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Quit smoking or not when starting to lose weight.

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Replies

  • FatPorkyChop
    FatPorkyChop Posts: 83 Member
    I did both at the same time 7 years ago and it was the best thing to do. Quitting smoking can affect so much your mood and you also trigger some nasty cravings... training helped me completely control them and deal with the frustration over quitting - it was basically my way of compensating. As a results, I melted in no time and kept the weigh off until my recent pregnancy (I was able to lose it all by training again).

    Good luck!
  • cmwill2011
    cmwill2011 Posts: 7 Member
    I quit smoking 2 years ago and started gaining weight. I started vaping but I never picked up another cigarette. Now, I've decided that I needed to drop the weight I gained. I only gained weight because of my husband. He eats a lot of calories but works out everyday while I did not.
  • rolyh
    rolyh Posts: 51 Member
    I got into a habit of exercising as some penance for smoking. I had 20+ years of to/start In 2006 I flipped it, wanting to do a 12 k fun run, and the run was the reward for not smoking. The running endorphins were an unexpected nicotine replacement.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    It is NOT a myth. I gained when I quit. The reason some people gain is because the need to keep the mouth busy. Not everyone goes through this, some people do. It is best to have something ready just in case this is you. I liked different flavored hot teas, cinnamon gum, mints and things like that. Once I gained the initial "quit weight" because I just couldn't stop eating I had about a 2 month period of trying to get it under control. I just needed something to take the place of the cigarettes. We did not come from a cookie cutter. It is not the same for all of us. That being said here I am 12 years later and still not smoking.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    The key is to to replace a bad habit with a good habit. Our brains are wired towards habit and stopping one activity without providing a new course invites disaster. You just need to identify an activity that you can sustain long term.
  • Fat_Fighter87
    Fat_Fighter87 Posts: 61 Member
    I battled with this one trying to do both - don't put yourself through it it's horrendous! Eventually I went onto nicotine replacement therapy (patches and then lozenges) whilst dieting so I could manage both. I didn't gain any extra weight and have been smoke free for 2 years now! It's tempting to lose weight first but you'll feel better and fitter for quitting smoking first
  • N6314P
    N6314P Posts: 28 Member
    Quit smoking. You can do it. There are plenty of tools to help. If one fails try another. Do not give up.
  • BrookeRunningMom
    BrookeRunningMom Posts: 156 Member
    I was just in the same boat as you less than a year ago. But the answer is to quit smoking and start living a healthy lifestyle, I didn't gain any weight when i quit. It motivated me to push myself. You can do it!
  • skinnycow1234567
    skinnycow1234567 Posts: 167 Member
    edited April 2017
    brittyn3 wrote: »
    Obviously do what's best for you.. But I used to use the excuse - only tackle one thing at a time. Only fight one fight at a time. Not with smoking, but with other life events happening. There is never a "good" time to start losing weight. There is never a "good" time to quit smoking. If you've made it to this point in your journey, give yourself enough credit that you are strong enough to do it. I've learned I'm a "pull the band aid off" type of person.

    There's never a good time or fight one fight - become road blocks and excuses that keep pushing your progress back.

    Commit to your good health.
    That was great advice Britt...
    To OP..Dont get frustrated and give up because you think your doing to many things at once.
    And dont forget better to be a few lbs heavier during the quit,than to have lung cancer.

  • ckett10
    ckett10 Posts: 6 Member
    It was easier for me to quit smoking while losing weight and exercising. I am now a quitter for three months. Have a craving, go for a walk or any other form of exercise. It works!
  • veronikamellon
    veronikamellon Posts: 42 Member
    Don't mean to discourage you, but I switched to vaping and gained 10 lbs which I'm now trying to get rid of :( I did
    not really change my eating habits, so it was strange. I think it has something to do with the way nicotine helps break down fat or something like that. It might depend on your body. I would say lose weight first, then quit smoking.
  • acestealth
    acestealth Posts: 2 Member
    I don't know if you are still looking for suggestions but if you are all I can say is quit smoking, please! I always thought that there was nothing worse than an ex-smoker dishing out advice but now that I am one I get it!! Seriously it is the best decision I ever made I feel like a new woman. I listened to Alan Carr's Easy Way To Quit Smoking on audiobook and quit as soon as it was finished, that was 2 and a half years ago! I hadn't even thought about quitting really I only got the audiobook to prepare for a UK to OZ flight but I quit cold turkey. I may have been brainwashed but I don't care I feel fabulous. I really recommend it.
    Good luck!
  • owa1s
    owa1s Posts: 273 Member
    Quit smoking because it's bad for the lungs no matter if u work out or not it's bad
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I am with others that if I were to pick it would be smoking first. Get all the help you can, including the patch and any other supports you can think of.

    You will have a few months of grumpiness and a nearly immediate improvement of health.

    Then get your cardio going with a walking program. If you manage to get hooked on the endorphin rush all the better.

    Third, start logging your eating and make improvements there.

    After losing a few kilos, progress through a C25K program.

    A life transformed.
  • Alpha12
    Alpha12 Posts: 251 Member
    dgchal wrote: »
    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.

    This. I successfully quit smoking years ago, and since I didn't substitute eating for smoking, I not only didn't gain any weight, I lost about 10 lbs.

    Good luck to you! Quit smoking.
  • littlemcbird
    littlemcbird Posts: 11 Member
    Alpha12 wrote: »
    dgchal wrote: »
    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.

    This. I successfully quit smoking years ago, and since I didn't substitute eating for smoking, I not only didn't gain any weight, I lost about 10 lbs.

    Good luck to you! Quit smoking.

    Thank you it's been about 3 weeks since I've "quit" I've had a few small slip ups but feeling very confident that this is my time to quit :)
  • mgalsf12
    mgalsf12 Posts: 350 Member
    Quit smoking. I've done it a couple of times. ;) Whenever you crave a cigarette, get out and move, walk fast or run...just don't eat to fill that craving for poison..I mean cigarettes.
  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
    I started my diet last January and then quit smoking in April while still on my diet. I was successful at doing both at the same time mainly because keeping track of what I was eating all the time kept me distracted from the withdrawal. And I don't miss smoking one bit!
  • Calichusetts
    Calichusetts Posts: 100 Member
    Gum instead of smoking. Smoking was a HUGE part of my appetite control when I first started getting healthy years ago. Except I couldn't say I was healthy as a smoker. Replace and move on.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    ckett10 wrote: »
    It was easier for me to quit smoking while losing weight and exercising. I am now a quitter for three months. Have a craving, go for a walk or any other form of exercise. It works!

    So, you are both a quitter and a loser?


    :)

    Congrats on both.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    I quit around the same time. I'd tried vaping and going cold turkey but neither worked. Then I started the nicotine gum thing but got hooked on that. Now I chew regular sugar free gum like a cow but haven't smoked in months and have lost 37 lbs in the process.

    I started running as a motivation: "if I do this C25k run and STILL want a cigarette, I'll go get a pack".
    Strangely, I never wanted one after a run :wink:
  • andrewuk66
    andrewuk66 Posts: 3 Member
    Smoking clogs your arteries and restricts your oxygen intake. If you stop smoking it will help you exercise, which will help you lose weight in a sustainable way and will also save you a load of money.
  • npane
    npane Posts: 22 Member
    Quit smoking! When you feel the urge for a smoke take a walk! I quit smoking after more than 40 years of Marlboros and started to try to eat healthier at the same time. It wasn't easy but can be done.

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