so I'm trying to quit smoking [Resolutions thread?]

Depressperado

It's only been like two hours and I am dying.

Encourage me! Tell me of your plans for improvement, self or otherwise!

Usagi

Hell yeah duder, that's a super hard and awesome choice

I uh, stopped drinking at the beginning of the month, not sure if that's gonna be a long term or short term choice but I'm giving it through March to see how I feel

Mortal Sky

Between early April and New Year's Eve I didn't have any alcohol at all, less out of hard quitting (had already been slowing down a ton since college anyways) and more out of a clear realization that it wouldn't mix well with social distancing/isolation, but made an exception on New Year's Eve for some very good blueberry lavender mead my partner (who I've only been seeing since November) made

And so now I'm going to keep on not drinking on my own time, but hey, some light moderation in the company of someone I love actually feels fine

Also been re-teaching myself how to skateboard and doing a lot of work on financial literacy/responsibility

Tef

You’re not trying to quit smoking, nor are you quitting smoking. You HAVE quit smoking. Say it out loud to yourself and anytime it come up in conversation you say, ‘I quit smoking’

Ignore the wankers that try to make fun of you having quit smoking for 2 hours. They don’t understand like you and me!

Regular chewing gum can help distract. Anything to keep your hand and mouth activity busy. When I quit cold turkey, I got an empty biro (pen) with some tissue paper stuffed in it for air resistance and I would ‘puff’ that, which really helped.

Good job on quitting, you’re gonna add 20 years to your life!

OmnomnomPancake

What I've realized after recently quitting weed was that I enjoyed the rituals surrounding the habit as much as the drug itself, and filling in that extra free time AND overriding these seemingly built-in, automatic brain hankerings was not something I was initially prepared for.

But if COVID did one thing it's made me o.k. at finding ways to distract from the impending stressors of *gestures everywhere*.

It is both the best and worst time to kick a fucked up habit, though.

Raijin Quickfoot

I plan on losing 50 pounds this year

I just finished eating 2 pop tarts...

Zonugal

At the beginning of the year I stopped having snacks, sweets, fast food, sugary foods, & soda.

All I want to do is drink cola and eat zebra cakes.

But my body feels much healthier since I decided to cut that stuff out.

Tef

Oh! And do the calculations on how much you will save on smoking. It’s a bit different where I’m from where smokes cost $45 for 30, but knowing the total amount saved really helped me.

Sir Platypus

I quit smoking one year, 10 months, and 3 days ago.

I used an app called Smoke Free to help me keep track of everything. When you see how much you've saved, how many days you've gone, etc it makes you not want to break your streak.

I also ate a shitload of carrots. Instead of smoke breaks at home, I'd stand by the fridge eating carrots before returning to whatever I was doing. It sounds silly, but it worked for me.

I saved $3,375 on cigarettes.

Tef

Oh hey I use smoke free!


5m 23d 23h

Xaquin

I resolved to lose weight

buutttt I made beef Bourgogne (sp?) and mashed potatoes, and a massive chocolate cake

but I am 24 days without soda so that's good

Tef

Cutting out sugary drinks is a big step! Last time I lost a bunch of weight it was short walks and stopping all sodas and cutting down the beers

Zonugal

If you put a stethoscope to my heart you'd hear a faint, but intense, message pounded out across my body.

It'd say, "Give me Mountain Dew Code Red!"

Peas

My resolution is to do nothing this year
Absolutely nothing!

DouglasDanger

I resolved to shoot my bow more and to track my accuracy.

I would like to track my accuracy by shooting "300 rounds." The archer shoots 10 "ends" or sets of three arrows each at 20 yards at a certain target, a perfect score is 300 points.

I cannot shoot at home, so that's an obstacle.

There's a place about a half hours drive away I can shoot outside.

I finally got to shoot on Saturday, but there was quite a bit of wind, like enough wind it was hard to even hit the target. The temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit without the wind.

It was nice to shoot for a bit, but it didn't feel very productive at all. I tried working on my form instead of scoring my shooting.

Endless_Serpents

I will finally be free of my ancient curse.

DouglasDanger

I also resolved to read more books, read one book in January, so that's a good start

David_T

I decided to actually do something about my weight. I started the keto diet a year ago, but very halfheartedly. This time I'm measuring whether I'm in ketosis, I'm strict about my carb intake and I've started working out every evening. Not a lot, but more than I otherwise would and every evening.

And I've lost 10 lbs so far.

Also continuing the ongoing project of making this apartment look less like a disorganized yard sale and more like someone is living here.

Lindsay Lohan

I stopped biting my nails at the end of November. I did it then so I wouldn't call it a resolution figuring it might have a better chance of sticking this time. I've done it since about 5th grade, and I'm a week away from 44 now, so it's been a long time thing with only one successful 6 monthish break from it. So far, I really like how much better playing my ukulele sounds having nails to strum, so I'm hoping that added benefit will help keep them safe from me. Also, I found the idle time of my commute was one of my prime chewing times, since I'm working from home until at least June, that risk factor is gone.

Brovid Hasselsmof

Sir Platypus wrote: »

I quit smoking one year, 10 months, and 3 days ago.

I used an app called Smoke Free to help me keep track of everything. When you see how much you've saved, how many days you've gone, etc it makes you not want to break your streak.

I also ate a shitload of carrots. Instead of smoke breaks at home, I'd stand by the fridge eating carrots before returning to whatever I was doing. It sounds silly, but it worked for me.

I saved $3,375 on cigarettes.

And spent $4,000 on carrots?

Peen

I'm going to try to finally bench 315 this year, hopefully raw but at least with an assistive device. I'm writing it here early as heck because it's a real goal that might take the year to accomplish, we'll see!

Depressperado

Lindsay Lohan wrote: »

I stopped biting my nails at the end of November. I did it then so I wouldn't call it a resolution figuring it might have a better chance of sticking this time. I've done it since about 5th grade, and I'm a week away from 44 now, so it's been a long time thing with only one successful 6 monthish break from it. So far, I really like how much better playing my ukulele sounds having nails to strum, so I'm hoping that added benefit will help keep them safe from me. Also, I found the idle time of my commute was one of my prime chewing times, since I'm working from home until at least June, that risk factor is gone.

I used to bite my nails so bad, like, down to the quick
I'm not sure when I stopped, but I'm pretty sure it coincided with starting anti-anxiety meds

either way, don't bite those nails, dogg, they're much nicer functional! I believe in you!

you can get some clear coat nail polish and put some of that on them, it'll gross you out if you try and bite and also it makes your nails shiny

Straightzi

Nail polish just gives me something new to chew at on my nails

Sometimes it's useful, in that I'll spend my time picking off my nail polish with my teeth instead of straight up biting them

But it's never been a true deterrent

Captain Inertia

So I have successfully quit smoking twice now (this isn’t a joke!)

The first, I went a year before I started again (my wife was a heavy smoker and pulled me back in...)

I’ve now gone a little over 3 years since my last smoke and I’m sure I won’t ever start again. Beyond just *wanting* to quit, there were 2 things that occurred both times that made it happen:

1. Getting a raging sinus infection and just not being able to or even crave a cig for over a week
2. First time, I broke up with a smoker so had less instances of the social/habit part of it; second time, my wife got pregnant shortly after my break from the sinus infection and had to quit herself, so no more social/habit part

I think you really need the desire, then a social/habit change....and if there’s some way to make it unpalatable if not impossible for that first period where the cravings are worse, that’s best

Anyway this is a long preachy post but if it helps, I LOVE that I no longer smoke and have zero cravings or desire...I have never missed it all this time and I love that and hope you can get there too

Depressperado

hmm

little razor blades? no, too much

glue sand to your nails.

Captain Inertia

Also I threw away all my cigs during the sinus infection because it was easier to do when the thought of smoking made me sick(er)

Depressperado

my grandpa stopped drinking when I was a kid, but kept a bottle of whiskey in the house because "sometimes it's a test and sometimes it's medicinal."

my worry is that I tend to wake up with those Middle-of-the-Night Blues, and nothing puts you back down like an introspective smoke in the dark.

Magic Pink

Depressperado wrote: »

nothing puts you back down like an introspective carrot in the dark.

Usagi

Depressperado wrote: »

my grandpa stopped drinking when I was a kid, but kept a bottle of whiskey in the house because "sometimes it's a test and sometimes it's medicinal."

my worry is that I tend to wake up with those Middle-of-the-Night Blues, and nothing puts you back down like an introspective smoke in the dark.

I found when I quit smoking that those were the hardest times, those moments where a situational cigarette was a psychological link--midnight existential smokes, coffee smokes, beer smokes, etc.

I had to figure out different routines entirely until that link went away!

Lindsay Lohan

I did the clear gel thing at the start, mostly because some of them were just super fragile and my pinkie fingers had taken the brunt of my stress for a while. The worst was around Christmas because they had reached a point of growth where I physically noticed them and found them actually annoying to have. It was like someone attached post-it notes to the ends of my fingers and I felt a weird pressure from having nails there. I'm mostly ok with them now, but of course they aren't completely nice and even and grown yet, so I'm just looking forward to them being shaped like full rounded nails.

I know part of it is anxiety, I fight with that in general, but having a reason to have nails other than as an outlet for nervous energy seems to really be helping.

Captain Inertia

Magic Pink wrote: »

Depressperado wrote: »

nothing puts you back down like an introspective carrot in the dark.

Which dark places are we putting carrots in now

Brovid Hasselsmof

Magic Pink wrote: »

Depressperado wrote: »

nothing puts you back down like an introspective carrot in the dark.

"Hmmm, what is up, doc?"

Magic Pink

Captain Inertia wrote: »

Magic Pink wrote: »

Depressperado wrote: »

nothing puts you back down like an introspective carrot in the dark.

Which dark places are we putting carrots in now

hold on i'm not done typing the list

David_T

I decided to actually do something about my weight. I started a low-carb diet a year ago, but very halfheartedly. This time I'm measuring whether it's working, I'm strict about my carb intake and I've started working out every evening. Not a lot, but more than I otherwise would and every evening.

And I've lost 10 lbs so far.

Also continuing the ongoing project of making this apartment look less like a disorganized yard sale and more like someone is living here.

Janson

I have:

- not had a sugary coffee in ~3 months
- reduced my portion sizes
- upped my water intake (I try and at least finish one 32 oz bottle) (I only have water + one mushroom coffee a day)
- exercised every day since Jan 1st
- gone from getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night to getting into bed before midnight so I get at least 6, and more often than not I get 7 hours a night!

I don’t really drink alcohol but I dialed back the weed last year from 2-3 x a week to once a month or so. I took a 3 month break and didn’t miss it, but sometimes it’s nice to have

It’d be nice if any of the above resulted in weight loss, but it hasn’t, so I guess the next stage is calorie counting

webguy20

Janson wrote: »

I have:

- not had a sugary coffee in ~3 months
- reduced my portion sizes
- upped my water intake (I try and at least finish one 32 oz bottle) (I only have water + one mushroom coffee a day)
- exercised every day since Jan 1st
- gone from getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night to getting into bed before midnight so I get at least 6, and more often than not I get 7 hours a night!

I don’t really drink alcohol but I dialed back the weed last year from 2-3 x a week to once a month or so. I took a 3 month break and didn’t miss it, but sometimes it’s nice to have

It’d be nice if any of the above resulted in weight loss, but it hasn’t, so I guess the next stage is calorie counting

Have you noticed clothes fitting better at all or anything else like that?

Janson

webguy20 wrote: »

Have you noticed clothes fitting better at all or anything else like that?

Not really, but I otherwise do feel a lot better.

I was probably a bit too negative in that post. I feel pretty fantastic, physically, and I will keep it all up regardless!