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Old Mon, May-09-11, 11:42
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bonechew bonechew is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 425
 
Plan: Paleo/Atkins/low cal
Stats: 232/148/135 Female 62
BF:a lot
Progress: 87%
Location: Bay Area, CA
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I quit in January. Here are some of the things that worked for me.

I posted the reasons why I was quitting on index cards and taped them to the bathroom mirror. I see them every time I wash my hands, brush my teeth, etc. I make sure I read them all every time. Now I scan them. It subconsciously reinforces why I was quitting.

Posted the amount of money I would save in a month, and a year, from not buying a pack on the back of my front door. Every time I went outside, I was reminded that I could work less now that I don’t have a habit to support. I could go guilt free shopping for clothes/shoes/fun with the money I saved this month from not smoking.

I didn’t pay any attention to diet while I quit. I didn’t pay attention to much of anything, except focusing on quitting. From experience, I know I have to focus on this and make it my purpose for living for a while.

If you have friends/family who smoke – don’t see them. Talk to them on the phone/send an email. When they light up, it’s a trigger.

Get out of the house, and go places were you can’t smoke. Start exercising a little each day – and see how it is to not wheeze and gasp for air as you move.

Stay active! Now is the time to tackle a major project at home. Do not sit bored in the evenings. Find a new hobby. As soon as you are done eating, get up and get back to work. You will find how much time was wasted by smoking!

Trim stress from your life. I used a 3 day weekend to quit. I learned to walk around the building to relax, to take a deep breath, and just wait 15 minutes once a craving hit before I acted on it.

The more times you quit, the more successful you will be. Each time you learn something, and it gets easier - so keep on quitting each day.
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