Two weeks

...has now passed without a single cigarette. I haven't even get any urges. I have saved about 70€ money. Now that I think of that maybe the only reason why I haven't smoked in past two weeks. To save some money. I have calculated this previously too, but it hasn't been that much of problem, now I had few months that I made fewer hours of work per week, as First two months of the year are usually quite quiet at our kind of retail business. And I have been a bit struggling to get by with those pay checks, but I managed. Now there is this Corona virus thing also hanging on and smokers are in risk category with that virus, so one more reason not to smoke.

New year and new rule!

So far my quitting smoking has gone good. Three relapses only, when I was drunk, because Lemmy died and his funeral.

Earlier this week I did measure my weight and that wasn't big suprise: 96,9 kg. On holiday we did eat good and a bit too much. Sure enough it hasn't been that cold either. I just read arcticle from about two years ago about how shivering may burn more fat than exercising. It isn't a big suprise that you would burn more fat when you are out in the cold that inside warm. Athletes that exercise outdoors have to eat more than athletes that exercise indoors because their bodies need to also keep body warm, so extra fat needs to be converted in to heat. 

So it's time to start exercising outdoors for more fat burning and losing weight. Only downside of this is that it's cold outside. Which can be managed by correctly dressing up, but then you won't get that much of extra fat burning. 

I quitted smoking, day 9.

Second Monday after I quitted smoking. I feel great and energetic. Although not drinking may have affected more than quitting smoking. Anyway, point is that it's Monday and I'm in a good mood. I haven't had not a single irritable thought or act since I quitted. Good for me. To some it ain't that easy and I can relate since its hard for my wife to quit and she feels bad when she goes for smoke as she is more addicted to it than I am. She said that after couple of weeks when her work load gives in a bit she will quit. Her job description has changes since we last time had a pause from smoking and I can understand that it might be too much quit smoking and having a stressful job at hand. She has reduced daily smoking amount which is good.

I am glad that my quitting has some effect on her and her smoking hasn't got me craving for a smoke. That's the hardest part quitting when the other is still smoking and you are not. My father quitted smonking after doctors said that he has vein thrombosis after mini stroke. He hasn't smoked since. My mom smoked too. Few days later my dad said that in this house hold either nobody smokes or everybody smokes. And my mom quitted too. Both have been non-smokers evere since. 

I quitted smoking, day 5

Day begun quite good and I didn't have any problems with candy or cravings. I am getting used to this feeling when I wake up in the morning and I don't have to go to balcony to have days first smoke. I also feel more energetic.

My blood pressure is now normal, or it should be but I do have a bit elevated blood pressure so I can't really tell if my blood pressure is normal or in my normal.

And I noticed I don't have that cold feelings in my finger tips anymore, so my blood circulation has improved and I do sleep much better now.

So far I haven't had any good challenge for cold turkey quitting. Tomorrow is Friday and that gives it a bit of challenge. 

I quitted smoking, day 4

I noticed that my lungs has start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris, which means that my lungs are starting to heal. I read from various sites that starts within 2-7 days after your last cigarette. For me it took 4 days. Breathing has become more easier now, althought it wasn't that bad in my own opinion at the time when I smoked, but I noticed it's a bit better, mostly due that my stuffed nose is gone away now.

Not a single craving for a cigarette. None after I quitted smoking. That's good and reason why I can quit so easily. I am was not addicted physically. Hardest part is coming on this weekend. If I drink, do I have urge to smoke cigarette? Probably I have a craving for it if I drink. Should I consider not to drink? Maybe, but at least now I don't feel like drinking on weekend. I have so much more energy to do things, thanks to not smoking for four days.

Also I did scale my weight and it was two months ago and I weighted 94,7 kg, today I scaled at 95,1 kg.  So far that I haven't gained any weight, that 0,4 kg goes day-to-day variation. Challenge is to keep it under that, now that my smell and taste senses are back.

I quitted smoking, day 2.

So, Yesterday went well. Didn't crave for a smoke at all. One thing that I have noticed in the morning is that I didn't have stuffed nose. It was good morning to wake up. I didn't have any urges to go first to balcony to smoke days first cigarette.

"48 hours
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked."

I don't have anger or irritability problems at all, but I have started crave for candy and snack. This is going to be problem when you quit smoking. As your sense of smell comes back, you will start to crave for food, sncaks, candies, all kind of treats.

So far I have kept my mind busy and sweet tooth hasn't been a problem. I should have weighted myself to see how much I am going to gain in the first few weeks. Well one day doesn't make that much of difference, now does it?

I quitted smoking, day 1.

This use to be my personal "training" diary for 40+ year old man and now it's my I quitted smoking diary. Been smoking past 20 years now and I have paused smoking for few times. Now it's permanent. Till next time. Last time it lasted two and half months. Before that it lasted year and half. And I have paused from time to time but those lasted from few days to couple of weeks. So it wasn't that hard physically for me as I had been few days with out smoke. Usually those breaks came day-after. On hungover, which wasn't that bad for me either. No matter how hard I drank it really didn't physically make me sick, well sometimes yes, but once in two years or so. 

So, yesterday was fun, free booze and good company. I had almost full pack of cigarettes and I knew it won't last till next day or I might get high and dry before night is over. I knew that this time it was it. It has been said that few first days are the hardest and for me it never has been those few first days, it has been those days when have not been smoking for few weeks and you feel comfortable and you get that sweet smell in your nose and you start to crave for it. 

It's physcial and mental addiction. You have to fight your urges, usually mental is the hardest part.  Physical urgers are the easiest ones. Once you get past few weeks it gets easier to resist urges to smoke just one, few inhales, nothing more. Yeah, right. That's how it starts all over again. Mentally it is much harder. If it weren't, it wouldn't be addictive. To understand mental separation from smoking we have to understand addcition.:

addiction

əˈdɪkʃ(ə)n/

noun
    the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.

synonyms:
    dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation, enslavement; 




For me it has been social and wasting idle time. If I waited for a bus to arrive, I smoked. If I waited for a store to open, I smoked. If I had a long walk ahead, I smoked. Party at friends house and some one goes out for a smoke, I joined or instigated it. At the bar, at the picnic, after meal, I smoked. Worked too hard, needed a break? I smoked. There were countless reason to smoke. But I didn't had countless reason not to smoke. We all die anyway, if smoking reduces my life from those days when I am wearing diaper and can't remember my name, fine. I can live with that. It's not like I am going to live forever and be healthy because I didn't smoke. I didn't quit because I want to live longer and being healthier, I quitted because smoking smelled bad, cost a tons of money and I didn't have a physical addiction. I can't afford smoke on regular basis.

Backfired...

Well I did achieve a goal, but that whole goal is turned upside down. I've gain 3 kg back. I've quit smoking which has lead to eating much more and I've needed and eating candy too. It has helped me from smoking and I am not stressed about it since now I got a plan to getting in shape. Cycling to work five days a week. That's about 25 km per day, 125 km per week. Quick research showed that's about 350 kcal per day, that I didn't do last winter. So if I managed to lose 10 kg in winter without extra exercise I think I can manage my little set back.