Smoking... It's not good.

5 stones since March is amazing! Well done, and as soon as you stop smoking you are bound to find your running improves loads!

chuck the last six in the bin and start now. After the first few days it is only about willpower, if you want to quit you can! Avoid situations that you associate with smoking - eg if you normally have a few beers and smoke, don't have the beers in the first place and then it is easier to not smoke

Well done BoDuke  !!

You'll get added motivation when you find the running easier and your times get faster as a result of not smoking!

I've been running and smoking for around 2 years, I've smoked for around 5 years...  I've quit a couple of times before, lasting once for 2 months and another time for 3 weeks...     I recently quit again (last Friday), and I hope that's it now, it's just when partying/drinking its the hardest.   it's on your mind a lot for the first 3 days but after that I find it quite easy (as long as im not drinking booze), obviously depends on how long you've been smoking though, good luck anyway.  

I found this the other day : http://smokefree.nhs.uk/quit-tools/my-body/timeline/

Quite interesting, I liked where it says after 3-6 months your lung capacity goes up by 10%... that must be good for running!

Good on you Bo

I gave up around twenty years ago, having a 30 a day hibit at age 18 (started when I was 11).  My motivation then was falling pregnany with my first born. My motivations since then has been the moral high ground and emotional blackmail I can use against my now teens should they ever feel brave enough to be found smoking by me!

Seriously though, if you can nail running, you can most definitely knock this for six.  You just need to apply the same deterination and stubborness and try not to be too much of a grumpy git when the cold turkey kicks in. 

Best of luck to you and huge congrats on the weight loss and running to date! 

When I ran the 2008 Great North Run, I was still smoking 30 a day. Packed in the following April and haven't had a ciggie since.  I guess it was running (and my fitness in general) that was the thing that kept me focussed on staying off them. I had been smoking for 25 years and it was just the right time to stop.

Well done for taking the first step. Expect 3-4 days of discomfort and then it will get easier.

I think you seem to have found something that you love doing that can help the smokefree journey to be less of a problem. You can easily make running your new addiction. It's a no brainer.

Take it 1 hour at a time and build on every passing day

Good luck.

(go easy on the lozenges - they help, but they are not easy to kick)

The patches worked for me. Lots of deals and discounts on them now so they cost less than the smoking they replace. I just bought loads of the step 1 patches and then cut them in half after a few weeks to simulate the step 2 which were sold at the same price.

They work but I always found that the real test came several months down the line when I thought I was safely quit and on the straight and narrow.

Both times I've quit I've used patches and strong sugar-free mints, the mints help with the need to put something in your mouth and a strong mint taste stops you feeling so hungry.  The running will help stop any weight gain too.  Like Muttley I chopped the big patches in half after a few weeks as it's much cheaper!!

Good luck, hope that your trip to the pub is fun and you can enjoy without worrying about the fags the whole time.