Everyday Systems

Hope everyone is well.

My first question refers to stop smoking products. I did smoke but then vaped on electronic cigarettes which became an even worse problem. Through the health service I am on a stop smoking programme for twelve weeks and they have given me lozenges. I am taking this as OK because it is better to get off nicotine for my health. However, when the lozenges stop on my last attempt At the end of the twelve week course when there was no nicotine replacement I sucked extra strong peppermints instead of the nicotine lozenges. After about one to two weeks I was having only two or three a day when I remembered as opposed to sucking on them incessantly immediately the programme finished. Do you all agree that this will be ok for the longer term benefits of quitting nicotine. Yes it is about four months but still temporary.

The second question is kids cereal, chocolate flavored but with less sugar and fat per portion than granola or muesli, less density so bigger portions for say 50g and therefore less calories overall per bowl full. Also fortified with vitamins and minerals unlike the granola and muesli. On this nutritional data, would you eat it on an N day?

Cheers guys, always value your opinions.

Anne

Hi, Mustloseweight- Good on you for quitting smoking! In my opinion, a few strong peppermints per day are not a big deal, considering that it's probably temporary and is helping you over a much more serious matter. Maybe set a goal for how long from now you'd like to stop having them every day, but it doesn't seem like a huge deal to me.
The cereal on the other hand, would for me be an S day treat. I think what you're missing in the discussion of sugar, fat and calories is the issue of fiber. The granola and muesli probably have more natural sugars in them (depending on the brand) but the fiber will make them probably much more of a healthy choice than the more refined sugar in the children's cereal. The "fortified with vitamins and minerals" is not really probably worth much. I'd go with the muesli and take a multivitamin. Maybe look into brands that are lower in fat and sugar or make your own.

Personally, I would chew sugar free cinnamon gum rather than suck on peppermints and I would not eat a chocolate cereal on an N day. I am finding that the relegation of all sweets to the S days is helping me so much that I am willing to forgo even the appearance of one on an N day. For me, it is about training my brain away from the sweet taste as much as weight loss, so the fewer things that taste sweet the easier the program becomes. I'm in it for the long term.

I also believe that each of us is an experiment of one and you have to find what works for you.

Thanks for the replies. Going to not have chocolate kiddies cereal on N days. However the stop smoking is a huge deal in terms of definately quitting and staying quit so I will keep the mints on me at the end of the programme and get real old fashioned Altoids or something similar in a tin, and the mint is the lesser sin. I remember last time I eventually went days without one but always had them on me. They will be a tweak.

There are sugar free mints and other hard candies available if you want to be strict with the rules; however, a few mints are worth it if they help you to stop smoking.

I also would skip the chocolate cereal. I admit to having protein bars occasionally that have small amounts of dark chocolate in them. I consider this a cheat but sometimes it keeps me from cheating in a bigger way. I am pretty strict about the rules, but sometimes I use a small cheat to prevent a major blowout.

Are you likely to consume a lot of peppermints for purposes other than keeping yourself from smoking? Be honest. If the answer is no, then you can treat them as medicine rather than food. That's what I did with ginger candies when I was pregnant and nauseous. It sounds like your peppermint usage is going down, anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much. If you answered yes, then you might want to look into sugar-free hard candies or some such.

Quitting smoking is a Big Deal, and is a much more positive step for your health than pretty much any diet could be. It's not worth sticking to a diet if it means you start smoking again.