Quit smoking and eating OUT OF CONTROL!

Italimac

I am eating everything insight. Exercising everyday and still gaining! How do I control my anxiety so I don't overeat?

mk2fit

I, too, quit smoking, but my weight gain was more of a delayed reaction. Take a walk, or a run if you are up for that, to help stave off cravings. I would walk three miles or so a day when I first started my journey. Eat lots and lots of veggies, they are practically free calorie-wise, and good for you. Stay away from fatty foods, although they taste darn good when you have taste buds again. Trust me, it gets easier once you learn what works for you. My main motivations were my grandkids and my mom's lung cancer. I haven't smoked in over four years and have lost 70# (I gained a lot!).

DaddieCat

For me, I found it easier to concentrate on quitting smoking first. The math and experience that I've had behind losing weight was much simpler in my experience than quitting smoking. For me to effectively quit smoking, I needed to focus all of my willpower and coping mechanisms on that task. Once a couple of weeks passed and it wasn't such a hard experience, I slowly added my weight loss goals back into my routine.

I had success with this, and while I could have possibly had success while continuing to do both, I don't know that I had enough willpower for that.

For me it boiled down to picking my battles wisely and in a way that I knew could be successful.

mxchana

Same experience... I had my last cigarette in 1996. I gained 30 pounds in one month, immediately. I just had to tell myself that I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I didn't smoke. The most important thing to me was to keep off those cigarettes.

Hypnosis helped a lot - and wearing Nicorette patches. (I wore the patches a long time, cutting them into smaller and smaller pieces.) The combination of those two things kept me smoke-free and eventually I was able to start losing weight. I still struggle with weight ups and downs but I have NO desire to smoke. Twenty years of freedom!

Low-carb is the way to go, in my opinion. It really gives you freedom to eat enough and still lose weight. It takes away cravings. I know it's not for everyone, but for me it's what works - and I have my MD's blessing.

Good luck, great start and stick with it, you can do this!

grinning_chick

Yeah...I tried to tighten up my Atkins 2003 woe from just shy of three years of maintenance when I quit smoking in 2006 (ten years!). I, too, figured going back to the first rung would help prevent the cessation bulge. I gained 46 pounds in short order. It was super, super, ugly.

If you are eating thousands of calories over your TDEE day in and day out to keep from caving you will gain weight. Even if they are all "low carb" calories. I know, shocking revelation ([/s]).

Ten years later and that original gain blossomed into the 67 pounds of today due to riding the yo-yo. Which I'm still doing as recently as regaining 15 pounds since March because I fell off the daily logging wagon. Yay, me!

marm1962

Mints were my new go to tool when I was anxious, they don't make the ones I like anymore, but I only crave a mint occasionally now

Expatmommy79

I just quit this month.

Cold turkey. 3rd attempt. I have an electronic cig as a back up for weak moments. It helps for the oral fixation also.

Chew on pencils, carrots, celery...

You can do it. I hope my current attempt is my last attempt.

BarbellzNBrotein

Hey there. It sounds like you've simply swapped addictions. There's a deeper lying issue here which you need to resolve, otherwise you'll be bouncing from one addiction to the next. Trust me, I went through the sane thing. And it doesn't help if your diet mostly consists of processed food. Wheat especially.

tmi_gang

I'm trying to quit.. I, although being one of the nicest people in the world, unfortunately turn into the meanest around when I do.

I did pick up an E-Cig and although it's not 100% proven safer.. It helps me cut back on tobacco.
"We get it, we get it, you vape".