QUIT SMOKING WITH DIABETES?

[MAMZELLE]

QUIT SMOKING WITH DIABETES?

I've been to several smoke quitting threads, and they have been wonderful, supportive and informative... but none where the focus is on DIABETICS.... nor able to help with which method is easiest and SAFEST to try for US [cold turkey is OUT of the question] nor are they about what WE have to face more than others who go through the process, who CANNOT turn to FOOD for a little comfort at some of the hardest moments of this phychologically and physiologically agonizing withdrawal, because food would kill us even faster than cigarettes! We have it the hardest... we have a **DOUBLE** whammy dealt to us.

I have been smoking for several decades [since 12 or 13] and don't feel responsible for that stupidity because they didn't know then what we know now, and I'm not ashamed of it, nor stricken with the public stigma attached to it and refuse to be a victim of that, along with everything else we smokers go through, but that's another aspect of this
which i won't go into now. *smile*

Those who are merely on a diet to lose weight while quitting smoking, can cheat and occasionally [or even often] ease the agony of such a task as quitting smoking, and all they've lost is a temporary 'setback' in couple of pounds of weight loss, which is not a dramatic, severe, nor immediate health risk to them.

For us, cheating with food is also a matter of life and death. WE can wind up in the hospital and get very sick from those little luxuries of a simple CHEAT, and unlike everyone else... CANNOT indulge. [I for one, am only on Atkins strictly again after a lifetime of maintenance BUT NOW BECAUSE of my new inherited high sugar condition, and to keep it down... the weight loss is not much and is only secondary for me, and only a beneficial byproduct to the main purpose of my 'sugar'...and for diabetics, the lower our weight the better, even if only a 10 pound loss].

So what are "WE" to do?

We are cut off .......from EVERYTHING. We might as well have our mouths sewn shut completely. Anyone else in this situation? I'm just not finding what I need here, so figured I'd start a thread for it myself for those of us with two major and dire situations of TOTAL self-deprivation for extremely serious MEDICAL reasons far beyond mere 'weight loss'.

Anyone out there know what it means to have to cut one's self off of EVERYTHING all at once? I've always found the food part EASY.... as long as I've had my cigarettes to lean back on.

[MaryMary]

So what I hear you saying is that cigarettes are your primary drug whereas for me food was my primary drug. When I first started Atkins and went cold turkey from the sugar and flour, I thought I was going out of my mind for the first 4-5 days. I would eat cheese sticks or whatever. But because of your diabetes, you can't eat food because it will throw off your blood sugars. However, isn't a food with no carbs safe with your insulin? In other words, it wouldn't throw you out of kilter.

I just bought the new book, Atkins Diabetes Revolution. Have you read this? This was suggested as a way to reduce blood pressure which is one of the side effect of diabetes,

--page 90 "Stop smoking or using other forms of nicotine."

What it boils down to is "Are you willing to go to any lengths to be rid of the cigarettes in your life today?" If not, there isn't anything we can say to convince you. But once you decide that you are willing, then you become open to suggestions and become willing to try what others have done to be smoke free. It is ultimately the same as for me when I quit eating compulsively. I had to give it up - one bite at a time.

I quit smoking when I was 27 after 12 years of smoking up to 2 packs a day, and when I got pregnant, I decided that I would go to any length for the health and safety of my unborn baby and I quit cold turkey. Do you have anything or anyone in your life that you are willing to do this for? Are you not worth it? You know of all the supports out there for quitters, patches & gum, but I have read that cold turkey is by far the easiet. There will be emotional pain & withdrawal symptons regardless of which path you take, but you have to want to live (quit) one butt at a time more than you want to die from the butts.

I had to use a 12 step program ultimately when all else failed me to eat without food compulsion. Maybe it could work for you.

Best wishes on your journey.

[MAMZELLE]

thank you Mary, firstly let me say you do look
fantastic and hats off to you, if I haven't said that
before, because I do remember seeing you on
other threads along the way, and might have
spoken to you a while back, I know it wasn't
recently.

That was a great post and I appreciate it. No
there is no one that is more important than
myself to do anything for [I am by choice not a
mother *smile*... actually, I should say, never got
MARRIED by choice, therefore being a mother just
also didn't fall into my lifestyle, which I think
should be within a whole family unit IF
possible..... sometimes it isn't, though, and that's
fine too].

Don't misunderstand, I LOVE FOOD!!!! lol Just
not really a compulsive eater. I can cut the
wrong things out by not having them in my home
at ALL, although I do have a lot of stuff left over
stored away from before when I wasn't being so
strict and don't even touch them now because of
my high sugar which is much more important
than weight... aside from the both going together
of course, but thank God this caught me with my
weight down. Would like to lose about 10, 15 lbs
though, which doesn't show much on me because
I'm not petite in any way, and also 5'6".

What i miss the most is tomatoe products
because along with many other things, I like to
cook with it, and also italian dishes or just
anything potted with tomatoe paste/sauce and
that's my sorrow more than sweets because
tomatoes do have too much sugar as do onions
[those I CAN do without though I love them but at
least there's onion POWDER lol... there is NO sub
for tomatoe products!] so I stay on induction all
the time to be extra careful. I do eat too much
cracker barrel xx sharp chedder but if that's all I
do then I'm fine lol Better to cheat with that
than other things, that WOULD throw me ''off
kilter'' but even good things have carbs which
turn to sugar and eating too much of those can
also be disasterous with diabetes, but not just
'dieting'. I'm not on insulin and trying to control
this myself because I can't stand needles, and
don't know who else would give them to me,
since I can't do it myself so I'm in some real
dilemma.

My fiancee [who's in Ca. now] is sending me that
new book, his friend works for Barnes & Noble
out there so I've been waiting patiently for it to
be released and it finally was on the 3rd so It will
be here soon as possible, meanwhile I received
Richard Bernstein's diabetes book and waiting for
his 'diet & nutrition' book not out yet but on
backorder arriving in Sept. I'll go straight to
page 90 when the Atkins one arrives, thank you....
or maybe someone who is getting the book before
I do [she doesn't have it yet] can scan that
page/chapter to me, unless you're able to.

I am extremely willing and open to ANY
suggestions.... except cold turkey which i will not
do nor even attempt, i know myself too well. It's
different than food. Smoking is a nervous and no
patience habit for me.... more than nicotine, I
feel. Everything else I do cold turkey, but this is
much different.... I can cut out foods only
because of SUBSTITUTE foods that I also love so
that's easy, but there's NO substitutes for cigs...
except FOODS, and not really even that....
NOTHING takes the place of my being able to
grab my cigs 3 packs a day, I even love the taste
of smoke with some foods... especially cheese,
and the combo with my decaf added and I'm in
heaven!

The way you are with food, I'm with cigs, i can
only try ''one bite at a time'' and am willing to try
that with some help. I'm already poking holes
into the filters so getting much less the ''phase
out'' way and actually feel different after 3 weeks
of that but want a backup in case that doesn't
work. I need to know suggestions of methods
and how people tolerate each one.

Yes, ''I'm worth it'' but I'm worth letting myself
have every pleasure there is in the universe too
LOL... so one can look at it that way as well
although one of those pleasures can kill us, I DO
know that but it doesn't kill everyone. My mother
smoked till she got alzheimer's and only stopped
because she FORGOT to, and when she
remembered very rarely, of course I told her there
were no cigs in the house, I never smoked in front
of her when taking care of her.

I am not good at self-deprevation.... like I said
FOOD has substitutes and ones which I LOVE...
the healthy ones which I've more or less stuck
mainly to all my life so that's been easier. This
has to be a little at a time for me.... unlike
everything else i do in one shot..... NOT THIS :-(

Thanks so much for your words and all that time
you took, tell me more lol you really have acheived
SOOOOOO much!