[karousel]

I'm quitting smoking as of midnight tonight. I have patches and an inhalator thing which I was given today and was wondering if anyone else has quit using these methods ?
Whether you were successful or unsuccessful, I'd like to know, and would also like to know of any possible side effects ?

I'm also worried about potential weight gain - I know that this is a small price to pay for the health (and financial) benefits that come with stopping smoking but would just like to be prepared for this.
I work out for 2 hours a day (at least) 4-5 days a week and eat well - I'm also 5'9" which helps - but nicotine raises your metabolism and so I think weight gain is inevitable - is this the case ?
Does the weight come off easily once your body is used to going without nicotine or are dietary changes necessary ?

Thank you

[Oh my Ms. Coffey]

Im pretty sure if you work out for 2 hours a day and eat well you'll be fine.

Good luck.

[Aisha~~]

Ok. I quit about 6 months ago. I started age 15 and was up to 20 a day. I decided one day I'd had enough, and quit the following day. Never looked back. A few tips;

1) Go cold turkey. It is by far the best way of going about this. When you're simply substituting cigarettes for an inhalator, you're going to drag out the process of quitting a lot longer. You're still going to be keeping some of the psychological dependance, and some of the physical dependance too. This makes it hell over a longer period of time, and slipping back onto tobacco is much easier.

2) You're going to be trying to convince yourself that you can have a cigarette without deviating from your goal of quitting. This is BY FAR the toughest time in quitting. You're literally going to be waging war on your own mind and body to overcome that. Don't let nicotine do the talking here. One cigarette is NOT ok. Store that thought away in the back of your mind. You're going to need it. ****, write it down on some post-its and stick them everywhere if you need to. That momentary lapse in focus can be your downfall. Make sure you're ready for it.

3) Whenever you get a craving, envisage a time when tobacco played no part in your life. Remember the time when you could walk outside the coffee shop and lighting up wouldn't even cross your mind. Or after sex, after waking up, whatever. Your body will be screaming out for nicotine, as if it's vital to your very survival. Remembering that it's everything but vital will help you overcome that craving.

These were useful for me...but might not be great for everyone else;

4) Don't make a big deal out of quitting. Try to put yourself in the mindset that it's just a minor bump in the road. It's not something that can really phase you. It should help you maintain confidence that you'll succeed in your goal. Personally, I really don't want to fail at something I consider easy - so it gave me a little more incentive to not spark up. I didn't really tell anyone I was quitting, passed it off as a minor inconvenience, etc. If you can flip your mindset over like that, it might be worth trying.

5) Consider it a test of mental strength. Chances are you've been tested in various areas of life many times by now. No one likes to fail a test. Again, that little bit more incentive that could keep you from tipping over the edge.

Good luck.

Oh, and really, don't even give a second thought about what you're eating. Maybe for the first week or so you'll start eating crap. Don't guilt yourself out here. Eat all the **** you want. Maybe you'll gain a pound or two. Who cares. You'll settle back into a more natural state, and that's more beneficial anyway.

[karousel]

(Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey)
Im pretty sure if you work out for 2 hours a day and eat well you'll be fine.

Good luck.

Excellent, thank you ! Will positive rate in a bit (reached my limit today apparently) X

[karousel]

(Original post by Aisha~~)
...

Well done on giving up yourself
& thanks for the answer, it's amazing and so detailed ! You've made me feel a lot more positive about the whole thing and your 'not thinking of it as a big deal' is a really good approach too. So far today I've been fine, though the patch made me feel a little gross this morning so may just give that up. I feel as though the inhalator will be a necessity over the next week (exams) but after that I'll take your advice and ditch the replacements to go cold turkey.

Thanks again !
Will positive rate in a bit (reached my limit today apparently) X

[Aisha~~]

(Original post by karousel)
Well done on giving up yourself
& thanks for the answer, it's amazing and so detailed ! You've made me feel a lot more positive about the whole thing and your 'not thinking of it as a big deal' is a really good approach too. So far today I've been fine, though the patch made me feel a little gross this morning so may just give that up. I feel as though the inhalator will be a necessity over the next week (exams) but after that I'll take your advice and ditch the replacements to go cold turkey.

Thanks again !
Will positive rate in a bit (reached my limit today apparently) X

No worries. Big yourself up about everything you're doing right now. You have my permission to act as arrogant as humanely possible with regards to quitting. You didn't just 'make it through the day'. You ploughed through the day with the force of a freight train. Smoking didn't even register on your radar. Belittle any craving you get, mentally smack talk it if you want. Do whatever you have to do to keep it in control.

And then go exercise. Preferably something explosive rather than endurance...quite hard to think about anything else when you're running on pure adrenaline

[Pabu]

I quit september last year cold turkey but I could never have done it with out keeping my mind busy. I was working at Amazon warehouse and the break only lasted 30 minutes out of an 8 hour shift.

The crappy break times helped me quite and because of the type of work I was allways tired when I got home.

I tried to quite at least 50 times before that telling my self I wouldn't smoke again but the next day I always did. The best advice I can give is to keep your mind busy.

[Sabertooth]

I found regular gum really helped me quit.

I used to roll my own so it was something for my hands to do as well as the hit from the nicotine, when I was quitting I found I had nothing to do with my hands when I was, for instance, thinking what to write in an essay - so I got gum and (this sounds gross) I would pull it out my mouth and wrap it round my finger then chew it again. I know that's gross but it kept both my hands and mouth busy and really helped me quit.

I agree with the other guy about nicotine substitutes, you're just dragging it out. It is possible to quit with pure willpower alone, you don't need to waste your money on that crap.

[cornietzsche]

Whenever you get a craving, smell an ashtray

[karousel]

Thank you for your advice everyone, you're amazing... and well done to everyone that's given up too. Before I'd decided to quit I though ex-smokers always seemed really smug but now I think it's totally justified... quitting smoking is a pain in the arse

(Original post by Aisha~~)
No worries. Big yourself up about everything you're doing right now. You have my permission to act as arrogant as humanely possible with regards to quitting. You didn't just 'make it through the day'. You ploughed through the day with the force of a freight train. Smoking didn't even register on your radar. Belittle any craving you get, mentally smack talk it if you want. Do whatever you have to do to keep it in control.

And then go exercise. Preferably something explosive rather than endurance...quite hard to think about anything else when you're running on pure adrenaline

hahaha... thank you
I've been doing more weights than usual and yesterday I went for a run along the sea front - you were right, that really helped. Thankfully the amazing weather is making it easier to push aside the agitation

(Original post by Pabu)
I quit september last year cold turkey but I could never have done it with out keeping my mind busy. I was working at Amazon warehouse and the break only lasted 30 minutes out of an 8 hour shift.

The crappy break times helped me quite and because of the type of work I was allways tired when I got home.

I tried to quite at least 50 times before that telling my self I wouldn't smoke again but the next day I always did. The best advice I can give is to keep your mind busy.

Good work... and you are right, it's always when you're 'doing nothing' that the urge to smoke becomes so much harder to ignore

(Original post by Sabertooth)
I found regular gum really helped me quit.

I used to roll my own so it was something for my hands to do as well as the hit from the nicotine, when I was quitting I found I had nothing to do with my hands when I was, for instance, thinking what to write in an essay - so I got gum and (this sounds gross) I would pull it out my mouth and wrap it round my finger then chew it again. I know that's gross but it kept both my hands and mouth busy and really helped me quit.

I agree with the other guy about nicotine substitutes, you're just dragging it out. It is possible to quit with pure willpower alone, you don't need to waste your money on that crap.

That's a good idea, thank you... I roll my own too and so I know exactly where you're coming from with giving your hands something to do - I think I'm exactly the same as you, essay writing times are the hardest. I've been told oranges are quite good too because of the peeling / repetition when you eat them ?
I only got the nicotine substitutes as college were giving them out for free; the patches I'm going to disregard but am using the inhalator for the next few days while we have exams and essays etc, then I'll go 'cold turkey'. All my house mates smoke and without the inhalator I think I'd end up jumping out of the window until I'm able to spend the day doing things other than work (I'm a weak kinda gal)...

(Original post by cornietzsche)
Whenever you get a craving, smell an ashtray

Part of the reason I want to quit is because I'm sure I must smell like an ashtray myself *shudder*

[karousel]

Was able to positive everyone besides cornietzsche as I had 'reached my limit' by that point, will do it tomorrow

[kopite493]

dont buy any cant smoke them if you dont have them

[cornietzsche]

(Original post by karousel)
Part of the reason I want to quit is because I'm sure I must smell like an ashtray myself *shudder*

Yeah, apparently rubbing your fingers in fag ash works as well (I wonder why), but that seems a little drastic