Im trying to stop smoking..BUT?

Question

I dont wanna go "cold turkey". I am 24 weeks pregnant and im sooooooo disgusted with myself. Whats the best things to nibble on.?? Without putting on any extra weight. If anyones got any ideas or advice....lets hear it.

Answer 1

Quitting smoking is a great opportunity to learn about ourselves.
Congratulate yourself on having the desire to stop - then you are over the worst, but still need to maintain your resolve. It's just so easy to start thinking that just one won't hurt, but it does. Just one achieves nothing except feeling the need for another. Whatever you do, don't have just one. Beware - alcohol will weaken your resolve.
Here's a few home-brewed tips that might be useful.
It's not just nicotine addiction - there are 50+ chemicals in cigarettes. Also the main problem is habit.
We have been used to having body sensations which we translate as 'my body needs something', which we have attempted to satisfy by having a cigarette.
When we try to stop smoking, we still get these 'my body needs something' sensations, and we still feel that we want a cigarette. We have to train our body to be more selective. When we feel we need something, we have to work out what it is that we actually need.
A glass of water is an excellent substitute if nothing else comes to mind, as it helps with the clearance of the toxic substances in our body. Another good substitute is a bag of salted peanuts, used in combination with the water.
Another thing to do is to find an activity which occupies the mind or body. Go swimming - nobody wants to smoke while they are swimming. Slowly, as our body adjusts and translates the 'want something' feelings into something other than cigarettes, then the feelings begin to go away. We know its not a cigarette that the body really needs, because as soon as we've had one we still have the feeling, and want another!
We will have a few bouts of feeling or even being short tempered. We must try to bite our lip, and control; ourselves. Recognise the short temper as being the removal of toxins which are trying to find a way out. They went in through the mouth, and they try to get out that way to. We must learn to keep our mouth closed, and force the toxins out the other way.

After we have stopped for a while we will begin to feel that just one wont to any harm.
All that leads to is a desire for just another one. We must guard very strongly against the desire to have just one.

Answer 2

I'm not a believer of tricks, pills or gadgets as tools for quitting smoking, dieting, etc. I think the best way is probably the toughest way... cold turkey. Let me make it clear this is advice is coming from a former smoker of many, many years. I KNOW how tough it is! It has to be a conscious decision based on all the negatives, and the positives that can result. On top of the list is your health, of course. You know the cancer risk for you, as well as for any non-smoker you may light up around. How you feel. You won't believe the difference just in general. Then there's the coughing. You may think you aren't coughing, but I bet you are and either don't realize it, or are always attributing it to some other reason (allergies, cold air, hot air, poor quality air, etc., etc.). I probably don't even need to tell you the condition of your house if you smoked inside... every surface is is covered with that yellow nicotine. The curtains, furniture, ceilings, walls... and clothes in the closet. Every time you have a cigarette, even if you go outside, you stink. You don't smell it... but everyone else does. Here's a story you might appreciate. I had quit smoking a few months before. Had I known this a few years before, I KNOW I would have quit then. My daughter was away in Boston in college, and would come home now and then for a visit. Of course she brought her laundry with her. It was a 2 hour drive, but she never started her laundry until 10 or 11 o'clock Sunday night. I always worried about her being tired for the drive home, but she was good at putting things off, so I never questioned it. So on a Sunday a few months after I had quit smoking, she was doing her laundry in the afternoon. I was teasing her about her usual habit of doing her laundry so late and asked why the sudden change. She told me that her roommates used to complain about the smell when she brought her CLEAN laundry home. Her clean laundry smelled of smoke!! She had to wear that stuff!! I can't tell you how much that disgusted me. As I said... had she told me a few years before... I would have quit right then and there. Don't think if you don't smoke inside, that you don't come inside after a smoke and stink up the place. Good Luck! You can do it!!

Answer 3

Quiting smoking has been a struggle for me also, the best thing I can suggest is find a smoking cessation group and talk with your doctor. They have many things to aid in your attempt to quit, but I'm not sure if you can take advantage being pregnant. Now for the nibbling, I ate sour candy or salty foods and they worked for me...but everyones different so find what works for you. Also so other techniques that help are talking a shower when you crave, drinking water, talking a walk or exercising when the urge hits. I've been involved in running smoking cessation groups and for medications, a combined effort of Zyban and the patch increases your success rate by over 50%. Adding other things like a support group, and doing things when the cravings hit to get you through it increase your odds even more. You could try calling a friend everytime you want to light up and talk it through with them until you get over the urge. It only takes 14 days to get over the nicotime addiction but most times its the habit that makes us go back, so start a healthier habit...

Hope this helps,

Answer 4

Hi,

Great post! Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I thought I wasn't addicted!

Here's what I tried before finding success: hypnosis, those fake cigaretts, the nicotine patch, and group therapy....none worked.

I finally tried this HERBAL patch I bought 6 months ago on the net. They claim a 97% success rate. Well, it worked! They had a sweet deal which was a free 10 day trial for only $3.95 including shipping (it's regularly $53 for 10 days)!!

I don't know if they still have that deal, but it's worth a try.

http://www.alllsite.info/stop-smoking-free.php

Good Luck

Answer 5

it may seem like a consolation or an insult but the majority of the damage has been done. when the brain cells are being created between 12 and 20 weeks they are firing off at thousands per second. (the fastest rate during pregnancy) smoking really effects this. Try not to worry though as your child still has a great chance of coming out fine.
BUT quit now, use patches, advice lines, gum or whatever and get help from your health professionals. It is after baby is born that you will do the most damage if you continue to smoke, the risk of cot death is hugely increased as are breathing problems.

Answer 6

I am not a smoker, but my best friend is and it was very hard for her to quit during her pregnancy. She did cut back from one pack a day to 3 cigarrettes a day. Even when she went into labor she was asking to go for a smoke. She felt really bad about her habit too but baby came out great. He is now 3 years old! I remember that she chewed gum a lot. As far as extra weight goes, I am sure your doc would prefer to see you gain a few extra pounds if it means you are quitting smoking. It is nice to see that you are trying! Good luck!

Answer 7

I've heard of people switching from regular cigarettes to light ones or the filtered ones. Forgive me, I don't know much about cigarettes, but I would like to help. As long as you can bring down the amount to like just a couple it will better for the baby. Try to nibble on gum, or anything to suck on. Also, if you get a craving try to nibble your favorite vegetable, have everything ready that way you can try to diverge your attention. Like say a few carrots in a bag....nibble on them when you get a craving. Give yourself rewards of going an doing something when you don't have a cigarettes. Little incentives might help....and remember the health of your baby. Your breathing for two, remember that. I know you want your baby to be as healthy as possible, so help it out a little. Good luck!

Answer 8

1.Don't buy cigarettes anymore.
2.Put a picture of a normal fetus next to a smoker's fetus on your mirror, in your cigarettes, on your ashtray...ANYWHERE that you'd look regularly to remind you how much damage you're doing.
3.Tell yourself that you'd rather be overweight than have an unhealthy baby.
4.Talk to your doctor.
5. Have your partner quit with you, and don't go to places where people smoke. Don't hang out with friends that smoke, and if your family smokes, only hang out with them at YOUR smoke-free house
6. get on the gum or the patch
7. fill your fridge and cupboards with cut up fruit and vegetables, pretzels, and popcorn. Eat all the time if you want - these are practically fat free!

Answer 9

I'm not gonna judge you firstly because i am a smoker (although not pregnant) and secondly because you've already acknowledged that what you're doing is bad. But really, while it's your right to smoke, it's your baby's right not to be damaged by it.

I would try raisins and dried fruit, fresh fruit, carrot sticks and gum is a good idea too. You should expect to put on a few pounds but hey, if you can't put on a little weight when you are pregnant, when can you?

Answer 10

I am also trying but finding it easier to cut back each day. Make a note on the packet of how many are left and every day aim for one or two less. That way you know you can have a cigarette if desperate but I find I am going up to 5 hours without even thinking about one now. As for weight just make sure you keep off the cakes etc. Have a lovely baby.