Todash, Thank you for sharing your story with us. We are so happy to see you content & comfortable in your quit. Congratulations on the upcoming 200 days! You've come a long way and we couldn't be prouder! Danielle, Bilingual Support Specialist

Great post as usual Todash. Nice to see hear from you 007 Freedom Fighter. Loulou [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 194 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,208 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $824.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Thanks for stoping by, Todash, I always enjoy your posts! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 62 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,240 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $682.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12

LOL Lainey, what a vivid image. I'm going to go print out some 'blast zone, keep away' signs and tape them to my keester. We'll see who's boss ;) If it works I'll send you a few! Great stats btw, keep on truckin'! x T [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 194 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,462 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1,067.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 15

Hi Todash! Happy to see you! Glad you stop by now and again, as I love your sense of humour! Keep up with the weights they do work. I am battling with a particular 5 lbs that doesn't want to say goodbye to me...they are a bit clingy! Man I hate that...but can't use dynomite.... Have a great day Todash! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 131 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,275 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,382.05 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 49 [B]Seconds:[/B] 19

Thanks Butterfly - it's good to know the weight comes off eventually. It's like stealth fatty tissue sticking itself on when I'm not looking - eeeeeek! I'm gonna keep on running, maybe I can out race it! :) x T [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 194 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,462 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1,067.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

Todash, Awesome post! Put a smile on my face this morning! Congratulations on 6 months! As for the weight, I am about 4 lbs away from my pre-quit weight... it took a while for me to get there (especially since I didn't start even trying for about a year and a half) but since you've already been exercising a lot, I'm sure that it will come off in no time at all! Way to go on 6 months of freedom! :) Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 757 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,925 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,126.41 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 53 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27

To all the newbies, welcome welcome, everyone welcome. This is the best virtual place in the world. Like home when you move miles and miles away, you can come back knowing that it�s a safe haven, it�s the place that gave you the push and the prop, the zone of comfort with friends �what know� how it is to quit destroying yourself and start living. Congratulations on your new beginning. To the keepers of the SSC, you are forever in my heart and my memory like those beloved schoolteachers who taught the best lessons of all. Thank you. I�ve come �home� to share my thoughts after six months smoke free and joy on nearing day 200. One full lap around the beach. My my, how sweet it is. Now for the good, the bad and the fat. Er, I mean ugly. Er I mean�never mind, here goes: I lovingly refer to myself as blubbo chubbo now. Having read up on the body�s weight �set point�, it seems that smoking for years (20 of them in fact) sets your body�s �standard weight� lower than it would be if you didn�t smoke. And although my food intake hasn�t really changed much, surprise surprise, I�m female, 5�9� and approaching 200 pounds on the scale. Aaaaaaargh! But I won�t go over if it�s the last thing I do. So lesson #1: exercise is a godsend, scales are evil. Start before you quit and keep going after you do. Hence I�m now lifting weights with dreams of Madonna�s shoulders. I�m actually JOGGING on the treadmill now, where I�ve never jogged for fun in my life - I used to say �I only run when someone�s chasing me�. In high school gym class they asked us to run a mile, walking if we needed to, and I came in about 14 minutes. I�d probably do about 8 now. So away with you, evil scales. Moral of that story - I didn�t know the full fat story before I quit, but am SO glad I started exercising so I got used to it. A little weight gain is annoying but it�s really not that bad when you know the good you�re doing yourself. I feel my lungs healing day in day out. This takes time, friends. Don�t kid yourself but be prepared. I can see why weight gain would send people spinning but I�ve not for one day thought about smoking again to counteract it. Ok, maybe one, but I kicked it�s ash and ran faster! So there - will someone please pass me those dumbells? My sense of smell has returned with a vengeance. Either there�s suddenly been an onslaught of folks walking down streets weeing in the corners, or I never realised how much London really stinks like a toilet. Methinks it�s the latter. So out on a day�s walk is about like ��mmm fresh air�(wee)�lovely spring breeze�.(smokers outside all the pubs grrr)�(wee)�fresh�(wee). You get the idea. But if you can�t beat �em� Walk faster! I�ve noticed a connection between foods I�ve been particularly enjoying since the end of the madness. They�re all toasted in some way. That burnt thing, I�m thinking now it�s reminiscent of all the burnt tobacco that was part of my life, now manifesting itself in my food. Don�t get me wrong, I�ve found a passionate love affair with fresh things like apples, watermelon (I never knew how good watermelon smells�I never even knew it HAD a smell) all other fruits & veg, but the burnt things, they keep me feeling somehow still like myself. Toast (rarely since it gives me heartburn and um, stoppage - hint, lose the bread, clear the system�worked for me at long last!) Corn flakes (really nutty taste - didn�t know THEY had such a taste either!). Chargrilled chicken. The list goes on. It�s like there�s now a new flavour category. Sweet, salty�toasted. I don�t visit here much - I�m trying to move on - but I come home now and then, just like to see mom & dad. To see all my fellow non-smokers, to share my journey, to see who�s still around and wish the new folks well (whether I write it down or not, I always do!) My best advice for you - keep going. Look back if you must but just to wave goodbye (and flip it the bird if you must!) Please don�t long for something that�s not worth missing. Don�t ever quit quitting. If you fall, plan better for next time and get back up. This is my second and final quit. I tried years ago but I wasn�t ready. Now it�s honestly a piece of cake (see there�s the food again!) because I WAS ready. I wrote a post a while ago about how easy it is to quit smoking, just keep on NOT smoking - you don�t even have to do anything new. Just stop doing something. I still believe that. All in all, it�s great here on the other side. Please please please, even on your really horrible days, don�t give up. It�s so worth it in the end. Big old belly and all :) x T [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 194 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,462 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1,067.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12