Closing thought of the day

[jillar]

Have you tried GasX @intoxicated yoda? It'll have you farting out that bloat in no time

Congratulations on facing and beating another trigger. Now next Christmas will be so much easier 

 

[Kris]

@intoxicated yoda @jillar gives great advice, hopefully you have some.  I always keep in the medicine cabinet.  Also a heating pad on the tummy usually helps.

[intoxicated yoda]

@jillarnot tried anything yet.  gonna just ride it out for tonight, see where I'm at in the morning and start what has worked before.  Gonna be a challenge but let's face it...what the hell else am I gonna do between now and the grave?  I want to fill that time up with rounds of golf trading stocks and chasing women and I can't do any of that if i'm gasping for air or morbidly obese.  LMAO.  

[intoxicated yoda]

December 26th, 2021...today is the day the journey to real health starts, and since I was kind of planning to start from the bottom the universe was not going to disappoint.  I think I feel worse today than any day since I quit smoking.  Every joint in my body is stiff as a board which sucks cause it's a beauty of a day.  The sky is crystal clear with no signs of getting sprayed.  Temperature is almost 60 degrees and winds are a very light breeze.  Here I am barely able to move.  But that's ok, that's why I'm here.  I'm going to fix that over the next few months.  Starting weight is 199.5.  I was going to do some other stats but I don't feel it really matters.  The mirror will give me all the feedback I need for the exterior and my mood and flexibility will give me the feedback for the interior.  Day one begins.  The goal:  survive it.

 

 

[intoxicated yoda]

ok...got through the first day of no carbs and I have to say it always amazes me how fast the body starts to respond.  It's only been about 25 hours since my last mouthful of whatever crap food I ate was and already the cigarette cravings have diminished to barely noticeable and the bloating while not completely gone is tons better.  I have survived day 1.  Day 2 will be about the same as today but day 3 is when the sugar cravings will kick into overdrive.  through my research I have found that a trick to use on sugar cravings is to drink a tablespoon or 2 of apple cider vinegar diluted in water every time the cravings start.  I'll let y'all know how that works out.  The bad news is that I slept for about 10 hours last night which means I most likely won't be able to sleep tonight.  It usually works out that I can sleep good about 2 nights out of the week.  I tried the gummies and while they didn't put me to sleep i did enjoy the hell out of being awake.  

[intoxicated yoda]

Day 2 with virtually no carbs is almost over and thank the good Lord I've made it thus far.  While today wasn't horrible as far as cravings go it was a bit more intense than yesterday.  I tried the apple cider vinegar diluted in water to ease the sugar cravings but I can't tell if it actually helped or if doing just any old thing would have gotten me the same result.  The headache is starting to kick in so tomorrow will probably be much worse than today but the lack of bloating should be enough to keep me on track.  The cigarette cravings I had today were quite intense as well but didn't last that long.  I think I spent less than 2 hours total in a nicotine fit and it was mixed in with the sugar crave which kept me pretty confused on what I really wanted.  Shockingly it made it that much easier to just do nothing and avoid it all.  On the positive side, in addition to the bloating being vastly improved I actually slept pretty well.  I'm guessing I got almost 6 hours of sleep and my joints were also much looser this morning.  I was able to walk normally down the stairs after about the 4th step.  The neuromas in my feet didn't bother me at all today which was a slice of heaven in itself.  If you've never had to deal with a neuroma, imagine taking a step and as soon as the ball of your foot gets a certain amount of pressure it feels like a fish hook is getting ripped out through the end of your middle toe.  Lucky me I've got that in both feet.  I noticed the last time I went carb free that stopped happening and only started again the day before christmas.  Lets see...oh yeah, stepped on the scale this morning.  194.6.  One day and almost 5lbs gone.  I don't know if I trust that but whatever, i'll take it as a win and keep going.  I'm becoming more and more convinced sugar is poison.  I know this is a stop smoking board but I'm quitting smoking to get healthy and don't see the use of quitting one poison if I'm going to keep using another.  

 

In a couple of more days I'm hoping I can start the breathing exercises again.  I found it's damn near impossible to do deep breathing when your are bloated.  I should be kicking myself in the ass for using christmas as the excuse to get off the no carb train.  It wasn't like I didn't know what to expect but i guess i had to be the little fat kid that touches the hot stove...twice...anyway, if things go like they did before I should be over the worst of it in about 10 more days.  In the meantime, 2021 quitters UNITE!!!  Form of a...a...shit, i got nothin'.

[intoxicated yoda]

Day 3 of carnivore almost done.  Somehow I have managed to not eat any of the leftover pecan pie for 3 days now.  I haven't thrown it away yet because I'm afraid if I touch it I'll just end up shoving it down my throat.  Maybe by tomorrow morning I'll have enough self control to get it out of the house through the side door instead of the toilet.  That was gross.  The scale showed me 195.0 this morning.  I slept pretty good last night, I think I got about 6 and a half hours of sleep last night.  That is a record for me since I quit smoking.  3 nights of six hour or better of sleep.  Joints felt pretty good this morning.  I could go down the stairs normally from the first step to the last right out of the bed.  I'm also becoming aware of different things that have been going on that I've just never paid attention to before.  So far in the short term the number of positives are outweighing the negatives, but the negatives are definitely a hell of a lot more intense.  All the cravings were quite a bit more intense today but the bloating being so greatly diminished makes it worth it.  I'm still not sure if drinking the water with either lemon/lime juice or apple cider vinegar is helping but doing it beats suffering and doing nothing.  We shall see how this plays out but I did not smoke today so whatever else happened it was a success.

[jillar]

That's awesome that you're sleeping better now @intoxicated yoda, that really does do a body good Have you tried sucking on a candy when you get those intense craves? They have lots of sugar free candy these days. I accidentally bought some sugar free lemon candies that tasted pretty good. Those worked good for dry mouth too.

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by jillar

[intoxicated yoda]

@jillarunfortunately I did try those candies and the problem is that I will crunch through a piece of hard candy in about 10 seconds and I won't stop until the bag is gone or I get sick enough I have to take a nap...and then I'll finish the bag regardless of sugar content.  Now you know how and why I gained 40 lbs in 3 months.    But I am trying to treat the sugar craves the same as nicotine craves and ride them out.  If things do get to the point of breaking I will sacrifice the diet before I sacrifice the quit.    

[intoxicated yoda]

Day 4 and I'm actually not doing to bad other than the headache gets pretty bad at times.  My research tells me this is pretty normal when getting off of carbs and sugars.  It's a lot like quitting smoking but I've seen some testimonials of people that went carnivore and kind of spontaneously quit smoking or alcohol.  It's an interesting concept.  I think much of the issue is inflammation, hormones and gut biome.  As the inflammation heals, the hormones normalize and the gut biome stabilizes it changes who you are on a very microscopic level and the new you might be a non smoker.  Anyway, I tipped the scale at 193.8 this morning so after 3 days i'm down 5.7 lbs.  I'm sure most of that is water weight but I don't really care since I'm not suffering from the bloat or constipation.  I'm also less concerned about weight and more focused on body composition.  In regards to smoking, it doesn't seem to be causing any extra stress that would put my quit in jeopardy so whatever transition I have to suffer I'll deal with unless that changes.  I hope everyone had a great day today and is getting ready to grab 2022 by the balls and beat it into submission.  Stay smoke free everyone.

[intoxicated yoda]

Almost thru day 10 eating carnivore.  The positives the negatives and the cheats.  First the cheats, News Years eve I just didn't feel like cooking so I wound up eating pizza.  I did pay for that the next day but I never expected I'd do this perfectly and don't intend to punish myself over it.  I also am still drinking coffee.  A medium Dunkin Donuts black coffee in the mornings.  I think most of my negatives are coming from the coffee.  There are mycotoxins on the coffee beans, much like peanuts that are impossible to completely cleanse.  As much as I hate it I'm going to have to completely ditch the coffee as well.  

 

The negatives.  Still get mild bloating from time to time.  I got this ringing in my ears but I think it's not new, it's just that I'm more aware of it now.  Still have cravings for coffee and cigarettes but the sugar cravings seem to be less assuming I can tell the difference between them.  

 

The positives.  The headaches are all but gone.  Sleep is slowly beginning to get more consistent.  Joints are feeling better and the neuromas in the balls of my feet haven't given my any pain since the day after new years.  I was also able to do a few push ups today without it feeling like I was being stabbed in my shoulder so hopefully in a few weeks i can start working out with a little aggression.  My morning weigh in was 189.4.  That's 10 lbs lost since 12/26.  I'll take that.

 

Next step...gotta give up the coffee.  I'll meditate on that for a day or two and pick a day to end it.  Maybe Friday...I don't know though.   All in all I'm really happy with the results I'm getting so far.  

[Kris]

@intoxicated yoda I can't speak to the coffee thing, I am a hot tea with cream girl.  I do drink a lot of diet coke.  That would be main caffiene source.  I am a big carb eater, just easier to make toast and eat cereal  Can't deny my love of salty crunchy snacks.  I have found that I am craving more fresh vegetables. I have got that stocked up.  I think a protein and a salad will make a good dinner. I usually keep the meat to 4 to 6 ounces.  I have the habit of eating a good meal for dinner but I tend to snack when I can't sleep.  I wish I could be as strong in my diet as my quit.  My most important thing right now is my quit.  I can take small steps with the other stuff.  I am proud of your quit and your weight loss.   

[intoxicated yoda]

@Kris Thank you for the encouragement.  Honestly, if it wasn't for the digestive issues I had brought on by the quit I wouldn't be worried about the diet.  I would love to eat vegetables and the occasional dessert unfortunately something is causing me a real problem so the diet is really to just eliminate everything except beef until everything has a chance to heal then try different things and see how I react.  I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to eat potatoes again and maybe some ice cream.  For now though, the diet seems to be starting to accomplish the mission but I will have to be pretty dang strict about it.

[Kris]

@intoxicated yoda Just wanted to check and see if you have seen your doctor about the issues.I had digestive problems for years.  Finally saw a gastro doctor that listened and scheduled a colonoscopy.  Nothing appeared wrong to his eyes but he took biopsies of my colon.  That finally confirmed a diagnosis of lympocitic colitis.  He put me on a drug for that and it all got better.  He said I would have the potential of flare ups but this has not happened.   I went for years having to know where the ladies room was, I even had my route to and from work planned out for available bathrooms. See a doctor!

[intoxicated yoda]

@Kris I'm done with doctors.  I'm sure there are some good ones out there but I'm getting to old to sift through them to try to find one that with some common sense.  The last time I went to a doctor she wouldn't see me any more because I wouldn't take the cholesterol medication she prescribed because the side effects was everything that sent me to see a doctor in the first place.  And I'm not sure that cholesterol level of 138 is unrealistically high.  

[Kris]

@intoxicated yoda I get it, like I said. I was sick fpr many years and seen multiple doctors until I was able to make someone really listen.  Same thing, over a year having hip pain, seeing my primary care, she did not realize how bad it was until I had no reflex in my right knee, she thought it was my spine, turns out it was avacular necrosis, I had lost the blood supply to my hip and it collapsed.  There was alot that happened then.  In the end I had to have a total hip replacement but that was a vacation compared to the pain I had before.  I tell you this because sometimes you have to go through hell to find a doctor that listens to you.  I finally started to write down everykthing so I would not forget things that they should know. I will still say you need to find the right doctor.

[Kris]

Closing thought for the day, I am struggling everydayl I just wanr to be the person I was.  I was a smolker and that is no longer an option.  I feel like my skin is breaking away from my body, my brain is under constant pressure, my migraines are worse, I do not sleep well, I have no energy. I have seen the doctor.  I am just tired and want a littlw piece,  I want sleep without waking up every hour.  I want someone to help me pick up the pieces so I can keep going.  Why is it so hard?  When will it stop being such a challenge?  I am doing it but I am exhausted.  I think it will make me feel better just to tell you my ugly truth.  

[Doreensfree]

Quitting is a journey ....hope you guys feel better soon on yours .

[KEL]

@KrisI can offer platitudes but the cold hard truth is that you (and me and everyone here) are drug addicts. Stopping the substance is the first step. We have to do the hard work to uncover the reasons we became drug addicts in the first place.

There are amazing support groups out there. I even found a Nicotine Anonymous website that offers zoom meetings. I am back to my 12-step program because this is something that I know keeps me sober. So even when I am frustrated and my body hurts (because we all hurt in one way or another-we are addicts), I have a way to work through it. To get to the other side.

I love this site and everyone on it. But its not a 12-step program and its not therapy. You can vent and that feels good for a minute. But what feels better is getting some tools to actually help you feel better for the long term.

19 hours ago, Kris said:

I want someone to help me pick up the pieces so I can keep going

I am responding to this. Peace to you my friend.

[intoxicated yoda]

@Kris I know you want to be the person you were.  I would like to be the person I once was but he doesn't exist anymore.  All that's left is this old man and no amount of cigarettes will ever bring that kid back.  That's a big part of smoking.  You see, when we smoke we aren't the old people we are now...no...we think we become the kid when we had our first one.  But the reality is that if we accept that we NOT the cool kid because we smoke then it's much easier to not smoke.  I'm still working on this but it takes time for the brain to rewire.  I have found that there are a lot of other physiological functions that got hijacked by smoking that need to repair, hence the diet change and really paying attention to what my body is telling me.  When all is said and done the hardest part about quitting this addiction is that nobody can do it for us.  Not even for a few minutes.  We have to fight this battle for ourselves.  And it's the hardest grind ever.  Even on the front lines of a war the enemy has to stop firing to reload which gives you a brief moment of rest, but this enemy never seems to run out of ammo.  It never has to change barrels.  But it does get weaker, or we get stronger or both and it's bullets have less and less impact on us.  Anyway, stay strong.  You will get your life back.  You will make that transition from ex smoker to non smoker and so will I.  I see you reaching out to everyone and letting your light shine and it's a wonderful thing to see.  Don't let that light go out.  

[Doreensfree]

I used to sit and regret my past years of smoking ...but have learnt along the way ...

We cannot change the past ...that done ....but can change our future ...

Living the rest of our years as healthy and as happy the best we can  ....this is my goal ...

[intoxicated yoda]

@Doreensfreeso true...start where you are and make the most of it.

[Boo]

9 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

I used to sit and regret my past years of smoking ...but have learnt along the way ...

We cannot change the past ...that done ....but can change our future ...

Living the rest of our years as healthy and as happy the best we can  ....this is my goal ...

 

Wise words Doreen.

 

Regrets are best dealt with temporarily.  Take what lessons you can from the things you regret.  Then discard those regrets.  Hanging on to regret is self-made trap.

 

Making wise decisions today will go a long way in preventing future regrets.

[intoxicated yoda]

The board has been really slow the last couple of days it seems so I figured it's time for me to update my progress and hopefully give y'all something to laugh at or maybe even stir a little motivation.  I started the new diet on 12/26/21 and I have to say I've been less consistent with that than with quitting smoking.  This is day 17 and i've cheated pretty bad on 3 of those days.  That gives me a record of 14 and 3 and still kicking ass.  The good news is I think my digestive system is beginning to show signs of straightening out.  My weight has been pretty consistent for the last week in spite of cheating for 2 days straight Friday and Saturday.  The craves have been coming in waves for everything especially cigarettes.  There not as bad as they used to be but they are a lot worse the last 2 days than they have been for the previous week or so.  I might be just craving coffee really bad instead of the cigarettes though so there is a little bit of confusion.  It's quite eye opening to see just how addicted I'd gotten to coffee and sugar.  When I was smoking it was much easier to avoid sugar.  Coffee was a bit more of a challenge but not hard to do without.  Now, it's much harder to not eat sweets and drink coffee.  I'm sure part of it is convincing my mind and body that it isn't necessary to be constantly eating, drinking or smoking non stop through out the day.  Thinking back, I probably only got a few hours in at a time where I wasn't ingesting something throughout the day.  Now, I only get thirsty a few times a day and I really don't get hungry but once or twice a day so I might be going 16 to 24 hours without ingesting anything but water and then when the craves hit they are intense.  Hopefully in another week if I can keep from cheating the sugar craves and caffeine craves will be gone and life will get easier.  I'll put up with those cravings to not have the god awful bloating I was getting.  Anyway, that's the update from 139 days deep into the quit.  I hope everyone out there is staying strong and having a great 2022.

[jillar]

Glad your digestive issues are straightening out @intoxicated yoda. We normally recommend quitting one thing at a time when you quit smoking so your body just must be in overdrive with all the changes! But hey if its working then yay you!

I craved sweets when I quit and oddly I naturally went from two cups of coffee a day to maybe finishing one a day. Don't know why but I also don't drink sodas anymore. Haven't had one in probably two years now. I have no idea why either except that Dr. Pepper didn't taste as good as I thought it did when I smoked lol. Now a days I'm hooked on Gatorade before I have my couple of beers. Luckily the taste of them didn't change

Edited January 13, 2022 by jillar