Clare's stop smoking diary

Week 3: Can stopping smoking pile on the pounds?

I'm doing well - just over one week down and I am finding it easier. Some of my mates are quitting too, and alongside the support, a touch of female competition is helping me stay focused

Have your say on Clare's stop smoking progress and share your own stories, experiences and advice.

My friend Gemma, (five weeks cig-free) claims that she is putting on weight even though she isn't eating any more than usual. According to 'five-week Gemma' your metabolism slows when you quit, something to do with your body getting lazy about not having to pump out all the toxins provided in the past by those little white sticks. Either way, we both agree that a few pounds here and there is a small price to pay for being smoke-free and healthy.

I didn't think I was eating any more either, except last night when I got home and realised this was the first evening I would be on my own - without even a cigarette for company.

I suffer boredom very easily, and in the past, the first thing I would do when I was bored was light a cigarette. The problem with being a bored non-smoker is that you are not only bored, but you start contemplating. And contemplating leads to craving.

I sit on my sofa and stare at the wall. Are my fingers itching? I get up and make a cup of tea. I sit down with my cup of tea. I wonder why the hell I don't have a television. I can't be bothered to read anything and I have watched all my DVDs. I watch some DVD extras. Still my fingers are itching. I think I smell smoke. I open the window. Is someone smoking? I inhale - no smoke.

Tick tock tick tock...

The biscuit tin! I remember the biscuit tin! The biscuit tin provides me with approximately an hour and a half of relief from the boredom. Metabolism my a@*e!

Running for buses!

I ran for a bus! Okay, this isn't the first time I have run for a bus, but this is the first time I ran for a bus and really enjoyed doing it! It was exhilarating as opposed to exhausting because my lungs seemed to be relishing the workout, not crumbling beneath it.

I am noticing some definite physical positives to my smoke-free existence (two weeks!). In the last couple of days two people have noticed that my skin has improved, and I think it has too. My face seems less grey and papery, and the broken veins are gone. It's less dehydrated and just feels more elastic and healthy.

Plus, remember those morning cigarettes? The two I used to have before I even got into the office? Well I no longer think about them, or the loss of them in the morning. And I really enjoy the walk to the train station now, mainly because I can breathe - which is always nice. I seem to be looking up and noticing more in the street, I don't know what it is exactly. I just feel more relaxed.

I have got control of the biscuit tin (it's now out of reach) but I've also worked out that the weight gain thing could also be associated with the fact that I am starting to taste things properly again. I was eating a bowl of pasta the other day and making these rather guttural (and slightly inappropriate) groans of pleasure. It was just a bowl of pasta but my lord, it tasted good!

Plus, I don't avoid non-smoking restaurants like wagamama anymore, so I am appreciating a whole new culinary world, which may cost me a couple of pounds on the waistline, but if that bowl of pasta is anything to go by I really don't care. The best thing is that I worked out that I have so far saved £70 on not smoking. So I went out and bought myself a couple of new tops in the sales to celebrate!

Don't forget to come back next week to see how Clare is getting on! In the meantime why not visit the Stop Smoking Message Board?