I have never smoked. Both my parents did - always have. I have always hated the smell of it. It gags me. Literally. I cannot stand to be around it. Cannot stand to be in a room where others are smoking.

My 70-yr-old mother recently had surgery to clean all the arteries from the chest down. She now has a scar from the middle of her chest to her groin. She HAD to quit while she was in the hospital (2 weeks) and she remained "a quitter" until last weekend. :( I hate it that she has started back, but she did constantly complain of the craving, and that the doctor wouldn't prescribe her anything to help with the cravings.

At any rate, I do believe that smoking and weight gain are bad for one's health. I do believe that losing weight is hard, and I've seen too many people quit (or try to quit) smoking - so I'd have to say that's hard too.

BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. I'm coming into the belief that anything really is possible if you really want it; if you put your mind to it. I may be a yo-yo dieter - and what's good about that? WELL.... I have proven to myself at least SIX TIMES that I CAN LOSE WEIGHT. Yes I can! And I know I will do it again. I must find my own way of maintaining the weight loss.

The same could be said for smokers. You all who do it - you KNOW it's bad for you. You know it can be lethal to your health. You know it's nasty, and you know it costs you a lot of money - not just the habit itself, but think about the health costs (my mother's surgery & hospital stay was over $70,000).

Whether it's losing weight, exercising, stop smoking, or any other thing that is important to you ....The real question is: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

You are very very right. There is no reason for anyone to start smoking. We all have the information how bad it is for us. There is no reason for anyone to keep smoking, we know it isn't good for us. Just like losing weight, we can do it. It is harder for some than others, I am sure stopping smoking is the same.

My daughter is always on me about my smoking. Finaly she said ok this is it. Pick a weight any weight lol. I said whattttttt. She said when you get to that weight you have to quit smoking. I thought about this for awhile and said ok, you are right. I get to 120 I will quit.

There is no way of going back on this. The child could be used by the toucher unit. She won't let up. I made a promise and she knows I will stick with it. Might have gone back on it if the promise was to myself not to her.

Heck maybe it will be easier than I thought.

When my son was about ten years old, I realized he was going to come up on some "experimental" times as a teenager. I decided that yes, he may experiment with smoking, but I was going to do everything I can to prevent him from smoking. This meant quitting smoking myself, because I'd be danged if I was going to make it as easy as opening up the freezer to grab a pack of Mom's smokes, if he and his friends wanted to try it. I also knew that if I quit smoking, I'd be able to smell it on him and his clothes, if he were smoking or hanging out with others who smoke.

Not to sound unsupportive, but assuming you're not looking forward to quitting smoking, could this plan act as a disincentive to reach your goal weight? It seems like a good way to postpone quitting. What if you reach 130 and you're happy at that weight?

I say this as a former pack-a-day smoker myself. Just like with weight loss, that magical 'right time' never comes -- you just have to make the commitment and do it!

For those worried about gaining weight when they quit smoking, here's a more positive story. I lost weight when I quit! For me, quitting smoking was part of an overall change in attitude about my body. Once I took that step I wanted to do more and more to take better care of myself. I joined a gym a month after I quit and I've never stopped working out and challenging myself.

I think some people use quitting as a rationale for eating anything they want and forgive themselves because it's for a greater good. But alternatively, quitting can spur you to make other healthy changes. Here I am four and half years later, and I've never gained back a pound of the weight I lost after I quit smoking! So don't let that stop you.

Last thing: I didn't use gums or patches or anything, but I did frequent a website called quitnet. Since you're already here, you're probably into the idea of using online support. So if you're considering quitting, go take a look! Lots of helpful tips and active forums, and e-cards for your quit anniversaries!

3beans
Thanks for the info will check out the site. I am ready to quit. Am looking forward to it. May do it before that 120 dead line. More worried about doing to many changes at once and not sticking with them. On the other hand am tired of spending the money. Tired of losing weight and still having those cigs mess up my heath.

NAH! I'm not crazy ;)

FIBBER!

Thank-you.

I don't mind the smell of some cigars...cracks me up! I used to get these as a minor years ago. You could send in a "coupon" from a Sports Illustrated ad and get a free sample pack....such a cool thing at 14!

Rennie, that is one trick I learned in Smoke-enders years ago ~ When trying to quit...NEVER...smoke in "your" spot!

I never really like the smoke "in my face"...but NEW smoke doesn't bother me too much...doesn't make me want one.

Amazing isn't it JAY...how when you quit you can appreciate what "non-smokers" were going through. Angie refuses to allow anyone smoking in her house...one reason why the first 2 years we were married I had to rent an apartment for me while she lived in the house...and it was MY HOUSE!!

WHAT! Why would anyone NOT want to smoke during there meal? ;)

WORD!...as the kids say...

I am so glad I quit over 10 years ago. I sure wish I would have done it sooner. We all make mistakes in life. I know for a fact my mom was sorry she smoked. She was sorry she ever started...but that's what THEY did back then. She had many chances to quit. I tried many-many times to help her, she just was never ready. She was a smart lady, she knew what it was doing to her....it was just too hard for her to try and quit I guess. As I look back I remember my dad trying several times to quit, my mom never did. ADDICTION? Sure....could she have stopped? Sure....she just never wanted to bad enough.....until it was TOO LATE :(....and that was WAY before she died......

I used to just get them from the drawer when I was 14...mom smoked Pall Mall, dad smoked Camel Filters....OR...us guys would just walk into 7-11 with the "I forgot my note, but my mom wants a pack of Marlboro...or as in my case Winstons...OR...walk over to the bowling alley and put $.35 in the freakin' machine! EASY!!

You and I both know where that POWER comes from dear.....He will be there...it won't be easy...but...it will be DO-ABLE!

Dear....forget the MONEY....forget the WEIGHT....just try to hold your breath for AS LONG as you can....then put your face in a sink full of water.....and OPEN YOUR MOUTH....leave it there for a few seconds and....welll that is what I think it was like for my mom to breath the LAST YEAR OF YEAR LIFE.....

You can do this! I got your back...you know that!!!

35 cents a pack. Dear, dear EZ. :no: You're revealing too much about archeological origins... ;)

Jay

At least WE had seat belts.........wink

Actually we didn't! We (me and my 2 brothers/1 sister) used to drive down the freeway, to my uncles house, 50 miles +, in the back of dad's pick-up truck!

We didn't have seat belts because horse drawn wagons only have a top speed of about 30 mph. At least it was faster than the ox cart.

Jay

Oh, I didn't know you were AMISH....