Tuesday, August 13, 2013

One Month Tobacco Free!

Exactly one month ago today, I smoked my last cigarette.  A month!  I quit smoking a month ago!  Holy hell.  Honestly, I actually quit smoking.  For the last 6 months, I have really wanted to quit and tried multiple times.   I would go a week here and there, but by the end of the work week, or the beginning of a hellish one, I would break and buy a pack of cigarettes.  But I made it 4+ weeks in a row!  Amazing.  No smoking cessation products used, either.  Just plain willpower and internet venting.  Seriously, this blog did help.  For one, keeping a hand-written journal sucks when you can type.  Typing is faster and less painful.  I wrote a paragraph the other day and my hand cramped.  Secondly, I was partially a closet smoker, so talking to people I know (or asking for their support) is kind of pointless when half of them never knew I smoked.  (I still think they don't need to know).  So, thank you blog.  Typing my trial has helped immensely.

I noticed the prices of cigarettes the other day while waiting in line at a gas station.  I figure I would buy a pack approximately every 3 days.  So I estimate my savings to be $80 per month.  I just saved $80.  Can I eat less now?  I wish binge eating was as black and white as smoking; you either do or you don't.    I can tell myself "I do not binge eat" every minute, but still think I do.  How can I "quit" something that is necessary in moderation to survive?

Today I didn't work.  I had 4 nutter butter cookies, handful of mini-oreos, and a small bag of mini-chocolate chip cookies for breakfast.  I tell myself it was better than me eating an entire box of cereal.  For lunch, I had a peach, apple, 1 slice of provolone cheese, 1 string cheese, and 1 cup of Cheezits.  Then I had 8 mini-candy bars.  The really little mini ones.  I felt 7 months pregnant after that, so I did some crunches and squats.  Sometimes I wonder if I would feel better if I just slept all day.  Less caloric intake, right?

What is going on with me?  Where is my active, energetic, happy self?  What can I do to get myself going and stay going for the rest of my life?

Right now, my gut actually is so swollen, I can cradle it like a pregnant belly.  I just hate being a woman sometimes.  Fupas and whatever.  Eh, now I'm just a negative complainer.  But I quit smoking!!!  No more tobacco smells!  No more burning money!  No more cancer-that-could-be-prevented risk!  Woooo.  Hoo.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

3 Weeks and Counting!

Well, it has been exactly 22 days since my last wonderful smoke.  I survived a weekend trip with 3 children to visit my dad.  Only a 3 hour drive.  Spent most of today with a headache.  Holy moly.  I would love to go outside for a quiet, solitary walk.  I used to do just that when I wanted a cigarette.  Now, I don't have an excuse to go by myself.

I have absolutely nothing else on my mind.  It is nice to have this blog for my record; yesterday I thought it had already been 4 weeks since I quit.  Things like this seem to take too long.  Ha.  Just like weight loss.

I'm fucking tired.  Exhausted.  When my little girl was 3 months old, I accepted the lack of sleep might last the next 2 years.  She turned two 3 months ago.  What the hell.  I love her more than life itself, and she is also going through an all-Mama-or-nothing phase, but I need her to fall asleep by 9pm and sleep until 6:45am.  Just once.  Now that the crib is no more, I can't stop her from getting out of bed, opening her door, and screaming all the way down the hall or to my side of the bed.  I have actually slept with her in a twin bed, my own bed and a full bed just in the last week.  4 of the last 7 nights, she slept with me all night.  6 of the last 7 nights, I had to rock her to sleep.  Only one night did she stay asleep once I laid her into her own bed, by herself.  Every morning she wakes up and ends up sleeping the last 1 or 2 hours with me, until my alarm goes off.  I am willing to pay someone very good money to abduct me for a minimum of 3 nights so I can catch up on rest.  Very good money.  All the money I have saved from not buying cigarettes for 3 weeks.  Hmmm, now I must do the math.

I have probably saved myself $55 in the last 3 weeks.  Now, imagine if I ate super duper healthy and didn't spend any money on fast food!  How much money could I save???