There is a definitely a common theme when it comes to things like quiting smoking. We hear it over and over again... Self Determination.
Using the CT method really test our resolve to maintain that level of determination we need to accomplish this mission before us.
For me, [it] started about 8 weeks ago when I decided enough was enough. My first step was to get my body in shape. Over the last 8 weeks I have lost 30lbs and went from a 38" waist jeans down to a 32" waist. To put that in perspective, I'm a 55 year old 5'11" male. During this weight loss, that consisted of no more than changing my food intake to eating healthier foods and smaller portions.
Similar to quiting smoking, certain times of the day [or night] along with subconscious "memories" of taste and smells, brought on hunger cravings, some severe, for certain "bad" foods. It took a great deal of self determination and willpower to resist and stay true to my healthier eating lifestyle. I started an aggressive exercise program that mainly involved simple walking, 30 minutes a day, then increased to one hour and now up to two hours a day of a combination of walking and "some" running. My smoking prevented me from any form of extended running.
Now that I am satisfied with my weight and fitness, I figured it was time to tackle my last real vice. For the last 4 weeks, I began to cut back, as [i]genevieve[/i] did and I believe it helped prepare me for my actual quit date. Once you get down to just a couple of smokes a day, just one puff sent me feeling week and dizzy and finally, four days ago, I just said to my self, "That's It"
We need our own self determination to create the self motivation we need to accomplish many things in our lives from time to time. I couldn't believe that I was finally losing weight, I couldn't believe that I could ever walk 25k and maintain a brisk pace for the entire walk, at my age.
Most days I feel that I can do anything. I even get a little cocky about it all, then a craving starts to up-well from deep inside that shatters any confidence I had, only seconds before, that I can make it through this. But... I fight on. The cravings subsides and I'm back in business again. Truly a very odd range of powerful emotions in such a short span of time.
I realize that quiting smoking comes with its own set of unique challenges, but the underlying factor is determination and lots of it.
I'm just hoping that I have enough left over determination to get through the roughest part of this process.
I won't even begin to smile until well after week two.
I'm at day four and counting...
