[SimonRowberry]

Looks like I just did…

Seriously, Martyn, I’d welcome any advice. My son is 12. I’d really like to see him be 13.

Thanks mate

S

[MartynSinclair]

So many people say the key to diet and giving up smoking is willpower. Please don’t delete BT, but that’s simply a load of bollocks. I used to smoke between 30-40 a day.

There is only 1 key to giving up smoking, T H E D E S I R E. You have the desire to see your son at 13, my son is 15 and I want to see him married with kids. This gave me the desire to stop.What also helped was when my son said to me when he first started smoking, am I going to die because he knew smoking was bad.

If you have the desire to give up smoking, you don’t need anyone else to help and you certainly don’t need willpower.

I went to an Antony Robins seminar in Cardiff about 10 years ago, the cost was crazy and for me 75% of the 3 day seminar was of no value. The one thing I got out of it was giving up smoking.

Here’s how, but it will only work if you have the desire to stop.

Make sure you have an unopened packet of cigarettes, with the cellophane intact.

Throw out all ashtrays and any opened packets of cigarettes.

Sounds crazy, but you’ve just given up smoking!

MAINTENANCE:

1. hold the unopened packet of cigarettes now and again, as long as the cellophane remains on, you win / fags lose

2. If you need a fix, go to your local NHS hospital and wait by the main exit and see the people being wheeled outside the hospital, attached to machines for a smoke

3. Another way of getting a fix is walk outside an office building and passive smoke. Believe me the first whiff may be nice, the second is revolting

4. Keep a biro close by and when you know you would take out a cigarette, smoke the biro. Research has been carried out, but I have no idea where I can show the research, that part of the smoking habit, is the habit of holding a cigarette or a cigarette size item between your fingers (keep it clean please).

5. My son is a very keen golfer and his desire is to get on to the PGA tour. He is coached in the States and I don’t intend to name drop, but he has been told he would be immediately dropped if he started smoking – its this coaches rules. How can a parent smoke in front of a child who is aiming to be a sportsman. (he has a fall back if he doesn’t make it).

Try it, if the desire is there, willpower forms no part of this strategy.

In my case, I didnt start by telling anyone as that would have only added pressure. It was great when people started asking me, if I had quit. Much better than telling people in advance. It took Mrs S, 2 weeks to notice.

One word of warning though, cold turkey style can make you sick (not ill, just throwing up) and bring on a very bad cough. This is caused by the nerve endings, coming back to life. In my case I also suffered from a temporary discoloring of the eyes – which my Dr said was signs of drug withdrawal.

It took me 6 months and yes it was worth it.

My life style has changed tremendously for the better. I have done the diet, quit smoking and I have one further addiction to beat, which I may have mentioned in the past, sleeping pills. Unfortunately, whilst I have the 100% desire, i have been told not to come off cold turkey due to my work patterns.

People write books on giving up smoking, they are not needed.

I hope this helps and I would be delighted to meet up, when you have started!

[RichHI1]

I used to smoke cigarettes heavily, 40-60 Marlboro a day. Tried many times to give up but my head wanted to and my heart did not.
It was very strange, one year I caught a terrible cold which went onto my chest and I could not smoke for 2-3 weeks or so. As I got better having not smoked for 3 weeks I just did not restart. So I agree with Martyn it is real DESIRE but aso you need sometimes an externality that forces you over the 2-3 weeks initial stop. Also I stopped to going to pubs as in those days Smoking and rinking were interlinked.
It can be done but you have to do it yourself. I would havw thought having a growing family coudl be enough.
Interestingly I now smoke the odd cigar on vacation but I do not find that makes me want to constantly smoke (I can go 6 -7 months between cigars without botehring) and I really hate the smell of cigarettes now.

[MartynSinclair]

Rich snap on the chest cold. I would sneak out to the pharmacy to pretend to buy medication. I would light a cigarette but just could take it in – I too took that as a sign, here was my chance and the desire kicked in.

[IanFromHKG]

Simon and any others with diabetes, especially those struggling with weight issues, should take a look at (and seek medical advice on) the Atkins Diet. That diet was not designed primarily as a weight-loss diet, but to help diabetics cope with oscillating blood sugar levels during the day. My father-in-law has severe Type 2 diabetes, and was injecting at least 5 times a day but was having adverse reactions to the insulin he was then using. He actually went to see Atkins himself in the US, went onto the diet, and ended up being able to give up on injections. He also lost a lot of weight. He is older now and finds it difficult to exercise due to other health issues, so is back on the injections but is undoubtedly a lot healthier than he would have been

I am one of those annoying people that have never had a major struggle with weight. I eat bread virtually every day (incidentally, I have to agree with Martyn, bread is terrible stuff – wheat gives your body a huge kick in the metabolism, and puts it into overdrive, with the result that not too long afterwards your blood sugar level craters and you start craving more food – and it is wheat, not bread, that does this so pasta has the same effect) but – and this works for me – I don’t eat breakfast. Haven’t for many years, and it really wasn’t a particularly conscious choice, it is just a sort of habit I developed. All that stuff about breakfast being the most important meal of the day is a load of tosh – your body has plenty of fuel in it from dinner the night before, particularly since you eat it just before your metabolism slows right down for the night.

Two last pieces of advice to anyone who wants to lose or maintain their weight – when you eat your meals, eat at half your normal pace (I am a naturally slow eater and will normally take twice as long as my wife to finish a meal) so that your stomach has a chance to catch up with the fact and will tell your brain when you have had enough – when you eat fast, it doesn’t do this quickly enough, and by the time your brain gets the message you have already eaten more than you need. Secondly, decide (for every meal) not to eat everything on your plate – eating everything in front of you is just a habit, once you wrap your head around this properly and realise you are deliberately going to leave some food behind, it then just becomes a question of how much – you may be surprised at how often you leave quite a lot because your body simply doesn’t need it.

I am a big believer, incidentally, in a long walk after a long flight. Helps with jetlag by accustomising your body to whether it is light or dark outside, gets your circulation going again without overdoing it, gives you some fresh air (well, depending on where you are I suppose!) and adds a little bit of “real” fatigue to help you sleep later

Incidentally, I count myself very lucky that I never developed the smoking habit. My own big vice was alcohol, but I got that under control last year

[MartynSinclair]

G-d, I hope people are not getting fed up with me on this subject, but as you can see it is close to my heart.

1. Typically on arrival in BKK, BA nd QF use the furthest gates. I never take the travelators, always walk, its 1.5 km from aircraft to baggage.

2. Picking up on Ian’s comments about spped of eating and portion size, eat off a side plate instead of a dinner plate. A full small plate is better than a half empty big plate.

3. Forget all etiquete when eating. Interupt your dinner by writing emails, taking calls and reading the paper. Why, as Ian absolutely correctly says, eat slowly and your brain gets the message. Eat fast and the brain still gets the message bit only after tiwce the amount of food that goes in.

4. Use room service and avoid the buffets.

[RichHI1]

Another tip is liquids (non alcoholic and not sodas). Eating soups and drinking lots of water or fluids that are not high in calories helps you feel full quicker.

[Senator]

Mine are simple: always book a hotel with a fitness centre that open from 06:00 and head there first. Never be the last man standing after a business dinner. Eat away (quantity) as you do at home.

To my dear friend Simon, hope all is well and hope to be back in the UK in April. Then we can have a semi-decadent night out with a proper meal and a glass of wine and I will hit the gym in the morning to work it off.

[stevescoots]

at 28 i was 11 stone and 30 inch waist, my job at the time meant i was on my feet 14 hours a day. Then I turned road warrior driving 60K+ miles a year around UK a ballooned to almost 18 stone and close to 40 inch waist by the time i was 36. I felt fine and no health issues, but when I went to buy yet another suit it was time to change.

I never dieted, I eat what I want without restriction and never set foot in a gym. in 2 years aged 38 I got down to 13 stone and a 36 waist. now i hover around 12.5-13.5 All i did was only eat when hungry, small portions and stop eating when hunger has gone.

If only i had the same self control when it came to smokes!!

[MartynSinclair]

@Steve, let me know when the desire kicks in (that’s to quit not to smoke another!!).

[Papillion53]

What a considerate bunch you are and supportive to your fellow BT posters.

Can I just tell you about the Dukan diet? It’s quite similar to Atkins but no full fat products, only fat free diary. You can eat as much protein as you like, no bread, pasta etc and there are several stages which ultimately if followed properly take you back to just following this eating programme for only one day a week for the rest of your life.

I have tried it and found it to be the best for me from all the diets/healthy eating options as it offered the most flexibility. Needless to say to start anything like this is very, very hard, especially the first few days when all you eat is protein – I don’t eat red meat and there’s only so much chicken and fish you can eat! But then you introduce vegetables and salad – I never was so glad to see a bag of salad leaves! Willpower is IMHO 99% of the mix. I am still following this programme and albeit I hold my hands up I have had the odd slip, but this time instead of going “well that’s it then, might as well stuff my face for the rest of the day”, I’ve discounted the slip and gone back on track.

I think acceptance that you need to and want to do something for yourself and your health is the great motivator. (Or going on a seaplane trip in Australia and knowing you have to be weighed pre-flight!! Yikes, that’s my motivation! LOL!)

Drinking lots of water is a must too for any healthy lifestyle – and I mean about 2 litres a day.

And guys if you think it’s tough, try being a “girl” of a certain age trying to lose weight! LOL! Thank goodness for a wonderful and supportive husband.

Good luck to you all trying to stop smoking as well.

I just read an article about Pauline Quirke’s weight loss and she used to have to ask for a seatbelt extender – and was so embarassed by it. I don’t ever want to go there. But I know how she feels when the seat is sometimes a bit neat to accommodate one’s derriere in the comfort it should have! 😉

[LuganoPirate]

I used to smoke about a packet a day. Gauloise or Rothmans International when feeling flush! Gave up about 35 years ago.

I kicked the habit by switching to cigars. Yes, I know you’ll all shout that’s not giving up but as long as you don’t inhale, it definitely is. A cigar is pure leaf. A cigarette means you smoke the paper as well as all the chemicals they put in. I will smoke two or three small ones a day, and a large Havana a couple of times a week, usually with a friend or sometimes with Mrs. LP.

I have my throat checked annually, no problem there, and if I’m down with a cold or coughs I just stop till its over. My chest and lung x-rays show no traces of nicotine and my lung function is that of an 18 year old!

[MartynSinclair]

LP my friend, you have convinced yourself!

[RichHI1]

Reminds me of a friend in LA who opined it was safer to breather LA air through a cigarete fitler than inhale it direct. That said, love my cigars but only on vacation.

[NTarrant]

You have to want to give up smoking to actually stop. I tried stopping loads of times but didn’t work until I then got fed up with smoking. I used lozengers to help.

Dieting try Slimming World, Mrs T joined to loose a few pounds and I ate the same as her and the weight fell off.

[Author]

Posts