intoxicated yoda

way to go @JustinHoot99 firstish month down. fantastic job.

@jillarthere are people like yourself that don't really have a problem. Then you got people like me who can stand on a scale and watch the weight go up just from breathing. The point I was trying to make is that if your metabolism is broken then you will tend to overeat and feel hungry all the time due to hormonal imbalances. Doing some type of elimination diet that gets all the processed foods out of your system can by pass those imbalances.

ending is sorrowful

@DenaliBlues if you aren't doing it already, try eating only meals that you cook yourself. don't eat any processed food(including seed oils) and don't eat anything that has a sweet taste as that will spoil your hormonal response. In about 30 days or so you will see that when you first start eating your meal it will taste really good. As you get full the taste will become less and less appealing until it doesn't taste good at all. Now you are full. If real food doesn't taste good then you aren't hungry. I think that is the way taste is supposed to work but everything we eat today is so unnaturally sweet that the food programs us to eat way to much and way to often. We rarely eat when we are hungry because we never really get hungry. We just have a bad gut biome that makes us crave bad food. Going carnivore has definitely given me some control back over my hunger signals.

Past the 7 month mark and today is day 213. As far as the struggle to maintain the quit goes there really isn't that much to report. Every day I get the same urges and the same thoughts. It's kind of like driving down the road with something in the back seat rattling, while highly annoying when you pay attention to it, it starts becoming more natural to ignore it the longer it goes on. The only other thing I've noticed is that when I walk into the gas station most of the time I don't even see the cigarette selection. Maybe I really am starting to put smoking behind me. Time will tell. On the health front, I bottomed out at 181 on the weigh scale. Having topped out at 203 and started my weight control journey at 199.5, that's not bad for 2 and half months. I have put 4 pounds back on over the last 2 weeks. Not sure what happened but to end up at 185 isn't terrible. 14 pounds in 3 months is a small victory even though I'm still at roughly the same weight I was at last month. I still have about 20 pounds to lose to get back to my pre quit weight. Of course if my body composition changes and I'm more muscular and less fat I'd be ok with never getting all the way back to that weight. Joints are still slowly improving. Neuromas very rarely flare up now. I'm still dealing with some minor bloating from time to time which I think may be connected to the slight weight gain. Sleep had been doing really good then the time change totally derailed me. I'm just now starting to get back in rhythm. I had backed off a little bit on the exercise since I don't want to over do it like I did last summer right before I quit. It was months before I could do even the easiest of workouts. I think I've built up enough I can start pushing myself a little bit harder. My other addictions have also been taunting me quite a bit. Sugar is always calling to me like a siren on the reef. That sweet silky voice singing to me ever so persuasively to go get that candy bar or donut. The funny thing is that most of the time it drowns out the nicotine tantrum that's always going on in the background. Coffee has been my waterloo though. I had to restart my coffee quit yesterday. I relapsed back onto decaf, which when I really think about it, decaf coffee is kind of nasty. Regular black coffee has a smooth bitterness to it which is why I like it, along with the caffeine jolt. The decaf has a harsh flat bitterness that leaves an awful after taste. At least I didn't opt for the Mt. Dew Code Red. If I had to put a name to the stage of quit I'm in I'd call it the drudgery phase. It's kind of like playing the video game that you've already beat a million times but you keep playing it because even though it's boring now it's still better than any other game out there. For all you early stage quitters out there that stumble across this post and read it, know that this one I wrote for you. If you are struggling in a way that you never thought possible, I was there. It does get better, then it gets worse...a lot worse and then...you get stronger. You get stronger than you could ever imagine you could be...and then...it gets easier. I hope this wall of text got your minds off of your addiction for a few minutes and maybe gave you some encouragement to stick with it. You can do it. Have wonderful smoke free week and be kind to yourselves and those around you.

it is one of my favorites but the only line i can ever remember is..."dyin' ain't much of livin' boy."

@JustinHoot99my WAG is "The Outlaw Josey Wales" based on the picture you put up

Integrity...it's what you do when no one is looking. I used to repeat this to myself over and over whenever my brain and/or my body was in a full blown rebellion against my quit. I can't say for sure it helped but it did remind me that I'm not quitting for anyone but me. Telling yourself that "nobody will know" is a fallacy cause the most important person in your world will know.

thanks everybody. tonight i'll be partying like it's 1859.

you are doing great Justin. today will be a wonderful smokeless day.

Congrats @Kris. I know it's been tough for you but your determination to stay with it has been inspirational. Have a blessed day.

This...I can't say it any better.

well duh...it's cuz that's a spade, son.

Great job @GusI'm so happy you made it to the Lido Deck. Time for you to party and spoil urself a little bit. Save me a dance and i'll be there in about 5 months...give or take.

these cats are amazing!!

So sorry to hear of your health issues. Praying you find a resolution to it soon.

Happy B'day @jillar sounds like you had a good one.

congrats @Sunshinekeep that quit going!!

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