Quitting Smoking

rebeccaamy95

Hello there,
I quit smoking a week ago (cold turkey) and I'm doing well. I know a week isn't long but everyone starts somewhere. My issue is that I am now CONSTANTLY hungry. Every time I would smoke I am eating instead. Does anyone who has quit have any tips on ways other than eating to help with cravings?
Cheers

808Trish808

I had that same problem! That is how I gained all my weight! After I quit, with help from a nicotine patch, everything seemed to taste really good! Tastebuds have changed for the better. I coped by keeping myself busy If you need to snack, get you a celery stick or something healthy.

Lourdesong

Eating made me crave cigarettes because I liked to smoke after meals. I quit cold turkey in January (I quit once before as well, and started again)
My weight has always increased whenever I picked up the habit because smoking felt best to me after eating, especially a large meal. So, if I wanted a cigarette, I'd eat, then have my smoke. I'd also drink because it made smoking more enjoyable. Poundage.

If you were the same way, your hunger is likely tied up with your cigarette habit.

I don't really have any advice, except that after a month or so it went away for me. Truck through.

alyci

I am working on quitting this week and I keep a massive glass of water with me at all times. Any time I want a smoke or eat I drink at least a cup of water. 7 times out of 10, I was just thirsty.

rebeccaamy95

Thanks I have tried and failed before but I am very committed this time ( cliche I know). after eating is hard because I would always smoke. The cravings pass when I've snacked so maybe I should try drinking water. Dreading how it goes when I go on a night out...

brimingus

I went cold turkey and gained ten pounds! But I love the way I feel now that I've quit! If you're like me, it also helps to keep your hands busy. I put on a necklace and anytime I got a craving, I just messed around with it with my hands. Everyone is different. You can do it!

JennW130

Good Luck! I am attempting to quit again as well. I just smoked my last out of the pack.

rebeccaamy95

brimingus wrote: »

I went cold turkey and gained ten pounds! But I love the way I feel now that I've quit! If you're like me, it also helps to keep your hands busy. I put on a necklace and anytime I got a craving, I just messed around with it with my hands. Everyone is different. You can do it!

I think this would help me as I found that eating lollies helped as it's something to fiddle with. Thank you and congratulations on quitting

rebeccaamy95

JennW130 wrote: »

Good Luck! I am attempting to quit again as well. I just smoked my last out of the pack.

Good luck to you too

Super_Amy

I picked out my worst trigger times to smoke and started painting my house. (interior) My biggest struggle once I got over the initial "itchin for a smoke" is my digestive system go REALLY sluggish and it took forever to sort itself out.

MikySchwartz

I stopped smoking 6 month ago. I was constantly hungry for the first couple of months. It is normal. I signed up at a local gym and atarted working out even though I did not feel like it at all. I also surf. Last time I stopped and did not work out I gained 48 pounds. I lost the weight and This time I gained only 10 pounds. I tried to eat lots and lots of fruit, dried fruit and nuts. I would say do not worry about losing weight right now, just worry about not gaining a ton of weight. After the first few months I could start losing again! Keep it up!!!!

rebeccaamy95

MikySchwartz wrote: »

I stopped smoking 6 month ago. I was constantly hungry for the first couple of months. It is normal. I signed up at a local gym and atarted working out even though I did not feel like it at all. I also surf. Last time I stopped and did not work out I gained 48 pounds. I lost the weight and This time I gained only 10 pounds. I tried to eat lots and lots of fruit, dried fruit and nuts. I would say do not worry about losing weight right now, just worry about not gaining a ton of weight. After the first few months I could start losing again! Keep it up!!!!

Congratulations
I've been going to the gym a few weeks trying to lose weight before christmas and I guess I've chosen the worst time to quit. I'm gonna try to focus on not smoking and not on weight loss.
I'm glad it's not just me who is going/ been through this

Milvardea

I found stuff to chew on that wasn't so bad for me. A lot of gum, pretzels, and lollipops. Focusing on both losing weight and quitting smoking was too much for me, so I decided to focus on getting rid of the smokes first, then worry about the weight.

I've been smoke-free for more than four months, and I just restarted my healthy eating. I have lost three pounds since I started two weeks ago, and it's massively easier than trying to do both at one time.

But there are ways to combat it, I promise. If the reason you smoked is a tobacco addiction, try grabbing a patch or Nicorete Gum. If you have an oral fixation, find things to chew on or do with your mouth.

Mine addiction was social and repetitive action, so when everyone else went out to smoke, I would go with them, and blow bubbles instead. They made fun of me at first, until I got about three months in and was smoke free without a hiccup. That showed them!

It doesn't seem like it now, but I promise, it will get easier. Even if you gain a little bit of weight, you'll be healthier without smoking than you would skinny and smoking!

Good luck!

Milvardea

I gained about 15 pounds while quitting as well, but in a weird way, it was totally worth it. It won't be as hard to lose those pounds again now that I don't get out of breath just walking up the stairs from smoker's lung. I'm well on my way to losing back those 15 plus more!

And if I can do it, trust me ANYONE can.

rebeccaamy95

Thank you knowing that really helps, I've just downloaded an app that is telling me how much money I've saved and that my lungs are healthier already so that's a helpful insentive too I normally don't chew gum but I think that will help on nights out so thank you

gvhunterollie

I gained 45 pounds after I quit (5 yrs.), so I'm not going to be any help, but I at least wanted to say congrats and good luck!

rebeccaamy95

5 years is impressive though, apparently thats how long it takes to reduce the risk of coronary and lung disease to that of someone who doesn't smoke so well done

0somuchbetter0

A lot of those cravings aren't really for food, you know. You want that cigarette in your mouth! One thing that helped me a lot was cutting a plastic drinking straw down to the size of a cigarette and when the cravings got really bad, I'd hold it between my fingers, flick the "ashes" off of it, and "inhale" it like a cigarette. My friends made fun of me and strangers looked at me funny, but I didn't care. It helped!

Hang in there. It DOES get easier! My last smoke was in 1999!

Kalikel

My first week was my hardest. There were moments after that where I'd have a huge surge-craving for a cigarette, but they passed much quicker.

Try exercising.

When you have those, "God, I should be smoking now! I want to be smoking now. What the hell do I do now?" - move. Do jumping jacks. Go for a walk. If you're in the car, squeeze your butt muscles.

Just don't give in. You got past the hardest part, which was the physical addiction. Now, it's all mental. So just retrain your brain to focus on other things.

You can do it.

mygnsac

0somuchbetter0 wrote: »

A lot of those cravings aren't really for food, you know. You want that cigarette in your mouth! One thing that helped me a lot was cutting a plastic drinking straw down to the size of a cigarette and when the cravings got really bad, I'd hold it between my fingers, flick the "ashes" off of it, and "inhale" it like a cigarette. My friends made fun of me and strangers looked at me funny, but I didn't care. It helped!

Hang in there. It DOES get easier! My last smoke was in 1999!

^^ What she said. I even stuffed a little tissue in the cut down straw so when I "inhaled" there was some resistance, like with a cigarette. Gum helped a lot too.

Liftng4Lis

I quit in July, cold turkey after 30 years. Chew gum or buy some stir sticks. You've got this!

Kalikel

I forgot gum! Sugarless gum was a huge help for me.

tracymayo1

I will be 2 years smoke free cold turkey on November 19.
I would drink water, or have some "little suzies rice thins" when I would get the hunger cravings. They are low cal, and filling with the water which helped me stay on course. Although I was NOT trying to drop weight at that point... I gained the weight I am trying to lose by quitting

lmarshel

I quit cold turkey with a half pack sitting on the kitchen counter. I was so afraid I wouldn't succeed that I didn't tell anyone (even my hubby) that I was trying to quit. I kept chocolate in my desk at work to treat myself whenever I worked through the urge to smoke. Within 7 months I had gained 25 pounds. But, honestly, I felt OUTstanding! Even with the extra weight, I was in much better health.

That was in December 1999, and to this day I have never had another cigarette. I managed to shed that extra 25 pounds and then some. And I still feel outstanding!

Even if you gain some weight, it's worth it to kick that habit. If you really want this, you'll make it happen. Best wishes to you.

socalkay

Good for you!!! I put on 35 lbs after I quit almost 3 years ago so not much help here either.

Except I'll say I came to MFP because my BMI was 30.2 and the Lung Transplant protocol won't consider putting anyone on the transplant list with a BMI over 30. I need to be on that list. I wish I had quit 10 years sooner... but hindsight and all the exercise in the world won't fix what's wrong with me now.

Hope I scare you into sticking to it. It's not fun living at the end of 50 feet of oxygen tubing.

DiabolicalColossus

I quit just over 2 years ago.

What has helped me stay away from it is chewing gum, drinking water, cutting back on alcohol (I was a major social smoker), broke up with my ex who smokes like a chimney and finding things to occupy my time.

Full disclosure: when I quit smoking, my eating got way out of control and I put on weight...which I'm taking off now.

I remember the day I decided to quit: I was coming home from work and walking up the subway station stairs...I was having an extremely hard time breathing. At the time, I was just shy of 30. It was extremely upsetting. I knew that 29 was way too young to be having those issues, so I decided to finish out my pack and be done with it.

Do I miss it every now and again? Of course.

But I remember very vividly how I felt that day.

And I'm never going back to that.

You can do it.

rebeccaamy95

socalkay wrote: »

Good for you!!! I put on 35 lbs after I quit almost 3 years ago so not much help here either.

Except I'll say I came to MFP because my BMI was 30.2 and the Lung Transplant protocol won't consider putting anyone on the transplant list with a BMI over 30. I need to be on that list. I wish I had quit 10 years sooner... but hindsight and all the exercise in the world won't fix what's wrong with me now.

Hope I scare you into sticking to it. It's not fun living at the end of 50 feet of oxygen tubing.

wow thanks for sharing that I've only been smoking a few years on and off but for the past year and a half i've been smoking more and more( about 20 roll ups a day) and my bank balance isn't allowing it. Things like your story are the things that keep me going

rebeccaamy95

Thank you very much to everyone who has wished me good luck

healthygreek

I've been quit for over 10 years. The only way I could quit was by telling myself I could smoke whenever I wanted to.
It took me about a year to not feel I could start up again.
Now, I can't stand the smell at all and I can't understand how I could smoke to begin with. It's an awful true addiction!
I replaced smoking with exercise so I've lost a lot and I'm down to goal weight.
Drinking cold water and taking deep cleansing breaths when I wanted a cigarette really helped.
I also sucked on cinnamon sticks and chewed gum.
I also used the straw trick for awhile.
Congratulations! You've done one of the best things you can do for your health!

Foamroller

Congrats on quitting! Agree with above advice on sugar free and or nicotine gums. Took me 2 years phasing those out. I was a very stupid quitter, substituting cigs with packets of sorbet icecream and bowls of Kellogg's cornflakes. Must have been thousands of kcal per day....

Find low kcal things like cucumber or tomatoes if you have oral fixation, don't do like me.

Good luck:)

rebeccaamy95

Thank you very much.
Today I have tried the water method and have managed to resist the urge to replace cravings with food I got a few cravings today when I was home alone (there are normally a few people around to tell me off when I feel close to giving in) so I went to the gym instead and that really helped