Paradigm shift

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

Quoted message said:

now I
feel like a non-smoker, not someone who is in the process of quitting, so
I
can refocus on losing weight now. Yay! Back to normal.

Good for you, Michelle! That's a huge achievement, congratulations!

Nicky.

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

Luna said:

Lots of things have contributed to my eating too much food and too many
carbs lately, especially chocolate.

The holidays meant being home a lot more, with food readily available.

Quitting smoking.

Chocolate being in the house. I didn't buy it, my dad did, and yes, I could
just have not eaten it, but my priorities were different.

Time for my depo shot, and I always get PMS-like stuff when it's time,
which includes chocolate cravings.

Excuses, shmexcuses, whatever. Doesn't matter why really, and I don't
really care. All I care about is getting back to normal.

What's weird is that, in the past, I would go on diets and tell myself I
could return to "normal" eating once I'd lost the weight. But now,
low-carb IS normal. The way I think about how I eat is totally different
now. Neat.

That is cool. I felt something similar and your post just clicked.
People kept saying you can go back to dieting after the holidays, but
it felt more like the way I splurged during the holidays was the
unusual and low carb was getting back to normal. Kind of annoyed me
that the way I've been eating for 12 months is still being thought of
as a "diet"-the word almost infers temporary and sacrificing!

Unfortunately cravings have been bad. This was my first real break
from staying low carb. And I was very good the first two weeks of Dec,
but party after party, celebrated with family 3 different days,
friends 4 times. I'm definitely having trouble with cravings and
serious friggin' munchies! Wednesday and Thrusday were off the chart.
I'm hoping I'm through the worst oo them, but Saturday was another
holiday dinner. Crackers, dips, potatoes, cheesecake.

I ended December up 6 lbs. My first ever gain. I'm not that upset
cause of the timing of the holidays. I've already seen the scale lose
4 pounds some days so its mostly/all water weight. But I still wish I
had better self control/mental discipline.

Quoted message said:

By the way, putting weight loss on hold while quitting smoking helped a
lot. It was a luxury to be able to focus on just that one thing, but now I
feel like a non-smoker, not someone who is in the process of quitting, so I
can refocus on losing weight now. Yay! Back to normal.

Congrats on that. My sister and husband are trying to quit again. I
keep encouraging them to keep trying. Can't succeed if you aren't
trying, right. Did you do any of the patch/gum/isn't there some new
thing now?
DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)
350/271/225 month-start: 274 monthly-goal: 8 since: 12/01/2004
Atkins since Jan 12, 2004
In Maintenance, not counting (CCLL=50-60)

In article <[email hidden]>,

DigitalVinyl said:

Quoted message said:

By the way, putting weight loss on hold while quitting smoking helped a
lot. It was a luxury to be able to focus on just that one thing, but now I
feel like a non-smoker, not someone who is in the process of quitting, so I
can refocus on losing weight now. Yay! Back to normal.

Congrats on that. My sister and husband are trying to quit again. I
keep encouraging them to keep trying. Can't succeed if you aren't
trying, right. Did you do any of the patch/gum/isn't there some new
thing now?

I used the gum, 1 or 2 pieces a day as opposed to the 9 pieces the
directions say to use. I still use it if I get a bad craving, when I'm out
with my smoker friends or my smoker sister.

I saw ads on tv for some kind of laser treatment, which I guess is new.
Don't know if it's [censored] or not.

As for your sister and husband, I remember reading somewhere that it takes
an average of 9 tries before a quit finally sticks long term.

Every time you bust a quit, you can choose to look at yourself as a
failure, but one of the reasons people smoke (or do any addictive behavior
or drug) is to mute negative emotions, so adding to the negativity is not
productive. Instead, tell them they can look at it as a lesson learned.
Like "Ok, why did I go back to it this time? What triggered it? What can
I do instead of smoking to handle a situation like that in my next quit?"

Even before actually quitting, there are things like that they can do to
prep. Make lists of reasons to quit. Lists of specific triggers (for me,
being around a smoker, being stuck in traffic on the way home from work,
etc) and a plan to counter each specific trigger (going outside or chewing
a piece of Nicorette for my first one there, listening and singing along to
my favorite cd for the traffic one.) Make a list of milestone rewards that
they can spend all that money on that they'll be saving for not smoking!

Anyway, all that stuff helped me, because once I make a plan I get all
excited about carrying it out. The main thing is, that a person will quit
smoking when they're ready. Being ready means the negatives of smoking
outweigh the positives, or the positives of being quit outweigh the
negatives of withdrawals, and it's a totally subjective thing as to when
this actually happens in a person's mind. You can't control when that will
happen for your sister and your husband, all you can do is be ready to be
suppportive when it does happen.

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

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

Luna said:

Every time you bust a quit, you can choose to look at yourself as a
failure, but one of the reasons people smoke (or do any addictive behavior
or drug) is to mute negative emotions,

This is the universal mantra of folks who work with addictions, drug
addicts, alkies, that class of addiction. I decided to find out.

Friend from life past, ran into her up on Roswell Road, psychiatrist,
running a clinic at Northside Hosp for seriously addicted ppl. I'm talking
stop or die types. Sat in on a couple of dozen meetings. Pitiful, ppl
crying, telling their lives stories, falling apart, all sober at the time
(required), looking for the answers as to why they were committing suicide
by drug of choice. They lock these folks up, sedate them through withdrawal
until they sober up and off to the meetings.

Sit in a circle, Sherry would watch especially the newbies, prod, ask
questions, tough questions. I bet I cried myself nearly every meeting. Gut
wrenching, people laying on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably for the
entire hour plus. More often than not, out would come some of the most
gruesome stories of murder, mother-child sex, amputations; I thought I had
seen it all in war.

So we "do" lunch halfway through and I asked her "Why is it that so many
claim there is nothing really wrong inside themselves, no fears, no hard
times (many had been molested, raped, stabbed to near death, comatose, you
name it) no money worries just drunk or boinged.

"Mu, not everyone has these problems because they are hiding from something
or unable to deal with (nonexistent) problems. We (med community) need to
understand that some people just do it because they prefer a drugged
state/habit to real life because it is more pleasurable. They are having a
ball until the walls fall in on them."

-eom-

In article <[email hidden]>,

MU said:

Luna said:

Every time you bust a quit, you can choose to look at yourself as a
failure, but one of the reasons people smoke (or do any addictive behavior
or drug) is to mute negative emotions,

This is the universal mantra of folks who work with addictions, drug
addicts, alkies, that class of addiction. I decided to find out.

Friend from life past, ran into her up on Roswell Road, psychiatrist,
running a clinic at Northside Hosp for seriously addicted ppl. I'm talking
stop or die types. Sat in on a couple of dozen meetings. Pitiful, ppl
crying, telling their lives stories, falling apart, all sober at the time
(required), looking for the answers as to why they were committing suicide
by drug of choice. They lock these folks up, sedate them through withdrawal
until they sober up and off to the meetings.

Sit in a circle, Sherry would watch especially the newbies, prod, ask
questions, tough questions. I bet I cried myself nearly every meeting. Gut
wrenching, people laying on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably for the
entire hour plus. More often than not, out would come some of the most
gruesome stories of murder, mother-child sex, amputations; I thought I had
seen it all in war.

So we "do" lunch halfway through and I asked her "Why is it that so many
claim there is nothing really wrong inside themselves, no fears, no hard
times (many had been molested, raped, stabbed to near death, comatose, you
name it) no money worries just drunk or boinged.

"Mu, not everyone has these problems because they are hiding from something
or unable to deal with (nonexistent) problems. We (med community) need to
understand that some people just do it because they prefer a drugged
state/habit to real life because it is more pleasurable. They are having a
ball until the walls fall in on them."

-eom-

I'm sure that's true for some people. I bet not for most. When I busted
quits in the past, it was always in a moment of emotional stress. Times
when I felt so bad I just didn't care anymore. And, smoking DID stop the
tears and the anger, muted all my emotions to a dull grey.

Every time I start a new quit, there are certain ways I have to feel in
order to have the courage to try again. Feeling worthless and stupid
doesn't seem to help. Feeling strong, capable, and optimistic does help.
I'm pretty sure these experiences are not things that only happen to me.

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

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

In article <[email hidden]>,

MU said:

Luna said:

Every time you bust a quit, you can choose to look at yourself as a
failure, but one of the reasons people smoke (or do any addictive behavior
or drug) is to mute negative emotions,

This is the universal mantra of folks who work with addictions, drug
addicts, alkies, that class of addiction. I decided to find out.

Friend from life past, ran into her up on Roswell Road, psychiatrist,
running a clinic at Northside Hosp for seriously addicted ppl. I'm talking
stop or die types. Sat in on a couple of dozen meetings. Pitiful, ppl
crying, telling their lives stories, falling apart, all sober at the time
(required), looking for the answers as to why they were committing suicide
by drug of choice. They lock these folks up, sedate them through withdrawal
until they sober up and off to the meetings.

Sit in a circle, Sherry would watch especially the newbies, prod, ask
questions, tough questions. I bet I cried myself nearly every meeting. Gut
wrenching, people laying on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably for the
entire hour plus. More often than not, out would come some of the most
gruesome stories of murder, mother-child sex, amputations; I thought I had
seen it all in war.

So we "do" lunch halfway through and I asked her "Why is it that so many
claim there is nothing really wrong inside themselves, no fears, no hard
times (many had been molested, raped, stabbed to near death, comatose, you
name it) no money worries just drunk or boinged.

"Mu, not everyone has these problems because they are hiding from something
or unable to deal with (nonexistent) problems. We (med community) need to
understand that some people just do it because they prefer a drugged
state/habit to real life because it is more pleasurable. They are having a
ball until the walls fall in on them."

-eom-

I'm sure that's true for some people. I bet not for most. When I busted
quits in the past, it was always in a moment of emotional stress. Times
when I felt so bad I just didn't care anymore. And, smoking DID stop the
tears and the anger, muted all my emotions to a dull grey.

Every time I start a new quit, there are certain ways I have to feel in
order to have the courage to try again. Feeling worthless and stupid
doesn't seem to help. Feeling strong, capable, and optimistic does help.
I'm pretty sure these experiences are not things that only happen to me.

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

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

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

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Every time I start a new quit, there are certain ways I have to feel in
order to have the courage to try again.

StartED, Michelle - you've cracked it this time : )

Nicky.

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