I am coming up on my one year, smoke free, anniversary and I thought this would be a wonderful time to reflect.
According to the stats online, since being smoke free for almost a year I’ve decreased my risk of suffering coronary heart disease in half. That, in itself, makes this all worthwhile. I’d like to add that I don’t walk around smelling like an ashtray, my friendships with smokers have survived and my sense of smell has returned to full strength.
I’m thankful the children don’t recall freezing during winter morning commutes because I had to smoke a square before we got to daycare. To bow to my wants, my friends let me sit shotgun in the smoking vehicles because I complained too much when the smoke would come back in through the windows. I was embarrassed the first few times my kids said aloud, “Eww! Do you smell that smoke?” when we’d pass strangers in a store who reeked like cigarettes, but now I wish they’d say it louder. I am happy I made this decision to take my health back. I hope my loved ones will follow suit one day.
The downfall is the weight I’ve put on since stopping smoking. I was doing great shortly after quitting. I was jogging after work, biking numerous miles a month and feeling like I was in the best shape of my life. Then I had a tragic loss in my life that threw me off my health routine. Sadly, the person I lost was the one who helped me the most when I was quitting smoking. Unfortunately she should’ve followed her own advice because she lost her fight to the mighty cigarette herself. After that, the dreary Wisconsin winter set in and I became my worst enemy. My new sense of smell introduced me back to the wonderful world of eating. Instead of running out to light up to relieve stress, I found myself running to the fridge. Even though refused to have soda and junk food in my home, somehow I managed to pack on at least 15 pounds with ‘almost’ healthy food.
Since I am still suffering from my drunken decision to indulge in Domino’s pizza last Friday, I’ve decided to take my health back. I’ve always used the good ole starve diet, but this time I want to do it the right way. While the right way is much slower, I know it will be the most beneficial to me in the future. I have read numerous diet books but have come to the conclusion that I need to make my own diet to fit my own lifestyle. I suffer with IBS and am lactose intolerant so many of these diets don’t work for me. Last night I ran my first mile and I felt like I was going to die but the shower afterwards made me want more. This week I’ve been putting a soluble fiber in my belly every morning (per the IBS Gods) and have found that warm water with lemon juice is pleasant to drink when I am hungry. I could save a ton of money on miso soup if I could find a local market that sold dashi granules and miso paste to make my own, but the fake ones are just as good. Right now I’m reading “The Hip Chick’s guide to Macrobiotics” with hopes of getting some overall health tips. I figure as long and there’s a will, there’s a way.