I live on them. I have a very bad somach condition that the doc says puts me at high risk of cancer in the esophaus and stomach. The doctor has said I must give up alot of things, including, but not limited to, coffee, chocolate and cigarettes. Also fatty foods like pizza. Liquids such as tea, soda, fruit juice and fruits. At first I just wanted to start this thread so I could bitch about how much it sucks to be giving up the staples of my diet. But then I thought that you guys might be able to help me. I need help, it's alot to give up in one go. Any suggestions for moderating, quitting and substituting would be so very welcome. Thank you.
I'm sorry to hear you've got such a condition, Om, and I know it's going to be really tough - but I'd rather have you alive and well than not. So get going, girl! I suggest thinking about the reasons why you should do it, and thinking yourself to a place where you want to give up those things, because that's the key.
Aww. <hugs> This sucks, Om. Giving up all those things... although I'm sure it'll be a doddle. Because you're a dude, and can handle it. We want you healthy! Feel free to bitch about it to us. I wish I had some pointers and tips for you... Just indulge in other things. I'm sure there are loads of different options and substitutions around. Mints and chewing gum and stuff might help the smoking. Can you drink hot chocolate?
I'd go for it all out right away, make a list of the things the doctor says you can't have and never go near them ever again; it sounds harsh but you'll get a huge power trip out of the control you eventually gain. Also dying is a horrible thing to have to happen to you, anything you can do to ward it off is worth it.
Hehe...I'm a dude. I must admit the hardest thing to give up is the smoking. I think it's beacuse I don't *want* to give up. Unlike coffee, chocolate and fatty food which I *do* want to give up as I'm on a heath kick anyway. I've had two smokes today already. I think I need to make a date, or something concrete. It's not that easy to have a doc tell you you need to quit and poof, the next day, no smoking. I need some psych. Does any of that make sense, or am I just making excuses?
It makes sense, but you are just making excuses; I know because I did the same thing myself. I used to smoke a little bit but knew I'd have to stop before Marcia moved here because of her asthma; I even restricted myself to just one cigarette a day when she came over on visits, telling myself I'd stop altogether on so and so date. But then I just thought one nght when Marcia was here, a couple of days before last Christmas, why don't I just see what happens if I don't smoke anymore, just do it right now today and really see what happens. Never mind Christmas, January 1st or my birthday in Ferbruary - why not right now on December 23rd, makes as little or as much sense as any other date? Anyway that's what I did, another power trip laughing in the face of my addiction that thought it had at least another two days to whittle me down.
Mal : Well done for giving up smoking Om: Sorry to hear of your health problems.. I have been addicted to a few things, but if I don't have tobacco I can't sleep or even think straight.. I gave up coffee for lent one year, that was hard, but stopping drug addiction was the hardest. As I said somewhere before, I am an insomniac and I hardly slept at all for a full year and a half after giving up drugs, sleeping pills don't work on me (I've tried lots of types, inc herbal) and the only thing that works is cannabis. I had something to aim for, however, that is how I gave up. I wanted to not be a drug addict. I moved away, started again and decided I'd go to college again. So after being 'clean' for all that time, I relapsed and started smoking cannabis again (but not taking any other drugs).. Sleep, and be addicted to drugs, or not sleep and go insane... Tough choice.. :cry: Now I'm trying again to give up, I've 'managed' for 2 weeks now without anything except tobacco, and slept about 12 hours total (if that) and only when I am so tired I pass out... So, if it helps, I understand addiction and what you are faced with. It is better to be healthy, but even better, imagine how much money you will save if you give up cigarettes ? You could put the money into a holiday or some other (non fattening, smoke free) treat for doing so well. Give yourself something to aim for... :wink: Good luck! ~B:wink:B~
Om, I keep my thumbs crossed... All in one go, that sounds really tough... I never smoked, so I can't say anything about that part, and I imagine its one of the hardest bits. But I had to give up the rest -coffee, chocolate, and fat food, plus irregular eating habits... this summer, also on my doctor's advice. She had me taking note of my exact "intake" for a week, each day, deliberately telling me not to change anything during that time. The result was that, although I make sure my daughter gets fruits and healthy and regular food, my own eating habits were, from the health point of view, atrocious. ( I had a mild gastritis, recently developed some food allergies, and was so coffeine driven that I had panic attacks at night.) I managed a few extra healthy weeks, and felt good... no chocolate craving, and after two days of tiredness and slight headaches, no coffee craving either. Getting used to a healthy and not too meager breakfast was one start, because it slims the chance of chocolate and fat cravings for the rest of the day. I could give a detailed account if that was what you asked for, recepies included... Two things maybe: the warming cup of coffee was replaced by Rooibus tea, which does not have caffeine, and actually is supposed to increase the level of iron in your blood. That way, I had still a steaming pot to cling to. And I drank at least a litre of water a day. The last days were awful again, eating wise. Dunno how that happened... We could back to healthy eating simultaneously, and put mean peer pressure on each other. :evil: However, keep going!
::hugs Om:: Rooibus is yummy - I drink it at work all the time - and it doesn't have regular tea's bitterness or acidity! It's also called Red Tea (Madagascar Red, Kalahari Red, etc) Are you going to use anything to help you quit smoking (patches, gum) or are you going cold turkey? ::Edited to add: Are you forbidden from ALL candy, or just the chocolate ones? (I reeeeeeeeallly hate going to the dentist, so a year ago, or so, I switched my workplace craving stash to sugar-free caramel-flavored hard candy... Wakes your mouth up and theoretically does'nt mess with your teeth!)
wow Om...big step to take. I don't have much experience with these things but my advice would be tp try starting a diary or someplace to jot down your progress. Just a few sentences a day, It will keep track of any progress you do or do not make and you could always use it as a way to vent frustration (i.e. write down how stupid the doctor was for suggesting it or how silly my idea is ) Another suggestion might be to write down what you eat/drink in a normal day, then take out the things you need to quite and find something else to replace it. So everytime you want a cup of coffee, have a glass of squash (diluted juice) or try switching to herbal teas etc. Instead of chocolate, try having a bunch of carrots in your fridge and nibble on them (it keeps your mouth busy and, again, you could vent frustrasion on it) I don't have many suggestions for smoking, all i can say is instead of picking up a cigarette, try eating a (sugar free) lolly or chewing a straw. Then again, this could be pointless. I have never had to give i up. My biggest suggestion is keep busy it'll keep your mind off things, go out shopping or take up a sport. Do something which will stop you from thinking about what you are missing. Even just getting out of the house and reading a book at the park or something (and dont take anything but the book and maybe something to drink, dont even take any money or you will be tempted to go buy something.) anyway, good lucky. Hope some of these suggestions will help...
I also stopped eating chocolate, pizza and all that other fatty food some months ago. The only advice I can offer to you Om is to not get too hung up on recording what you eat and stressing about it. Its best if you don't make a big deal of it and just stop eating them. Backing up what Mal said, its easier to just cut it all out at once than to cut down gradually, especially if you have little self control like me. The best way to do this is to find a better alternative. Dried fruit seemed to work in the place of chocolate for me, but I appreciate that it mightn't cut it for you. Good luck with it all
That is tough. Good luck. I don't have a lot of experience with things like this, the only change I've brought about in my own habits is to start drinking a lot of water basically because I didn't get enough fluids into my system. Not really a big step. :roll: Btw, for future reference, it's Rooibos. Rooibos means red bush, rooibus means red bus.
From what you say in your original post, I have made some conclusions about your condition and I must say that if I am right I am behind your doctor's advice all the way. Chocolate and caffeine and fatty foods are difficult to quick, I myself am a cup of coffee short of a murderous rampage at the best of times. And make no mistake about it, all of them are addictive. Being stuck on a very remote village for a year, I weaned myself off chocolate and junk food and let me tell you I am now repusled by the idea of a hamburger. Not so repulsed by the idea of chocolate, but since I don't have any access to it, I just let it go. Smoking is another matter. It will be difficult, you may fail but do not despair. Most smokers have at least four failed attempts under their belts before giving up smoking for good. The physical addiction is something that goes away in two to four weeks. Symptoms of withdrawal will include iritabilityand sleepiness (my own father slept like a newborn while he was giving up). I don't know about America, but in Greece some hospitals have outpatient clinics that help smokers give up the habit, with nicotine patches and such. Depending on your health insurance, maybe behavioristic therapy can be of service; find what behaviour patterns incourage your smoking and how to change them. About food. From the looks of it, you need a complete overhaul of your stance towards it. Here are some advice, I don't know how much of help they can be because I don't know how much time and money you can devote to your nutrition. A) Eat more fresh vegetables: They make you feel full and they help digestion. It would be best if you had a nice salad, without any dressings, before the main course, or at least eat half before the main meal, half with it. B) Scrutinize the quality of your food: A hamburger can be made by CMOT Dibbler and you would not be the wiser but you can be sure of the raw meat or the raw fish you buy and cook yourself C) Try vegetable oils. Olive oil is very mundane in my neck of the woods, but I understand this is not the case in the countries outside the meditteranean basin. There are also other kinds of exotic oils, such as sesame, nut etc. D) Do not compromise taste, just because you are in a diet. Aside from adding vegetables with strong flavour to your salad (radishes, celery etc) you can also add spices like coriander seeds or fennel seeds or herbs like basil, rosemary, oregano, parsley and mint. E) Discover the "Slow Food" movement. Eating slowly and munching each forkful for more than thirty times not only helps your digestion but also gives your body time to send and process the "fullness" signal. I suggest consulting a dietitian on changing your dietary habits, since giving up smoking will change your metabolism and it will be like you are eating 30% more food. Gaining weight after giving up cigarettes is a concern for many smokers and it will help if you start a "slimming diet" before actually having to. Best of luck in your quest for a healthier life style. Whatever you need, advice, recipies, moral support, rest asured that we will be here to provide it. Edit: I just saw your query on why is chocolate forbidden. Chocolate, along with coffee and black tea, contain caffeine and are irritating the gastric mucosa. I don't know if an alternative is white chocolate, you will have to ask your doctor about that.
Edit: Gah, Marcia's post reminded me that you can't have fruit, thus making this advice entirely irrelevant. Sorry! :roll: Although we aren't very consistent at it, Garner and I found one successful way to stop eating chocolate and other junky snack foods all the time. When we remember, we keep a fruit bowl in the study (where we spend most of our time). I try to buy only fruit that we actually like. I know that sounds obvious, but I spent years dutifully buying huge bags of apples before realising that the reason I never ate them all is that I don't like them that much. A handful of plums (steady!), nice apples, bananas, maybe grapes, strawberries or raspberries. Nice fruit is a rewarding snack; and, as well as cutting out the bad stuff, you're adding something good to your diet. Aside from that, I would reiterate Mal's advice. It's the only thing I've ever heard people say really worked for them, except for hypnotherapy.
Exercise can help recreate the high your brain used to get from cigarettes and chocolate. Since you won't be able to have fruit or fruit juice, you might want to check with your doctor if you can take Ester-C, which is vitamin C combined with an alcohol so that it is non-acidic. But definitely ask your doctor first.
Ok, it been nearly 48 hours since my last ciggarette. I fracking sucks. I hate this. Stupid doctor. Craig has quit with me, he really needed and wanted to anyway and so its good to have support. Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I've given up not for me, but for the doctor and the boyfriend. oh well. My chest feels tight and I'm starving. I did got to the grocers and got grapes and celery, broccoli, baby carrots etc to munch on. So, at lest the eating habbits thing is going well. I've cut down the coffee to 1/2 a cup, and it won't be long before I can do away with it altogether. I liked the tea suggestions, thank you guys. You rock.
Keep on Trucking Om! Remember Ciggerates are bad! They give you cancer and they kill babies. They also wiped out pirates and I suspect they might be Neo-Nazi's too. I also caught one writing messages about your mum in a girls toilet cublical*, don't worry I kicked it's ass. You can Kick there ass too. *....No. There is NO reason to ask what I was doing in the ladies. Lets just say it was a mixture of confusion and lonelyness. Ps: They also Kick puppets and hate the 'A-team!'
Just keep going, you're doing very well; the longer you keep going with it the better, it'll make you feel stronger every time you're tempted and don't fall down. I would say try screeming obscenities a lot but you might be doing that already? Exercise is a good idea if you can be arsed.
Well done OM rock on :cooler: 48 hours and counting, can't imagine how you are feeling but can see that there are a great many people who are here for you. I will keep you in my thoughts and prays. Try to remember that you have been given a choice it's a crappy choice but you have made your choice to live, so when you feel the pull of temptation you shout ****off I'm going to beat you.
Quitting smoking isn't a crappy choice though, it means freedom in all kinds of ways. But I guess you're talking about the chocolate?
Yes, must be the chocolate. I must admit, thats the one area where I've not done to well. Last night was a bit easier, I noticed that alot of it is habbit. I was reading (Witches Abroad) and kept reaching for the smoke that was not there, I didn't really want one, but I'm so used to smoking while I read it came as second nature when I tuen the page to take a drag. It's funny. Don't remember if I mentioned that I've given up being a vegitarian. There is only so much I can do. That has helped me a little. Being veggie was really, really hard for me. And to try to struggle with that as well as the non-smoking this is just a little too much. Anyway, thank you all for all your support. I really appreciate it. *hugs everyone, even Doors*
I think giving up being a vegetarian may be good, at least for now, because you'll be able to eat all kinds of things and that will be a novelty for a while, making up for the things you're giving up like smoking and chocolate.
As Marcia said above, exercise! You get that drug-type high without any drug intake. Another nice thing to do is, whenever you feel like smoking/eating something you aren't supposed to, drop some money in a jar. It accumulates pretty fast, and then you can go out and buy something you fancy as a reward Good luck Om, stay strong!
I'm not strong. I'm weak and stupid. My addiction has gotten the better of me and I am smoking again. It's gross and I hate it, but at least I'm not hungry all the time and a raving lunatic bitch. *shakes fist in air* Damn you smokes, I'll get you next time!!! I think I won't try quitting cold turkey next time. Maybe gum, or lozenge or something. Man, you should have seen it last night. What a wreck I was. My poor Craig. I think I shan't see him for a few days while we both cool down. The eating thing is going well though. Huzzah!
You're just going to have to start again; no point in calling yourself stupid and beating yourself up over it, it just makes it harder to accomplish. The fact that you're angry at yourself should show you how much you want to stop, just have another go and try harder - unless you think it's worth dying young for, if you like it that much?
Om, I have already said, giving up smoking is very hard to do first cat out of the bag. please check if there are in the area any smoking clinics, to help you with the gums/patches/whatever. We Shall Overcome!
Hey Om my boyfriewnd created a spreadsheet that calculated how much money he saved from when he quit smoking--> 2 years later he's saved $8,000 and nearly all of it is in a bank account...(I'm just using him as my Sugar Daddy ) If the health motivation isn't enough making a table of money motivation just may do it...
Hee, I go to a gym, I'm not super fit or anything, I just like going. But my boss at the childcare place I work at part time, Jane, says to me, 'How can you afford to go there?' So I ask her how much her cigarettes cost her a day and figure out that she's spending nearly £300 pounds (nearly $600 US) a month on smoking. And I tell her how I get to lounge around in saunas, steam rooms, swimming pools and Jacuzzis whenever I like and it only costs me £42 a month, nothing compared to smoking. She said she'd never even thought about how much it cost her per month to smoke, I think it's over quarter of her wages, and jokingly said that she hates me for showing her.
I think thats probably only half jokingly...Some smokers can really freak out when they find out how much they're actually spending. My boyfriedn was spending clase to $70/week or $300/month on cigarettes. He would be much better off spending that money on me
Well, I only smoke half a pack a day, thats about $17.00 a week. About $68 a month and $816 a year. Not that bad really. Still I could do with another $68 a month. I want high speed internet damnit! Dial up suck so much ass. Well, I am still struggling with the whole food/weight thing as far as smoking goes. I am a chronic overeater and smoking helps that. I'm on a kick right now to lose weight and be healthy, I'm working out hard and eating right and I can feel me changing. When I quit smoking I ate, I ate all day. I don't know how to not do that. I would be hungry all the time, even after a big meal. I know it should get better in time, but the fact is, when you quit smoking, you gain weight. I can't afford that right now. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just not ready to quit yet. I know I'm not week or stupid, I'm sorry for saying that. I, of all people (Ms. Self Afirmation, No Apologies for Who You Are) should know not to say things like that. I love you all, thank you so much for the support and encouragement you've given me. I do so appreciate it.
I've heard that eating is often used to replace the smoking action of putting your hand to your mouth...Comforting, displacement activity... Maybe use a pen instead of food, one you can chew and suck on, but try to get a good one that one leak ink all through your mouth cos thats not a good look
...sugar-free lollypops?... (those really big raibow-colored ones, so that your body knows you mean business!!!)
my grandfather tried for years to quit smiking and never quite managed it (although he did it for several months at a stretch when my grandmother threatened to divorce him over it) He sort of gave up on the idea till it was too late and he had cancer already. He still couldn't quite give them up, but he switched to really light ones. He said they tasted awful and ended up only taking one or two drags on one and throwing it out. Good luck. I hope that wasn't depressing or anything; just what I thought of when I read the thread. Rinso: I was wondering who that shifty looking bloke was the other day...
Well, as someone above said, all smokers take quite a few efforts to quit. One day you will really want to quit, and you'll quit that day! I just hope that day comes by sooner than later
