This is from Confessions of a Nicotine Addict:
Smoked like a chimney this weekend.
But on Tuesday I started the “Shangri La Diet,” as outlined in the book of the same name by Seth Roberts. It’s a strangely easy plan and I may be too obtuse to understand how it works, but my appetite was noticeably down all day. (Ok, I had a headache & nasty nausea — but not hungry!)
And I had very few urges to smoke. In fact, I went almost the whole day without nico fit. The thought of smoking was utterly distasteful. Really gross. Now, for the past couple months I’ve been working on all kinds of visualizations & relaxation techniques, but I really think this weird-ass diet had something to do with it. I ended up giving in at the end of the day, but I only smoked a couple. Yesterday was about the same; today, too.
Maybe the Shangri La Diet curbs all kinds of appetites?
So well put!
Maybe it does. Here are two possible explanations: 1. The mental effort it took to fight off the urge to eat is no longer necessary, leaving it available to fight off the urge to smoke. This story contradicts this explanation — the urge to smoke went down. 2. Addictions are self-medication. You feel bad, the addicting substance provides relief. If you feel less bad — less hungry, say — then you need less relief. This story doesn’t support this explanation either; nothing is said about relief from overwhelming and unpleasant urges to eat. There is certainly some truth to this basic idea, however — witness the term addictive personality.
However, in this case I’d put my money on Explanation #3: Addictions are heavily linked to the environment. The environment triggers a craving. It’s Pavlovian learning. Shepard Siegel, a psychology professor at McMaster University, originated this explanation and has collected a lot of supporting data. You take Drug A in Environment B. After a while experience B triggers a desire for A. (Obviously it makes sense that we learn to become hungry when food is available. That’s how appetizers work.) In this case SLD changed her environment. She felt different.
Nicotine raises blood suger levels. One way to cut the craving for a cig is to have something sweet, for example, a hard candy. If setpoint is down, less need for elevated blood suger and thus less need for nicotine.
The craving for cigarettes is particularly pronounced after eating. Less eating > less craving.
Exclaiming “but not hungry!” sounds like an expression of relief, supporting your Explanation #2.
good point, Nansen
I experienced the same thing. Although I never really smoked all that much (once, maybe twice a day at most), for some reason, smoking became disgusting while on SLD. In fact, I’d argue that it was more effective at helping me quit smoking than as a way to get me to lose weight. I have not lost as much weight as I’d like since starting in January, but have not had a cigarette since late January.
The author’s words encapsulate exactly what I went through. Smoking became completely and utterly foul for some reason. I thought maybe it was related to having an empty palate for so long (not having an empty palate covered up the disgusting taste), but was never able to explain it.
Regardless, who am I to complain?