JustinHoot99

Just checking in 15hrs after your post. Hope you are doing fine, coping w/ the normal cravings.

That is great news. Stay ever vigilant though.

Start of day 11. 5:45am - Time to get out and do my HIIH workout. Personally, I think lack of exercise is the reason for many peoples health issues. Obviously not everything can be addressed w/ exercise, and some people are limited due to certain conditions, but the vast majority of people are capable of incorporating some form physical conditioning in to their lives and would greatly benefit from it. Just what everyone needs, health advice from a smoker of 40yrs. lol

Unfortunately we can not always hear the tone of the keystrokes. And the letters we type do not always show the expressions on our face.

LMBO over that meme.

Hey, awesome to get that 1st day done and out of the way. I'm on day 10 and I find posting really help when the craves get strong. For me, it's enough to distract me long enough to get through the crave.

Start of day 10. We all like "celebration" dates like 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, 30, etc. We call 10 "entering double digits". Creating special days is beneficial because it gives us a little positive boost to counteract the negative feelings we get dealing with our addiction. But he reality is, every day not smoking is a reason for celebration. However, I will still pat myself on the back for entering double digits.

Finishing up day 9. Had to have wife give me my keys so I could drive to get a new crown and get some tooth rot or whatever its called ground away. Didn't really think about smoking on the way there or back. Knowing I would have to pass the smell test when I returned home helps some. But it was nice when I got back and realized I did not have a craving during the drive.

I have apple slices w/ just a hint of PB so the cal's are pretty low. I did breakdown and have a bowl of IC last nite. First box on my list I couldn't check off this month. But I plan on making it at least 8 more days again.

End of day 8. NOS!!!! I don't know if I'm going to make it though. Not the smoking part but the diet requirements on my check list. Everynite for maybe a year or more, I was eating a large bowl of icecream before bed. It's not a big deal for me cause I exercise a lot and the rest of my meals were pretty decent. But my wt had creeped up to 182 from 172 around October. My ideal wt (the wt I feel my absolute best at) is around 168. So I put "No nite time junk food" on my daily check list. I've been eating apple w/ PB, or a pear, and 2 slices of cheese since start of my quit 8 days ago, but I'm really getting some cravings for a big bowl of chocolate IC. On the other hand, the scale numbers are creeping down and I really like that too. I'll let you know how this one goes. Discipline is just choosing between what you want NOW and what you want MOST.

lmbo. Yep, those times got cut from the final edit of my fantasy smoke.

At times, it does feel this way. In my quitting experiences, one of the major signs I was in trouble was the "romanticizing" about smoking. The mental thought of taking a deep drag, the holding in my fingers, the taste of the heated smoke passing through and into my lungs. These are the worst cravings my mind will hit me with and I must learn to immediately go do "something" so I break the thought train.

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the support. Start of day 8. One thing I have noticed about getting past "targets" like 3days, 1wk, 10days, 2wks ... is that they seem to be triggers for cravings. I can't explain what goes on in the brain that causes this, but maybe it's because the celebration and good "vibe" you get is actually causing you to give focus to the fact you have "deprived" yourself of something. Obviously not in your conscious mind, but in the subconscious. Anyway, I have to be cognizant of the fact I have seen that and experienced it and be on guard. Well, enjoy a smoke free day everyone.

Well, I made it through week 1. 7 days looks close to infinity when you first start. For anyone new, I had my wife hide my car keys for 21 days which effectively cut off my access to cigarettes. I've only driven twice in the 7 days (I work from home), both times for specific needs and carefully smelled by my wife when I returned. I must say removing access to cigarettes does reduce the cravings. I could ride my bike a distance to get them, but so far I haven't given in to that. I realize I will eventually have to face life w/ access to my vehicle, although I am saving a significant amount of money in gas, especially since my car was my primary place to smoke (never on my property or in front of anyone). I have been having some cravings, you know, those romanticizing moments were you imagine taking a deep drag and all that. Fairly typical for ex-smokers to have that those fantasies, at least in the beginning. I'm still filling out my daily task list of about 10 fitness related things I have to do. Having tasks I have to complete and checking each task off is helping I think. Sometimes when I get the craving or start to fantasize, I'll run off and do my pushups or some other task. My other tool is lots and lots of typing on this site. Just letting my thoughts meander and getting support means so much. Well, heres to making it through the next 7 days, one day at a time.

I can totally relate to what you are saying regarding how the craves increased in intensity. During my failed quit last Sept/Oct, I made it around 50 days. The first 3-4 wks was very manageable. But after around the 1st month I started getting cravings that were much more intense causing me to fixate and romantisize. I can't say what will change that this time because I'm only on day 7. I am doing something similar to your honey-do list though, and I'm hopeful it will have an impact. But I have fitness related items on mine. I have them on a spreadsheet w/ columns for everyday, and they are printed and hanging over my computer where I work (I work from home). I have to place a check on EVERY item EVERY day. Now it doesn't matter how many I do. For instance, I have to do pushups. I can do 1 or 25, it doesn't mattter. All I'm trying to do is keep myself distracted during the day having to remember to go do these. Whenever I have a large craving, I go do one. One additional benefit is that my wt has dropped 3lbs since I started my quit 7 days ago. My tasks are: Weigh myself and write down Write what day of my quit it is Pullups Pushups Hanging leg lifts MovNat ground exercises HIIH workout No nite junk food No chips at lunch Floss. The most important thing I do though is get on here a lot. Typing is my distraction from cravings.

Morning all. Start of day 7. Hope you all have a smoke free week.

lol. That is truly a messed up family. End of day 6. I needed to get rid of a couple bags of leaves and a bunch of cardboard, plus it was a beautiful day and I missed the park, so I had her give me the keys on the condition she would be home to "smell" me. It was great getting out on the trail for a short hike, plus just getting off the property. Other than my workouts within 1 block, thats only the second time I've been gone or driven in 6 days. Felt good. Naturally there were some triggers but I made it. I can't brag to much though as it is much easier when you know you are going to get the smell test as soon as you get home. Even after my 3 wks are up, I'm going to be very careful and ease back into driving. I'm really liking having my daily list of 11 health related tasks I have to check off individually each day. Not only is it good for me and creates a habit, but when I start getting bored while working (I work at home) and a craving starts, it's a great time to go get one of my tasks done. Anything to occupy the mind. Hope all you wonderful people had a productive and smoke free day.

HIIH is High Intensity Interval Hiking. About 6 years ago, I started getting tired of working out in a gym and started adding hiking at a local park w/ a 1mi loop trail. Then I started adding things like situps/pushups and off trail hill climbs during my hikes. Now I've got brake rotors hidden in the woods for some wt lifting, a log for flipping, heavy stone for throwing, and have even built a few things off the trails. I've got about 50 assorted exercises and choose about 10 each hike spaced out at various intervals. I hike quickly between each exercise, do a set of 10-30 reps. Hence High Intensity Interval Hiking. I think I coined the abbreviation HIIH just so I could tell people I get HIIH everyday. Love it though.

Start of day 6. Getting ready to go for a HIIH workout. Hope you all have a smoke free day.

Thanks, I did the last time I was here and then forgot that was there since I restarted. Appreciate the link.

Day 5 of NOS ending. NO Smoking. I should mention my exercise. As I've said, I intentionally developed a habit of exercising everyday 5 years ago. Now I crave exercise as much as I crave cigarettes (and yes, I still want to smoke). I do a lot of types of exercise, but one form of exercise I do is called MovNat. MovNat is a combination of getting outdoors and exercising in nature, but also ground based exercising that can be done indoors or outdoors and requires no equipment. There is a ton of youtube videos on Movnat, just google it. It's especially useful as you get older as it focuses on mobility. In fact, many movnat practitioners are also into Parkour. I'm 61 and I'm working on vaults over bars, forward rolls, side rolls, swinging on bars, etc. Well, thats my little plug for Movnat.

Just finished vacuuming and fabreezing when I came in and read this. Actually, since my car is the main place I smoke, I'm constantly fabreezing. Right now it smells very stale in the car. I'll be leaving the windows open the next 2 weeks other than at night or when raining. Think I'm going to go on a bike ride now. Want to burn some calories.

I don't know how people ever quit smoking w/o a team behind them. Around 20yrs ago, my father in law quit smoking w/o NRT, internet, etc. He promised himself he would buy a riding lawnmower if he quit, and then just quit and that was it. Hasn't smoked since. I have to have my keys hidden, make lists to keep me occupied, and come here for therapy. lol Oh well, I'm still thankful to have you all here to give me therapy cause smoking is a messed up thing to do.

Ending day 4. Checked off all the boxes on my list for the day. Bigly News: I drove my car tonight. Yes, I had to get some miniblinds from Menards that I special order 4wks ago. So I had my wife get the key she hid. Of course she was by the door when I returned and didn't say anything but I knew she was checking to see if there was a hint of smoke on me. This would have been a 3 cigarette trip in the past. Gave her my key to hide again. Won't need car again till next Wed when I have to go to the dentist. I feel like such a putz for feeling great for having driven my car w/o inhaling burning leaves. Such is the life of an addict. Celebrate every win.