Kiss or kick my ass?

Hi ya Luna

All of us fall in the pit a times, and it can take a large amount of
effort to climb out. A lot just say f**k it and set up house in the
pit. You need to have that drive to escape from the traps that your
mind sets for you. Evils of cigarettes, alcohol, carbs, and other
addictive drugs creep around in our brain waiting for the chance to push
us back into the pit.

I've found the best way to face these evil-doing substances is to find
things in my life that take the place of them. If you have keen devoted
interest in healthy (or healthier) activities other than drinking,
smoking, eating, or doing drugz then those things start slipping away
from your brain's infatuation. for me, music and exercise pretty much
help to take care of this. Good sex also helps.

Anyhow, good luck for the new year, a fresh start and clear outlook ahead!

Xtile

"Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hey all. Low-carb and I haven't been exactly getting along the last week
or so. Got sick and couldn't eat much for a while, quit smoking, cough

and

Quoted message said:

snot finally went away and appetite came back with a vengeance. I've been
eating anything that stays still long enough. Haven't been working out
either! I feel my body getting bigger and bloated and weak and flabby.
Not even hungry but I keep EATING!!! Arghh.

I'm a little crazier than usual lately. Brain feels all foggy. Smoking

is

Quoted message said:

such a stupid thing to do, so why is it when you quit you feel stupider? I
hope it goes away.

I know I'll offend people who have a strict rigidity when it comes to

words

Quoted message said:

and their meanings, people who don't agree that words can change their
meanings over time, people who don't like technical terms being used in a
non-technical way, and people who don't like non-scientists talking about
anything even remotely related to a scientific field. Nevertheless . . .

I don't think a person can be "addicted" to any substance or activity.
What we get addicted to are the feelings brought about by substances or
activities. If you could fiddle around in someone's brain with tiny
instruments, and stimulate whatever part of the brain gets stimulated by,
say, heroin, then the person would feel the exact same thing they would
feel if they actually took the heroin. So, the addiction isn't in the
drug, it's all in the brain.

Apparently, nicotine and carbs are the triggers for the feelings I'm
addicted to. It's a complicated body/brain phenomenon. I don't have to
know how it works on the cellular level, but I'm becoming familiar with

how

Quoted message said:

it works on the organic and psychological levels. To put it
metaphorically, I've dug myself into a hole, and I know I need to climb
out, and I know how to climb out, but being in the hole saps the will to
climb out.

So, obviously, will has to be circumvented. The way to do this is
emotional detachment. Go through the motions and eat right and work out
anyway, regardless of wanting to or not. So, it starts all over again
tomorrow. Back to a routine, back to real life. I do it with the

knowledge

Quoted message said:

that it can be done, but with a little more cynicism about my strength in
the face of obstacles. Apparently, when the going gets tough, I wimp out.
Ah well. If that's who I am, then that's who I am. With all the evidence
of my weakness, it's either kind of brave or kind of stupid that I still
don't give up. Kiss or kick my ass, it doesn't matter, I have to keep on
keeping on regardless.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

I agree with the 'addiction' thing being more about the feelings around the
"___"

I don't care how people feel about the way I post. I let my thoughts just
pour out. I don't worry about sentence structure or any of that. When I was
younger and way uptight, I was very into parsing sentences and correct
grammar. Then I grew up and realized that it just doesn't matter that much
in the whole scheme of things.

Keep up the good fight, I've been following your progress and struggles for
a long time.
take care

--
Lori
220(170)/168/145 been there once
Atkins 1/16/2003
restarting (and I mean it this time) Jan 1. 2005
Devoted wife of Curtis diagnosed with Metastatic Prostate Cancer 12/31/2004
failed Hormone deprivation therapy in 9 mo (instead of the usual 18-24 mo)
now on Radiation for pain
starting Chemo for the rest of his life in 3-6 wks.
http://community.webshots.com/user/lorismiller

Luna -

I hope you meant today (Monday). It's a good day to start anew.

Think about how good you feel when everything is working right. Return to
that place, which this time will be a new and better place, since you no
longer smoke.

Hang tight.

Luna -

I hope you meant today (Monday). It's a good day to start anew.

Think about how good you feel when everything is working right. Return to
that place, which this time will be a new and better place, since you no
longer smoke.

Hang tight.

Luna said:

I don't think a person can be "addicted" to any substance or activity.

you may think it if you wish, but it's demonstrably incorrect. there
are physical components to drug addiction.

you really need to educate yourself.

good luck with your endeavors. i really do hope you stay quit of the
cigarettes.

"Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hey all. Low-carb and I haven't been exactly getting along the last week
or so. Got sick and couldn't eat much for a while, quit smoking, cough

and

Quoted message said:

snot finally went away and appetite came back with a vengeance. I've been
eating anything that stays still long enough. Haven't been working out
either! I feel my body getting bigger and bloated and weak and flabby.
Not even hungry but I keep EATING!!! Arghh.

Your punishment, and cure, should be to have to read and reread your post
until you see yourself as clearly as we now do.

--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

"Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hey all. Low-carb and I haven't been exactly getting along the last week
or so. Got sick and couldn't eat much for a while, quit smoking, cough
and
snot finally went away and appetite came back with a vengeance. I've been
eating anything that stays still long enough. Haven't been working out
either! I feel my body getting bigger and bloated and weak and flabby.
Not even hungry but I keep EATING!!! Arghh.

Try drinking (water or diet pop, if you can do that) instead. Less guilt,
does the same job! Don't forget to eat properly too...

Quoted message said:

I'm a little crazier than usual lately. Brain feels all foggy. Smoking
is
such a stupid thing to do, so why is it when you quit you feel stupider? I
hope it goes away.

Yep, it does. About 3 weeks in, I vaguely recall.

Keep it up, Michelle, you're doing good!

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.7/<6 Weight 95/79/72Kg
1g Metformin, 75ug Thyroxine
T2 DX 05/2004

In article <[email hidden]>,

Nicky said:

"Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hey all. Low-carb and I haven't been exactly getting along the last week
or so. Got sick and couldn't eat much for a while, quit smoking, cough
and
snot finally went away and appetite came back with a vengeance. I've been
eating anything that stays still long enough. Haven't been working out
either! I feel my body getting bigger and bloated and weak and flabby.
Not even hungry but I keep EATING!!! Arghh.

Try drinking (water or diet pop, if you can do that) instead. Less guilt,
does the same job! Don't forget to eat properly too...

Quoted message said:

I'm a little crazier than usual lately. Brain feels all foggy. Smoking
is
such a stupid thing to do, so why is it when you quit you feel stupider? I
hope it goes away.

Yep, it does. About 3 weeks in, I vaguely recall.

Keep it up, Michelle, you're doing good!

Nicky.

I appreciate the spirit of what you're saying, but I'm not doing good. I
mean, yeah, I'm not smoking, but I'm using it as an excuse to let
everything else fall to pieces. I'm just substituting one addiction for
another.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Luna wrote:
|| In article <[email hidden]>,
|| "Nicky" <[email hidden]> wrote:
||
||| "Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||| news:[email hidden]...
|||| Hey all. Low-carb and I haven't been exactly getting along the
|||| last week or so. Got sick and couldn't eat much for a while, quit
|||| smoking, cough and
|||| snot finally went away and appetite came back with a vengeance.
|||| I've been eating anything that stays still long enough. Haven't
|||| been working out either! I feel my body getting bigger and
|||| bloated and weak and flabby. Not even hungry but I keep EATING!!!
|||| Arghh.
|||
||| Try drinking (water or diet pop, if you can do that) instead. Less
||| guilt, does the same job! Don't forget to eat properly too...
|||
||||
|||| I'm a little crazier than usual lately. Brain feels all foggy.
|||| Smoking is
|||| such a stupid thing to do, so why is it when you quit you feel
|||| stupider? I hope it goes away.
|||
||| Yep, it does. About 3 weeks in, I vaguely recall.
|||
||| Keep it up, Michelle, you're doing good!
|||
||| Nicky.
||
|| I appreciate the spirit of what you're saying, but I'm not doing
|| good. I mean, yeah, I'm not smoking, but I'm using it as an excuse
|| to let
|| everything else fall to pieces. I'm just substituting one addiction
|| for another.

You're still not smoking....that's a big plus. You'll get the diet and
exercise under control soon. Just keep your focus.

In article <[email hidden]>,

(The Queen of Cans and Jars) said:

Luna said:

I don't think a person can be "addicted" to any substance or activity.

you may think it if you wish, but it's demonstrably incorrect. there
are physical components to drug addiction.

you really need to educate yourself.

I have been. There are physical components to emotions too. It's all just
biochemical reactions. Even if drugs and neuropeptides don't attach to the
same exact cell receptors, in practice, from the point of view of the
person, it still all works the same way. You don't like me using the word
"addiction," you don't think people can actually get addicted to things
like sex or gambling or food. That's all semantics, and even if it isn't
the right word, there are still commonalities. Every thought and every
emotion reinforces pathways in the neural network in the brain. Have the
same thoughts over and over and those pathways get stronger, until it
becomes just as hard to break them as it is to break an addiction.
Associate food or sex with love long enough, and yes, it does physically
change the way the brain is wired.

Not to give up hope though, because with determination, persistence, and
practice, it can be overcome. The cure for bad thinking is good thinking.
I start to feel something unpleasant and I block it with food or
cigarettes. Whether I'm actually, technically addicted to the food or not,
it serves the same purpose in my life that smoking did, and now that the
smoking is gone the eating is getting worse. So, that needs to get
stripped away too. Who knows what will pop up after that. If I keep
stripping away the filters between myself and whatever it is I'm trying not
to feel, eventually I'll figure it out and deal with it and start to become
whoever I'm actually supposed to be. It's really scary and both my mind
and body are using whatever tricks they can to keep me hooked and keep my
head in the sand, but I'm fighting back.

Quoted message said:

good luck with your endeavors. i really do hope you stay quit of the
cigarettes.

Thanks. I really do too.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Luna wrote:
|| In article <[email hidden]>,
|| [email hidden] (The Queen of Cans and Jars) wrote:
||
||| Luna <[email hidden]> wrote:
|||
|||| I don't think a person can be "addicted" to any substance or
|||| activity.
|||
||| you may think it if you wish, but it's demonstrably incorrect.
||| there are physical components to drug addiction.
|||
||| you really need to educate yourself.
||
|| I have been. There are physical components to emotions too. It's
|| all just biochemical reactions. Even if drugs and neuropeptides
|| don't attach to the same exact cell receptors, in practice, from the
|| point of view of the person, it still all works the same way. You
|| don't like me using the word "addiction," you don't think people can
|| actually get addicted to things like sex or gambling or food.
|| That's all semantics, and even if it isn't the right word, there are
|| still commonalities. Every thought and every emotion reinforces
|| pathways in the neural network in the brain. Have the same thoughts
|| over and over and those pathways get stronger, until it becomes just
|| as hard to break them as it is to break an addiction. Associate food
|| or sex with love long enough, and yes, it does physically change the
|| way the brain is wired.
||
|| Not to give up hope though, because with determination, persistence,
|| and practice, it can be overcome. The cure for bad thinking is good
|| thinking. I start to feel something unpleasant and I block it with
|| food or cigarettes. Whether I'm actually, technically addicted to
|| the food or not, it serves the same purpose in my life that smoking
|| did, and now that the smoking is gone the eating is getting worse.
|| So, that needs to get stripped away too. Who knows what will pop up
|| after that. If I keep stripping away the filters between myself and
|| whatever it is I'm trying not to feel, eventually I'll figure it out
|| and deal with it and start to become whoever I'm actually supposed
|| to be. It's really scary and both my mind and body are using
|| whatever tricks they can to keep me hooked and keep my head in the
|| sand, but I'm fighting back.

Maybe a sexual addiction would work for you just now... Or an exercise
addiction. Something to distract you from thinking about eating and
smoking...

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

|| Maybe a sexual addiction would work for you just now... Or an
|| exercise addiction. Something to distract you from thinking about
|| eating and smoking...

Or maybe you could try crack .. have you ever seen a fat crackhead? <g>
--
Peter
270/219/180
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

|| Maybe a sexual addiction would work for you just now... Or an
|| exercise addiction. Something to distract you from thinking about
|| eating and smoking...

Or maybe you could try crack .. have you ever seen a fat crackhead? <g>
--
Peter
270/219/180
website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

marengo wrote:
|| "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||
|||| Maybe a sexual addiction would work for you just now... Or an
|||| exercise addiction. Something to distract you from thinking about
|||| eating and smoking...
||
|| Or maybe you could try crack .. have you ever seen a fat crackhead?
|| <g> --

No, but my choices might be infinitely more enjoyable! I stress, though,
the "might be" part. Can't speak from experience, really.

marengo wrote:
|| "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||
|||| Maybe a sexual addiction would work for you just now... Or an
|||| exercise addiction. Something to distract you from thinking about
|||| eating and smoking...
||
|| Or maybe you could try crack .. have you ever seen a fat crackhead?
|| <g> --

No, but my choices might be infinitely more enjoyable! I stress, though,
the "might be" part. Can't speak from experience, really.

"Luna" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I appreciate the spirit of what you're saying, but I'm not doing good. I
mean, yeah, I'm not smoking, but I'm using it as an excuse to let
everything else fall to pieces. I'm just substituting one addiction for
another.

Well, when you're feeling rational, don't let things fall apart; and when
you aren't, don't sweat the small stuff. Giving up smoking is a Big Thing;
give yourself a bit of room there. But DON'T let the hassles you're going
through be an excuse to undo all your good work. Weight can be lost again;
lung cancer's a bit harder.

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.7/<6 Weight 95/79/72Kg
1g Metformin, 75ug Thyroxine
T2 DX 05/2004