2008 - the year the weight comes off. Honest.

Stan Cattermole

Stan Cattermole

New member
Hi everyone.

This is the second day of my New Regime. Like millions of other people all over the world, I'm using the fact that it's the beginning of another year as the excuse I needed to get healthy. For me this means three things:

1) Eating well
2) Exercising
3) Stopping smoking

All of which I wanted to start yesterday, but an accident resulting in a badly bruised coccyx a few days ago has put paid for the moment to the exercising. Even walking is proving quite painful for the moment.

However, I am eating well, and I haven't smoked a cigarette since midnight on New Year's Eve. So that's good.

What I'm noticing today though is that the craving for a cigarette is making me even hungrier than I think I ordinarily would be. I'm sitting here in my study trying to get on with some work and my stomach is making the most amazing noises. And my fingers are twitching. I want a cigarette. And i want my customary mid-morning snack. I WANT MY CHOCOLATE CROISSANT! But I'm not going to.

Any advice on how to beat the nicotine-craving-related feeding-frenzy-desire hugely appreciated.

I joined this forum this morning by the way, and already it's helping.

So that's good.

Cheers,


Stan
 
Good morning Stan!....well on my part of the world it is morning anyway, not sure where you hail from but good day :)

It is exciting to set goals for the new year...for me it is a bit like being born afresh, especially since last year posed its own wonderful set of triumphs and fair share of difficulties :D Hats off to you...your goals are quite impressive and your strides are courageous. I used to smoke when i was younger...a pack of CIGARS a day...can you imagine that!!! I too stopped cold turkey. At that time I was a vegetarian and found that no matter what I was eating my weight was staying the same. I would recommend that you eat some "fillers" when you are feeling hungry...like some salad or something like that. I do not know what your tolerance is for vegetables, I normally eat salad with no dressing, but I would also recommend if you do need something on your salad to put a touch of balsamic vinegar on it...it adds incredible flavor. There are so many variations nowadays in the types of "green" for salad, so hopefully you will not get bored with it. I am recommending salads so that you can eat whenever you are hungry, because for me, I will not stick to any diet or weight loss regimen when I am hungry :blush5: even if i only have to be starving for an hour everyday...i cannot take the feeling of hunger (hence the 140 lbs I have to lose:D).

Chocolate Croissaint!! One of my faves!! Love then, love them, love them. They love me too because they tend to stick to my thighs and never want to leave ;) Good resolve on neglecting them and fighting the temptation.

I am confident that you can meet all of your goals this year, even exercise (after you heal of course). A bruised coccyx!! OUCHEEEEE. I know that pain...had a back injury a few years back and i remember at one point I had to crawl to feel better LOLOLOL i mean it was the only way i could move!!

Welcome to the board, I am new here also. I look forward to seeing you around the board and chatting with you!!

Happy New Year!!

Cheers:santa:
 
Hey there. Thanks for your reply, Mr Clouds. Or indeed Miss. (I'm guessing Mr from the cigars, but that's probably awfully sexist of me. For shame.)

Your advice is good. I've actually just got back from the shop next door with enough bananas to feed 500 starved monkeys! Apples too. Although apples annoy me a little. I also bought some nicotine gum but already I'm regretting it. It really does taste revolting.

I'm in London by the way. And it's very nice to meet you.
 
Hey Stan, happy 2008!
Welcome to our group, and enjoy your time spent here.

You're brave for going cold turkey! Normally i'd recommend cutting back first and then eventually just finishing with no more smokes, but either way you get there right? Good luck with it. :)

Try some negative calorie foods, theyre good for you and take more energy to digest than they have.



scroll down a bit.
 
Hey, congrats on quitting smoking! I am two years smoke free now! You can do it! A few observations though...it will get easier over time!!! But, it has not completely left me yet (that is the deisre to smoke.) I messed around and tried to smoke a cigarette a few days ago and almost puked after my first couple of puffs, so I know it's over for me! You will get there too! I actually do recommend the use of those Commit lozenges. They are not nearly as bad as the gum...but that's what I used.
I am now ready to lose the weight and excercise as well.
 
Stan Cattermole said:
Hey there. Thanks for your reply, Mr Clouds. Or indeed Miss. (I'm guessing Mr from the cigars, but that's probably awfully sexist of me. For shame.)

Your advice is good. I've actually just got back from the shop next door with enough bananas to feed 500 starved monkeys! Apples too. Although apples annoy me a little. I also bought some nicotine gum but already I'm regretting it. It really does taste revolting.

I'm in London by the way. And it's very nice to meet you.
Click to expand...

LOLOL:smilielol5::rotflmao:
Indeed it is Miss....maybe you were picturing me a bit like the mafia with a fat Cuban cigar between my teeth :sifone:negotiating between your money and your life ;) It is quite funny to think of a man like that who would name himself pink clouds and have a cute little pink avi to go along with it :D But it's cool...I took one of those tickle tests and it told me I have a balanced gender focus. I used to smoke the smaller and thinner cigars though.

I like bananas also...I like apples, but most of the time they annoy me as well. Whenever I get fruits i tend to go for bananas and red seedless grapes. London eh...nice cloudy days and chilly air...I really need to visit.

You are hilarious!!
 
Welcome to the forum Stan :). I hope you reach all of your goals for 2008, especially the quitting smoking. Seems awfully hard but so well worth it. All the best to you.
 
Hey Stan,

Glad to see you've decided to make positive changes in your life. Excellent first step.

Thought about chewing non-nicotine gum? I chew the heck out of gum pretty much all the time when I'm not at work. I've got a bit of an oral fixation, something I've not been able to shake since I was a kid. It's a miracle I don't bite my nails. Ya know? Actually, when I paint them all nice and pretty I am less likely to bite them, mostly because I think chipped nail polish is hideously trashy.

Anyway, this is what worked for me. I smoked socially off and on for a long time and when I was in Spain this past summer I smoked like a champ. Hell, everyone smokes in Spain, and they smoke everywhere. Anyway, when I got back to the States, I resolved to quit smoking and to start running. Initially I was concerned about cigarette cravings, but then I started making serious progress with my running/fitness. So, quite frankly, my motivation to stay smoke-free came entirely from the not wanting to shoot myself in the foot by doing the most counterproductive thing I could possibly do to negate all the progress I'd made with my running. If you take up a hobby that replaces the smoking or won't allow you to smoke, the quitting might be a lot easier, especially if you're doing it cold turkey.

Best of luck. And I hope your coccyx feels better soon. By the way, I knew guy in college who had extra segments on his, thus he had a tail. Seriously. He would show it off at parties; it was a real draw for the ladies.
 
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Good Luck

Good Luck with your goals Stan. Sorry to hear about your injury.

I've tried many times to quit smoking. The best thing for me is Tea Trea Oil toothpicks which can be found at whole foods stores. They give your mouth a refreshing taste. I think cigarettes for most are not only a nictoine thing, but a hand and mouth thing. The patches are great but for some more "distraction", try the toothpicks. They help by giving you a hand/mouth fix. Cheers!
 
Hi there and congrats on the start of your new healthy life!

As far as the hunger goes, EAT! Grab an apple though, or some melba toast with fat free cheese, or low fat SOMETHING. Dont go hungry, because all thats going to do is cause you to binge later on. Carrot sticks are nice and crunchy and keep your mouth and hands nice and busy, hopefully curbing some of the cigarette cravings

Good luck! What an awesome start to your year :)
 
Hello everyone

How very nice you all are.

> Miss Clouds: Yeah, I was imagining you as a cross between Al Capone and Judy Garland. I still am! The air in London today by the way, is super-chilly. Snow is forecast. I hate snow. I always manage to fall down in it.

> lungs: Hello there. I already chew an awful lot of gum. I just thought the nicotine stuff would get me over some of the cravings. I think it probably is too. It’s just that it tastes worse than cigarettes! I’m looking forward to starting running too, just as soon as my spine sorts itself out. Thankfully it is feeling much better already. I reckon I should be ready to run from next Monday. Touch wood. (By the way, I read ‘this past summer I smoked like a chimp’ for a second there, and it made me laugh.)

> Novice: Thanks. Tea tree toothpicks sound good – handy as well as ever so slightly nutritious!

> Celeste: Carrot sticks are another good idea. I’ll sort that out tomorrow. (But the idea of dipping them in hummus is very tempting.)

I’ve actually picked up my ukulele again. I used to play but have really got out of the habit. Having it here by my desk is proving very useful. Whenever I really, really, really want a cigarette (as opposed to merely wanting one, which I do pretty much all of the time), I pick up the uke and pick my way through a song or two. It’s working pretty well so far, and it’s getting me back into playing, which can only be a good thing.

Two and a half days now! Only another 50 years to go! (Touch wood.)
 
Hey Stan
I, too have just started my new lifestyle after having gained nearly 100lbs with my last pregnancy. Good luck and be sure to forgive yourself when/if you slip. You can always start again the very next minute. :)

When I quit smoking I used a combination of a rubik's cube and sugar-free hard candy. I just kept them where Id previously kept my cigarettes and when Id mindless reach for them...my new better choice was right there waiting for me. It really helped.
 
Not sure about the candy, but I think I have an old Rubik's Cube hanging around somewhere. I never did manage to figure it out. Maybe now's the time.

Thanks, Melissa!
 
Hey,

I've a few thoughts about smoking that I would like to share.

Psychologically, you can think of it like this "I am a non-smoker." It's one of the more "positive" ways you can phrase it. To stop/quit smoking brings in ideas of "fighting" it and keeps your focus on smoking. I am a non-smoker. I am healthy.

If you can afford to, you may want to speak with your doctor about becoming a non-smoker. What I'm about to say worked for my brother, so it doesn't mean it will work for you. He took Ziban (anti-anxiety) for 3-months. I am no authority; I think it curbs addictive behavior.

You know that you do not need to smoke to "relax". The 5 mins you spend outside, you could easily spend breathing in the outside air, etc, without smoking.

My dad recently had his 2nd cancer surgery on his tongue. He mainly smoked pipes and used chewing tobacco (and snuff tobacco). In addition to removing chunks out of his tongue, they removed lymphnodes from both sides of his neck. He now has a scar from ear to ear that crosses the front part of his neck below the vocal chords. Lung cancer is much worse...

The cravings seem powerful. Make your desire for healthy oral/lung cancer-free life stronger than the craving. I fear my dad will have a recurrance in 5 years that will not be able to be removed. He would be 70 then. Probably robbing 10 years from his life...
 
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Good day Stan :D

Well....I will tell you something...a little secret......and you cannot tell anyone.....I GAINED 4 POUNDS!!:svengo: I am on one of the challenges here and we had to weigh in on 01/03/08...well the last time I weighed was like the middle of December so I thought I was still 275...rude awakening!!

Another secret....this one you must absoLUTELY not tell....i have never seen snow in real life:leaving:

I live in Florida USA so no snow here all my life...never been somewhere else in the winter to see snow.

How are things going with your new way of eating. Smoking...I'm not worries about, you have bananas, apples, carrot sticks, nicotene chewing gum and a rubix cube...all the ammo you need.

Hope all is well. The sandman and I have an appointment so I have to go. Talk to you soon
:cheers2:
 
Two things:

Perhaps you saw my mention of my friend's vestigial (not to be confused with prehensile, as he could not hang upside down from tree limbs and swing from tree to tree like your average monkey) tail, and this triggered your misreading of champ as chimp.

When I read "touch wood" I can't help but chortle a bit to myself. Here in the States we use the phrase "knock on wood." Also, the word "wood" is a friendly yet slightly vulgar euphemism for the male genitalia. See? Touch wood. Funny, right?

I hope you're still off the cigarettes and junk food.
 
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