I suck eggs. I have skipped working out for the past 3 days and am in a rut. I've been slipping into a mild depression and I'm sure it's because I quit smoking two weeks ago. I'm just having a very hard time with it. More so than any other time I've quit in the past. This time is for good but dang, it's rough! I am still craving them every day. I was a 1 1/2 pack a day smoker and really enjoyed my ciggies but I knew it was time to quit if I wanted to live!!! Heck, all this healthy eating and exercise was not complete until I quit. Now I am a healthy person, or working my way towards being one...finally.

The kids are stressing me out and on top of it they're sick and have been missing school. I'm so tired lately. It's difficult for me to get all pumped up to work out. It's not in me these days. I'm feeling unmotivated and overwhelmed. So, I'm sitting here with a glass of wine (gasp) to further sabotage my progress. Whatever.

All I do is scold myself for not working out as I reach for another piece of hard candy or gum to replace my beloved cigarettes. Then, it's a piece of cheese or a couple of vanilla wafers that turn into a handful. This is not my typical behavior but honestly, I'm just fed up. I hope to start back up tomorrow, back to being my old determined, peppy self (gag). I'm probably being too hard on myself but all this hard work I've been doing so religiously is not giving me the results I thought I'd get by now. My weight is fluctuating like a seesaw and I'm getting so sick of it. I have not seen more than a one pound loss at a time in months. I'm feeling like I should just accept being at this weight even though I know I can do better and have. Weeks go by and nothing.....weeks! Grrrrrr. It would make anyone ticked off, especially when you do your VERY best.

Okay, thanks for listening. I really needed to get it out and I feel a little better. This is my first vent here on 3FC and it feels good! I wonder why I waited so long. lol

I know how you feel. I've recently come out of a rut, where I gained back 2 pounds... woops. Give yourself a break. Be proud of the fact that you quit smoking. Heck, maybe with a few days off your body will love it when you get back. It's ok to take a break, but believe in yourself and don't give up.

P.S. I'd be in heaven if I was your size!!!

DEAR GROOVY ~ quitting smoking is very difficult, esp in the first few weeks; BUT YOU CAN DO THIS! Have you tried SUGARLESS gum and candies; I really liked them and found they helped me a lot. Can you go for walks for now? That's what my DH and I did when we both quit over 5 years ago.

Walking helped us both immensely; I also used fake ciggies that DH made me; not for everyone, but they really helped me; and we count the days on a calendar every day; we put a big X on each day. We are marking for 7 years; the time they say it takes to renew our lungs.

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP; this is the hardest time, so just try to maintain your weight for now, until you get the ciggy thing accomplished for a while. I hit a plateau for several months, and am now heading down again. Becuz you are so low, you will have stalls and plateaus as you get closer to your goal weight.

Actually, YOU ARE DOING FAB; so pat yourself on the back instead; and go for a short walk with those sugarless candies in hand ...

Groovy - not having a cig for 2 weeks is great and the fact the you are still hanging in there is wonderful. I am almost to my 2 year anniversary and I know how hard it is. But it is so worth it. I feel so much better and healther even though I gained some weight while I was quitting.

Something to keep in mind is that nicotine affects your blood sugar. I didn't find that out until I was in the middle of quitting and when I realized and starting making an effort to keep it level my cravings and moodiness started getting better.

Lifesavers only have 15 cals so it takes a lot of them to add a pound.

You hang in there, Feelingroovy. I am pretty sure that smoking is worse for you than your weight since you aren't terribly overweight. I quit in 1994 and I still want a ciggie now and then. I chewed a lot of Trident gum - cinnamon flavor and drank diet Dr. Pepper.

Keep up the good work. You can do it!

Big congrats on quitting smoking! It's hard, but your body will thank you for years to come

Are you using the nicotine patch or gum? I quit 14 years ago and found that chewing on a straw helped alot, as did walking and exercise to release stress.

Good luck ... you can do this!!

Hang in there, Groovy! this is a hard thing, very hard, but you can do it. Just don't give in or you'll have to go through this all again... and you don't want to have to do that... I had to quit twice before I got that lesson, and it wasn't any easier the second time... Keep going! It WILL get easier, but only if you don't give in! Stay strong, girl!

Jay

Hey Groovy,

You are doing awesome! Like Ladiibbug, I also "smoked" straws for a long time after I quit. Four years last April. I used to cut them in 1/2 so they were the right size, it helped with those times when you would normally be holding a cigarette, which for me was when I was on the phone or driving to work or whatever is a trigger for you.

Putting my cigarette money aside every day helped me too. It was amazing how fast that money adds up. I used mine after a few months to have my teeth professionally whitened!!

I also used the patch and the gum although the gum was pretty crappy!

The cravings will start to get less and less. You can do it!!!!

Two weeks is great! Congratulations. The first two weeks are really rough...I remember walking the floors and crying! One thing I can promise you, it does get easier and easier as time passes. Hang in there! I now only crave a cigarette every once in a long while.....maybe every 3 months. As of October 19th, it will be two years since I quit. Looking back, one thing that helped me was to realize why I smoked and come up with alternatives. Like you, I smoked 1 1/2 packs a day and I enjoyed smoking. My main reason for smoking was relaxation. It gave me an excuse to go outside by myself and sit for a bit. Those 5-10 minute breaks were great de-stressers. Now, I sign onto 3fc for a while, I play a free game on Pogo, I watch some of my shows that I TiVo'd, I'll take a nice bubble bath with a nice book...anything to help myself relax. At first, it may seem like nothing really takes the place of a cigarette, but, in time, you will find that you're okay without them. Hang in there. We're pulling for you!

you know, exercise makes me feel happy. Science will say that exercise induces your endorphins to give you a natural 'high" and will regulate your seratonin levels. I even knew a doctor that, even though he prescribed medicine for treating depression, also advised a steady exercise regime. What you are avoiding might actually be your remedy!

I quit 5 months ago. It was hard those first few weeks - I stocked up on sugarless gum and bottles of water. I would chug a bottle of water if I got hungry in between meals and I usually didn't want anything after that. The gum got me over my oral fixation issue as a quitter. I still chew on pens and pencils though haha. And I most definately ate to replace smoking in the first few weeks. I sort of took time "off" of dieting to get myself right in the head over quitting smoking.

I've got two little ones as well and they really upped the anti when I quit - bad behavior, stressful times! But I made it through with not one drag off of a cancer stick and you can too. I started running which I never would have been able to do before quitting, and that helped keep me away from smoking because there was no way I could be a runner and a smoker.

If all else fails, post here 101 times! In a few weeks the mere smell of smoke will gross you out most likely (I still like it from a distance if someone is smoking outside lol) and you'll wonder why in the heck you did it for so long. I know I don't miss it at all anymore!

Thanks so much everyone. You have made me feel so much better. Congrats to those who have quit and are still nicotine free. I'm sure I have brought back some stressful memories. Heh. No, I don't use the patch or the gum. I chewed the gum for the first 3 days, then read up and learned that it was only prolonging the agony and continuing to feed into the addiction so I dropped it cold turkey. I'm using sugar free candy and gum. Thanks for recommending the straws. It helps a lot and takes some of the edge off. Rhonda, you smoked for the exact reasons I did and your post sounded like me! Oh yes, taking those 5-10 min. breaks to be alone and sit for a bit were what I looked so forward to. Those are the moments that I miss the most!! I did it so often throughout my day. Dang, now I want one! lol

I'm trying my best to change my behaviors and won't give in. I've made it through the hardest part. I worked out yesterday and felt great afterwards, although I didn't push myself the way I usually do. Go figure, I lost a pound this am. Ha. My spirits are slowly lifting but I wish the cravings still weren't so strong. I know that in a few weeks, I'll start forgetting that I ever smoked. I look forward to those days ahead. Thanks for your support and for sharing your stories. It has helped tremendously!!

Keep hangin' in, groovy!!! You're doing great!

You can still take those breaks--just without the smoke! Yes! Try it, it works!

Jay