The Dreaded Smoker

abbystewart319

So I am on day 6 of doing awesome with the food. I am actually pretty proud of myself. However, I am a smoker. I smoke about a half a pack a day. I feel like now is the time to quit (for many MANY reason) but because I am finally watching what I put in my mouth. I mean, there is no reason it try and get healthy if I am going to continue to smoke. I was always worried that if I quit, I would start eating and eating. So, does anyone have any suggestions on what might help curve the cravings and kick this nasty habit in the butt? My work is actually going to be PAYING for me to quit! As soon as I get to my doctor I will have them prescribe the patch or something. (Too scared to try that Chantix stuff. I already have bad crazy dreams!) But as far as quitting while maintaining a healthy diet, any suggestions would be great! I need all the help and support I can get

TheVirgoddess

I quit in Oct on 2013. I didn't gain *any* weight though. I did start losing weight (on purpose) in April 2014.

You don't have to gain weight just because you quit. It's all about what you substitute your oral fixation with.

I did use the ecig for just under 2 months. It *really* worked for me. It helped me comfortably withdraw from the nicotine and feel more comfortable without my cigarette crutch.

I think as long as you don't replace smoking with snacking, you'll be totally fine. If you get the urge, drink some water, go for a walk, munch on some carrots.

You can totally do it!

Guurl

Hi there, good for you for being conscious of what you are putting into your body. I was a life long smoker, I LLLOOOVVVEEEDDD smoking - but I didn't want to contribute to my own death, hated the smell (on others, because we never think we smell that bad. . . ) - and lets face it - I was a fat smoker. Smoking was something that I could give up one day and be successful at it - although it is not easy - every day I tell myself "I will never take another puff". Cold turkey was the way for me - I did the patch, gum, hypnotism, laser - eventually it was learning about dopamine, my brain and instant gratification from the nicotine. I used to go on a site called "Why Quit.com" several times a day - all addicts on there - great information. Frig that nicotine is an insidious creature - just typing about it brings back the cravings in the back of my brain - nuts man - I am 5.5 yrs free of that beast so I'll never go back - now its the beast in my trunk (mid section) I need to deal with.
- Cheers - and remember - never give up trying to quit - don't get down on yourself - eventually 1 day will turn into 2 then a week and you will see you can get through things without a smoke - we smokers have excuses for lighting up all the time - but smoking a cigarette never reversed a death of a loved one, loss of a relationship, job etc. . .
- Godspeed.

SueInAz

I've never smoked but I have friends and family members who have quit or tried to. I think the most important thing is to not allow yourself "just one, this one time" because it rarely is just one and that one time. A good friend of mine quit early last year. It lasted all of 2 months before I found him smoking again (he tried to hide it, which is just sad, you know?) He had "just one" because he'd had a really stressful couple of days and before he knew it he was into it for a half a pack a day again. This guy is in his mid-50s and has had several heart attacks but over the past few years has dropped nearly 60 pounds and hit the weights so he looks great but smoking is a demon he can't seem to kick.

Another thought is that it's a good idea to distance yourself from situations you currently link to smoking. My sister says that our state banning smoking in bars was a godsend for her because bars were the hardest places for her to be after she quit.

As far as curbing overeating, it's going to depend on how you handle the desire to be putting hand to mouth. That is usually why people gain weight, they replace smoking with snacking. For some people chewing gum or hard candies really help but for others, they're no help at all. Perhaps finding a really low calorie food you can munch when you get a craving will help. Something like baby carrots or sugar snap peas or unsweetened cereal like Chex or Cheerios.

Whatever ends up working for you, good luck to you!

liftingandlipstick

If you're worried about bad dreams, don't go with the patch (or at least don't wear it overnight). Nicotine is a stimulant, and as such stimulates your brain into overactivity. When you're sleeping, this manifests as vivid dreams. Taking the patch off an hour or so before bedtime will reduce the dreams, but then won't help with those intense morning cravings.

I did use the patch to quit, but I stopped after step one (21mg) due to a skin reaction. After that I used an e-cig (and still do occasionally, with nicotine-free juice), but mostly went cold turkey. The first two days were hellish, but after that it honestly wasn't that bad. I quit about 4 months after I started logging my food daily, so I was well into the habit of logging everything I ate, and didn't gain any weight at all.

Lollipops were a bit help for me- those jumbo Original Gourmet lollipops that are 2/$1 at Walgreens/etc are about 100 cals but last over an hour. Kept my mouth busy without killing my calorie goal. Of course, I was on 1900 or so at the time, plus workout calories, so YMMV.

Mycophilia

I quit cold turkey almost 3 months ago. Honestly if you can get through the first 3-5 days without any nicotine, it will get a lot easier. At least it did for me. What helped me the most was always having something to chew on.

floridagirl7264

I quit without gaining weight. I did it cold turkey. Every time I would think about smoking I would redirect my mind onto something else saying to myself that I didn't do that anymore. I haven't smoke in 4 years. I've been getting smoking dreams that I've started again. I wake up thinking why would I ever want to do that again! You can do it without gaining weight. Don't substitute eating for smoking. Just quit. It's not easy but definitely worth it.