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Let's Take Back Our Tastebuds!


zilla369

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Having moved from New York where there are pretty stringent anti-smoking laws, to Philadelphia where there aren't any,

In the last few weeks the only major slip I had was in Phila. for the exact reason you stated.

My sense of taste has improved, at this point I can distinguish slight tweaks to seasoning and am using much less salt. The strangest part is when you notice the smell on other people, and think damn I used to stink.

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I quit smoking, after 30 years of 2 packs a day, while lying flat on my back in the ER, having suffered a smoking-induced heart attack, knowing that I was maybe 20 minutes from death, & in such intense pain that I didn't really care which way it went.

Fortunately a skilled invasive cardiologist, an angioplasty and a couple of stents saved the day. This was almost 3 years ago now.

Smoking thickens the blood much like cholesterol & can lead to a clot-induced heart attack like mine. That can get you much more quickly than cancer.

This all just in case anyone needs a little extra motivation.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Cigarette free for three weeks! I feel great and no longer seem to need my allergy medicine. My new thing is coffee. Really good and expensive coffee from a place in Mystic called "The Beanery" I think. I never really understood why some people were so obsessed with coffee but now I know.

Melissa

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I had a bad week, mainly do to being near a parade route and partaking in prelenten debauchary, etc. (read: had too much to drink and found myself hanging with the smokers on the porch). I've been sick with bronchitis since, and I mean SICK. Antibiotics, serious cough meds and nighttime so I can sleep stuff. I am seriously being punished for that Mardi Gras maddness. Thank God it's over tomorrow. I'm back on the wagon, but damn...this is hard.

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Last week I had a lot of stress at work and I'm up to 5 cigs (smoked half) a day. I'm very unhappy about it and plan to go back to read some more of Carr's book. If that doesn't do it I'll probably go back on Zyban.

Taste hasn't improved significantly but I do smell smoke on other people and indeed makes me think that I don't want to smell like that ever again. The hardest part of the day is the morning coffee and late at night when I'm exhausted. There's also a lot of psychological stuff going on that I wish I knew how to figure out (for example just talking about cigs gives me the urge to smoke although reason says I don't want to).

I haven't noticed craving salt or crunchy as much as I'm craving sweets much more than before. It's been an eye opener when my husband made the remark that I eat more sweets than him now. Almost every day it's been strudel, crepes with nutella, pound cake, not to mention 4 of Alinka's hazelnut-dulce de leche cheesecake (that in vain I swore I'll never make again as it's inhaled in less than 24 hours, with my husband's help, it's true - but still) since she posted the recipe. Not Alinka's fault at all, it's a great recipe and if anyone else tried it I'd love to hear from you so I can figure out if it's me or just this cheesecake is out of this world. :)

I don't feel I'm replacing cigarettes with food, just that I'm craving more sweets. And that's not a good thing at all. I'll be fighting further, it's getting so annoying that it has to stop for ever sometime soon.

The human mouth is called a pie hole. The human being is called a couch potato... They drive the food, they wear the food... That keeps the food hot, that keeps the food cold. That is the altar where they worship the food, that's what they eat when they've eaten too much food, that gets rid of the guilt triggered by eating more food. Food, food, food... Over the Hedge
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Sorry to reply so late, but it's been full-on balls-to-the-wall catering since before Valentine's Day - remember: I quit the day after Valentine's Day.

That's right...cold turkey, and I haven't slipped once, not even one drag. Which has been a real drag a couple times. On day three I was discovered on the floor of the bakeshop surrounded by burned cookies and crying like a nine year old girl. On day four I was so stupid I fell asleep on the bus and rode way past my stop.

But, gradually, I have felt better and better, physically. Mental acuity seems to improve at a slower rate. Heh.

My clock-out receipt tonight said I've worked 62 hours in the pay week so far... looking at a total of 72-75 by week's end. Staying busy seems to help the cigarette thing, while not allowing time to snack too much. Perfect combo.

Taste has improved somewhat, but not as much as breathing has. As Matt said, I've been eating a lot less salt and (perhaps more importantly) I'm cooking with less salt for other people. I've often suspected I was blowing people out with my salt preference level. Now, too much salt doesn't just taste salty...it actually burns the tongue unpleasantly.

Marsha Lynch aka "zilla369"

Has anyone ever actually seen a bandit making out?

Uh-huh: just as I thought. Stereotyping.

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Staying busy seems to help the cigarette thing, while not allowing time to snack too much.  Perfect combo.

Taste has improved somewhat, but not as much as breathing has. 

After many fits and starts (truth be known, undertaking quitting while blogging was probably not a great idea), I am on track and on the wagon.

Yes to keeping busy (the other morning, it was filing almost a year's worth of Important Papers, makiing marmalade and organizing the pantry). And yes, way yes to improved breating. It's interesting that for the first many days in a row, I got a rather horrid head cold which seemed to get rid of a lot of stuff.

I'm still waiting for the taste revelation, but I'm getting little nuances every day that it is on the way.

Good on everyone!

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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I wrestled the dead cold turkey four days ago and I still feel fucking psychotic.

My negativity is so pronounced that my usual slight misanthropic tendancies have transmogrified into a constant stream of concious monologue of world shattering distaste for everything and everyone. I make scrooge look like Santa. My partner finds this incredibly funny. Down with everything! Up with Nothing!

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I had a rather interesting food revelation today. This was not taste-realted (I don't think I'm that far along), but textural.

I had made some orange habarnero marmalade a few days ago. While I'm not particularly happy with this batch (a little too stiff for my liking, and a little lacking in the habarnero kick), it is just fine. I noticed this morning that my tongue wanted to wrap around those pieces of peel.

Then, at lunch, I decided to pull out that ziplock with the lonely 10 pot stickers (homemade). My potstickers feature ground pork -- courely ground with plenty of fat -- finely chopped napa cabbage and finely diced water chestnuts, along with some stock, soy, etc.

As I ate my pot stickers, I found myself acutely aware that the top part (the pleated part) was a bit -- well, I could have cooked them a bit longer. And, I could swear that I notice every little bit of slipper napa cabbage and rolled every single tiny diced bit of water chestnuts around my tongue. I was much more aware of the textural composition of a pot sticker.

Anyone else noticed this? Am I taking more time with my meals or is my oral motor changing?

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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I wrestled the dead cold turkey four days ago and I still feel fucking psychotic.

My negativity is so pronounced that my usual slight misanthropic tendancies have transmogrified into a constant stream of concious monologue of world shattering distaste for everything and everyone. I make scrooge look like Santa.  My partner finds this incredibly funny. Down with everything! Up with Nothing!

Shoot. I know someone who's like that every day, and she doesn't even smoke.

"I'm not looking at the panties, I'm looking at the vegetables!" --RJZ
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I wrestled the dead cold turkey four days ago and I still feel fucking psychotic.

My negativity is so pronounced that my usual slight misanthropic tendancies have transmogrified into a constant stream of concious monologue of world shattering distaste for everything and everyone. I make scrooge look like Santa.  My partner finds this incredibly funny. Down with everything! Up with Nothing!

Right

Melissa

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I wrestled the dead cold turkey four days ago and I still feel fucking psychotic.

My negativity is so pronounced that my usual slight misanthropic tendancies have transmogrified into a constant stream of concious monologue of world shattering distaste for everything and everyone. I make scrooge look like Santa.  My partner finds this incredibly funny. Down with everything! Up with Nothing!

What I meant to say before my one year old slammed the keyboard was: Right- I felt the same way, completely psychotic and kind of stoned for the first few days. It gets better. I'm going on three weeks, cold turkey, no drugs, no gum, no cheating, and I feel ok now. I'll admit that I was a Bitterella for a while- I was mad! I felt like a baby who had it's binky taken away (kinda true if you think about it) :hmmm: However, the financial payoff of quiting is great: I just bought some wonderful truffle butter yesterday, and some makeup from Sephora, and some amazing shoes, all because I don't smoke anymore. Next week will be a month for me and I would love any suggestions for a great red wine under $50.00.

Something that will go with pasta or polenta. I really want something special to test my "new" taste buds! Thank you for all the support. Melissa

Melissa

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How long do you think does it takes before your taste buds begin performing like non smoker taste buds? Any ideas?

Anyone... Anyone?

(I'd hate to waste a bottle of Bordeaux on my stinky underperforming smoker tastebuds.)

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hello all!

I just saw this post and damn it makes me really lonely! I've only realized what an incredibly amazing friend smoking was for me!!!

I quit cold turkey a year and a half ago... not one slip, but I still crave them constantly. I was up to almost a pack a day until I found out I was pregnant and I allowed myself to finish the pack before giving them up. My mom died of lung cancer 12 years ago; you think I would have done it then, but i was just starting a cooking career and smoker/line cook is a fantastic combo.

What has really made it stick for me is not wanting my daughter to grow up in a smoker's home, like I did. That and nursing...really gross.

Hold tight, and don't worry... you never stop loving them!

(by the way, I never noticed a difference in my taste buds, or how I felt. I did seriously chow on sweets, however)

"Godspeed all the bakers at dawn... may they all cut their thumbs and bleed into their buns til they melt away..."

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How long do you think does it takes before your taste buds begin performing like non smoker taste buds? Any ideas?

           

        Anyone... Anyone?

I beleive the taste buds fully regenerate after about 3-4 weeks. The sinus' which are essential to taste probably take longer to clear out but I am not sure about this.

(I'd hate to waste a bottle of Bordeaux on my stinky underperforming smoker tastebuds.)

I "wasted" plenty of bottles before I stopped :wink:

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Went to eat in a (casual) restaurant today for the first time since quitting.

I was finally able to sit in the nice section of the restaurant....the section that gets attentive service, that has the nice banquettes, that has the best view. That was sweet.

Not that I always had to eat in a smoking section. But when I was still smoking, if the restaurant was smoke-free, I'm ashamed to admit I had to sneak out and smoke between courses at least once during the meal.

Marsha Lynch aka "zilla369"

Has anyone ever actually seen a bandit making out?

Uh-huh: just as I thought. Stereotyping.

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Well, I recognize I will always love smoking. I read a long time ago that you have to mourn the loss of the thing that was there for you at all the significant times in your life. Your mom wasn't present at half the life altering events your smokes were. I think I can learn not to miss it though, witness the many times I've quit. With no problem when I was pregnant, and several times for a few years at a hitch. I need an alarm to alert my conscience when I'm about to revert to my old, friendly, stinky ways. My kids hate it when I smoke, I think that might be the key for me.

As far as taste buds go, chocolate does seem to taste much better when I'm not smoking! New fave is popcorn brittle nut chocolate....geez.

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Hold tight, and don't worry... you never stop loving them!

Now that's a scary thought. And it's a big reason why smokers don't try to quit. They figure they'll never be free or that it has to be painful or horrid or something. I've been holding off posting here for a few days. Not because I have anything to confess, but truly, I've been just savouring it. Everyone who followed the blog will know how I struggled with this. I read Allan's book and hell, I even understood it. Didn't stop the crave though.

Last Friday I attended an Allan Carr seminar. Yes there is a mild hypnosis built in at the end of what turned out to be a 5 hour marathon smoking session with 10 other smokers. but I don't believe that accounts for what's happened to me since. After one slip Friday night, on Saturday I became a non smoker. It was a simple as that. No pain, no fuss, no muss. I've been a two pack a day smoker for 30 years. Now I'm done.

It was partly because it's been so easy that I hesitated at first to post. Because surely there has to be something wrong? This is not what we as smokers buy into as the theory of quitting. I kept waiting for the crave to hit and not be able to deal with it. In fact I began to doubt myself so much that I spent two hours today with the seminar instructor who just kept reinforcing what I already know. I'm not trying to give it up. I'm done.

The very first thing to come back is the sense of smell. Within 24 hours actually, my sense of smell became very acute. I swear I can smell bacon cooking three blocks away!

No major taste revelations yet, although I am noticing the ability to taste salt a lot more easily.

And strangely enough, I don't enjoy the taste of coffee as much any more.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Anyone else noticed this?  Am I taking more time with my meals or is my oral motor changing?

My guess is the former. Since you no longer have to wolf down your meals so you can get outside and smoke, you can and are taking the time to actually notice and enjoy what you're eating!

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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All I have to say is "Hang in there." Keep telling yourself that you are a non-smoker and mean it.

Last cigarette I smoked, Nov. 1, 1975. Easy? No! It took a long time for the knee jerk reaction to go away but it does. I often said, "If I were a smoker, I'd have a cigarette right now".

About 10 years ago my mother, who has essential tremors, was trying to light her cigarette but her hands were shaking too much. I offered to light it for her and nearly upchucked on the spot! Cigarettes really do taste nasty after a while.

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