I feel fan-freakin-tastic!

[KyleW]

I have lost 30 pounds over the last 3 months, I have been exercising regularly over the last 2 months. Over the last 7 months I have cleaned up my diet and quit smoking (after more than 35 years!).

I have not felt this good in a long time! I don't care that I have SPMS :-)

And not for nuthin', I am more than a little excited about Sunday's 6 mile Walk MS NYC!

Kyle

[Redwings]

Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Kyle!

[MarkLavelle]

Bravo! (I smoked for 25 years)

I hope the weather is nice for your walk...

[Toomnyhats]

Congratulations & good luck on Sunday!

[Seasha]

Great news Kyle!! So wonderful hearing these success stories. Good luck on the MSWalk. (I have SP also and participated in our MS Walk recently.) Hope you make it to the finish line and keep up with the new healthier YOU!!!

[CasinoKathy]

Yee-haa Kyle!! Congrats on your accomplishments!! I love hearing stories like yours! Goes to show what we can do when we put our minds to it.

You should be very proud of yourself- keep up the good work!!Casino

[Cat Mom]

Way to go Kyle, that's so excellent! Have fun on the MS Walk on Sunday, I hope you have good weather despite calling for a bit of snow!

Best wishes again,
Jen

[KyleW]

This morning I did 45 minutes/2.45 miles w/1 & 2% incline on the treadmill. I carried 3LB hand weights and did random arm exercises. I got a good sweat working. Still no inside appearance of the flailing foot! One more treadmill session before Sunday's 6 mile Walk MS!

Kyle

[Sunshyne]

Kyle what an inspiration you are!!!!!

But tell me, how did you quit smoking? Did you use any nicotine replacement?

I want to quit so bad, but once I smoke that first one in the morning, I'm doomed...it's so hard.

[SwedishPrince]

Quitting smoking, eating healthy and exercising (all after my dx in 2009) have really helped me slim down and feel better. The smoking was the worst, just pre-dx whenever I had one I felt like crap and a really strange feeling in my head. Then the sick feeling would wear off, the nicotine craving kicked in, and the same thing would happen.

I quit cold-turkey, it worked best for me. When I got a craving, I'd assume the finger position for holding a cigarette and put my fingers up to my mouth... purse lips, suck in some air... nice and deep, just as if there was something there. Oddly enough, just doing that with plain old air seemed to calm the craving. Worked for me.

Oh, and make sure your last smoke is at night, don't even try one in the morning. Those hours while you are asleep give your body a painless head-start in avoiding the cigs.

[MarkLavelle]

Practice makes perfect!

Great advice from SwedishPrince.

I tried accupuncture & nicotine gum, but in the end it all came down to keeping on quitting cold turkey until I got it right! Each time I "failed" I still made progress, because I then usually smoked for a shorter time until the next attempt. All the "practice" eventually paid off...

[KyleW]

It's 4 weeks today. Not bad, not great

[Sunshyne]

Kyle it most certainly is great! Every time you don't give into that urge is a huge victory. Whenever I read that some one has quit I always wonder why I can never seem to get it. It's the single most important thing some one with MS can do for their self. Hooray for you!!!!

[muse_7]

All of these changes are great and the best gift you can give yourself! Thanks for sharing and keep being a quitter lol!

[BigA]

Kyle,

thanks for sharing this. That is wonderful! I stopped smoking, lost 30lbs and exercise 4x weekly plus yoga.

I look at it this way: Maybe I have lost some abilities, but since with the practice that would have made me an athlete pre-MS, I can be a pretty normal guy with MS.

As for my technique of quitting:

1) Get addicted to Nicotine gum for a few years. It's better than smoking and rids you of the habit part. You still have the addiction, but it's safer than actuall smoking.

2) After a few years, I was able to quit gum using the patch, but whatever you do, you're better off on nicotine replacement. Don't kid yourself that they're all just as bad and then light up.