Training & Nutrition - Quitting Smoking

After looking around, i couldn't find a thread that was dedicated to quitting smoking. After all, I think that we should support and motivate those who are looking to kicking the nicotine addiction.

If you are looking to quit, post some information about how long you have been smoking, what method you are using to quit, reasons to quit, etc.

I'll go first. I have been smoking for a year, about half a pack a day, and i am looking to quit while i am still in good health, and for financial reasons. I am going cold turkey, and so far it has been almost 40 hours since my last cigarette.

I'll go first. I have been smoking for a year, about half a pack a day, and i am looking to quit while i am still in good health, and for financial reasons. I am going cold turkey, and so far it has been almost 40 hours since my last cigarette.
Awesome! I smoked for about 30 years and it was the stupidist thing I ever did...and I have done quite a bit in the stupid-thing department, trust me.

BTW: I quit, cold turky, in 2007, same week I joined BF.

I haven't really quit but I smoke very little now. I find that going on long runs or rides and really staying active keeps me from smoking more than anything else.
So yeah, that.

Awesome! I smoked for about 30 years and it was the stupidist thing I ever did...and I have done quite a bit in the stupid-thing department, trust me.

^^^That was me. I quit about 6 years ago using the patch. The patch definitely helped. I couldn't have gone cold turkey. It was rough quitting, but it was one of the best things I've ever done.

OP,

I quit in 1987. I had smoked since I was 14. Got up to about 1 1/2 packs a day. I never really tried to quit because I was convinced by my peers and social circle that it is almost impossible to do so. Then one day I laid the pack down and never looked back. I guess my addiction was metal and not physical. I was hooked in my mind, not a physical addiction.

I tell you this with the hopes of encouraging you to stick with quitting. You'll feel better, breath better, and yes, you'll smell better.

Here's to you my friend.

Best regards,

Mike

I started smoking on and off when I was 15 or 16. I guess I'd say I became a regular smoker in the summer of 2002 and smoked about a pack a day. I quit cold turkey in September last year with the Allen Carr book. It's not the most entertaining read, but it worked for me and everyone else I know who read it. Didn't even have to quit drinking or hanging around friends who smoke.

As for reasons to quit, I've saved about $500 by not smoking so far. Non-smoking situations like airplanes and movies are now bearable. My senses of smell and taste have improved (living in Osaka, this unfortunately means I smell a lot of things that I was happier not smelling). My apartment doesn't smell like smoke anymore. Of course, my cycling has improved immensely. Hard efforts are easier to deal with. I still suck at climbing, but not nearly as much as before.

Good luck to everyone trying to quit! Once you've kicked it, you'll wonder why you even did it in the first place.

my one year quit anniversary is sometime next week (or so my partner says... i never really keep track of such things). my formula for success was:

a) accept that it's going to be difficult and ignore people who say it's easy.
b) use the patch
c) bike more
d) learn how to take breaks. one of the hardest things about quitting is not having a 7 minute micro-break every 90 minutes.
e) do not stress over weight gain. it will happen. let it. you can always shed pounds later

It is easy. Those are the people you should listen to. If you keep putting yourself over the rack about it, it will seem that much harder. You're much strong than any hold nicotine has on your body. I quite 2 months ago (smoked 9 years) and it's the easiest thing I've done. I wish I had done it sooner. Sure I still miss it, but I just remember how much it sucks and how much harder it was to ride to work every day.
I read Allen Carr's the Easy Way to Quit Smoking on one of my previous attempts and I found that useful. I lasted 2 months after that.
This one is going to stick though. Thank goodness.

I smoked heavily for nearly 45 years. When I started it was an accepted stress reliever (I was a policeman at 18 and transferred to the Fire Dept 15 years later) and nearly all of my partners smoked. Heck, it was even allowed on airplanes !!
Starting was one of the stupidest things I ever did. I found quitting very difficult -- over the years I have tried hypnosis, acupuncture, patches, gum and pills (including Chantix - which can cause some serious side effects for some people). None of the above was successful for me, partly because I didn't have the "will" to quit.
About 6 months ago I tried the "e-cig", an electronic device that looks somewhat like a cigarrette. It contains a base called propylene glycol, which produces an odor-free water vapor. It can be purchased with or with-out nicotine. Propylene Glycol is used in medical inhalers.
It WORKED -- I haven't had a cigarrette for over 3 months and look forward to the day that I can put this thing down and be done with anything even resembling smoking.
This may not appeal to every-one but if my experience can help even one member of this site who has not been able to quit otherwise I will count it as a good day.

One thing I noticed about quiting is that everyone's habit/addiction is slightly different. Mine was purely physical. Once I went through the initial withdrawl, about three days (and, trust me, my three days were pure hell; for some, heroin might have been easier to quit), I never looked back.

On the other hand, I have a good friend who can't stay quit. She will start and stop smoking suddenly, going form a pack a day to nothing, staying quit for weeks at a time, not even having one. And, just as suddenly, she's lighting up 20 of those suckers each day all over again.

Nico is a crazy drug. I am just glad that I don't crave smokes now. Good thing because it could happen. I have some really good friends, friends who have quit for over 20 years. They say they still crave the death sticks.

NOw that really would be terrible.

Oh my... why to quit? I smoked on and off for a number of years. Last Thursday, I was diagnosed with emphysema. There's no cure, and it continues to get worse. Without health insurance I would now be taking about $700 worth of medications per month (as it is its only $100 or so). I get winded going up stairs, not much of a cough, yet.

Since there's too much snow and ice for my liking, I don't know how it will effect my biking, but it won't help.

I quit smoking 5 years ago, but that was way too late, it seems.

How I quit (hope it may help someone).

Step 1 (the most important): Decide you are going to quit, forever, and never smoke again. Get it firm in your head. Accept that you won't ever enjoy that addictive little smoking stick.
Step 2: Pick a day. I chose a Saturday of Labor Day weekend - a 3 day weekend for me. Buy some nicotine gum if you think you'll need it.
Step 3: The night before, before you go to sleep, dump any remaining cigarettes down the toilet.
Step 4: Day one - Remind yourself of step 1. Do your normal routine - coffee, breakfast, etc. Just don't smoke. It won't be fun or easy. Try the gum whenever there's a real urge for the nicotine buzz.
Step 5: When I really, REALLY wanted a smoke, I got on my bike and rode a LONG ride. Beat myself up. Got home, drank enough water to not be thirsty then went to bed for a nap.
Step 6: Sat, Sun and Mon - repeat step 5. Keep drinking plenty of water - it helps to detoxify. Don't cheat. Every moment you don't smoke is another moment deposited in your non-smoking life.
Step 7: If you make it to Monday morning, congratulate yourself. Damn fine work. If you go to work, tell your co-workers you quit. Bask in their praise.

Each successive day is easier. You will think about smoking lots, but remind yourself of step 1. You're a former smoker.

Going to be 4 years since I quit this March. Started at 13 and smoked for about 12 and a half. Unlike some, it wasn't the physical withdrawal that made it hard, but the mental habit. Having started that early, it was pretty ingrained into EVERYTHING. Wake up, have a smoke. Have breakfast, have a smoke. Get in the car, have a smoke. Order a drink, go outside for a smoke. You get the idea.

At some point, I lost a bunch of weight by just having a smoke whenever the urge to eat would hit. It was also such a social lubricant... a free thing to relate to with people and start up conversation. Anyway, I ended up just quitting cold turkey. One of the hardest things I've ever done.

At the 3 month mark, I bought a pack or two and smoked most of it, but it wasn't the same anymore. Funny, once you get the idea to quit seriously into your head, every cigarette comes with a mental burden. I also almost started up again last spring, but managed to wring myself away from it before it became habit again. It wreaked havoc on my cycling.. one of the things that kept me away from it.

To a degree, I can also credit it for getting me into cycling. When I quit, I blew up by almost 40 pounds in the first 8 months. Bought a bike just for that reason and haven't looked back since... the weight dropped right back off.

I'll give ya a tip that really helped me during this time: Don't shy away from people smoking around you. It only helps your will power when you can step outside for a smoke with everyone else, but not actually smoke one; politely decline. If you've smoked for a while, you know that one of the best things about smoking is taking that smoke break. Once you can do that without actually smoking one, it all becomes that much easier. Also, very important to mentally accept that you are no longer a smoker, ad no longer think of yourself as one. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before you use a cigarette to reward your efforts, totally turning it all upside down.

Oh my... why to quit? I smoked on and off for a number of years. Last Thursday, I was diagnosed with emphysema. There's no cure, and it continues to get worse. Without health insurance I would now be taking about $700 worth of medications per month (as it is its only $100 or so). I get winded going up stairs, not much of a cough, yet.

Since there's too much snow and ice for my liking, I don't know how it will effect my biking, but it won't help.

I quit smoking 5 years ago, but that was way too late, it seems.

How I quit (hope it may help someone).

Step 1 (the most important): Decide you are going to quit, forever, and never smoke again. Get it firm in your head. Accept that you won't ever enjoy that addictive little smoking stick.
Step 2: Pick a day. I chose a Saturday of Labor Day weekend - a 3 day weekend for me. Buy some nicotine gum if you think you'll need it.
Step 3: The night before, before you go to sleep, dump any remaining cigarettes down the toilet.
Step 4: Day one - Remind yourself of step 1. Do your normal routine - coffee, breakfast, etc. Just don't smoke. It won't be fun or easy. Try the gum whenever there's a real urge for the nicotine buzz.
Step 5: When I really, REALLY wanted a smoke, I got on my bike and rode a LONG ride. Beat myself up. Got home, drank enough water to not be thirsty then went to bed for a nap.
Step 6: Sat, Sun and Mon - repeat step 5. Keep drinking plenty of water - it helps to detoxify. Don't cheat. Every moment you don't smoke is another moment deposited in your non-smoking life.
Step 7: If you make it to Monday morning, congratulate yourself. Damn fine work. If you go to work, tell your co-workers you quit. Bask in their praise.

Each successive day is easier. You will think about smoking lots, but remind yourself of step 1. You're a former smoker.


Damn. Real sorry to hear. That's one of my biggest fears, that I've waited too long to quit. Starting is just about the worst thing I've ever done.
I wish you the best of strength and luck in dealing with it.

Damn. Real sorry to hear. That's one of my biggest fears, that I've waited too long to quit. Starting is just about the worst thing I've ever done.
I wish you the best of strength and luck in dealing with it.

+1

Add to that all the oral cancers which, to me, sound about as nasty as it can ever possibly get.

I smoked a pack a day for 30 years and quit last June. I tried quiting numerous times over the years, but always ended up starting again. This time I tried Chantix after talking with my Doc and also focused on riding my bike. I stopped taking the Chantix 4 weeks after I quit, but continued to ride. To help me stay focused, I set 3 goals to complete before the end of last year.

1) Ride 50 miles under 3 hours
2) Ride my age (52)
3) Ride a metric century

I complete all three and in October capped it off by repeating all three on the same ride. I am already working on this years goals (get faster, ride a few centuries) to keep myself focused on not starting again.

One thing my wife points out, is that all the money saved and then some seems to have been spent on 2 new bikes and equipment. Oh well, one addiction for another (LOL).

Well Bf, i feel bad. 12 days in, and i broke my streak. I smoked. I got really stressed out, timed in with a crave, and i went outside and i smoked a cigarette. I don't know what i was thinking. I feel very disappointed in myself right now.:(

I smoked for 15 years before I finally quit cold turkey. Here are a few things I did:

1. I made up my mind to quit (the most important thing).
2. I viewed myself not as a smoker trying to quit but as a someone who does not smoke.
3. Rode the bike, a lot.
4. Viewed smoking as disgusting, hurting my cycling, killing me, creating a tumor in my lung, etc.
5. Split myself into two people, one who smoked and one who didn't. Whenever the one who smoked wanted to have a cigarette, the one who didn't smoke laughed at the one who smoked (the John Cage method).


Good luck to you, I hope you quit. It really is much easier than you think. If you make it one day, you can make it two. If you make two, you can make three, etc. After one week the cravings were almost gone. I could taste, smell and breath again. It was like being reborn.

15 yrs of pack a day with Marlboro Reds and or Lucky Strikes. I quit back in 2000. I used a combination of nicotine patches from 2 brands....Nicoderm had a 3 step process and Target store brand was a 2 step process with the nicotine levels right in between the 3 steps of the Nicoderm brand. So I used a five step process...it was still a ***** quitting, but I'm very glad I did.

Well Bf, i feel bad. 12 days in, and i broke my streak. I smoked. I got really stressed out, timed in with a crave, and i went outside and i smoked a cigarette. I don't know what i was thinking. I feel very disappointed in myself right now.:(

Hey helms, sorry you fell off the wagon, but you just have to count it as a SETBACK not a FAILURE - you can still quit smoking. Don't re-start. It was a one-time thing.

I quit in 1992 after smoking 1 1/2 packs a day for about 12 years. I tried to quit twice before that, one time lasted 2 years. The last time it worked because I really wanted to do it for myself, not because anyone else wanted me to.

Hang in there.

Thanks for the support everybody. Let's just hope that i will be able to stay away this time once and for all.

you just have to count it as a SETBACK not a FAILURE - you can still quit smoking.

+1

^^^That was me. I quit about 6 years ago using the patch. The patch definitely helped. I couldn't have gone cold turkey. It was rough quitting, but it was one of the best things I've ever done.

The patch really helped me quit. I have not had a cig in over 2 years. The hardest thing about quitting was telling myself that it was going to be my last cig. There are way too many benefits at this point to even consider starting again. It is such a good feeling to not have to go outside to smoke or sneak away at dinner parties, find a place to smoke at an airport, not running out of them etc. etc. Once you quit after a while you will realize what power they once had over you. I even eliminated beer/alcohol for almost a year now too.

I smoked for 15 years before I finally quit cold turkey. Here are a few things I did:

1. I made up my mind to quit (the most important thing).
2. I viewed myself not as a smoker trying to quit but as a someone who does not smoke.
3. Rode the bike, a lot.
4. Viewed smoking as disgusting, hurting my cycling, killing me, creating a tumor in my lung, etc.
5. Split myself into two people, one who smoked and one who didn't. Whenever the one who smoked wanted to have a cigarette, the one who didn't smoke laughed at the one who smoked (the John Cage method).


Good luck to you, I hope you quit. It really is much easier than you think. If you make it one day, you can make it two. If you make two, you can make three, etc. After one week the cravings were almost gone. I could taste, smell and breath again. It was like being reborn.

I wish I could say that after a week my cravings were gone. It probably took me about a year before I came to grips with the fact that I really could not ever see myself smoking again. Maybe it was the result of retaining a mono persona? Nicotine is one .hell of a drug. It also took my body a while to feel like a non smoker too. When I am around other smokers or walk by one I am also not a cig nazi either.

I smoked a half pack a day for ten years and quit about 5 years ago using Nicorette gum - my mouth needed something to fiddle with. Like I said it was five years ago, but I will STILL get random cravings and they are strong...I have to remind myself that the craving will pass in a few seconds. What a bad habit.

I was smoking a pack and a half a day for 5 years. I decided to quit when I was 20. What worked for me was psyching my self up for weeks by thinking about how I was going to deal with cravings, what I would do with the money I saved, and most importantly when and how I was going to quit. The hardest part is breaking the mental addiction.

I stopped on a friday night, had my last cigarette before bed, and woke up saturday and didn't smoke. You really need to buckle down and do it. After about a month, I was fine. I haven't smoked more than 5 cigarettes since then, which was 6 years ago. I am the type who was either smoking a pack and a half a day or not smoking at all. It was impossible for me to cut back slowly. Best way is cold turkey, hands down.

I quit so many years ago I can't remember exactly when it was. Several things helped me:

- Remember that by quitting you are rewarding yourself, not depriving yourself. You are dumping an addiction, and gaining health and longevity.

- Develop a healthy dislike for the companies that sold you the product that you're addicted to. They want you to stay addicted, and they don't care how much it hurts you in the long run. Deprive them of their profits.

- Reward yourself with the money you will save by not smoking. Set that money aside every week and buy yourself something you wouldn't have been able to, otherwise. It adds up quickly.

- You may gain a little weight. Don't worry about that. Enjoy the tastes that smoking deprived you of, and later you can shed whatever weight you might gain. One problem at a time.

- Enjoy the freedom of knowing you are stronger than your craving, and that you are in control.

Good luck with it!

I've been smoking for about 3 years now, been trying to quit smoking little by little by cutting down to how many i have a week.. or more like, how fast i finish a pack. So far I'm about a pack a week, and have been at this mark for some time now. Quitting smoking was one of the reasons i started to bike about 2 months ago. So far the weather has been pretty gross. cloudy and raining, so i haven't been going out as much. Kinda afraid of the rain since i just started to bike. But i noticed that it helps.
I get tired pretty easily after a 30 min ride which i think is pretty sad. Kinda disappointing in myself. But i guess that thought is fueling me to quit smoking. If i want to be able to bike for longer periods, faster, farther, and go up hills quicker without running out of breath.. then i gotta quit.

I was smoking a pack and a half a day for 5 years. I decided to quit when I was 20. What worked for me was psyching my self up for weeks by thinking about how I was going to deal with cravings, what I would do with the money I saved, and most importantly when and how I was going to quit. The hardest part is breaking the mental addiction.

I stopped on a friday night, had my last cigarette before bed, and woke up saturday and didn't smoke. You really need to buckle down and do it. After about a month, I was fine. I haven't smoked more than 5 cigarettes since then, which was 6 years ago. I am the type who was either smoking a pack and a half a day or not smoking at all. It was impossible for me to cut back slowly. Best way is cold turkey, hands down.

That certainly worked for me too. I don't know that it necessarily works for everyone though. I smoked 1.5-2 packs/day (Kools, Camels, Luckies- UGH!) for 13 years. I had tried cutting back gradually many, many times, all to no avail. One day, I just said now or never and just stopped. Period. My wife said I was hell to live with for about six weeks, and then it was over. That was in 1981. Haven't smoked since. For those who've never tried to stop cold turkey, I'd highly recommend it, but commit yourself to doing it. It doesn't take any tricks, really- just buck up and know that you're going to be miserable for a month or two. You'll get through it. BTW, cold turkey means just that- no fake cigs, no lozenges, no nico patches, no drugs. Just plain quit. And tell everyone you know that you've done it. Peer pressure is an enormously strong motivator for most people.

Ha, I'm on my fourth year off smokes (after about 25-30 on 'em) and yesterday I rode my MTB up and down hills all afternoon. I felt like I was a motor, doing whole-shots, spinning my knobby tires and throwing mud behind me all the way up the hills. And, the best part....

Having the wind to do it again and again and again.

BTW: I spent most of the afternoon standing up on the pedals. It felt great to be in good enough shape to stay off of the saddle, hammering over the rough terrain like I was on Susuki RM 250 instead of a Trk 6000 bicycle.

It's days like yesterday that make me wish I never smoked at all, and that I could go on living and breathing right forever!

I smoked for 12 years since I was 18, quit cold turkey as of two years ago this past Feb. I quit because I was ready, and two, I had gotten the flu so bad it burned my lungs w/ every puff! I wasn’t over weight but I had a poor diet and never exercised as well.

Quitting sucked and it was hell (for me) for the first month, after the second month things got way easier. My advice, or what worked for me was the famous alcoholics golden rule to quit drinking, taking it one day at time and don’t worry about tomorrow until tomorrow! So I just focused on how to get thru the day w/o a smoke; one day at a time.

++Since quitting my rewards are exercise, improved health, I can do things like cycling and other exercises w/o huffing and puffing.

+++ My teeth and a nice natural white again!! My sense of smell and taste are back as well!

++++ No more waking up in the morning hacking and couching/ and waking up w/ sore lungs!

++++ +I’m in my lower 30's and as I grow older, things such as exercising and dieting will become more challenging. Among the other many things to have to worry about, smoking will certainly not be one of them! Good luck!

I smoked off an on for 12 years or so and dipped skoal. I have not had skoal in probably 3 or 4 months just stopped because its completely moronic, for me, I now smoke a couple packs a week but since I started training for a 10 mile run I keep telling myself, " this cig is going to keep you from your next goal or completing your weekly training." Its helping but reading this thread makes me realize even more I must stop. So today is it. I have a pack of mediums in the car and that's mostly where I smoke because I have to drive all over the world for work and I get bored out of my mind so I smoke. No more I am gonna toss the smokes I have and not buy anymore.

I'm quitting smoking..........again. I think that springtime helps. I have a feel good feeling from the sun and my ride that has spent the winter hanging. I've smoked for over thirty years, and have regretted starting in the first place.

I smoked for almost 28 years. Chantix finally did it for me, that and the desire that is. Biggest thing was the desire to quit. I'd quit for a year once before, but the yen to smoke never really left. One will never quit unless the desire to quit is there.

What's funny is that every once in a while I still crave a smoke, and actually imbibed on a time or two. What's not returned is that want to begin smoking all the time. And that occasional smoke or two? Yeah, they taste like crap.

Keeping this thread alive and sharing my personal experience.

I had my last cigarette on 1st June 2010 after over 18 years of smoking (last I counted I was a slightly over half a pack a day). I tried quitting MANY times, some for few days...longest was 1+ months but this time, I'm quite sure I'm gaining success at last. Its coming to 6 months now since I've not touched smokes. My method : cold turkey. I can't really explain this but i guess a mountain of reasons that you accumulate over the years, they somehow just come to me all at once in a single moment and I decided the smokes has to go. You gotta have some really legit reasons that you truly believe in otherwise, you'll fail, that's my opinion.

Also a month after quitting, I tried an HC climb (Genting Highlands) and upon reaching the top, I resisted the urge to buy smokes! it was tough (not as tough as the climb though) but that test really convinced me that this time, it will work!

It was hard of course especially in the first couple of weeks, no thanks to my smoking friends but surely (but gradually) I started to get irritation by inhaling 2nd hand smoke that's where it really hits you and what I've been doing to my non-smoking friends all these years! and my kids too!!! I've been this selfish **** for smoking and smelling like smokes all these years to those around me!

I can't say that my cycling has improved but I'm more determined that ever to train (need to lose the weight I gained from quitting!!!). Gaining weight can be defeating as well and it could easily get you depressed and back to smoking.....just be aware of this....and you'll do fine. Never underestimate the effort required to quit! Its really really tough and purely mind over matter!

Do yourself and your loved ones a favour, quit now. Stop filling the pockets of super-rich tobacco companies for killing you. Spend the money on something you like instead (or save it for your next big investment).

This month I rewarded myself by getting a new frame!

Congrats Boostbutt, all!

I'll add my story as well.

I smoked about a pack a day for about 13 years before quitting a little over a year ago in October of 2009. Keys to my quit (in chronological order):

* Signed up for an Ironman
* Bought my first road bike
* Bought a pair or running shoes
* Bought a swim suit
* Joined a quit class at the local hospital
* Started Chantix
* Quit
* Diverted my mental focus to swim, bike, and run
* Rocked the Ironman with a time I did not deserve
* Continued riding a lot
* Joined a cycling team for the 2011 season

I'm turning 35 today and I'm much healthier than I was a decade ago. :)

I managed to quit despite my father's occupation requiring him to fill cigarette machines...meaning that our cellar downstairs is full of 1000s of packets of cigarettes. It was the hardest thing I ever did - I literally had to walk past that cellar everyday on my way to work. If any of you think you're not capable, trust me, you are. It's not easy, but if I could do it, I truly believe that anyone can. And I did it the cold turkey way!

I just recently quit smoking. In fact, it's been exactly 2 months (60 days) today. Yes, I'm still counting days.

It was the patch that helped me, although I didn't use it for the full term. I used it for just about 2 weeks, then decided to try it without. It wasn't too bad, so I just stopped using them. I smoked about 1 1/2 packs a day for over 20 years, and dropped down to about 1/2 pack a day for the last couple years. Best thing I ever did was quitting.

(I have put on a few pounds though)

I was a smoker for 15 years and have been smoke free for 3 months now. Did it cold turkey because I finally realized that I want to see my daughter grow up and spend as much time as I can with her. And I fell in love with this new addiction called cycling LOL.

I smoked from I was 13 until I was 30. I wanted to quit for 10 years. I tried cold turkey a bunch of times, hypnotism (waste $$), and finally found SmokEnders which addresses the behavioral aspect as well as the physical nicotine addiction. When I did the SmokEnders program in the late 80's, they held group sessions for 7 or 8 weeks in a local hotel. Now I see from their website, that you order a kit, and follow the program yourself.
I can't recommend it highly enough for you or someone you care about:

http://www.smokenders.com/index.htm

(do I sound like an advertisement? I'm not affiliated in anyway! I just hope anyone who smokes, quits. Happy New Year)

I am not a smoker but I am a chewer. I quit cold turkey 8 days ago. Just making it one day at a time. Found a website with a forum of support and lots of quitters in one place. It helps keep the focus on the quit. I am looking forward to being quit for years and not remembering how I gave this horrible habit up. But for now I quit every morning and just add one to the total!