Paigebreak, slothful no more!

[Paigebreak]

Hello, I'm a 26y/o woman in Florida with severe problems with laziness and an overly loving relationship with Garlic Bread. I am 5'4", 135lbs, a smoker and couch potato. I don't think of myself as "fat", but I am seriously out of shape.

My short term goals are to build muscle, lose some fat and clear the lungs.

My long term goals are to eat paleo for life, stay active, push myself every day and accept that playing video games doesn't mean I have to veg out on a couch for 8 hours stuffing my face with candy and garlic bread.

I plan to take it one step at a time, cut the crap, eat paleo and start some cardio workouts to get my lungs back into shape with some yoga for good measure. I got the p90x workout dvds from my mom and my husband and I plan on starting as soon as I can pass the fit test.

I'm tired of always being tired, I'm tired of people telling me "Oh, you look great! You're so skinny! You don't need to work out/diet/complain!", I'm tired of not being able to BREATHE!! It's time to step up and make a change and I cannot do that from the couch!

[ETFnerd]

When I started lifting, it wasn't uncommon for people I bench pressed with to go out to have a cigarette between sets. It was considered manly. Today the thinking is different and people understand that they want to do things that improve their lives, rather than throw obstacles in front of them. I only smoked for a few weeks in college (newport menthols), mostly at bars but I thought it was disgusting. I had a friend who got up each morning and went to the bathroom to cough up phlegm into the toilet for 20 minutes every morning. What a great way to start every day. I don't have firsthand experience but my brother has been trying to quit unsuccessfully for decades and I know it's tough. I think it is a test of grit to be able to walk away from an addictive substance that really comforts people in tough spots. I hope that you will be able to do it, and if you need to shoot the breeze, sign on. I wish you the best and we'll be rooting for you to overcome this. And welcome to the forum.

If you find yourself gaining weight as you come off the smokes, let's see if there's a plan to get the weight under control without resuming the smoking. Don't give up on yourself.

[Paigebreak]

Thanks ETF, I'm going to be letting my whole family know my quit date and my husband will be quitting with me. Hopefully all the support will help this time, last time I ended up sneaking cigarettes because I was so ashamed that I had failed. When my dad quit smoking the first time, he went on the Ben & Jerry's diet lol, I'm hoping the paleo diet will help cut down on the weight gain, but it won't kill me if I put on a few pounds, it will kill me to continue smoking. As our beloved Yoda said "Do or do not, there is no try."

[Lachy]

Welcome, Paige. Sounds like you've got a good attiude there, and some really good goals. I'd only caution you not to take on too much all at once, because it could be quite a shock. Ease into it, and improve day to day, week to week, and you will get there! Just, you know, don't give up the video games

[ebm1224]

welcome! i agree with above, all this at once might be a bit much. given how tough it can be to quit smoking, have you considered making that your major focus for the first few months (with more moderate diet and exercise changes)? not trying to throw salt in your kool-aid but i know in the past when i've tried to "fix" everything at once, if i messed up one thing (and we all have little hiccups along the way) the other things got harder too.

just a thought.

but then again your current weight is my first goal weight (not really sure what i want to end up at but i'd like to get rid of these stubborn 20lbs).

[Paigebreak]

Thanks Lachy and Ebm That is great advice, I was actually going to try and use exercise and diet to slowly quit, that way it is not all at once. I was planning on starting up Jiu Jitsu classes in February and, if nothing else, trying to keep up with non-smokers will really drive the message home. I don't really have a weight goal in mind, I don't really want to lose weight, I just want to build muscle and get in better shape. In my whole adult life I have never really been in shape (I get winded LOOKING at stairs), I am excited to see what I look like after the transformation! I know that if I stick with this, I will feel so much better and I have a great support group.

The worst part about quitting smoking is that you want that cigarette when you are stressed out, however it is the cigarettes that makes you less able to deal with the stress. It's a vicious cycle. I've been knitting to try and keep my hands busy on my breaks that I try not to smoke (small victories!). Currently working on a sleeve for my kindle lol.

[ETFnerd]

There are a lot of folks knitting here. You'll feel right at home. Search for Oogiem. She's awesome.