Quit smoking 3 days ago... now I want to eat! Ack!!

Hi everyone, and welcome to my first forum post!

I've been trundling happily along, losing fairly steadily since the first of the year (changing my whole diet and losing weight wasn't my EXACT New Year's Resolution... cutting down to one-two cans of cola was. The better eating just sort of followed along.)  I've really been enjoying eating a fresh diet (no more pre-packaged, processed garbage) with a lot more veggies and fruits, and lean protein cooked in better ways.  Baked or broiled instead of fried, for example.  It's hard to be hungry when you always have your veggies next to you.

The problem is, that since the quit, I want things I shouldn't have if I want to stay under my calorie limit. Which, since I'm pretty much bedridden right now in an attempt to heal a decubitus ulcer (bedsore - though I got it from sitting up in my wheelchair.) is 1500.  I'm not doing anything to burn off calories, and haven't been able to make it to the rehab gym since last week (I've done some shopping to reward myself for quitting, and on those days I do go up a little to around 1800-2000, depending on how much I do.) so I try to keep it to calories I'll "burn off" even just lying in bed.  I also seem to have hit a plateau.  I lost about 20 pounds (give or take, as it's hard to get weighed in a wheelchair.), and am now kind of "stuck." But I expected that, and I just need to get to the gym, or at least to the mall to exercise to help with that. The problem with the mall is that I want to spend money! *LOL*  If I stay out of my favorite store, I should be fine though. *grin*

Of course I'm wanting things like chocolate (which I've been allowing myself to have in small amounts all along.  11 grams of milk chocolate is 59 calories, so I'll let myself have that much sometimes, especially on days I can exercise. Even small amounts of chocolate ice cream. *LOL*).  It's fine to have that stuff in moderation, I know.... but I keep wanting to reward myself for not smoking with the "good stuff"!!

What doesn't help either is that I seem to be having these crazy "manic attacks" from the nicotine lozenges I'm using to help me keep from smoking! I follow the directions, but I still get really hyper, and have trouble concentrating on simple things, like which bill to pay!  Obviously, I'm trying to use them as little as possible, but then I get anxious and want to eat! Or shop. *LOL* I'm figuring out how to tell one is coming on, and spit the lozenge out to finish later, but it still isn't easy. All I can think of is that I faded down to the point that I was getting less nicotine a day than the lozenges are giving me, so it's making me "uber-hyper"!  Nicotine is a stimulant after all.  My doctor is letting me have meds for anxiety too, but for some reason, he only refilled the Ativan, not the Xanax.  Oh well, at least I have the one! That helps a LOT.

So... anyone have any ideas for me? Other than obvious of keeping lots of veggie snacks to hand?  I'm looking for a nice relaxing fountain on eBay (since the one I got at the drug store is battery operated and only works for about 8 hours. At the most. Not to mention that it's silent. Pretty to look at?) and have my eye on several.  I have a bunch of incense, and some candles... deep breathing?

I'm open to any and all suggestions that help me stay off the cancer sticks, and help me stay ON my diet!!  Anyone know how to NOT want chocolate?? *LOL*

Thanks for reading this far! :)

Shay

Congrats on quitting smoking. I quit six years and two monthes ago, and here's what I did to keep my mouth busy; it's as much an oral habit as it is a nicotine addiction. 

I blew up a lot of balloons, for the first two weeks, I blew up a package of balloons a day. I found when I ran out of breath I had a little dizzy feeling almost like the first shot of nicotine of the day would give me. 

I chewed a lot of gum; when I am stressed I still do.

I sucked on ice cubes. I didn't chew them, just sucked on them. Sometimes, I made flavored ice cubes so I would enjoy them.

Occasionally, I would chew on straws. 

For me, it was about keeping my mouth busy, because I was really tied into the whole act of smoking, and I didn't want to replace smoking with eating. I didn't want food to become my cigarette replacement. 

Thanks Terri,

I'll keep your suggestions in mind!! :)

Although, I AM considering making a 100 calorie pack bag of popcorn to munch out on! :D  I'm hungry, and reading, and it seems like a good, munchy comprimise to me!

I quit smoking about 21 days ago!! It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done and completely the best thing! 

GUM IS MY THING NOW!!  I buy all sorts of gum and chew chew chew...I don't think that I have gained any weight by quitting.  I used Chantix and not a nicotine replacement.  Chantix makes me kinda crazy but its temporary...I even warn people!  My sensor for ignorance has completely vanished...I just want that back before I get fired!!! 

Congrads and Good Luck!

its the whole "oral fixation" thing where you are used to putting something in your mouth, so i would say chew gum to avoid eating more food than usual

congrats on quitting!

Wow, congrats on quitting!!!  I promise, promise, promise it DOES get easier!  You can't imagine a time when you aren't fantasing about having a smoke - but it will come.  One day, you'll realize you haven't thought about it in a couple hours, then a couple days, then a couple weeks etc.  That was a hard part for me when I quit (4 years ago) - trying to see a future when I didn't obsess about smoking.  And it sneaks up on you, it really does.  So repeat to yourself "it does get better, it does get better, it does get better!". 

I tore paper - instead of shredding.  I brought bags of shredding home from work instead of putting in the machine and sat there "shredding" it.  Weird, but it worked for me!

Good luck and congrats again!

Congratulations!  I quit recently myself.  Don't worry a thing if it is tough to do - you just tell yourself every day that YOU CAN DO IT!

On the issue of the lozenges - I did not like those one bit.  They made my throat feel like it was closing!

I switched to the 2mg gum and I have been pretty happy ever since.  They are not as strong.  You might give the gum a try.  Generics are just as good as the name brand.  I prefer the Walmart gum over Target.  It is coated and has a stronger flavor.  The Target gum is not coated and barely minty.

Can you do arm excercises?  Keep a couple of soup cans by your bed.  You can do mindless repetitions and that helps too.

i'm a toothpick chewer/holder.  it's been just a little over a year & i still keep them in my purse at all times.  at the bar i usually end up with a cocktail straw in my mouth.

Wow, thanks for all the congrats and support everyone!!

I don't mind the lozenges now that I'm used to them (at first the powdery texture kind of turned me off, cause it gets sort of gooey) and I DO have to spit them out at times, because I get really, really hyper. Dangerously hyper! Wanting to bang my head on the wall hyper. *LOL*  I've figured out to spit them out when I'm just Really Happy and I'm managing fine at that level. I'm thinking about cutting them in half to make them into 2 mg lozenges. I have a big pill cutter, so that'd be easy.

The support and suggestions from all of you mean a lot.  It's already easier than it was, and it's only day four. (Three if you count my "slip" of a few puffs off a shortie on the first day. I don't. I count it as a "slip" and I've put it behind me, and it won't happen again!)

I'm actually so VERY proud of myself!  As for gum, as soon as I get my lower TEETH, I'll very likely become a compulsive chewer.  Depression after the accident that paralyzed me kinda wrecked my teeth. I didn't care, so I didn't take good care of them.  But I have a full lower denture in the works. That'll help a LOT, cause I'll be able to chew better. :)  I'm really looking forward to that. Though, not looking forward to getting rid of my last lower teeth!!  But the lower will be ready to go in as soon as the bleeding stops, so I'll have immediate load bearing, and it'll keep stuff out of the sockets and all that. :)

I'm celebrating by putting in some single-use black in my bangs (washes out with soap and water) and touching up my black nails. *LOL* Then I want to run out to a second-hand store and get more pants... my roommate's dog ATE the seats of most of my pants, so I need new ones.  That pressure sore drains, and I guess to a chihuahua that smells edible! *rolls eyes*  If I don't make it out tonight, I'm definitely going tomorrow. Wearing a hat if it rains. *giggle* Or I'll have black streaks running from my hair, down my face!

I just figure, I need to celebrate this quit!! So, if some nail polish, wash out hair color, and second hand pants make me happy... where's the harm, right? :)

Thanks SO much for all the support, everyone!  At the moment, I'm chewing on celery that's been cut to about the size of a cigarette. I'm starving, and that's helping that while we get some food into the house (my caregiver/roommate is at the store for me now), and helping me not smoke!!  And I have a lozenge available for when I crave nicotine. Which isn't the same thing as wanting to smoke.

Anyway, thanks again.

Shay -- Currently unable to find her cell phone. *LOL*

congrats! i quit smoking jan 15th. 2 days after my 33rd bday. I quit cold turkey as more and more friends around me have also started to quit it makes it somewhat easier. i keep telling myself its for my health and later on in life I will thank myself. Now I gag when I smell people smoking. keep up the good work.

I had a stroke about 4 weeks ago and i used to smoke and i quit cold turkey so think about your health and it will get easy and i am trying to lose also so keep a lot of fruit and 100 cal snack around

Again, thanks for all the suggestions!  My current two things for coping are celery, and nicotine lozenges.

Andie, I have lots of reasons for quitting smoking, but my health is top of the list. :)

Other reasons include the cost (even driving to Idaho -- Two counties over!-- it was over $100 a month. Not counting gas!), the health of my live-in caregiver, the health of my ANIMALS (they don't have a CHOICE!!!), the stench of the smoke, the improvement of both my sense of taste and sense of smell, my health, and, I did mention my health, didn't I? :D

This is actually day five now, and it's going both more easily, and is harder than I expected. I spent all of February and the first two days of March fading my use of cigarettes. So I was able to get through a whole day with ten or fewer cigarettes before I stopped.  Also, I'm using the nicotine lozenges to deal with the withdrawal.  I have remarkably few cravings... probably because I learned to deal with those while I faded from over two packs a day to under half a pack!  However, I'm dealing with an actual grieving process here. The Coaches at the Quit Line have confirmed that, yes, you do grieve when you give up something that's been a big part of your life for over half of it! I've smoked for over 22 years, and I'm only 38! So, I've smoked since I was 16. Over half my life I've been dependant on nicotine, and not only dependant, but simply used to the habit of smoking!

Today hasn't gone well on the weight loss plan. I not only had a fried chicken breast (my caregiver brought it from a deli, and I was too hungry to say 'no, please fix me something healthy.' *LOL*) but I had not one, but TWO chocolate donuts today.  And I just added them into my food log and discovered, to my horror... that I'm still under my target calories.  Just because I haven't eaten much at ALL today.  That's... really scary.  Back on the healthy stuff TOMORROW!!  As it is, I have celery to munch for the rest of "tonight" (it's about 11:30 P.M. now.) so I don't think I'll be going from just over 1300 to over 1500 from that. Even after I add in the coffee I've had today.  Yes, even black coffee has calories, and I add it in! :D

Andie, I hope you're recovering well from your stroke!  Currently, I have no major health issues (no high blood pressure, no heart problems, nothing wrong with my kidneys or liver, and I'm pretty sure I'm still in remission from my cancer... I'll find out for sure on the 16th. But I feel awfully good for having Hodgkin's Disease again.) other than some asthma, which has been improving as I cut back on the cancer sticks.  I have several appointments coming up, and I can't wait to tell my various health-care providers that I've quit! *LOL*

Anyway, other than eating too much junk food and not enough healthy food, it's so far so good on the quitting for me!!

Everyone stay healthy and happy!

*hugs from me!*

Shay

keep up the good work i also had chicken today and i am alright but i also go to ww and i can have it

Thanks so much for the support, Andie!!  I sure hope you keep recovering well from your stroke. It sounds as though you are.

I'm planning to get into the accessable gym at least twice this week. :) We'll see, since I somehow managed to get my days and nights flipped around.  Oh well, an all nighter won't kill me. I'll just go to the gym early in the day!