Re: I'm a *snif* big fat fatty

Hey Ashley,

I gained about 10-15 lbs when I quit, but was able to take it off rather
quickly by doing the South Beach diet. (BTW - I decided to do this when my
pants got to the "juuuussttt baaarely fitting" point as well. That gave me
motivation.) I am now actually about 7 lbs less than I was before I quit,
and still losing. Another 9 lbs and I'll be at my "target" weight. I am
not trying to gloat or show off or anything, because I think I'm "a Snickers
bar away from a pound a day," to rephrase some of the junkie thinking FAQ.

Which brings me to my point, which is that I think that the experience of
quitting smoking -- although it nodoubt contributed to my weight gain -- has
provided me with some tools that have helped me to lose the weight as well.
Among these:

- Understanding that food choices are choices of chemicals that we put into
our body. While food is obviously a necessity of life, and dining can be
one of the great pleasures of life, I realized that I ate foods to achieve
certain physiological, or even social, effects, such as raising my blood
sugar, providing energy, calming me down, pumping me with happy brain
chemicals (chocolate), helping me to sleep, relieving stress, taking a
break, being social with friends, avoiding being a dork at a restaurant
(i.e. "can I have the cheeseburger without the bun and instead of the fries
can I have the vegetables. Oh, and take away the bread, please."), or just
to relieve a growly stomach (by ingesting easily accessible junk food / fast
food that provides instant gratification). This is not dissimilar to
cigarette smoking in some ways, is it? I realized that I needed to make
better choices about food in order to achieve the results I sought. If I am
feeling low energy, it is better for me to eat protein consistently and have
an overall higher energy level, than it is for me to eat a snickers bar and
a diet pepsi for that temporary jolt that leaves me crashing an hour later.
I think this is important to understand, regardless of whether one is
concerned about weight gain or weight loss. I never would have understood
it, I think, without learning about how I used nicotine to achieve various
similar physiological and social results.

- The quitting smoking experience also caused me to want to treat my body
better generally. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good, and when
confronted with the idea of healthy diet or exercise, I sort of said "why
bother, 'cause I smoke" and so I didn't treat my body well. Now, since my
quit, I know it's cliche, but I really feel more like my body is a temple
and I want to take care of it. So, not only am I eating right, but I am
also taking yoga and trying to get out for fresh air on these nice autumn
days. I'm taking vitamins, which I never took before, and I've cut down
(but not stopped) my previously monumental Diet Pepsi consumption. On the
subject of "exercise:" The other day, I too took my dog to a state park and
we just walked in nature (not just around our block in the burbs) for maybe
2 hours. It didn't feel like exercise at all! It was delightful and
beautiful - and taking in lungsfull of the fresh air and woodsy smells was
fantastic! (I hate traditional "exercise" like going to the gym, or
running, or working out on a machine. BORing, to me. And I don't feel like
yoga is "exercise" because there is such a mental/spiritual side to it and I
enjoy it - so maybe that is a suggestion for you.) (By the way, another
newly discovered upside to the quit: I can walk in the woods and not worry
about starting a forest fire with dry leaves around, 'cause I don't smoke
anymore).

- The quitting experience has also given me the discipline to keep my eye on
the prize (weight loss, general good health), when cravings (the
"SnickerDemon" or his friend the "DoritoDemon") sneak up on me. It's gotten
to the point now that I actually can walk through the candy or chips aisle
at the supermarket and realize that I am having thoughts of chocolate or
chips, but not actually really craving it --- so I can brush it off. It's
sort of like recognizing a smoking trigger, without morphing it into a
crave -- which is how it's been with me at 9+ months quit. Earlier in my
quit I never would have felt this way about cigarettes OR chocolate. Now I
can brush off both demons fairly easily. (Now, the Ben&Jerry'sDemon is
another story -- I stay away from the ice cream aisle. Just like staying
out of a bar when I first quit smoking.)

I think a corrolary to the idea of having the discipline to keep my eye on
the prize and beat back craves, is that the quitting smoking experience has
also provided me with an understanding that I have food "triggers" that I
should avoid or work around until I can master the situation. Thus, I stay
away from the ice cream aisle, as above. Or I try to plan meals ahead, so
that I'll avoid acute hunger pangs that have always led me to grabbing
something for instant gratification such as a Wendy's Double Cheeseburger
with Large Fries and Diet Coke (the number 2), or a Snickers bar with
Doritos on the side.

I feel like there is something else I wanted to say, but I've gone on so
long, I forgot! I'll post more if I remember.

Anyway, this is just some of my experience. Your mileage may vary, as they
say. MY mileage may vary too! I guess one more thing that quitting smoking
has also taught me is that I cannot afford to be smug and complacent and
think I'm out of the woods. But, for right now, all I can say is that the
lessons of my quit are helping me lose weight and I plan to keep it that
way.

FWIW,

Jaime

I have achieved nine months, three weeks, 23 hours, 38 minutes and 54
seconds, of smoke-free living (and, with it, rather aggressive driving).
This amounts to 8849 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,101.47, and adding 4
weeks, 2 days, 17 hours, 25 minutes to my fabulous life.


"writer272002" <writer272002@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1194286264.492006.144040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Went to the doctor's today. Everything is fine. But according to her
scale, I have put on 10-plus pounds since I quit smoking. I have never
weighed more in my life.

I'm still in the same size of pants -- barely.

I have tried so hard to keep from putting on weight and it still keeps
creeping up.

I know what I need to do. I know I need to get off my ass and
exercise. But I HATE exercise. My neighborhood is kind of sketchy so I
don't feel safe walking around here. Meaning if I'm going to get
moving, it's going to involve a lot of effort to go somewhere else,
etc.

I could join the gym at work but my schedule makes it hard to find
time to work out there.

I've never had a weight problem in my life. I was so skinny as a teen-
ager that doctors used to quiz me about my eating habits (never had a
problem there).

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: FATSO (was Re: when will Orion produce an ED100 apo?)
    ... my former doctor was totally against Atkins and I mean ... > to my weight and build, and he has made a note of my sensitivity on the ... Exercise alone just doesn't ... > inherently wrong with the diet. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Dave Scherers Weight Loss Tips (you cant write comedy this good)
    ... but for me 235 is my natural weight. ... There was "no time" for exercise, ... successfully change the way that they eat. ... Going on a diet often works while you do it. ...
    (rec.sport.pro-wrestling)
  • Re: The nerve! The sweet tooth!
    ... I've stepped up the exercise level considerably in the past couple ... to change weight, and in different people as well. ... people think of a diet as "what you do while you're trying ... really fat people. ...
    (alt.sysadmin.recovery)
  • Acne and Exercise
    ... "Lose weight without exercise" is it possible? ... you CAN lose weight by cutting calories it is 100% possible. ... starvation .The starvation diet will actually slow down your metabolic ...
    (rec.music.hip-hop)
  • Acne and Exercise
    ... "Lose weight without exercise" is it possible? ... you CAN lose weight by cutting calories it is 100% possible. ... starvation .The starvation diet will actually slow down your metabolic ...
    (misc.health.diabetes)