Best Tips to Help you Give up Smoking

Smoking and kicking the habit, tips on how to stay positive and deal with the challenges you face can be very useful to you at the onset.

The initial decision to stop needs to be thought about constantly and for a long period of time before attempting to rid yourself of cigarette's in my experience. Others may have had success by making the decision one day and not turning back, in my experience however which I would like to share with you it took me a year before I gave up.

I decided on my last birthday in March 2010 that I would give up smoking, this was due to the way I was feeling, totally exhausted, washed out and generally unwell.

I could see no alternative but to give up as I regulary took exercise, ate well and was overall happy with my life and I could only put my feelings down to the fact that I smoked.

For one whole year I continually continued to smoke, I told my friends and my family that I was going to give up on my next birthday in 2011, not one of them, only my husband new that I meant it.

Every time I lit up a cigarette and inhaled during that year I was slowly starting to dislike the cigarette, I was not enjoying smoking anymore but I knew that I had to continue for the whole year to give myself a chance.

I would appreciate comments from others who have given up and whether they found that preparing themselves for the day or just giving up was the approach they took.

The day before my birthday which happened to be an important one, my family let me know that we were having a party the next day to celebrate.

Without letting them see my feelings I was distraught inside, I had made my mind up that I would be stopping smoking and I could see my plan crumbling before I even got to the start!

As my family were not aware of how serious this had become to me I did not mention my dilemma but discussed it with my husband who new full well that I meant business and was going to continue with my plan and the decision that I had made.

I went to the party, my party, I had mixed feelings and had decided that if I wanted a cigarette I would have one as I could see no alternative to not upsetting my family by being a kill joy and being upset at the prospect of not having a cigarette.

As it turned out I did not want a cigarette and I believe that this was because I had set my date and my brain and my thoughts were telling me that I had given up.

My plan was to use what ever method I could to stop me from smoking. This included patches, pretend cigarettes as I call them, food, exercise and discussing my goal with everyone who would listen.

It has been four years in March since I picked up and smoked a cigarette. Do I miss it? Not anymore, I will not have one. Do I feel better? Well, yes I suppose I do, I look better that's for sure! I have gained a good stone and going from a size 10 to a size 12 is no laughing matter, and if anything the one issue that I need to overcome.

I think that when you set yourself a personal goal to give up smoking and tell yourself how sick it will make you if you pick a cigarette up and smoke it that is enough to help you face the challenges on a daily basis.

I would love to hear how others who have given up smoking deal with the challenge on a daily basis.

Take each day as it comes is my top tip and face the challenge head on and remind yourself of the reason you gave up in the first place!

Christmas and New Year have now gone and my challenge continues!

The main issue that I face now with this challenge is the weight that I gained over the christmas and new year period, the dilemma of how to rid myself of the excess that I gained over the christmas period and staying positive about giving up smoking is the biggest challenge so far.

You see, when you stop smoking your metabolism changes, even though you feel that you are continuing doing things at the same pace as when you did smoke my experience is that it's not the case, you actually slow down.

You eat that little bit more and with your metabolism slower you gain weight.

I have no answer for this problem, myself i feel that I cannot do any more exercise, its exhausting.

I am going to try desperately not to put another biscuit into my mouth and hopefully the outcome will be the same, no more filthy cigarettes and I may lose a few pounds.

As for my overall health, well fatigued through exercise but glowing through the fresh air that I am getting power walking, and no smoke in my face!

If any one has any suggestions or advice that I can add to my hub I would really appreciate your comments.

So, four years in March since I had my last cigarette.

A lot has happened which has been even more eventful for me in that last four years. That said I presume that I say that because I am over smoking.

I feel at this stage in the process that if I returned to smoking, which I must add I wouldn't want to anyway, I would be an idiot.

It has been proven that it is no good for your health and facts don't lye do they?

I would say that the main problem that I have is the weight issue, it doesn't matter how much exercise I do my body frame has changed. My metabolism is a lot slower too.

That said it is not enough of a problem for me to think have a cigarette, I think that I need to accept the fact that this is how I am supposed to look and not that what I looked like before a(a size 8 and tiny!) was the way I should look.

Don't get me wrong I am more curvy now (or so my hubby says!) so all well and good. I do however have absolutely nothing to wear as I refuse to buy to many larger items.

Let's see how I go in 2015, cigarettes are a no no, but how to get the slimmer me is my next challenge.

Looking at both exercise and dieting when giving up smoking has to be included in the challenge.

I only wish now that when I first made the decision to give up that I did take this more into consideration. Because I was so tiny I decided to eat what I wanted to and to continue with the same amount of exercise that I was doing four years ago. Looking back I should have thought more about a plan to keep me away from the biscuit jar!

I have now looked at effective exercises and muscle workout routines that I can do at anytime and I am hoping that these will prove to be beneficial. (Watch this space, I will let you know next year.)

I have used this for the past four years to make sure that I don't overeat and I can say that it does work. When you give up smoking your appetite gets an awful lot bigger and not only for the things that you regularly eat.

For me it was chocolate, I have never been a chocoholic before but once I gave up smoking I craved it.

It is physcological really, because if you know you have to write it in a diary, you think first.

Take a look at this link which explains more on how it works.

Stay positive, you can do it, just get in the mindset of giving up smoking and you will win!

You can see more of my thoughts at http://www.motorbikesandme.com