MetaChat - Hi, guys! Now you are to be congratulamating me.

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23 December 2009

Hi, guys! Now you are to be congratulamating me. It's my two-week No-Smoking anniversary. After smoking a looooooooooooooong time. It's my xmas gift to myself. Pat me on the head, plz! →[More:]

Next up, the serious diet to get over the no-smoking poundage. I'm hungry all the time now. How do we make that stop?

post by: taz at: 08:17 | 43 comments

Woot! That's great!

Unfortunately, no idea about the hunger issues. The thing that works for me is to keep busy on stuff where I can't graze. It doesn't really get rid of the hunger, but it makes it far easier to ignore. Good luck!

[pats Taz' head]

posted by deadcowdan 23 December | 08:25

John Coltrane was able to quit heroin cold turkey - and even he never managed to quit smoking. You've undertaken a hero's task. We're all rooting for you.

posted by Joe Beese 23 December | 08:30

*pat, pat*

Drink iced tea maybe? I dunno I was lucky because I quit as soon as I fell pregnant and then puked up every time I smelled smoke. I still get nauseous actually from just the smell and I can't fathom how I used to smoke.

posted by gomichild 23 December | 08:34

Oh taz .. this is really the best present you could ever give to yourself. Congrats on making it two whole weeks. That is so awesome. I recommend caffeine .. to help with the sleepiness you might feel from the nicotine withdrawl and lots of water and veggies for snacking. The veggies are more appealing if you have a little low fat salad dressing for dipping. And of course sugarless gum and Lifesavers. Keep up the great effort! Yay taz!!!

posted by Kangaroo 23 December | 08:37

heh, Kangaroo, I think it was the sleepiness that got me through the first week. I was like... "cravings... cravings... whatever. I'm going back to sleep. Again."

posted by taz 23 December | 08:51

Well done!

posted by chrismear 23 December | 09:02

That's awesome! Yaaaay! *pat pat whuffle whuffle pat pat*

posted by Specklet 23 December | 09:17

Congratulating you, I am!

posted by rainbaby 23 December | 09:33

good on ya!

posted by crush-onastick 23 December | 09:34

Oh, for the hungries? the one person I know who managed not to put on lots of weight after quitting smoking drank gallons of coffee and learned how to make origami cranes. Lots of people suggest gum or candy or chewing on a pen or something to replace the cigarette in your mouth. She found something for her hands to fiddle with was a better substitute. She just carried a pack of paper instead of a pack of cigarettes and left origami cranes every where. A little like a film character.

I mean, isn't nicotine an appetite suppressant? So you're going to be more hungry than you ever were, right? But that doesn't mean you weren't eating enough before, so just try not to change your eating habits and make your smoking habit into a nonfood habit instead. Or something that sounds really easy.

posted by crush-onastick 23 December | 09:41

Good job Taz! Woo!

posted by sperose 23 December | 09:49

(pat pat)

posted by The Whelk 23 December | 09:56

Congratulamations!

posted by BoringPostcards 23 December | 10:04

Good job, Taz! Keep up the good work. Many congratulatory pats on the head.
I like the idea upthread of keeping your hands busy with origami.

posted by msali 23 December | 10:23

Good going! Now, promise us you will give us two-week updates on your progress. (Ain't I a bastard?)

posted by Ardiril 23 December | 10:28

Wow! Nice going taz! You're a non-smoker now! Way to go!

posted by richat 23 December | 10:35

Awesome, way to go taz! I like the origami crane idea :)

posted by gaspode 23 December | 10:37

Good job! Be gentle on yourself.

Not that you asked, but my suggestion would be to walk a lot, esp since it's not overbearingly hot there for a few more months.

If you want a cig, just get the dog and go for a walk.

I know, easy to say, but we are all pulling for you!

posted by danf 23 December | 10:41

Yeah, taz, keep it going, dear! I quit 9 years ago (after 20-plus years of relatively heavy smoking) and quitting is certainly one of the best things I ever did for myself. Don't slide back! Just STOP, from now on! It'll be better!

posted by flapjax at midnite 23 December | 11:03

Congratulations, taz, and don't let up. I would do a little cheer but I won't put the pleated skirt on for anything less than 1 year.

posted by Wolfdog 23 December | 11:07

Good stuff!

posted by arse_hat 23 December | 11:14

Marked and noted, Wolfdog. In about 50 weeks, plan to put the skirt on! and I will want pix... this will make it sooo worth it! :)

I've been doing a lot of dogwalking, danf! Sky's actually helping a lot, and, really, she's a big part of the reason I finally managed to wrap my head around quitting - because I felt so guilty about 2nd-hand smoking at her.

posted by taz 23 December | 11:18

Good job Taz! xo

posted by special-k 23 December | 11:22

Good for you! It's probably THE best thing you can do for yourself health-wise.

When I quit smoking, I ate everything in sight for a while. After the no-smoking thing was feeling secure, I tackled the couple of pounds I gained.

Congratulations!

posted by nelvana 23 December | 11:24

Congratumalations! That's fantastic! Good present to yourself, and to the people who love you. (Hey, that's us, too! So thank you!)

And now, in case you ever need it, I will give you the single best piece of not-smoking advice I ever got.

About two or three weeks after I quit, I was out at the bar with a friend having a drink. She took out her cigarettes and lit one, and caught the look of temptation on my face. I admitted to the temptation to have "just one," and she responded:

"Why would you do that? You're a non-smoker now."

She was right. After two weeks, the physical stuff is out of your system, so any temptation is just old habits. I decided to think like a non-smoker, and it really helped me rationalize away any other moments of temptation.

posted by Elsa 23 December | 11:34

Congratumalations!!

posted by shane 23 December | 11:51

Good job! You are already past the worst of it, now it's just maintenance.
You can do it!
I'd go buy some sugar-free sucking candies so you can have things in your mouth and not rot your teeth.

posted by rmless2 23 December | 11:57

!!!!2 WEEKS!!!!YAY, TAZ!!!Would QUIT AGAIN!!!!
srsly, awesometacular news~!

posted by theora55 23 December | 12:08

Congratulations!

On the eating thing, can you just, well, eat? You're trying to make a major change in your life; maybe concentrate on that and don't beat yourself up about the rest of it? Studies keep coming out lately showing that the more willpower we're exerting, the *harder* it gets to maintain (we start internally rebelling against all the "shoulds"), so, if it were me, I'd try to work on letting go of any pressure I felt to make other changes in order to make quitting as easy as possible.

You can certainly always change your diet or exercise later, if it's even necessary once your body gets adjusted to the lack of nicotine.

And other studies are showing that we're a lot more likely to make healthy changes in our lives when we feel good about ourselves, so beating ourselves up about our weight or body shape or whatever can be a bit counter-productive when we're working on changing habits.

Or, in a nutshell: Yay! You're making amazing progress, which is hard! So just be nice to yourself, because change is exhausting!

posted by occhiblu 23 December | 13:07

Congrats, taz. It's a great accomplishment and you should be proud.

posted by LoriFLA 23 December | 13:15

On the eating thing, can you just, well, eat? You're trying to make a major change in your life; maybe concentrate on that and don't beat yourself up about the rest of it?

When I quit smoking and put on a bit of weight, my doctor congratulated me and said, "I'd much rather see you gain 20 pounds than continue smoking." I agreed. (And this was a decade ago, before we'd seen so many studies suggesting that extra weight is not so closely linked to elevated morbidity/mortality.)

And since it's worth saying over and over: YAY YOU! Congratulations! You are doing so amazingly well! YAY!

posted by Elsa 23 December | 13:20

Well done, Taz.

posted by essexjan 23 December | 14:06

I agree with Elsa's friend, that's partly why I said you are a non-smoker now! I really found that change in mindset helpful. I stopped being a smoker hoping to quit. I BECAME a person who doesn't smoke. Dammit it felt good. And it stuck!

I am always so happy for people who quit, I think partially because I remember the freedom I felt leaving that demon bitch behind!

posted by richat 23 December | 14:33

Thanks for all the comments and support! Bunnies R helpin me leave dat demon bitch behind!!!

I ♥ u all!

posted by taz 23 December | 16:07

Please to be congratulating you.

posted by Doohickie 23 December | 18:28

Congratulations, taz. As others above have said you're now an ex-smoker. So whenever you're tempted, remember you're not thinking about whether or not to have "just one" cigarette, you're contemplating becoming a smoker all over again. Everyone's different but I found the "hunger" wasn't really hunger at all. It was my brain's way of trying to work through the change from constant cravings which were temporarily relieved by a smoke to a long steady decline (with occasional "blips") of craving. Eating only helped in that it was a distraction, so any distraction should do (danf's idea is a great one), and it will fade.

posted by GeckoDundee 23 December | 19:13

OMG, I missed this earlier today. Congrats and keep up the good work!

posted by Stewriffic 23 December | 20:51

Bravo Zulu, Taz!

posted by Triode 23 December | 21:33

Congratulations Taz!

posted by halonine 23 December | 22:16

Yay! It's been over 5 years for me. This guy I'd just started dating was allergic to smoke, so I stopped when I was around him.

Then I married him, so I kinda had to quit for good.

posted by desjardins 23 December | 23:35

Hurray Taz!!!!!

posted by brujita 24 December | 02:17

Bravo, taz! This is probably the hardest thing you will have to do, bar none. Be proud of yourself and keep thinking like a non-smoker. If you do happen to "have just one", you can easily stop again straight away - if that happens, don't make it an excuse to give up giving up.

*pat, pat*

posted by dg 24 December | 02:45

Congradulamations you non-smoker you! You get a *pat pat* and a BIG bear hug!

posted by deborah 24 December | 16:02

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