Made it over that hill.

Even though this post is related to weight, please mods, don�t move it to the Weight Gain category, because it's about more than that. And I have another reason, I�ll tell ya why in a minute. On January 27, when I was 26 days quit, I bought this: [img] http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/sammijofl/rewardbike.jpg [/img] I bought it as a reward, but I also bought it as an incentive. Here�s the thing. I�ve been overweight all my life, since I was nine years old. I inherited a very slow metabolism from my mother�s side of the family, and even though I don�t eat mountains of food, I�m extremely overweight and have been for almost as long as I can remember. Even before I quit smoking, I was eighty-five pounds overweight. After I quit, I gained fifteen more pounds, for a grand total of one-hundred. Omg, ONE HUNDRED. I bought the bike 27 days ago because I knew I was going to have to do something! With my slow metabolism, for sure I�d need to exercise if I were going to keep from doubling in size! But guess what, I barely touched that bike for the first three weeks. I didn�t start taking it out purposefully for exercise until Tuesday of this week. Why? Because for the past fifteen years, at least, I�ve been pretty sedentary. My weight combined with my decreased lung capacity made it very difficult for me to sustain any type of exercise beyond a few minutes. How sad is that!? When I was younger I used to be very active (even though I was heavy) but somehow over the years I got lazier and less mobile. I was afraid to ride that bike. Even though I live in Florida (where the terrain is very flat), I happen to live in a neighborhood where there are several hilly areas. I thought I would hyperventilate or have a stroke or heart attack. At the very least, I thought I would embarrass myself by having to stop and lay down on the sidewalk or something! I knew I needed to start dieting too, but I was avoiding it. If I didn�t exercise, dieting would be a waste of effort, I knew that from experience. So I wouldn�t even click on the Weight Gain category at this site because I didn�t want to read any of those threads. They�d just make me feel guilty. But then everything changed. What brought about a change? I went to Kansas

To My Fellow Jan 1 Quitters, I've Done The Math...

Very cool, that you looked ahead so you could share the date with us! Thank you! And of COURSE it's on a Tuesday, LOL! April will be here in the blink of an eye... just look how fast February flew by!!! Seeya at the beach! [img]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/sammijofl/lastpuff.jpg[/img] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,635 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $162 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 53

Another hidden benefit, my life just got a whole lot easier.

Our cat (who was well-known for being a cranky curmudgeon) became this cuddly, affectionate ball of fur literally overnight. He didn't like the smell of smoke at ALL. [img]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/sammijofl/breath.jpg[/img] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,635 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $162 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 58

Question from my daughter

[quote]As I have no intention to ever have another smoke, I am quit. I guess I am just scared to tell the kids I am quit and then have a slip.[/quote] Here's my opinion: TELL EVERYONE YOU'VE QUIT FOREVER! INCLUDING YOUR KIDS! If it's truly your intention to never ever ever have another smoke, then make yourself accountable to as many people as possible, including those that you love the most and would hate to disappoint! And then... Never, ever, ever smoke again. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 56 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,701 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $168 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

Goin Home

Nonic, This trip sounds like a blast! And how cool, that she will see you without the butt... for the first time ever. This really highlights what an incredible thing you have done, accomplishing this life overhaul! Have fun! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 47 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,421 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $141 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36

It's only THOUGHT!

Well, since I opened the whole �Three Principles� can of worms, I thought I might as well go a bit further and explain another aspect of the philosophies. While talking about the topic of [b]Thought[/b], I made this statement: [i]�Our brains are pre-programmed to 1) retrieve our stored thoughts and provide us with options and 2) sift through all stored thoughts and provide recommendations.�[/i] Both #1 and #2 seem true, don�t they? Let�s try an example. Okay, you�re standing at a street corner, waiting to cross. A car is coming toward you but it has its turn signal on, indicating that it�s going to turn before it gets to where you�re standing. The decision is: Walk or don�t walk. Does your brain sift through options? Does it recall what a turn signal means? Does it recall the many, many times that a turn signal has indicated a driver�s intention to turn? Does it recall the few times that a turn signal has incorrectly indicated such a thing, because the driver is unaware that it�s on? Does it quickly calculate the likelihood that the turn signal is real? Does it make a recommendation to you whether to walk or not walk? [b]The brain brings up stored information � in the blink of an eye! � and assists us with making each and every decision.[/b] Do you agree with that statement? If you answered �yes,� then logic would indicate that you agree with another component of The Principles: [i]You are not your brain. [/i] You, the you that is in charge, the you that makes decisions, [i]you[/i] receive stored thoughts [i]from[/i] your brain. Therefore, the personality of you, the essence of you, the spirit of you or however you want to refer to it � is SEPARATE from the brain (and also separate from the thoughts). Regardless of �formal� belief system, most will agree that this concept is true, that the part of us that IS us resides within the physical body we inhabit, but that physical body, (including the physical organ we call the brain) is not US. Weird Principles concept #2: The part of us that IS US -- is healthy. It�s not broken, it�s not corroded, it�s not even dirty. It�s just as healthy as it was the day we were born. It gets ignored a lot, but it�s healthy. Here�s where current psychology would disagree wit

ROB47 at a YEAR!

[size=4][color=green]Congratulations on one full year of being FREE! Wooohoooo![/size][/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,446 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $144 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

RdMan Hits One Year

Congratulations on one full year (wooohoooo!) and thank you - no I mean THANK YOU for those 2700+ posts here at SSC! Reading old posts here has been such a help to my quit, and I have no idea how many of your past posts I've read, but I know that I've been enlightened, I've learned, and I've been touched. Here's to your next 365 days! Cheers! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,446 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $144 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

Are We All Addictive Personalities?

I don't know if it's a genetic thing or not. Is it possible that everyone has the same potential to be addictive? I know I do! I don't drink alcohol but maybe once or twice a year and never more than two drinks, for the very reason that I could SEE how it might turn into a problem for me. I can't play video games like Nintendo or xBox because if I pick it up then I can't put it down. I can't even buy scratch-off lottery tickets because once I start, it's like I can't stop. If I go gambling, I have to limit how much money I bring with me (and never bring debit or credit cards)! And now both smoking and food have to be added to the "be careful" list for me. So yeah, I'd definitely say that I'm an addictive personality. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 49 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,496 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $147 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

I made it 20 days and caved

[quote]I loved smoking. I hated buying them and coughing all the time but I did enjoy them. [/quote] I said this same thing! For the entire 30 years that I smoked, I said that I loved it, and I believed what I was saying. It was amazing to me, then, to learn WHY I "loved" smoking. It was that "aahhhhh" feeling that I loved. You know what I'm talking about, that first drag off a newly-lit cigarette (especially when I hadn't had one for a while) that feeling of fullness and satisfaction - oh my, yes I did love it and because I loved it, I labeled that feeling as "pleasure." Guess what?! That wasn't pleasure! Now how could I say that wasn't pleasure? I was there, I experienced it, I know what pleasure is, and it WAS TOO pleasure! Nope, it wasn't. It was relief from discomfort, which is a whole lot different than pleasure. Nicotine is so addictive that the human body starts going through withdrawal just 30 minutes after the last dose. That withdrawal is unpleasant and uncomfortable. The longer the addicted body goes without it, the more discomfort is experienced. When the addicted body finally gets its "fix," there is an immediate relief from that discomfort -- the "aahhhhh" effect. I didn't "love" smoking... I needed my fix, that's all. [center]* * * * * * * * * * *[/center] For 30 years I inhaled smoke from burning tobacco, even though I really did not know that much about the effects of doing so. I learned SO much about my addiction here at this site, and it's helped a LOT to understand what both my mind and body were going through as I quit and stayed quit. READ! If you have time on your hands, READ the old threads here and learn! Best of luck to ya. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 49 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,495 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $147 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 5 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49