Hi Sheila,
Thank you for not smoking. My quit date was March 11 2011. I have been smoke free since then. Allow me to give you a few pointers:
The first few days are tough. The urges will become quite strong. This is only because of your smoking habits. Make sure you have your plan ready just in case you want to smoke. Having a snack handy, and a short activity that you can complete in about five minutes is very helpful. Eventually this will replace the sense of accomplishment, and the hand mouth coordination that you are used to. After that, during the next couple of weeks, you will notice you urges and cravings are less frequent and less powerful, especially after eating. I know it is tough to go through, but you can hang in there. After that, you will notice that your urges are insignificant, and tolerable. You may be irrate still, but your cravings will eventually dissappear.
Its better if you go running, walking, jogging, or take a fitness class somewhere to help with the weight gain. That will help with your urges and retraining your brain. There is a lot that is going on in your brain and your body when you quit. Take it one day at a time, remember your go to snack and activity, get in shape someway and somehow, and watch what you eat. In no time, you will be thinking that you've been smoke free for years. Just take it one day at a time.
