One of my good friends who is a smoker, recently came to me expressing a desire to quit smoking.
Her biggest concern historically, is that she is already overweight and can't risk the weight gain by giving up cigarettes.
Since I've always been the one to broach this subject with her, not the other way around, my curiosity was sparked.
She had recently seen an ad on television which definitely emphasized weight loss - skinny models but they all had some sort of smoking related disease to go along with their excellent bodies.
My friend thought this was an excellent commercial to reinforce for those that as a weight loss aid, smoking leaves a lot to be desired.
We both gained an education from the conversation that followed.
My friend admitted that she had tried to quit smoking a couple of years before but it was difficult, she gained weight and she started smoking again.
When pressed, my friend explained that once she "failed" and had one cigarette, it went against her entire plan to quit and loose weight so she wasnt prepared - her plan didn't allow for ANY deviation.
What she also failed to consider is that smoking was not just an addiction, it was a habit which was created over several years.
We decided to look at the flaws with her first plan to quit and from that, create a new plan for her.
Cold Turkey - My friend gave up cigarettes completely one day without any preparation because she heard this was the best way to go.
This worked for her until she realized that she needed a substitue for the cigarette on her drive to work, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, after dinner and the like.
FOOD! That was obviously an easy filler. Who doesn't like food? Food doesn't cause lung cancer! This plan actually worked for awhile since she wasn't smoking. What was the result? Pretty much what you'd think - she gained weight. Of course, this didn't fit well with her second goal of dieting to lose weight. The diet she chose was a poor one, based on her likes and dislikes. While she stuck with the plan for awhile, the choices were limited.
My friend found herself bored with her available food choices and the diet soon became a thing of the past.
The third thing my friend tried to incorporate into her plan for health was to exercise. She chose great running shoes, bought the exercise equipment and started to work out. Always an over acheiver, my friend chose incredibly difficult exercise routines and was soon injured and stopped exercising.
"Moderation in all things." I asked my friend to keep that as a daily mantra and to use that as the basis of her next plan to get healthy.
I then helped her to see why her plan although well-meant, was too rigid and moderation was not addressed at all.
We first looked at how she approached giving up cigarettes. The "all or nothing" approach was difficult for her the first time.
Research has shown that chosing a date is important, which she did, but she never made any attempt to reduce her cigarette intake gradually before that date. An end date is good but she needed to have smaller goals of reducing her intake as well.
My friend also needed the support of other resources along the way. She needed a place to go if she found she was getting off the path to smoking cesation.
Diet - this approach also needed to change. I suggested that she first see her doctor to discuss all three things she wanted to accomplish - stop smoking, diet, exercise. Her doctor could recommend a diet plan she could stick with as well as ascertain her current fitness level.
Her doctor would have also been able to perform a physical to see if she was prepared for an exercise program and if so, at what level?
I also suggested a gym. Strength in numbers is a great philosophy where my friend is concerned - she likes knowing others are going through what she is.
I was able to show my friend that breaking down her large goal of overall health into smaller, acheivable goals was the best solution for her.
My friend was able to see that she would be able to tie her smaller goals together and I assured her that if she worked hard but in moderation, she would see results.
I also suggested my Weight Loss Breeze Program. The exercises are easy to start with and accomodate almost every fitness level. She has seen amazing results. She also liked the special breathing exercises that benefit smokers or those who've just quit.
EL331001 - 16650
Her biggest concern historically, is that she is already overweight and can't risk the weight gain by giving up cigarettes.
Since I've always been the one to broach this subject with her, not the other way around, my curiosity was sparked.
She had recently seen an ad on television which definitely emphasized weight loss - skinny models but they all had some sort of smoking related disease to go along with their excellent bodies.
My friend thought this was an excellent commercial to reinforce for those that as a weight loss aid, smoking leaves a lot to be desired.
We both gained an education from the conversation that followed.
My friend admitted that she had tried to quit smoking a couple of years before but it was difficult, she gained weight and she started smoking again.
When pressed, my friend explained that once she "failed" and had one cigarette, it went against her entire plan to quit and loose weight so she wasnt prepared - her plan didn't allow for ANY deviation.
What she also failed to consider is that smoking was not just an addiction, it was a habit which was created over several years.
We decided to look at the flaws with her first plan to quit and from that, create a new plan for her.
Cold Turkey - My friend gave up cigarettes completely one day without any preparation because she heard this was the best way to go.
This worked for her until she realized that she needed a substitue for the cigarette on her drive to work, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, after dinner and the like.
FOOD! That was obviously an easy filler. Who doesn't like food? Food doesn't cause lung cancer! This plan actually worked for awhile since she wasn't smoking. What was the result? Pretty much what you'd think - she gained weight. Of course, this didn't fit well with her second goal of dieting to lose weight. The diet she chose was a poor one, based on her likes and dislikes. While she stuck with the plan for awhile, the choices were limited.
My friend found herself bored with her available food choices and the diet soon became a thing of the past.
The third thing my friend tried to incorporate into her plan for health was to exercise. She chose great running shoes, bought the exercise equipment and started to work out. Always an over acheiver, my friend chose incredibly difficult exercise routines and was soon injured and stopped exercising.
"Moderation in all things." I asked my friend to keep that as a daily mantra and to use that as the basis of her next plan to get healthy.
I then helped her to see why her plan although well-meant, was too rigid and moderation was not addressed at all.
We first looked at how she approached giving up cigarettes. The "all or nothing" approach was difficult for her the first time.
Research has shown that chosing a date is important, which she did, but she never made any attempt to reduce her cigarette intake gradually before that date. An end date is good but she needed to have smaller goals of reducing her intake as well.
My friend also needed the support of other resources along the way. She needed a place to go if she found she was getting off the path to smoking cesation.
Diet - this approach also needed to change. I suggested that she first see her doctor to discuss all three things she wanted to accomplish - stop smoking, diet, exercise. Her doctor could recommend a diet plan she could stick with as well as ascertain her current fitness level.
Her doctor would have also been able to perform a physical to see if she was prepared for an exercise program and if so, at what level?
I also suggested a gym. Strength in numbers is a great philosophy where my friend is concerned - she likes knowing others are going through what she is.
I was able to show my friend that breaking down her large goal of overall health into smaller, acheivable goals was the best solution for her.
My friend was able to see that she would be able to tie her smaller goals together and I assured her that if she worked hard but in moderation, she would see results.
I also suggested my Weight Loss Breeze Program. The exercises are easy to start with and accomodate almost every fitness level. She has seen amazing results. She also liked the special breathing exercises that benefit smokers or those who've just quit.
EL331001 - 16650
About the Author:
Christian Goodman is a popular health researcher and author of several revolutionary natural health alternative methods. One of his recent breakthroughs is his natural Weight Loss Breeze Program. You can learn more about Christian on his Natural Health Alternative Blog.
