pack if I am going to the beach or going to be out with friends or something, but I make sure I don't do it very often!
Good luck!
Good luck with the quitting smoking - I hope you can do it! And then take all that money you would have spent on cigs and buy yourself great things!!!
ReplyDeleteI just watched my aunt, a lifelong smoker, go through lung cancer. Quit now; you'll be glad you did.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all GREAT calorie deficit! Second, I think quitting is a great idea, and knowing WHY you need to quit can be your first step down that road. You CAN do it!
ReplyDeleteOne of my coworkers suggested a vacation with the money. I could put the money away like I was still buying cigs and then go to Cabo or something =)
ReplyDeleteMay I add to that that I just read yesterday that nicotine increases insulin resistance. So maybe that would help with getting rid of your insulin as well! Good luck! You can do it! My mom just quit smoking after YEARS!
ReplyDeleteWow Lesley another good reason to add to the list!!!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be GREAT if you quit! If you can be without it for 8 days I don't see any reason you can't be without it for forever!
ReplyDeleteCheck out these facts:
When you quit smoking,...
the benefits for your health begin within minutes of your last cigarette.
After 8 hrs 100%
Nicotine and Carbon Monoxide level reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal
After 24 hrs 100%
Carbon Monoxide eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and debris.
After 48 hrs 100%
There is no nictotine left in the body. Ability to smell and taste greatly improved.
After 72 hrs 100%
Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
After 2-12 wks 43%
Circulation improves, making walking and running a lot easier.
After 3-9 months 7%
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve.
After 1 year 2%
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year.
After 2 year 1%
Your chance of achieving long-term success with quitting tobacco increases significantly after two years.
After 5 years 0%
From 5 to 15 years after quitting tobacco, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
After 10 years 0%
* Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
* Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
* Risk of ulcers decreases
After 15 years 0%
* Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
* Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
My friend posted this website and her stats when she quit. It's been almost 2 months for her!
http://www.quitsmokingcounter.com/
I quit 10 years ago for the second time. That time it was much easier than the first time. I used the gum and licorice to help. Funny, I still sometimes now crave licorice. Not tobacco, licorice. :)
ReplyDeleteAfter 13 years, women's bodies return to nonsmoker status - as if we never smoked.
At any rate, I often forget I ever smoked. But it is a hard thing to do. It will make losing weight seem simple in comparison. :)
I'm going to be 26 this month. I started smoking when I was 11, with a three year break when I'd had my son. I've tried numerous times to stop, and I can. However, I don't want to. I know I should. My husband gives me the stink eye, my son tells me it's bad. I know all this, I'm not ready yet. It's a crutch for me.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you're stronger than I am! My fingers are crossed for you!
Katie, do it, do it, do it!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a smoker, too. I smoke more than you do. With cigarettes $52 a carton now, one would think that would be motivation enough to quit--it isn't.
ReplyDeleteThat is one reason I am seriously looking into hypnotherapy. I have tried to quit many, many times. I go through withdrawls -- sitting at my kitchen table shaking like a drug addict giving up drugs.
It is on my mind every single day, yet I grab my pack, go outside and light up.
Many people have told me they quit when the read Alan Carr's book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I know over 20 people that have quit from his book. I bought the book several years ago and would read a page or two at a time. Never finished it. Then I bought the book on CD, and I'm about half-way through it, but I don't put the disk in to finish. Makes it seem as if I don't want to quit.
Cigarettes are my friend--a very BAD friend. I really struggle.
I really wish you well. If you can go for days without a cigarette, you should be able to do it.
Inspire me, Katie. If you can do it, maybe I can, too.
Jo, I have heard that people think of smoking as a friend and when you quit you miss it like breaking off a friendship. It hurts a lot at first and you may always miss it but in the end you are healthier without that poisonous friend. I will be checking that book out for sure. I have never tried to quit before because I thought "Well I don't smoke that much" when in actuality it's just a cop out. It is a bad habit and since I am kicking all my other bad habits to the curb I may as well add this one. I will be keeping you (all) posted. Thanks for caring and for your honesty!
ReplyDeleteKatie - YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!
ReplyDelete