Happy Anniversary Gramma Mare!

Congratulations on 5 years of being a non-smoker Gramma Mare!!!!! You are an inspiration to me and because of you, I know that I too can beat this!!!

Thank you!!

Mini-Vaca

So I made it through my first vacation, albeit a mini one, without having a smoke. One of my big concerns is summer ... granted when it's summer, it will have been quite a long time since I'd have had a smoke but there's something about summer and smoking. Don't ask ...

So when I headed to Boca Raton/Ft Lauderdale/Miami this past weekend I'll admit ... I was a little nervous. But I made it .... tons of outside time, a few drinks, people smoking around me and the beach and I made it through without so much as a drag.

Saturday I might have just been way too stinkin' hot to smoke ... it was 85 while Bridget and I walked around South Beach and here trying not to stare at all the beautiful people.

Cigarettes not smoked = 397 (truthfully, probably more including a vacation)
Money Saved = $105

And tomorrow is 3 weeks!

Dreams

I know I've mentioned that I've had a few dreams about smoking in the last week and a half and I've heard that it's pretty common. And I've also read that you tend to cough quite a bit for the first few weeks/months after you quit ... your body's cleaning itself out and getting rid of all the nasty. Ok ... I get that too, so noted.

But when I wake up in the morning after having had a dream about buying a pack of butts just so that I could smoke one and I have a worse smoker's cough than I had the night before .... that's just WEIRD!

Post-weekend 2

I want to start off by thanking everybody!! You guys have all been so amazing in your support and cheering me on in this struggle. And it is still at times, a struggle. It's mostly a struggle with boredom and what to do with myself at home, when I'm slightly bored, that doesn't include thinking about having a smoke or worse yet, actually having one. I think I may take my mom's suggestion and ask Gramma Mare to teach me how to knit ... it'll help to keep my hands & mind busy.

Mikey hit the nail on the head with this post . For some reason, the ads with the scare tactics just made me turn away or turn the channel and ignore it ... but the ones that tell you the positive things about quitting and the good things that will happen 20 minutes (blood pressure returns to normal), a day (chance of heart attack decreases), a month (coughing, shortness of breath decreases) ... 10 years (lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers) ... after you quit smoking seem to have a better impact, on me at least. It's intriguing actually, to see how your body begins to mend itself.

I hadn't read this anywhere but it's one thing that I've personally noticed ... I sleep better and wake up earlier (which is good and bad). I don't feel nearly as groggy and spacey and generally crappy as I did a week and 4 days, 216 cigarettes not smoked and $57 not spent on said smokes not smoked, ago when I would get up in the morning. I find myself waking up before my alarm goes off and anyone who knows me .... that was completely UNHEARD of!!!!

Thanks again Mikey for the awesome post and encouragement ... I'm going to spend my hard earned, not spent on cigarettes, money in Florida this weekend ... possibly on some good food and/or wine that I'll be able to taste better b/c I'm not smoking

Happy Anniversary ...

... to me!!! It's officially been one week! One week ago today I stopped smoking and started this blog to tell you all the dirty details.

So that is approximately 146 cigarettes not smoked, and about $40 not spent on cigarettes according to my quit meter. In reality, it's probably more than that for both but we'll just go with the 'official' figures. So rock on with my bad self

Talk about mad ....

At least I'm not this mad

Progress

So yesterday, it was super nice here in the B'Lo so I had gone down to the branch for something and decided to pop my head out and talk a quick walk around the building and enjoy the weather. So I went out and ran into two guys that I know who were outside smoking ... and instead of walking briskly by and saying hello, I stopped and chatted ... while they were smoking right next to me. It smelled alright, but it definitely didn't make me want one. And I stood there with them for 10 minutes while they smoked and was completely cool. Similar thing today - parked my car, walking up the stairs and there were two women at the top smoking .... eh, it smelled ok but again, not good enough for me to want one!

So now it's just the psychological part of all it that I'm working on and that's been the hardest ... when I'm home, alone ... after dinner, while I'm making dinner, while I'm having a glass of wine ...... I'm definitely making progress though! AND .... I HAVEN'T GAINED ANY WEIGHT!!!!! YAHOOO!!!!!

Weight = Less 3lbs
Cigarettes not smoked = 130 (WOW!)
Money saved = $34 ... $30 of which I already spent so I'm making money now baby!!!