Any smokers?

beckyboooo87

i quit over 2 weeks ago i used to smoke 30 to 40 aday for about 12 years but im doing a 10 week patch program with my doctor, im not gonna lie its been tough someday i was an emotional wreck, but im starting to feel the benifets from it now i have lost 3lbs this week i have been trying to diet to so i dont gain loads a weight.. so if you watch what u eat you shouldnt gain weight

IHeart90s

I used to smoke a lot some time ago, and one day I quit cold turkey. I spent something like two years without any ciggies, but then one day I was drinking with some friends and someone was smoking: I could'nt resist. I started smoking two-three, and went up to almost 10 a day until a month ago, when I decided I was going to GRADUALLY quit. Since last week I don't smoke during the day or before I exercise. It is only at night when I get home that I give into my craving for smoke and on the weekends when I go out or drink with someone (especially if they smoke).

As I read on a previous reply, everyone is different. The first time I quit it was sort of easy, but as you can see I picket it up again... so I guess doing it gradually might just be what will work for me.

Sieden76

I smoked for 22 years. I'm celebrating my 6th month cigarette free. I forgot about the weight gain and I did pack on about 10 lbs. I used the patch as my method to quit. I'm no longer on the patch but getting the weight off has been a challenge. I have often thought that it's because I don't have that constant stimulant in my body anymore. I may be right, I may not. I recently tried Xenadrine and I've had a lot of energy but not any extra weight loss. Anyway, that's my two cents on it. Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

I guess that I should add that since I quit, I've lost a total of 25lbs. The 11lbs are only since I joined this site.

healthyeating555

smoking causes horrific mouth odors during intimate kissing sessions. Best solution is to hold your nose. The relationship will last alot longer when its outta smell outta mind

Cheeky_0102

OMG once again I'm not alone! This forum is really starting to grown in me I love you guys!

Cravings, grumpiness, etc. I guess I'd be willing to go through that since I get those every month anyway, if you know what I mean lol.

I've heard of Champix but I find it a bit expensive. It costs more than a dollar per tablet here and I believe I would have to take that twice a day so I crossed it out from my option.

I'll probably continue to taper down until I completely get rid of it. My goal is to be able to be smoke-free before June ends. It may be easy to quit for some but an addiction is never that easy to get rid of.

As for the Allen Carr book, I'll hit the bookstore tomorrow after work and get a copy!

Thanks guys! Really. I appreciate it

isn't $2/day cheaper than smoking?i know it is here!

I had the prescription in my pocket the last time i quit, just knowing i had it seemed to help, I think my doctor said I'll give you the prescription, but i think you can do it without it... wait a week before filling it.

Gross fact. I lost all my weight the first time (100 lbs) while still smoking... i would light up on my way home from the gym, i would climb a mountain and have a smoke break at the top.

i only finally quit after i had maintained that weight for a year. I did gain, and lost my footing unfortunately, but i never did go back to smoking

gavini

i was smoke free from july to october last year about 10lbs during that time. then i ran a marathon, celebrated my achievement with a couple cigarettes a day for two weeks, then got laid off from my job and jumped back on the horse and went back to smoking half a pack a day until now. i found quiting easy in some ways because i was going on a camping trip with my family and wouldnt be able to smoke during the trip so when i came back i had a week under my belt and kept up that positive momentum. if you have something, even if it isnt a whole week or more, where you can change your surroundings and routine it makes it much easier since so much of it it mental. i have another family trip coming up in june and so i am enjoying every last smoke until then when i will put them down for good

i have posted my suggestions and advice before so this is mostly cut and pasted from another thred i posted it in but it all applies here.

oranges help when you have a craving and are a good post workout treat.

wanting a cigarette feels a lot like hunger - which it is, your body is hungry for nicotine, and you are hungry for the taste and experience of smoking. This is a big reason we eat more when we quit, recognize that and be prepared with carrots or something else to fill that void and realize you arent really that much more hungry than normal, they just feel the same.

on weight loss and nicotine loss at the same time...
1. if you arent going to watch your weight while you quit smoking, then when will you know it is time to start? once you quit smoking then you have quit. do you wait a week, a month, a year? what is the magical date? if you arent actually quit for X amount of time then you are allowing the doubt to exist in your mind and allowing for the possibility that you will fail, dont allow for that doubt, dont make failure an option. there is no magical date where you have quit other than when you stamp out that last cigarette so dont make excuses for yourself by saying you cant do both at once.

2. to change, add, or get rid of habitual behavior you need to shake up your routine, thats hard enough to do once so why do it twice? you want to add or build on new habits - dieting and exercise and get rid of one - smoking, so set up a new routine that incorporates those goals.

3. if you are starting to exercise more and you want to quit smoking (this is the most important factor, you have to really want to, otherwise dont bother trying) then you dont want smoking to become part of your exercise routine. a cigarette after a workout is the greatest thing in the world (that is by far the hardest one for me to give up) so if you want to quit then you are going to make it a lot harder.

4. you can obsess about your calories and or your exercise to help eat up the time you might be thinking about how you miss smoking, it will give you a new addiction to replace the old one.

5. of course there are people at gyms and in running groups and other people you might meet exercising who smoke but if you start to make fitness related friends and have never smoked around them, they might not smoke around you or not much at least since it is less acceptable since you met at a gym or on a run, thats a good thing for you, fewer people smoking around you is fewer temptations and less envy.

6. workouts will start to become easier as you get in better shape and also as you smoke less, get both of these benefits at the same time and it will spur you on in your efforts that much more

i dont say good luck to people since there is no luck involved in quiting smoking and saying there is gives you an out or an excuse to start again, it is mental, you have to convince yourself and your mind that you really really really dont want to smoke anymore. the rest is handling the side affects.

grab your goal by the horns and dont let go, add me if you want, i will do my best to check up on you

nkoconnell

I switched to an electronic cigarette two months ago. After a month, I felt so good I cleaned off the treadmill and signed up on here. I've lost weight since then. I feel like it won't be nearly as hard to quit entirely from the e-cig as from the real thing.

iWillGetCrowSomeday

I quit in June 2012 after smoking a pack a day for 10 years. I did gain some weight, maybe 10 lbs, but guess what? It's a lot easier to lose weight than to get a new set of lungs! (I wish I could take the credit for that, someone else said that in a previous post a few days ago on the same topic).

Anyway, have you tried nicotine replacement? The gum is great for break-through or sudden cravings. Quitting smoking is more than breaking one habit- you've built up habits around that habit. For instance, smoking after meals, smoking in the car, taking smoke breaks at certain times of the day, smoking while drinking, etc. Try breaking each habit, one at a time. And take it one day at a time, like any addiction. Can you promise yourself you won't smoke today? Or at least for the next 2 hours?

It is doable. You have to understand your "why" though. Why do you smoke when you smoke? Because it's just that time? Because of a specific feeling? Is it a reward? Is it punishment? Find other ways to manage these "whys," ways that don't involve food. You don't want to be transferring your addiction onto food!

I wrote a blog a bit ago on the topic, so feel free to check it out. Good luck!

bezark

I quit in September using an e-cigarette and it is, hands down, the best decision I have ever made. I'm grateful literally every day. And it was EASY. I still don't know what took me so long or why I thought it'd be so hard.

I smoked a pack or more a day for 14 years. "Couldn't" even quit completely through two pregnancies because I just wasn't ready. The day I finally got fed up was the day I smoked my last real cigarette.
I used the e-cig for 25 days; 5 5-packs of nicotine cartridges starting at 24mg and ending at 0mg. When the last 0mg cartridge was out of juice I was ready to let go of the crutch.

I did gain 10lb, but I had no problem losing it again. It took a few months to get here, but cigarettes are just gross to me now. I have no desire at all to ever smoke another cigarette.

americangirlok

I quit this past January. And I was doing really well, until about a month ago. And I'd go visit one of my friends once a week and sit on her back porch and smoke like 4-5. And now I'm at like 1-4 a day for the past week. It's sick I know, but it's like an old friend I didn't realize I missed until I indulged it. This has to stop. I know that. I just kinda want to hang on for a bit longer... which is dumb I now b/c it'll make it worse.

mdepko

I was about a 2 pack a day smoker up until 2 months ago. I quit cold turkey and I have still been able to lose 20lbs during that time. It has helped immensely that I am on MFP and was doing the weight loss thing before I quit. The first couple days were the hardest for me, but I must have been ready because it was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I also limited/avoided alcohol for the first month because I knew that would be a trigger. After a month, you start realizing how much money you're saving as well as how much better your feeling and the desire decreased that much more.

danika2point0

I quit smoking 9 months ago and have lost weight since (not gained). I went to an Allen Carr's The Easy Way clinic. AMAZING.

My opinions on this....If you go into it thinking it will be a struggle, it will be. If you go into it thinking you might fail, you probably will. The only way I was able to quit was to realize that I was stopping. I wasn't TRYING to stop. I was simply DOING it. Also, I was not giving up anything. I was freeing myself from something terrible that only had illusionary benefits. I am trying to use the same method (The Easy Way) to get off of purely unhealthy junk food. It is VERY successful. Once you take away the ILLUSION that something is good or pleasurable, you see it as it truly is = poison to your body. All of this being said, if someone had said, "Danika, you can quit smoking today but you will gain 15 pounds", I would have gladly done it right then and there. Every single day, I am a happier person for having quit. Also, you should not gain weight. Just do NOT replace cigarettes with any other food or drink (drink water). Also, you will be able to work out EXTRA hard. I can now run for an hour straight without stopping or having a cherry red face.

I wish you the best of luck and if you want a new friend, add me!

XxX Danika

alecialudwickjones

I should quit. I only share the husbands cigarettes when he's home and even then I'm on HIM about smoking too much.

fat_harrie

I stopped cold turkey in November and started to gain so joined MFP and lost a bit. I will admit to smoking on nights out recently but have set rules about when I smoke. The thing is though, it takes me a full week to recover from a couple of ciggies on the weekend, so I think I have to cut them out again. But there are some days when all I can think about is a ciggie! I even had the really vivid dreams about smoking and some really wierd things! lol. They are actually worth quitting the gigs on thier own! lol

kendrafallon

I quit smoking June 2010, up till then I smoked 20 a day. I used Champix to help me quit.

I actually started my weight loss journey and getting healthier in Jan 2010, so quitting the *kitten* was a logical next step. I did find it hard to stop and I did gain some of the weight I'd lost previously (can't remember how much), but overall the long term benefits of quitting *kitten* are worth it!

I still get the occasional craving, but a few whiffs of those smoking outside pubs and restaurants and that's more than enough, because in the next breath it turns my stomach. Good luck with giving up!

jennifer_417

I once read this quote:

"Never do two hard things at once." It was a book about fasting, and how you shouldn't fast during stressful times, if you can help it. But, I think it applies here, as well.

Of course I advocate quitting, but, maybe you can hold off until you have the diet and exercise under control? Or quit, then work on diet and exercise?
Why make the process more difficult than necessary? If you make it so stressfull you can't handle it, you won't succeed on either front.

goonas

I hate hearing the excuse of "but I'll put on weight"

Surely its better to live longer but slightly bigger than live shorter and thinner?

And plus if you live longer you have more time to lose the weight!

bobf279

I smoked for 37 years and stopped 3 years ago. I used patches for the first 3 weeks then cold turkey. I put on some weight but only because I chose to concentrate on stopping smoking. I have been up and down the scales since I stopped but am now well on the way to permanent weight loss and improved fitness

Hellbent_Heidi

I hate hearing the excuse of "but I'll put on weight"

Surely its better to live longer but slightly bigger than live shorter and thinner?

And plus if you live longer you have more time to lose the weight!

:drinker:

goonas

Another thing to add, is that when you quit smoking you can do more at the gym/exercise, push your body harder, run faster, cycle longer etc so you'll lose weight / inches.

I don't think some people realise just how much smoking can take hold of your life and hold you back.

Like I put earlier the biggest regret was I didn't stop sooner - I smoked for approx 16 years.

Pnuke77

I'm on my second quit right now. First time I stopped for 2 years and got into the best shape of my life. Whenever I craved a Cig I just went for a long run or just headed for the gym and ended up going from a chubby 240 to 195 @10%BF. Like a big idiot I started smoking again and gained it all back +5 in a year. Currently on my 3 week smoke free and back in the gym. Both times I actually lost weight

KANGOOJUMPS

I was a smoker, now I am a runner, YEAH!

JDBLY11

Those of you who have quit smoking and cut down are awesome. I don't think it is easy to quit just like stopping any bad habit is not easy, but it is worth it. My bad habit is overindulging in food, and I really need to quit that, but I am making progress in that.

Good job!

rsimoneau1

I quit on Ash Wednesday of this year. Since that day, I have lost 43 pounds. I started running on April 2nd, (the day after Easter), and have steadily racked up 154.67 miles, and am on my scond pair of running shoes.

I smoke a cigar or two on weekends still, and find that it is not interfering with my running routines.

I've struggled with cigarettes since I was 16.

rassha01

Those of you who have quit smoking and cut down are awesome. I don't think it is easy to quit just like stopping any bad habit is not easy, but it is worth it. My bad habit is overindulging in food, and I really need to quit that, but I am making progress in that.

Good job!

I used to joke that quitting smoking was the easiest thing I ever did, I used to do it 10-20 times a day!!! I have quit many times this is my second time for over 6 months. The one thing that is always present when i succeed for longer periods is a deep want to quit. If a person has any doubt in themselves it makes it very difficult to recover from any addiction!!

Hellbent_Heidi

Quitting is not a whole lot different than deciding to eat healthier and lose weight.

If you analyze it too enough...you can come up with lots of reasons why you can't do it...

amypomm

I quit over a month ago. Im still losing four pounds a month with out smoking. If I feel the urge to smoke I go for a walk or eat cherry tomatoes.

laurenc42

i smoked a pack and a half a day. I'm doing pretty good I've had 4 in the last 3 days. I'm trying not to be miserable trying not to be grumpy. I've got this.
The 4 I've had are at work. Break time is really hard.

bryionak

My last big weight gain was when I quit July 2011. I went from about 210 to 230. I quit using an e-cig and didn't smoke for about 8 months. I started smoking again and am keeping to about 6 - 7 cigs a day but am telling myself everyday I am going to quit. I think it is going to happen soon. I have recently completed couch to 5k and want to run more, faster, and longer distances and quitting smoking will help that.

mdepko

I quit over 2 months ago and have continued to lose (over 20lbs), you can do it if you are determined enough.