Hello all , 24 months approaching 😎👍

[Rjg45]

Well I’m approaching the 24 months since I quit cold Turkey ..Not that I think about it anymore , totally forgotten about that I was a smoker .. , still detest the smell with a vengeance lol ..

If you knew me and how I am with how much I smoked , then it’s possible for anyone !!!

I did have to get Ill with pneumonia to quit , would still be thinking about quitting now if I hadn’t .. as said , if you knew me , my willpower was non existent !

And through quitting , I put a lot of weight on , 2 stone and more .Got ill again a couple of months ago with very severe Ulcerative colitis , a form Of inflammatory bowel disease , and told I was so severe 60% would have lost there bowel !

Luckily I responded well to the initial steroid and infliximab infusions and now all in remission.. it’s for life , same as Crohn’s disease , I’m on some other horrible chemotherapy drug ( Methotrexate) which is also used in IBD to suppress your immune.. blood tests every 2 weeks to keep an eye it’s causing other issues as have some horrible side effects with liver etc but so far I’m all good ...

Interestingly, as well as IBD can be a hereditary condition , also nicotine withdrawal is another cause a study indicates..

Smoking does promote mucus build up in your gut , and mucus protects the gut lining from ulcers etc !! I stopped smoking 2 yrs ago nearly and then this , so it’s a little suspect 🙄

Anyhow , all in remission and now I’m religiously walking 5 miles every day , diet of low carbs , down to 12 stone 6 and loving getting back into smaller clothes..

It’s weird as had to get ill to quit smoking , and had to get ill again to lose the weight I gained through quitting !

Just take care with your quit journey and if anything doesn’t seem right , get yourself checked .. even the slightest that doesn’t seem the norm ...

I left things as thought was just piles with a little blood which I should have got checked , I was in a full Uc flare up with my colon absolutely full of bleeding ulcers !

So as said , please take care with your quit journey and make it a happy one 👍🙏😎

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free]

Ah great to hear from you Rjg45 . Gosh you certainly have been through the mill in the past year. Glad you are on the road to recovery.

Thanks for sharing such an honest, inspiring and motivating post. Wishing you continued strength 💪

[Rjg45 500 Days Smoke Free in reply to RoisinO1]

Thank you , yes it’s been an epic journey to say the least ..

hopefully with the meds and diet it will stay in remission with flare ups ..

I don’t like the idea of these meds , but the benefits outweigh the risks so I’ve gotta go with it .

it was very scary and could have ended up being worse which doesn’t bare thinking about ..

I e been off work nr 3 months , went back last week which was hard .. hence doing the exercise to up strength ..

Been told I’m looking very well now and very slim which is nice lol

[Quit4Money 1 Year Smoke Free 9 Months Smoke Free]

Congratulations on 2 years clean. And also congrats on walking 5 miles every day and eating a diet of low carbs. I need to get back to low carb. I've allowed myself to gain a fair bit of weight since my Costa Rica vacation BOO!

[Rjg45 500 Days Smoke Free in reply to Quit4Money]

It’s great to get back into medium shirts again .. can’t believe I was buying size Xl and was getting bigger ..

As said , weird how getting ill to quit smoking as would have never done it I don’t think , so done me a favour.. and same again with the latest illness , the weight started to come off and I’ve continued it as loving it ... it’s nice being slim again ..

I realise it’s very difficult to lose weight , same as stopping smoking ...

Think I approached the diet wrong though as cut a lot of carbs out and now think I will put pounds on by having just a little here and there .. the wife is telling me off lol

I’ve not eaten bread or potatoes m rice etc in a few months now , replaced with sweet potato, ..only eating salads , Fish , chicken loads of steamed veg .. apples , cheese ..that’s pretty much it and have stuck to it ... as said , loving the new me 😎👍

[Quit4Money 1 Year Smoke Free 9 Months Smoke Free in reply to Rjg45]

Men lose so fast on low carb. Good for you. Food is my hardest addiction. That will be a life long struggle I think.

[Scarlet123 3 Years Smoke Free]

Hi Rig45

Thanks for your post and sorry to hear but sounds like you’re on the road to recovery now.

Good job with the walking and low carbs and that you can start to see the results.

Your posts helped me with my quit journey, you always made me laugh and gave me good sentiments to keep going.

Am now over 1 year quit free.

For me it was my teeth when I quit...3 root canals, back tooth taken out at dentist plus 2 fillings and 2 crowns.

But we made it!! And that’s the main thing.

Stay strong 💪

Keep smiling xx

[Rjg45 500 Days Smoke Free]

👍👍👍xx