Success stories: quitting smoking without weight gain??

paigebolling

I also posted this question under general diet and weight loss forum but thought I would post it under success forum as well to see if I could get more feedback.
Has anyone successfully quit smoking without gaining weight? Over the last couple of months I've lost 18lbs. I started smoking again around a month after the birth of my son in January simply due to so much stress and loss of will power. Ignorant choice I know! I started smoking when I was 15 years old and quit successfully when I was 24 without any slips for a year and half. I was so proud of myself and felt so good but I did gain 15 lbs when I quit. I don't remember if I was counting my calories at the time or not (probably not). I've came to a point where I simply cant afford the disgusting habit anymore but it has such a hold on me. Plus I don't want to see that scale moving up again.
I read online (whether or not its true I'm not sure but it does make sense) that smoking due to increased heart rate etc. burns around 200 cals a day if your smoking an entire pack a day. Plus the things like increased hunger, better taste, boredom etc causes weight gain when stopping smoking. I'm going to try and burn 200 more cals a day by walking/running/etc or on lazy days that I'm not proud to confess to I will decrease my cals by 200. I really need to quit and will quit whether I gain or not but I want to hear that it is an option whether I gain weight and not an envitable consequence of stopping smoking!

Cindyinpg

I'll be interested to see if anyone has. Not me. I smoked for almost 25 years, stopped 6 years ago and gained a bunch of weight because suddenly food tasted so good! :laugh: However, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Smoking is such a viciously unhealthy habit that a little weight gain is not too big of a price to pay. Even if you DO gain a little initially, (and there's no rules saying you will) that weight can be lost and, meanwhile, you have improved your life immensely.

Sassybmom

Me! I smoked for 16 years and did NOT want to quit. My husband was guilt tripping me and I ran across what I lovingly call "this stupid book" Allen Carr's the Easy Way to Quit Smoking. And decided I'd read it to prove that it was a crock and that no one was ever going to make me quit. The book isn't scary at all it's a mind trip. I had to read it twice and smoked while reading it (he tells you to!). Mind you I'd quit all of 3 hrs before that ever hehe. That was nearly 2 years ago. I can't even tell you what day I quit because it was no big deal. I can still drink and sit by smokers and it doesn't bother me a bit. I never gained a pound and in fact have lost 15 because there's not a cold chance in hell I could work out like a do now and still be a smoker. You've so got this!

2kidsandatrip

I was a smoker for 15 year when one day I just decided that I was going to quit. It was so much because I felt like it was that awful, but because I realized it made me lazy and also inattentive to the more important things in life. I made a promise to myself, that while quitting I would replace my smoking with exercise... each time I craved a cigarette I walked around my office, I jogged in place, when I was home I'd exercise hard to a work out video. It only took a week before I really started loving how much better I was able to breath, how much more energy I had and that I wasn't so lazy anymore. It is possible that if you are replacing food with a cigarette that yes maybe you could gain weight, but just find a healthy habit to replace your bad habit.

ythannah

I quit smoking 14 years ago without gaining weight but the caveats are: I was taking Zyban for smoking cessation which made me so nauseous I had no appetite, and I was already significantly underweight.

I never noticed that food tasted any better after quitting, there was absolutely no difference. And for a year or so I got sick way more often -- every bug going around the office hit me, when normally I avoid them all.

johndee

I quit smoking the day my husband had a heart attack from smoking. I thought it was going to be difficult and that I was going to gain weight like one of my co-workers that stopped smoking and gained 50 lbs. Plus, I have one of those addictive personalities and thought for sure I was going to cave in, but I haven't. Don't get me wrong, I still have cravings, but remind myself that they will pass. I am happy to say that I haven't gained weight since quitting, but I have not lost any additional weight either. My husband could not understand why I smoked in the first place because I watch what I eat and exercise daily at the gym. The gym has been good for me. It helps me to keep on track. I felt like such a hypocrite that I was promoting a healthy lifestyle, but sucking on cancer sticks. Now since my husband and I no longer smoke, I feel better, my skin looks healthier and I have maintain my weight prior to smoking. I still have 17 lbs to go to reach my goal weight, but I'm not stressing about it. I'll get there.

corys8646

I quit chewing tobacco and focused all my energy into running..Been about two years and I've lost weight through it all. For me it was important to have a healthy outlet to focus all my energy on.

buffywhitney

2 mos. ago I quit 1/3 of the way to my goal weight to make it easier for exercise. I was scared like you about gaining but just took it one day at a time and fought off the cravings for both food and nicotine. Not fun for the 1st week but after that it got easier everyday. I am now more than 1/2 way to my goal and smoke free! I could not be prouder of myself! I stalled a few times but never gained a pound. Keep plenty of low cal snacks around (I used peanuts) to keep your hands busy and rest assured it gets better each day. I smoked for 35 years if I can do it so can you, good luck!

michellechawner

i quit smoking and lost weight. Then again, I quit because I had a raging infection in my intestines. I was only allowed gatorade and IV's at first, then small amounts of shakes and slowly up to normal food. Lost about 20 pounds in 2 months.

a lot of people do gain some weight, and most do because they eat instead of smoke. None of my friends have gained weight from quitting smoking (I can imagine 7 people off the top of my head, who maintained weight, or even lost.)

StarChanger

My husband has "quit" with E-cigs. Technically, he's still "addicted" to the nicotine, but he no longer stinks, gets kicked out of the house / car, and his teeth are back to their pretty whiteness. Most importantly, he isn't inhaling carcinogens that were shortening his life (and my happiness).

I can't hold the nicotine against him, since I have a pretty nasty caffeine habit....

workaholic_nurse

Started smoking at the age of thirteen and had quit for 3 years somewhere in the middle. Like one of the previous posters I too used the book by Allen Carr. I started reading the book 2 days after I started this journey about 9 months ago and have never looked back.

ETA: I bought the book about 3 months before my "scheduled" quit date, ended up reading it on one of my night shifts a day or 2 after purchasing. I made it halfway through the book and haven't picked one up since.

FitCanuckChick

I quit chewing tobacco and focused all my energy into running..Been about two years and I've lost weight through it all. For me it was important to have a healthy outlet to focus all my energy on.

Completely agree - replacing a bad habit with a healthy habit (such as running). Even better, the new habit (like running) is harder to do if you smoke.

michybeans

I quit smoking in January and gained 20 pounds... BUT I can't say that was just from that, as I had a new job at the time and was really stressed out, so I was turning to things like heaping plates of pasta, baked potatoes, sweets and snacks as comfort food. I actually found it pretty easy to quit smoking so I don't think it made me eat more, just my general stress from a new job and commute, etc.

However, I've been working out for 2 months and have almost dropped that 20lbs, and have my sights set on even more. I don't think my body would be able to be as fit as it is now with smoking still. So it's not always about weight but fitness too. I can now run up a flight of stairs without even breathing heavy a little bit!

I promise you if you quit and commit to exercising/eating right, you will be in waaaay better shape than if you were still smoking! Both outside and more importantly inside.

Good luck

tallmansix

It's early days for me but I'd say that weight can be controlled after quitting. I have smoked 20 a day for 20 years. I have now been free of the cigs for 27 days and I have lost approx 3.5 kg in that time. I started the calorie counting on the day I quit the cigs.

I will say that food has been more difficult, I do feel more hungry, it is harder to resist and I think I do substitute a cigarette with a small binge on food. I use the justification that a few extra calories isn't as bad as a cigarette.

What has helped though is throwing myself into exercise to combat the cravings, and because I have felt my performance improve so quickly, it is making me stronger about returning to the cigs.

Personally I'd say just go for it, give up and deal with the weight risk by counting carefully. The whole MFP thing about counting calories and exercise is a welcome distraction from the cigs.

Add me if you want some mutual support through the process. Most of my MFP friends are ex-smokers, chosen to help encourage me.

This is the first time I have given up cold turkey, it's not been without problems and a small relapse (see my blog) but generally I feel stronger for quitting this way and determined to stay off them.

Best of luck, give me a shout when you are ready to do it. :happy:

cwolfman13

I quite smoking on September 25, 2012...that will be a year come Wednesday that I've been smoke free. In that same time, I've lost 40 Lbs.

skywa

quitting smoking improved my health a lot. i didn't lose weight(not my goal). but i made some healthy gains and i like the taste of healthy foods a lot more now. quiting also helped me work out more/harder.

margotlovesyou

The absolute best thing you can do is read Alan Carr's 'The Easy Way To Stop Smoking' - I quit a month ago and have had zero cravings and have lost 5kgs! It's a great book, it looks at why you are smoking in the first place, looks at what a cigarette is, and takes away your desire to smoke. I tried so many different things to quit and this has been the only thing that's worked, I really recommend it

paigebolling

Thanks everyone great support and information!!!! :flowerforyou: Love my MFP support system!

RunsSober

I have been smoke free for 10 days now after smoking for 23 years. I have been chewing nicotine gum as a quit aid and the worst of my cravings seem to be behind me. I decided to quit about a week after I joined MFP because I was afraid of gaining weight like others. I didn't want to do it later on after I had lost a bunch of weight. I also decided that I was going to make a total commitment towards health, by eating better, exercising and quitting smoking. In the 10 days I have quit I have lost 2 pounds. Perhaps if I was still smoking the pounds would be falling off a little quicker, but I am happy to be smoke free for the first time in my adult life and from my view, smoking is infinitely worse for me than being overweight. I have been counting calories and have begun to exercise and so far so good. I did binge a couple of times the first few days on sweets, but since then I have stuck to my eating plan. It can be done.

Mercedespony

I have been smoke free for 10 days now after smoking for 23 years. I have been chewing nicotine gum as a quit aid and the worst of my cravings seem to be behind me. I decided to quit about a week after I joined MFP because I was afraid of gaining weight like others. I didn't want to do it later on after I had lost a bunch of weight. I also decided that I was going to make a total commitment towards health, by eating better, exercising and quitting smoking. In the 10 days I have quit I have lost 2 pounds. Perhaps if I was still smoking the pounds would be falling off a little quicker, but I am happy to be smoke free for the first time in my adult life and from my view, smoking is infinitely worse for me than being overweight. I have been counting calories and have begun to exercise and so far so good. I did binge a couple of times the first few days on sweets, but since then I have stuck to my eating plan. It can be done.

Good for you, DD --

I joined the gym on May 15, and on June 15 had my last cigarette -- I'm down 28 pounds since then. Cravings are almost non-existent, if I start to get bothered, I get up and move.

OP - you can do this!

weightedfootsteps

I'm in the same boat...trying to make myself quit...Its hard I agree. I know I can do it though. I've done it twice before. Lasted three whole weeks. Was so mad at myself for picking up a cig again. I am smoking 1 of the last three cigs I will have! I'm going to finish the pack and tomorrow I will do everything I can to keep from going near cigs for a little while. I can't be around them if I'm quitting them. I know that much for certain.

I want to quit for my health, for my kid's health (they come up to me when I'm smoking and get in my face...I can't stand that they are inhaling it and they ask me mom when are you going to quit?) I want to quit because I use cigs as a tool to procrastinate on things I don't want to do.

I have come so far in my journey already and want to quit so I can go further, so I can work harder/longer, breathe easier, have energy that they just seem to zap from you!

I have a cold right now...Its really hard to inhale...makes it painful yet its hard to stop yourself when you think you need that nicotine.

Tomorrow I will post that I have gone without a cig for x amount of hours from the moment I get out of bed, from then on through the day I will post every few hours that I have been without for so long...holding myself accountable, just like logging my food. It helps to have your friends telling you what a good job you are doing. That you are going to be successful. I will make it through the first day, the second day....and so on.

I do have a patch that I can wear to help me through the first couple days. Until I get that hand to mouth feeling that I want under control...LOL Then, I will go without the patch. That is what has worked for me before. And I will be fine...as long as I stay on my guard about what I am doing when I am around someone that smokes.

jerilynnduncan81

I quit smoking July 24th (2 months ago). On July 24th I weighed 178. For the first week I overate to deal with the cravings. Being around other people that over indulged I knew I had to go on a diet. I did not want to be like them!
By September 1st I had only lost 4 pounds. My doctor acted disappointed. I do not think he really understood how hard this was for me. Now on September 24 I have lost a total of 15 pounds. So 15 pounds in 2 months You can do it. Just focus on what you want for your life.

It may be slow progress at first but remember any progress is better than giving up.

stellad1984

Hi,
I started off with an e-cig and after about a month I accidentally left it at my mums house and couldn't get it back for a few days , but i just did not have the urge to have a cigarette after that ,so somehow I think the e-cig broke my habit with actual ciggarettes without me actually trying....would definatly reccommend getting one !! (i have been a non-smoker since beginning on July now)

and as I was calorie counting and exercising at the time I never put any weight on, so I think if you are already recording what you are eating and burning it shouldn't make any difference really good luck!!

ChrisM8971

I was a smoker for 29 years and eventually used those champex tablets to help me quit (they block cravings and seem to work). I can tell you exactly what day I stopped and while I can happily sit and drink and be around people who are smoking, there are still times, when I could happily have a cigarette but I don't and won't go there again.

I put on two stone when in a year after stopping, sedentary lifestyle, no longer walking to the smoking area at work, eating more and a lot more red wine, always liked red wine but to suddenly be able to taste the different flavours in different varieties, I was in heaven.

Now I am here, counting calories, logging what I drink (making a big difference there), getting exercise and losing weight, not sure I have ever been happier :happy:

invisibubble

Smoked for 12 years, quit cold turkey in June 2011. Took up a habitual sugarfree gum thing, which I now keep up for oral health purposes anyway, just dialed it back a bit. I found exercise was much easier after a time and it spurred me on.
I think I gained 5lbs initially, but that dropped off pretty quick, and then more after that. You'll be fine. I don't think the hard part is nicotine addiction - it's just the habit and ritual that are hard to break.

Oink001

I quit smoking about 6 weeks ago. I started when I was 15 stopped cold turkey when I got pregnant at 24 and stupidly started again 3 years ago. I recently lost about 7 kg and since I stopped smoking in the last 6 weeks gained 6 of it back!!! I know it is bad but I don't feel sad about it. To stop smoking is hard but it is do-able I am now ready to loose what I gained as I feel strong enough now to say I am a non smoker. Don't be too hard on yourself to stop smoking is the best thing you can do for your health never let gaining a bit of weight stop you cause you can always loose that again. Good luck if I can do it so can you!

bridgie101

I also posted this question under general diet and weight loss forum but thought I would post it under success forum as well to see if I could get more feedback.
Has anyone successfully quit smoking without gaining weight? Over the last couple of months I've lost 18lbs. I started smoking again around a month after the birth of my son in January simply due to so much stress and loss of will power. Ignorant choice I know! I started smoking when I was 15 years old and quit successfully when I was 24 without any slips for a year and half. I was so proud of myself and felt so good but I did gain 15 lbs when I quit. I don't remember if I was counting my calories at the time or not (probably not). I've came to a point where I simply cant afford the disgusting habit anymore but it has such a hold on me. Plus I don't want to see that scale moving up again.
I read online (whether or not its true I'm not sure but it does make sense) that smoking due to increased heart rate etc. burns around 200 cals a day if your smoking an entire pack a day. Plus the things like increased hunger, better taste, boredom etc causes weight gain when stopping smoking. I'm going to try and burn 200 more cals a day by walking/running/etc or on lazy days that I'm not proud to confess to I will decrease my cals by 200. I really need to quit and will quit whether I gain or not but I want to hear that it is an option whether I gain weight and not an envitable consequence of stopping smoking!

It's really hard to understand that it's a drug addiction. Buy 'easy way to quit smoking' by Allan Carr.

if that doesn't work, and it might not, you might need a stronger dose, he has a second book which is even more effective.

It helps you understand and unpick why you actually smoke, and why people can't give up. and what they think they're doing when they light up. It's an incredibly educational book and was utterly vital to my ability to quit smoking.

Which I did by not quitting smoking.

I have never quit smoking. I have quit nicotine. I quit it cold turkey and I smoked honeyrose herbal cigarettes while I did it. Honeyrose have exactly the same draw and mouth feel as a normal cigarette. I threw all my *kitten* in teh bin the night before, and the next day I remember lying in bed having a quick panic attack - I had quit smoking. Oh the relief flooded through me when I realised I could still smoke. I could get out of bed. i could have my coffee. it was going to be okay, I could still smoke.

I went through 2 packs a day for the first couple of weeks. I experienced every single withdrawal pang but it was okay - it was okay cos I could still have a cigarette. Heh.
Next couple of weeks it petered away.
one day I realised I hadn't had one for days. I had one.

If I ever want one,I can have one. I haven't wanted one for a couple of years now, but there's a pack of honeyrose on the windowsill, there for me if I want them.

bridgie101

Oh - didn't gain an ounce.

and I didn't end up feeling robbed or like I'd had to give up something I wanted.

the logic?

If i only smoked because of addiction, and my psychological need for a cigarette was an outworking of that addiction - I would no longer want cigarettes when the addiction faded.

If I smoked because of needing a crutch, a helper, a reason to go on - then I could continue to do so at $6 a packet instead of then $12 and climbing.

The logic was bulletproof. Utterly bulletproof.

Gettinfit242

Im right there with you!! I have been smoking since i was 17! Ive quit a couple times (when i was pregnant, and then again for about a year) well i am DONE with it. I actually hate it, i hate the smell, i hate everything about smoking except that it keeps me from eating! LOL So this has been a stuggle for me (weight wise). I recently did P90X and lost 13 pounds, was doing great! Well then i got a new job, moved, new house, and all the stress that comes with it! needless to say my working out came to a halt, and my eating went to crap too. well we are settled in now, im back to working out again, and eating healthy. But this time i threw in quitting smoking! ive been quit for over a month, with no desire to go back! I have gained about 8 pounds of the weight i lost back again. But im working on getting that OFF! keeping healthy snacks around for when i just want to pick (fruits, 90 cal fiber one bars). im feeling better and i cant wait to get fit!!! my new motto is "SMOKEFREE AND FIT!!" Give up somethign bad and replace with something great! GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING!!!

Gettinfit242

OH AND... that $20 a week i spent on smokes is now in a jar for Black Friday shoppin!!!

Kadoober

Thank you ALL for the hope infused in this thread. I am quitting Monday, I'm taking Chantix, and I'm a bit terrified!
I'm hitting Half Price Books on lunch to see if they have the Allen Carr book.