A better me...

Well I have never smoked but at Christmas I turned 60 and realised that I had put on an incredible amount of weight and decided that I was going to be a 'better me'! I signed up to Weight Watchers and started their new ProPoints plan on the 11th January - so far I have lost 77.5 pounds and am getting closer and closer to my target weight. I certainly feel a 'better me' - I look better, I am fitter and healthier and am so grateful that I decided to join. Good luck with giving up the smoking and hopefully you'll soon be a 'better you'!!

Starting over always feels great. You start off on a clean slate and hope you don't mess it up. There is a time that you'll have to face your past demons, though. This is something you should take note because no matter how clean you get, these demons will always come and get you. You have to be ready for them.

I have been smoking about 10 years I guess. I am not a big smoker. Usually my smokes last me a whole week, unless of course I am really stressed out. In that case I will smoke a bit more. I stopped each time I was expecting. And didnt smoke until after I was done nursing. And since I have had kids I have not smoked inside the house. I suppose I might stop another day. I am just not ready yet. I am trying to get better in my walking tho, and managing my time. I might outline a daily schedule for myself until I get in the swing of things. I would like to make better meals for my family as well. Also, who says you arent starting your life over? I always look at it as new chapters, so that kinda like starting over right?

Hi there! I've never been a smoker, but I've known several. What I've learned is that in order to properly give something up, you have to replace it with something else. I think a pretty common replacement (at least temporary) would be to chew gum. I don't care to chew gum because I'm allergy to it, believe it or not, and it loses it's flavor so fast, but maybe that's an option for you. Or maybe you can reward yourself by giving yourself some kind of incentive that when you don't smoke for a day, then you get to do, eat, etc. X, Y, or Z. I don't know exactly what your cravings must be like because I've never had them, but I have a semi-addiction to chocolate. If I were to have to give that up, I'd first want to get all the chocolate out of my house and also have my hubby keep me accountable. Once those two things were done, I'd also probably tell him he can't have chocolate anymore either. I know that sounds harsh, but think about it, if you live with another smoker, maybe you should consider both coming together on your goal and choosing to stop smoking together...just an idea. Once that's done, I'd try to figure out something I like just as much if not more than chocolate...let's say, coffee. I'd have to have coffee in moderation, too, because I wouldn't want to become addicted to that as a result (and with the caffiene involved, that's probably an easy addiction to make!) So I'd probably tell myself that if I went a day without chocolate, then I'd reward myself with my favorite kind of coffee the next day. After that, I'd probably try to stretch it out. A week, a month, a year without chocolate. You know, you can build up your tolerance. I'm sure you understand what I mean lol! I hope those ideas help. If you use the replacement principle with a wise choice of what you're replacing smoking with, then you'll be off it in no time! I wish you the best of luck and congratulate you on such an excellent goal! I will be returning to this discussion, so please do keep me posted on your progress!!