1 Year and Still Smoke Free!

[Draco1962]

After several attempts I successfully quit smoking a year ago today!

The threads below chronicle several of my prior attempts. NRTs, vaping, etc. Lots of excuses. Not this time. Cold turkey. No meds.

So far I am lucky. My pulmonologist says my lung capacity is normal for a 55 yr old male, not a 55 yr old male former smoker. One more CT of the chest to confirm no lung issues. BP is borderline hypertensive, but not terrible.

So now to lose some weight and rebuild some endurance!

 

 

 

[RedDog]

Congratulations. Keep it up. 

[tthurman]

[ClassicGMR]

[Draco1962]

Thanks guys! I have quit before but this time around was tougher due to my age and other stressors. I know that I will never truly be out of the woods with the threats of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other potential ailments that are caused by having smoked tobacco. I know that the later years of my life have the potential to be better than if I were to continue. The one thing that i had more of than the last time I successfully quit is a stronger support system. It does take a village to help the idiot find his way, so to that I say "Thanks!"

[RIP-Felix]

On 4/4/2018 at 10:28 AM, Draco1962 said:

Thanks guys! I have quit before but this time around was tougher due to my age and other stressors. I know that I will never truly be out of the woods with the threats of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other potential ailments that are caused by having smoked tobacco. I know that the later years of my life have the potential to be better than if I were to continue. The one thing that i had more of than the last time I successfully quit is a stronger support system. It does take a village to help the idiot find his way, so to that I say "Thanks!"

Your chances of heart attack, stroke and sudden death lower day 1 you quit smoking. Boosted too are your lung function and immune system. So every day you don't smoke is a win! Stroke and CVD can be further mitigated by Diet and Exercise (Diet more so...vegetables baby). Loose excess weight, anything more than 30 lbs of normal for your height/weight (6ft male is 165. So 165-195 is the range), Lastly, decrease stress. Besides that, it's genetics game. As for the long term stuff like COPD and Lung cancer, only time will tell.

Regardless, you're doing great. Keep up the daily grind. Remember to tell that inner Philip Morris where to shove it!

[Draco1962]

For the veggies, my wife and I have been doing more Tex-Mex stuff (fajitas, nachos, tacos) using more of the beans and sweet peppers, lean beef strips, ground turkey, and for the nachos, the Late July brand multi-grain. Trying to keep the amount of processing of the ingredients to a minimum. Also doing more mixed greens salads with walnuts, pine nuts, etc. Smoothies have also entered the realm - still tinkering with the balances for them.

Already seeing a few changes. I would like to get back down to 185 lbs which is where I felt the healthiest. I am 5'9" but anything less than 170 and I start looking emaciated. I have many pounds to go. 

[tthurman]

I could stand to take off a few pounds too....

 

 

[Draco1962]

I told Alicia I thought I heard someone breathing heavily outside the bathroom window a few nights ago!

 

[stigzler]

 Congratulations, man! You should celebrate with a beer and cigar!

[Draco1962]

Beer and pizza. I am allowed a cheat day for the diet.

[Tom Speirs]

Congratulations. Almost my third year now. Although I do vape. Don`t know if that's cheating.

[Draco1962]

For me, if it has nicotine it is cheating. If it is just the vape juice, I don't know that I'd even bother because it isn't risk-free, just less of the bad stuff than you get from the tobacco leaf and added chemicals. I want as few chemicals going into my body as possible, including Rx meds. I know that as I get older it will be harder to avoid, but for now, I want my body to try to get used to itself without them.

[RIP-Felix]

4 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

Congratulations. Almost my third year now. Although I do vape. Don`t know if that's cheating.

2 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

For me, if it has nicotine it is cheating. If it is just the vape juice, I don't know that I'd even bother because it isn't risk-free, just less of the bad stuff than you get from the tobacco leaf and added chemicals. I want as few chemicals going into my body as possible, including Rx meds. I know that as I get older it will be harder to avoid, but for now, I want my body to try to get used to itself without them.

Nicotine is a powerful poison. The amount in cigarettes and vapor is very small. Researchers use the concentrated form as a nerotoxin in study's and it is highly restricted, because it's deadly in small amounts. Even in the tiny doses you get from smoking/vaping it messes with your endocrine balance. Other neurochemicals must increase/decrease to compensate for the effect of the foreign substance and this becomes the new normal. Your body will alert you when levels get low and you need to provide more of the substance. The second you stop, your body has to compensate back to a natural state. Since it's been awhile, it takes a while. The interim time sucks, because your chemical balance is out of wack. That's withdrawal and chemical dependence, AKA addiction. Get past that, and it's all psychological from there.

Smoking vs vaping: Vaping cuts out the exotic oxygen molecules (Free radicals) released by burning plant matter. Free radicals are known carcinogens and mutagens. They lead to COPD through a know pathway involving elastase, an enzyme that helps protect tissues in the body. Smoking is know to release thousands of harmful chemicals, many of which have unknown effects on the body, but hundreds of those chemicals are know carcinogens. So vaping is certainly better for you than smoking. Nicotine is not good for you, it's still a poison. The long term affects of it by itself, without the smoke, is less clear than the mounds of data surrounding cigarette smoke. However, certainly neither is better for you than breathing air alone. The idea that Vaping is "addiction without consequence" is exactly the type of tobacco propaganda we have seen since the 50's. It sounds good, seems to have an air of believability and evidence backing the claim, but is entirely unfounded. We don't know until thousands or tens of thousands of people start dying and the common tread linking them together is nicotine. Only time will tell. The same thing goes with Marijuana smoking/vaping, except that THC is not a deadly poison like nicotine is. You take the chance on your own. Just don't be fooled into thinking it's safe. Chemicals entering your body have an effect, what consequences they have long term is nearly always unknown.

If you've cut the smoking, great. You have removed many of the negative health consequences. All of them? No one knows. However, it's cheating. You are still chemically dependent on the nicotine. You haven't progressed to just psychological addiction, which unfortunately never goes away. I haven't smoked for 10 years and I still have that inner Philip Morris appear:

"It's a cold day, wouldn't a smoke be nice right now." 

Me: "No it wouldn't you little piss ant, it make me smell bad, feel bad, ruins my health and positive self image. I'd like to be a part of my kids life and have as long a life as possible. Sell your death elsewhere!"

On 4/6/2018 at 5:15 AM, Draco1962 said:

For the veggies, my wife and I have been doing more Tex-Mex stuff (fajitas, nachos, tacos) using more of the beans and sweet peppers, lean beef strips, ground turkey, and for the nachos, the Late July brand multi-grain. Trying to keep the amount of processing of the ingredients to a minimum. Also doing more mixed greens salads with walnuts, pine nuts, etc. Smoothies have also entered the realm - still tinkering with the balances for them.

That sounds doable. I love tacos, mixing greens and aromatics in is easy with tacos. Beans are exceptionally great for keeping blood sugar spikes down, due to the soluble dietary fiber and starches. Your symbiotic bacteria break down the larger polysaccharides (complex sugars) into smaller ones you can digest, but it takes longer. And as a result you get sustained energy without the crash or cardiovascular consequences. You are feeding Gas producing bacteria however, so there is that byproduct (Gas). However, that decreases the more often you eat complex carbohydrates - which encourage the right balance of gut microflora. That's the secret to all day energy and warding off type II diabetes. Keep up the great work. The health rewards alone will help you sustain momentum, but a good support team is priceless. Glad to hear the gal is onboard.

[Tom Speirs]

I never said it was safe just lesser of two evils by 95% (according to UK health policy). I can only go by my own personal experience, take it or leave it. It would have been impossible for me to quit any other way, my smokers cough went within a day, and I've not even had a cold for nearly three years. I am also saving $6000 a year and Doctors no longer give me crap!

PS: I also didn't put on any weight and I am not miserable!

PS 2: I am not going to get into the thing some people think is the cure to the worlds problems (420) but its not for me and its way worse to inhale than cigarretes. If your going to do that I certainly recommend eating it or vaping it instead.

[RIP-Felix]

Well, if you're not cheating, you're not trying. And at least if you fail to quit vaping, it's better than failing to quit smoking.

It's still cheating

[Draco1962]

The last time I quit was in my mid 30s and I didn't gain any weight, but i wass much more physically active die to scouting activities with my boys.

Tom, I am glad to see you vaping instead of smoking. For me it was not an option as I was weak and went back to the cigarettes time and again. So the decision was made to drop the nicotine altogether. it is whatever works for the individual.

[Vanetani]

I've been struggling with quitting smoking myself and really need some help. I'm pretty dependent on it and have tried NRTs and vaping without much success. Any tips on how to go cold turkey or other methods that worked for you?

[Katine]

When I decided to quit smoking, what really helped me was setting small, manageable goals. Instead of focusing on quitting entirely, I started by reducing the number of cigarettes I smoked each day. Gradually, I cut down more and more until I felt ready to stop completely. It was also helpful to find a new routine to replace the times I usually smoked, like going for a walk or chewing gum.

I also used to struggle with vaping as a quitting aid until I found a method that worked for me. By switching to vaping, I was able to control my nicotine intake better and gradually reduce it over time. This helped me break the dependency slowly without the intense withdrawal symptoms of going cold turkey. Now, I vape much less than I used to smoke, and it’s made the process much more manageable. If you haven’t tried it already, you might want to check out Nexus Smoke for some great options to help with the transition.

[Draco1962]

6 minutes ago, Katine said:

 

When I decided to quit smoking, what really helped me was setting small, manageable goals. Instead of focusing on quitting entirely, I started by reducing the number of cigarettes I smoked each day. Gradually, I cut down more and more until I felt ready to stop completely. It was also helpful to find a new routine to replace the times I usually smoked, like going for a walk or chewing gum.

The approach that I took was similar with a gradual reduction schedule but leading to a set quit date.

Working a stressful desk job, I took a week's vacation the week of my quit. A brief walk whenever I felt the urge, Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers or gum if I couldn't get away.

Still smoke-free today!