Quit smoking or not when starting to lose weight.

littlemcbird

I'm needing to lose a few kilos... lots of kilos ha ha & the myth of quitting smoking add extra weight, so my thinking is; do I quit smoking because I'm doing extra work to make my body healthy ( feeding it correct fuel & working it out to maintain strong body ) do I still continue to smoke so I avoid adding those extra kilos I'm trying to lose..... or do I quit to make my body healthy but harder to shed the weight ?!

L1zardQueen

Quit smoking. Do whatever it takes. It's the best thing you can do for your health.

dgchal

Typically people gain weight when they quit smoking because they are replacing the habit with eating more and eating unhealthy food. If you are replacing the habit with something healthy like exercise you should be able to get healthier by both quitting smoking and losing weight.

kommodevaran

I agree with both posters above. The "quitting smoking leads to weight gain" myth... is a myth. I lost weight and stopped smoking at the same time, and I lost weight at expected rate.

sijomial

Calorie counting while quitting smoking will stop that extra bit of weight some people add when they replace the hand and mouth simulation they get from smoking with shovelling extra food in their mouth.

If you replace your smoke breaks with walk breaks then you have a win/win.

yobigman

Smoking really curbs hunger. Once time I took up smoking to help me lose weight, and it worked. I suggest that you keep smoking until you lose the weight... smoke when you're hungry! That was my strategy & it worked. Quitting smoking & losing weight are both hard to do... do you really think you can do both at the same time? It doesn't sound realistic.

vikinglander

@littlemcbird !!! Absolutely quit smoking NOW! It is the BEST possible thing you can do for your health! Why are you worried about a few extra pounds of fat when you are killing yourself? Quit smoking by any means necessary and do it now.

I quit a pack-a-day habit and lost 40 pounds anyway. I used Chantix and a device called a QuitKey and went from 20+ a day to zero in about 34 days. You can do this.

Feel free to add me or ask me anything...good luck!

zyxst

I'd do one thing at a time. Stopping smoking can be a b1tch for some people as can losing weight. I'd stop smoking first and get through that, then work on weight loss.

Gallowmere1984

I did both at the same time, all while adding resistance training. Interestingly enough, the lifting is what made me quit smoking, and also fed into the continued weight loss. Cause and effect chains can work out well occasionally.

I'm also apparently a masochist.

kimny72

OP, perhaps quit smoking and start logging here to ensure you stay at maintenance and don't gain any weight by soothing yourself with food/drink. This way you'll still get in the habit of logging. Then once you start to feel like "OK, I got this!" then change your goal here to losing weight and see how it goes.

Or if you can't wait, start by quitting and setting your goal here to lose a half-pound per week, and again, once you feel like you are in a groove, increase your deficit to really focus on weight loss.

Obviously you can try to do both at the same time, but sometimes changing everything all at once can be too stressful and cause you to hit the wall fast.

Either way, best of luck :drinker:

rdmitch

I did both quits on the same day
Started logging and put on a patch the same morning. It's a matter of will power
and mental strength. If you don't add food you WONT gain extra weight. The smoking
urge will subside in a few days, you will get used to logging your meals and you will
be a winner at both. You can do this and everyone here is ready to support you.

Geocitiesuser

Quit smoking always. Now. Yesterday. Never smoke. If you haven't quit yet, quit now.

ms_smartypants

I highly recommend this book Alan Carr's Easy Way To Quit Smoking .....It helped me tremendously ...I have been smoke free for 3 years ....I smoked for over 20+ years .....Wishing you much success

Spartan_Gingi

I'm 4 weeks today without a cigarette. I was worried about the exact same thing. Honestly, if not for the exercising, I think it would've been hella hard to quit. While I haven't necessarily DROPPED weight, I haven't gained either . If you want to quit, QUIT! Totally worth it, and I feel better than I have in years!

mxchana

Quit smoking today. Your body will begin to heal itself immediately, why wait?

If you are exercising and eating healthy you will be OK. I was just eating everything in sight to keep from smoking, and I gained 30 pounds the first month.

This June will be 21 years since I quit smoking... It was the hardest thing I ever did, and I am so grateful that I did it. I am still fighting weight problems and an eating disorder, but at least I do not smoke!

You can do it!

earlnabby

A very good MFP friend (who rarely visits the forums so won't see this thread) has lost almost 150 lb and has been in maintenance for about 6 months now. She also quit smoking about 2 months after she started losing. She did the "one thing at a time" thing originally, then realized that quitting smoking will give her body the additional help she needed to get the most out of her exercise.

Using her as an example, it might help if you get into a little bit of a groove with your eating first, then quit smoking. You know you better, though.

Either way you choose, congratulations on the decision to quit smoking. It is one of the best things you can do for your overall health.

ETA: my Dad quit smoking after a 50 year 2 pack a day habit. If he could do it, anybody can.

ETA2: she replaced the hand-to-mouth habit of smoking with a glass of water or diet soda and a straw. win-win

JustMissTracy

If you CAN quit, DO IT!

GaleHawkins

littlemcbird wrote: »

I'm needing to lose a few kilos... lots of kilos ha ha & the myth of quitting smoking add extra weight, so my thinking is; do I quit smoking because I'm doing extra work to make my body healthy ( feeding it correct fuel & working it out to maintain strong body ) do I still continue to smoke so I avoid adding those extra kilos I'm trying to lose..... or do I quit to make my body healthy but harder to shed the weight ?!

I find the healthier I in all ways the easier it is to lose weight.

comptonelizabeth

I used the glass of water as a cigarette replacement method of giving up smoking;it helped a lot.
One of the nice things about not smoking is that you start to taste food properly and everything tastes better. I found I was enjoying foods I hadn't much liked before. So you may find that lower calorie foods actually taste good.

Rhody_Hoosier

Worthy of note...I quit smoking on Feb. 19th. I've noticed a huge change in my muscle tone and overall strength gains. I feel stronger and better every time I lift. Just saying...that is one positive benefit.