Quit smoking weight!

vidald

i am 5 months smoke free! Whoohoo! HOWEVER, my metabolism has decided to take a nap. I work out 6 days a week and I eat low carb.

Anyone out there quit smoking and trying to lose the weight?

I am frustrated and feel like I am spinning my wheels. I have been working hard for 3 weeks and nothing is changing.

bencze1

Quitnow tells me 121 days without smoking.
I started losing weight in April, just by eating little in evening (I didn't count what I ate for lunch - normally, so a lot).
When I stopped smoking I also stopped losing weight (by this time I was 20-22kg down, with maybe 15 to go). Maybe I was eating more, I don't know, I know that it was quite a bit harder to not eat in evenings all of a sudden.
Now I eat little for lunch especially at work (500kcal-ish meals) and I eat the rest in evening, that's often 2 evening meals because I go to sleep late, past midnight. I also eat a lot of apples nowadays, when I feel hungry but shouldn't eat I just eat an apple. Better than bacon with white bread I figure.
I also commute with bicycle to work (some 2x 6 km daily) and started c25k program a week ago, when I don't run sometimes I take a longer ride around the city.
I have only started taking this thing a bit more seriously, calorie counting, excercise and whatnot, a couple weeks now so not a lot of data to go by, but I lost roughly 2 kgs in this time. I'm also getting a new bike at end of Feb so I imagine I will ride a bit more then, especially as spring comes!
So this is how it works for me so far... if nothing wrong happens, by end of March I will be down to 75ish kg and will run 5km which will help me achieve a goal of 69ish in a couple more months.

edit: in short, I feel for you because I was stuck about 4 months at relatively same weight, including a 3kg + at Christmas. But what the hell, that was some seriously good food so it's all good.

KANGOOJUMPS

I quit,, it all takes time tho....

stephaniebowler2015

I feel exactly the same I quit in November and since then my metabolism doesn't want to work...I work out a lot and eat in moderation...its hard to think that the weight would be falling off its I still smoked

SpnkyBns

I will be 5 years a non smoker on Feb 1st.....I know if I still smoked that this weight would come off a lot easier....but I am healthier, feel better, smell better all from not smoking....So I keep telling myself, If I can quit smoking cold turkey after 30 years...I freaking have the will power to lose weight!!!

HerkMeOff76

I would rather put on 100 more pounds than smell like that again...

vidald

I completely agree I don't ever want to smell like a smoke again! I don't eat any different or more than I did before quitting. I know I tortured my body for years, I guess it is paying me back. I know it is going to take time, it's just frustrating to see the success stories and not be able to say I have lost a pound yet.

Lauren5280

I quit smoking (and gained weight) and I've been losing ~1lb per week consistently for the last 9 weeks. It can be done!

fevrale

I gained quite a bit of weight from not being careful when I quit smoking January 2014 (around 30 pounds) and then I started smoking again in June! I finally feel like I quit for good in November (I've been an on-and-off smoker since I was 16, quitting for significant time periods about 5 times).

I haven't had the metabolism boost of smoking for more than two months and I'm losing. It might be slow and steady, but it can be done. You just have to try to not get discouraged at first because your metabolism will reset to its normal rate eventually. It's hard to accept that you won't get the metabolism boost of smoking anymore but you just have to change your habits when it comes to eating too.

Think about how much you smoked. If it was a pack a day, you burned around 250 calories a day from smoking (according to WebMD). I smoked about half a pack, so if I was doing it right maybe I should have tried to make an extra 125 calorie deficit at first until I became accustomed to my natural metabolism.

Anyway, even my doctor told me I'm better off with the extra 30 pounds than I am with continuing to smoke. That's saying something!

fevrale

P.S. Congratulations everyone on quitting! That is truly THE hardest part. Now, it's just a little of extra work to adjust to post-cigarette life.

vidald

Thanks for the encouragement. I know the weight didn't go on over night. The part that had me frustrated was I didn't feel any different after I quit. I know I will be healthier overall in the long run.

Edwardshar

Try working out?

tammylotz9

I quit in December of 2013, and I gained a lot of weight. That is what I am trying to get rid of now. I only just began trying to lose the weight but it is something that I am going to have to work hard at. I smoked for 30 years. I can't stand the smell anymore! We can do this!

FitOldMomma

Congratulations on quitting! That is the best thing you can do for yourself.
I quit last year (8 months ago) and because I was so focused on good health and fitness, I've not gained any weight.
Instead of using food to fill the void left from not smoking, I chew gum and I keep my hands busy- I cut a drinking straw in half and would keep it in my hands. When cravings got bad, I would kind of meditate; deep breathing for a minute until it passed.
- I upped my daily exercise too, this helped a lot.
- Keep at it; it gets easier and easier every week that passes.
- When I quit, I was up to 3 packs a day. I'm so happy I quit.

FashionQueen86

Way-to-go! Congratulations!

NurseCU

Congratulations on quitting smoking! I quit cold turkey a little over 3 years ago, and had been a pack a day smoker for 10 years. I maybe gained 3 or so pounds when I quit, but it was worth every pound to never smoke again. Your weight may be slowed down for many reasons, including stressing about not loosing the weight. Maybe continue doing what you are doing, and stop stressing about not loosing weight. There was one time for 6 weeks where I didnt gain or loose anything, then all of a sudden weight started falling off. It is discouraging to not see the scale move, but try to focus on other milestones you are making for yourself! Congrats again!