Quiting with smoking

Wilhellmina

I smoke, I am what is called a typical habit and stress smoker. When I get stressed I can't eat, but can light almost 10 cigarettes in one go. I really want to quit tho, but then again I am afraid I might gain even more, not to mention the withdrawal symptoms. My husband stopped last year and only had mentally some issues, but for me it was a different story, it felt like a pyroclastic flow was raging inside, getting worse and worse, making me feel sick, making me feel like I was dying.

Is there anyone who stopped smoking without gaining (I really need to hear this) and how was this done? + how can I get through it without all these psychical complaints?

lbvermillion

I don't know if this will be any help but I didn't quit, I just don't smoke anymore. I went from a pack a day, to nothing, to having one a few times a year as a social thing, to almost never now.

I did not smoke all of the last pack and I did not throw it away. I kept it but did not smoke them for a month or more. I did not use patches or nicotine gums (I did chew regular gum but I did that when I smoked too). I did not count days since the last one, I think this practice just makes you focus on it more and reinforces the craving. I was already fat, I don't think it caused any weight gain.

I think keeping them helped. I knew they were there just in case, but I didn't. You have to save them because you don't want to buy more right?

Don't tell yourself you can't smoke them. Tell yourself you don't smoke them or you don't want to smoke them.

Good Luck,
Brent

Matt24442

my dad quit with some patch. He actually lost weight because of basing his meals around smoking. At work, he'd eat as much as he could quickly on lunch break so he could go smoke. So I guess he started eating less. So i guess it can be done, good luck.

suppakana

Don't tell yourself you can't smoke them. Tell yourself you don't smoke them or you don't want to smoke them.

I don't smoke and never have smoked, and I unfortunately have no good advice for the OP other than to reinforce what this guy said. Truly, sir. Great phrasing - and that is a wonderful philosophy that could be employed in many other parts of life.

teamryan90

I smoked for almost 20 years. I have been smoke free now since 9-15-2011. I started out as a light smoker and only smoked when I was at the bar. The next thing I new I was addicted and smoking 1 to 2 packs a day.

I quit with the help of Chantix. A few years before quitting for good I tried Chantix but I was not serious about quitting so it did not work for me. You have to be totally committed to quitting. I did not gain any weight but I had weird dreams. I smoked for the first day while on Chantix but after that I became nauseous every time I attempted to have a cigarette. Pfizer/Chantix has a great program where you log in daily and that seemed to help me quit and stay focused.

Quitting is hard and I wish you good luck on your journey to quit. Your body will thank you for it and you will start to feel better.

bheathfit

I only smoked about 1-2 packs a week, so for me it was a challenge, but doable. I quit cold turkey many years ago. I am interested to see some of the advice on your post since I have someone close to me that I would like to see quit smoking.

Have any of you tried Vaping instead of smoking? Is this effective or simply a marketing gimmick?

Wilhellmina

I remember my husband received pills from the doctor, he looked at the side effects, threw them away and went cold turkey, saying he probable will get just as much side effects from using nothing then those pills.

Bheathfit what is vaping?

Wilhellmina

But how about those patches and chewing gums? Do they work?

bheathfit

Bheathfit what is vaping?

It is basically ingesting nicotine in a different manner than smoking. There are less damaging chemicals, carcinogens, tars, etc...

Definition straight from the marketing website. LOL!

Vaping is intended for current adult smokers , that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk.

Vaping utilizes a Propylene Glycol or Vegetable Glycerin based liquid, mixed with small amounts of nicotine and food grade flavoring that then get vaporized in a small battery powered atomizer, Simulating the experience of smoking. The vapor created is inhaled and exhaled much like cigarette smoke hence the term “VAPING” as opposed to “SMOKING”

Wilhellmina

Vaping is intended for current adult smokers , that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk.

In other words staying addicted I don't see the point of that actually...

bheathfit

Many of the people that I know who have been seriously addicted to something agree that the only thing as strong as a Habit is another Habit. That is why many alcoholics become super religious. It is a replacement...

Maybe if you stop smoking you will become addicted to fitness and be the next super fitness Guru? Make a website and system of your own?

bheathfit

Vaping is intended for current adult smokers , that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk.

In other words staying addicted I don't see the point of that actually...

I would tend to agree. Just looking at the lesser of evils. IMO it is similar to using gum or patches instead of smoking.

PikaKnight

The Livestrong Quit Smoking app helped me because (just like with MFP's calorie counting tool) it helped me realize just how much I was smoking and encouraged me to cut back a lot. Also, it was kind of therapeutic to be able to smash the craving button until the cravings passed :laugh:

As for the possible weight gain - you can limit or prevent this by using MFP to keep track of how much you are eating. Regardless if you quit smoking or not, eating at a calorie surplus (above your maintenance) is what is going to cause you to gain.

Things that really helped me to beat the habit was chewing gum, baby carrots, and walks. Actually the best thing that helped me was just exercising, to be honest.

Here's a mfp blog post I wrote awhile back if interested in reading

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Joy_Joy_/view/are-you-ever-really-ready-to-quit-smoking-454253

ETA: I've been smoke-free since 8/13/2012

EvaStrange

*copy/pasting an old post of mine*

I quit over four years and it was tough the first four or five days. For about two months after that, habit made me reach for my (nonexistent) cigarettes and lighter when I sat down at my desk, when I got off the train, when a class had ended, … But it was just out of habit and not a real drive or a mad craving. Those first three days were the hardest and the next two weeks were uncomfortable. I got through them by eating tons of fruit (I picked the right time of the year: high summer!) and chewy candy and by exercising A LOT, simply to keep myself busy. Whenenever I was at home and felt a craving announce itself, I got on my (outdoor) bicycle and drove around at maximum speed until I was so exhausted that smoking didn't seem attractive. Or I went for a run, or took the parents' dog for a walk. I think I hardly sat still for five minutes during those first few weeks, except when at work, and that made up for all the extra sweets I ate. There was thus no harm in eating as a substitute for smoking. I'd burned all the extra calories before I even ate them.


As for physical withdrawal symptoms: my whole digestive system felt disrupted for a few days, my stomach was grumbling all the time and I had to take a few more bathroom breaks that usual. But I actually welcomed these symptom, as they meant that my body was healing and resetting after a long time of mistreatment. My system was getting rid of all the toxins and repairing itself.
There was nothing worse than that, by the way, even though I'd been a regular heavy smoker for ten years. No shaking of the hands, no cramping muscles. This is nicotine we're talking about, not heroin.

Focus on the positive effects when you quit. For me, it was a matter of days, if not hours, until my nose and my taste buds got more sensitive. Does food already have a more intense taste? Do you smell that candle at the other end of the room? How does an ash tray full of cold ash smell to you now? Noticing and appreciating these effects made it easier for me to hang in. There is so much to gain there and absolutely nothing to fear. In the end, to me it seemed surprisingly easy.

pineapple_jojo

I used a smoke about a pack a day and stopped mid august this year. I used patches and also topped that up with gum when I needed it. In the uk we have the NHS which offers a stop smoking service and they guided me through this process over a period of 10 weeks. By the end of it I was smoke free and because I was following mfp I just carried on losing weight while i was doing it. Thing is that I really wanted to give up smoking (I'd smoked for about 25 years), and I think the wanting is the most important thing. Good luck!

SwissDave

I was the worst nicotine addict and a serial quitter, until this time!
I tried nicotine replacement torture and champix but in the end cold turkey was the easiest way, despite my fear of it.
Look at ;
http://whyquit.com/
and read as much as you can, this and the accompanying facebook page helped a lot.

Wilhellmina

Hmz yeah I have been thinking just to bust my *kitten* off when ever I feel for smoking. This morning I had a cigarette right before workout and did it feel baddddd, same pyroclastic flow going on :sick: Maybe I should set myself a goal, I want a home gym, because we don't have any gyms in the area. If I don't smoke I can safe for that gym, with putting all the 'burned' money aside

Myhaloslipped

I am not going to sugarcoat this for you---smoking is so damn hard to quit! I have been smoke free for about 7 months now. The first 3 days were torture. All I could do was eat, sleep and think about smoking. I used the electronic cigarette to get me through it, and I quit that after about a month. The type of aid you use(patch, pills, e-cig, etc.) depends on you, but you just really have to want to quit. Cardio and 0-calories carbonated drinks also helped me.

mccindy72

I smoke, I am what is called a typical habit and stress smoker. When I get stressed I can't eat, but can light almost 10 cigarettes in one go. I really want to quit tho, but then again I am afraid I might gain even more, not to mention the withdrawal symptoms. My husband stopped last year and only had mentally some issues, but for me it was a different story, it felt like a pyroclastic flow was raging inside, getting worse and worse, making me feel sick, making me feel like I was dying.

Is there anyone who stopped smoking without gaining (I really need to hear this) and how was this done? + how can I get through it without all these psychical complaints?

I've got your back two ways here - I smoked for eight years and then quit cold turkey, and I'm also a Respiratory Therapist, so it's my job to both counsel people who want to quit and take care of people who didn't and suffer the health consequences. Quitting smoking is incredibly hard. Nicotine is very addictive, and it's hard to stop an addictive habit that is legal.
Quitting cold turkey is very difficult. Your body goes through cravings and physical and mental changes as you quit. It's a better idea to use something (Chantix has the highest success rate, but can cause bad dreams and nausea for the first week or two). Patches can help with the cravings as you wean off of the nicotine.
Sometimes it can help to learn about the damage smoking can do, and what the future might hold for you if you don't quit. If you'd like more detail about all of that, I'd be happy to give you more information, just ask!
When it comes to weight gain, the primary reason that happens is because people replace the cigarettes with something else (usually food). The oral fixation that comes with smoking is difficult to break. Eight years after quitting my husband still uses breath mints very frequently when he would have had a cigarette. Make sure when you would normally have a cigarette you are not replacing it with food.

Wilhellmina

Monkey: I just found 2 old e-cigs in my drawer( Earlier attempt, idea I think) they didn't work anymore :laugh:

McCindy, that would be lovely if you got some information for me. I am afraid for those pills tho. I don't know if they are the same as we have in Sweden, those were packed full with side effects, almost worse then quitting cold turkey.

kbmnurse

Excuses excuses excuses. STOP cold turkey. Because you can!