NYCPH's diary

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nycph

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I quit smoking 44 days ago after trying to quit for ten years. I know that the metabolism changes after you quit cigarettes, and also that newly quit people tend to eat everything in sight. I really tried to keep my eating relatively normal but the kilos seem to have crept up on me.

I go to the gym almost every morning. At the gym, I run on the treadmill and lift weights. While it's hard to kick myself into gear to go to the gym, a good workout where I have pushed myself also makes me feel wonderfully blissful all day afterward.

I've been a vegan for the past two years, and that diet has done wonders for my body, mind and spirit. But there is such a thing as eating too much of everything, regardless of how healthy it is, and I've been stuffing my face a bit too much. Also, I am a sugar addict (as is most of the Western world) and I've been eating too much candy during my quit.

How do I plan to lose weight? Well, I want to lose a minimum of a kilo a week. To have something tangible to reach for is more helpful than just having an increasingly desperate desire to lose weight. Since I am already drinking countless liters of liquids a day, I don't see how I would be able to increase my liquid intake. But one thing I have not tried yet is to just sit with the craving until it goes away. Deep breaths, meditative mind. Cravings always go away (it's basically the same method as any other addiction), even if they come fast and furious at first.

I'm glad I'm here.
 
Hi! Welcome!

Best of luck!

Exercising is fun (I never thought I'd ever say that) and it does make me feel so much better. Giving up sweets is hard, too hard. I've had to make sure to have lots of sweet tasting snacks or I would go mad. but it's a dangerous slippery slope!

Good luck!
 
I'm glad you're here too nycph. A big welcome to the forum & an even bigger congratulations for quitting smoking. Most sites say that there is an initial weight gain after quitting smoking, but that it then settles if you are still eating the same amount of food as before. Be careful not to reduce your calories too much or your metabolism will be lowered even more.
I thought this advice, from a gov't health site, was good-
"Things to remember-
About 80 per cent of smokers put on weight after they quit.
The causes of weight gain may include the effect of nicotine on the body, and the ex-smoker’s inclination to eat more food.
You would have to gain over 40 kilograms above your recommended weight to equal the risk of heart disease posed by smoking."
I read a diet book ages ago that had lots of sound advice on ignoring cravings. They do go away & there are many tricks you can use to distract yourself. Having fruit cut up in the fridge that you can pick at when you feel like something sweet helps me.
You should be so proud of yourself for giving up smoking! Well done!
Cheers, Cate
 
Welcome to the forum & Congrats on quitting smoking. I quit November 2013 & was the best thing I ever did! Well done :)
 
Thanks for your welcome, Paladin! I went without sweets for a full year, and then I had a dish with sugar-glazed small potatoes at Christmas. Boom, and I've been struggling with sweets ever since (which is now 5 and a half months).
 
Thanks, Sunflower. Congrats on quitting cigarettes. I'm at a point where I can't even fathom that I used to smoke. Now I'm working on getting better control over my sweets habits. :)
 
I had a great workout early this morning. The day before yesterday I bought an armband for my iPhone and I listen to a topic I'm currently studying. Both yesterday and today I became so engrossed in listening that I barely noticed I was working out. Because of this, I worked out harder and for longer than I usually do, haha. I was really wiped out afterwards both days, but I reconstitute a lot faster now than I used to.

I've downloaded a lot of podcasts on the subject I'm studying, and I'm already behind. As new podcasts are added at a pretty healthy clip, I have enough material to cover many workouts into the future.

I bought candy and ate it today. I kidded myself that I did it as a kind of grand finale, but I know it's just because I'm addicted to it.
 
My weight is pretty constant now, perhaps ticking down a bit. I have now fully embraced the understanding that unless I jump out of bed the moment I wake up in the morning I won't get to the gym early in the morning. And I hate having having to go to the gym hovering over me. With that in mind I jumped out of bed as soon as I woke up and was one of three people at the gym at six this morning. It was truly great to have the gym almost to myself. And as every single time I've ever worked out, I feel great for the rest of the day (which is another very good reason for going first thing in the morning). :)
 
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