Lbs.

17 weeks since I've had a smoke. It's getting easier. I occasionally think about a cigarette. I don't get cocky about my "non smoking" status. I'm too frightened that I'll light up someday. Nicotine some say is more devastating then heroin.

This isn't about smoking though. This is about the aftermath from not lighting up. I 'm sure my lungs are grateful that they don't have to deal with all that tar any longer; my receptors in my brain are doing what they were intended to do now but nothing in my wardrobe fits, unless it has a stretch band at the waist. My goal with my diet is to reduce my chest size. Some ladies complain about the size of their butts, waist, or legs. Me? It's my chest size. When I gain weight, I gain weight all over. When a lot of it is gained directly in front of you it's difficult not to take notice. I did take notice although my doctor wanted me to get through the nicotine craving and worry about my weight later. That day has come. A few weeks ago I started deleting things from my diet. I deleted chocolate. I was never a big consumer of sweets. Quitting smoking cleared my taste buds and chocolate tasted awesome! I'm giving it up. I'm quitting something else other then cigarettes. I'm quitting all sweets. Even my tea is sugarless with NutraSweet taking the place of sugar. No white breads and very little pastas. Along with quitting some things, I'm restricting the portion of most of what I eat. If the craving for a sweet gets overwhelming, I have a couple of tablespoons of that vanilla ice cream, or a mini bar of chocolate. I don't get those cravings often so I'll relent a little and move on.

I know that it takes about two weeks for any evidence to appear after doing some diet restrictions. I stay off the scales for the first two weeks. There is no point in staring at the same number when it's going to remain the same for those two weeks.

A few days ago, I crept on the scales and held my breath. Ah! 5 lbs! A start. A long way to go yet but some positive reinforcement that I'm on the right track.

I usually wait till 10:30 for breakfast, which I now call brunch as it takes the place of having lunch. I don't expect this to take any less then 5 months. I'm giving it the same amount of time it took me to get here.
Wish me luck and good health!