Comments on: Only Interesting People Smoke. Not!

By: Neva Marjory

Neva Marjory — Wed, 30 Jul 2003 16:31:19 +0000

Hi Indi - I tried this one, but wasn’t that keen on it, personally.
This is taken from review at Amazon:-
…..Atkins diet targets insulin, the hormone that regulates blood
sugar levels. The bodies of most overeaters are continually in a
state of hyperinsulinism; their bodies are so adept at releasing
insulin to help convert excess carbohydrates to fat that there’s
always too much of the hormone circulating through the body. This
puts the body into a bind; it always wants to store fat. Even when
people with hyperinsulinism try to lose weight–especially when they
cut fat but increase carbohydrate consumption–their efforts will
fail. This is why Dr. Atkins refers to insulin as “the fat-producing
hormone.”
Dr Atkins’ diet is extremely low in carbohydrates, which helps to
regulate insulin production and decrease circulating insulin; less
insulin soon results in less fat storage and fewer food cravings.

The diet is far from torturous, though–those who’ve tried it attest
that hunger is not a part of this plan. Ninety percent of Dr.
Atkins’ patients–more than 25,000 of them–have experienced
dramatic weight loss. –Amazon.com
For me, a good balanced diet combined with exercise works the best.
I also watch out for fat content - no more than 4% per 100g seems to
be a sensible amount.
See you later - got visitors this evening
Pam

By: Raleigh Missy

Raleigh Missy — Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:23:50 +0000

Hi Becky,

I ‘used’ to think the Zone diet was the cat’s meow (not Cat’s meow …but
some feline’s meow… you understand right?). I did some hunting for
Zone snacks and came across all sorts of articles that suggested that maybe
it’s not *the* best. But what seemed to be a common thread through most
healthy eating plans is that lean protein with every snack or meal does
help reduce returning hunger. Seems there’s something about carb heavy
eating that creates a rebound hunger. What’s lean protein? …aside from
chicken breast (skinless) and tuna, I don’t know. Also apples seem to be
on everyones list of very good things to eat. I think that anyone who is
concerned about what they’re eating and would like to be reasonably sure
that their diet is a healthy one, not so much from a weight perspective,
but from an energy and stress reducing perspective, needs to do a bit of
investigating on their own and find out what works for themselves.

Steve
www.cognitivequitting.com

By: hassan_11

hassan_11 — Wed, 30 Jul 2003 01:11:46 +0000

Hi Becky
Can you point me in the direction of the Atkins diet - it sounds interesting!
My hubby ‘plucks/plays with/twiddles’ the hairs on his chest!!!! It drives
me nuts.
Regards
Indi

By: hassan_11

hassan_11 — Wed, 23 Jul 2003 02:28:51 +0000

Well Steve got to hand it to you - you are right again - we do not have to
snack when we quit.
When we choose to snack we are avoiding the ‘feelings’ that are going on in
our body and actually trying to compensate for not smoking on these feelings
rather than actually dealing with the feelings.
I read somewhere that whether it be snacking or some other thing that if it
was something you wouldn’t do when smoking then it it an avoidance tactic and
is not good. We have to learn to deal with the feelings in an appropriate
way and not all of the feelings can actually be dealt with by snacking. Cos
snacking will only deal with the feelings if the feeling is actually ‘hunger’.
If its another feeling then snacking will not deal with it appropriately -
yes it might take it away for a while in the beginning cos ‘hunger’ feeling
and ‘nic’ fix feeling act on similiar receptors in the brain. But in the
long term it only acts as a substitution.
Thats my two pennorth - says she having just chomped away on a box of chocs

on the way home from a friends where we stayed over night (my xmas pressie) -
is this something I would have done when I was a smoker - yes so I don’t feel
guilty about it in that respect.
But I know I will suffer later cos I’ve had toooooo much sugar - so guess it
will all be my own fault - maybe if I’m prepared for it then it will be ok so
think thats what I’ll do,
Namaste
Indi

By: Raleigh Missy

Raleigh Missy — Tue, 22 Jul 2003 05:41:16 +0000

Great posts ladies. You all receive ‘Interesting Person’ awards :))
While I’ve never worked in an office environment or in places where
smoke breaks were in any way scheduled, I, like every other smoker, have
been one of the smoking ‘huddlers’ from time to time. It never really
occured to me the extent of the social ramifications in a ‘corporate’
setting where you have ppl meeting several times a day, day in day out in a
’segregated huddler’ arrangement. For this eye opener, thank you.
I’ve always thought it bizarre that smokers get to take smoke breaks as
though it’s some cosmic right that they are granted by virtue of their
addiction. But if a non-smoker takes breaks of equal time and frequency,
they’d probably be quickly labeled as ‘lazy’. In a distantly similar
vein, snacks There isn’t a quit smoking forum I’ve ever seen that
doesn’t include many threads on ‘acceptable’ edibles for snacking.
Depending on who writes the list, it can include everything from moon
pies and pork rinds to sun flower seeds and celery. What’s on the list

strikes me as less important than that there is a list at all. Why is there
a list? Because it’s taken as a cosmic right, nay … an obligation of
every quitter to snack till our jaws are sore. Granted, when we quit, there
is an urge to eat more (often sweets) than we’d normally eat. But is there
an obligation? Do we really ‘have’ to eat more? Do we ‘have’ to snack at
all? What is the worst case scenario if we don’t snack? In the past,
whenever I’ve questioned our right to munch, I’ve been told that “YES I
have a right to munch and I intend to exercise that right to the fullest
and if you don’t want to get munched, GET OUTTA MY WAY.” Still …. I
suppose that if our belief is that we must snack and since we’ve told
ourselves we must, then we will.
If that’s the case, what are the most responsible munchies? Almond
nuts or paste is one of the few healthy fats, but are loaded with fat.
Rice cakes are fat free going in but quickly get turned to glucose which,
if not burned immediately (and never is), gets stored as fat. Skipping
meals means your body goes into ’starvation’ mode and uses lean muscle for
energy instead of the stored fat. DO NOT skip meals, eat something balanced
(lean protein/carb/fat) 4- 6 times a day. Portion control is critical.
Almost all fruits and veggies are excellent. Dried fruit, unless no sugar
added, is not good (again, excess glucose is stored as fat). Candy is out
as are moon pies and pork rinds.
Most of this has less to do with weight control than with mood
stabalization and physical and mental performance. For some great info on
what foods are ‘healthy’ from a purely biological perspective, check a book
called “Mastering The Zone” by Barry Sears.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, who else will?
See yas in chat in a few hrs
Steve
www.cognitivequitting.com

By: Neva Marjory

Neva Marjory — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:49:07 +0000

Thanks from me too, Cat. I was just about to post a reply I’d spent
ages on, and hit the wrong button and lost the lot. Grrrr.
Well, you’re spared what was a long ramble from me.
Some of what I was saying was how smokers spend a lot of time in
their smoke breaks talking about their smoking habit, much like
exsmokers do in those early weeks and months. As a smoker it was
sharing that bond with the other social lepers, discussing and
comparing tactics for ‘disappearing’ for a few minutes for a smoke,
thinking how clever we were (not realising how we smelled of cigs
when we got back). Talking about how we’d quit ‘one day’, justifying
our smoking habits to each other, etc. As an exsmoker it’s great
being able to start/join in other conversations and talk about all
kinds of other things. Especially fun to watch the huddle of ppl
outside in the cold with smoke rising up from the middle of the
group, glad I’m not in the middle of it any more.

Pam

By: hassan_11

hassan_11 — Sun, 20 Jul 2003 23:44:29 +0000

In a message dated 15/12/01 04:11:57 GMT Standard Time,
catmohan@… writes:
Well Cat you sure do bring up some good topics for discussion.
First off let me say that I don’t find any of the people you mentioned in
your email boring, nor do I find you or anyone else in the group boring.
But what I do find, since quitting is that you do not see groups of ‘non
smokers’ taking a break and actually having conversations like you see
smokers doing.
So maybe thats where the theory comes from - that by the very nature of the
addiction smokers do take breaks and get together and when a bunch of people
get together they usually ‘talk’.
Now if a bunch of non smokers were to get together for a break do you think
they would talk as well??????
There is another story - why don’t non-smokers take breaks to get together
(not outside of course but in staff rooms where smokers used to be able to

go)??????
Any thoughts anyone?
Regards
Indi

By: Raleigh Missy

Raleigh Missy — Sun, 20 Jul 2003 10:11:49 +0000

Wow Cat Thank you.
and you’re right…. the time spent talking about the holes in our
lives early in the quit are steadily replaced by just living life more
intently and consciously than ever we did as ‘interesting’ smokers.
Steve
www.cognitivequitting.com