quitting smoking, and scared

Serenifly

Ok ... I know I'm already shunned and outcasted for 'coming out' about smoking. But I've been a pack a day smoker for the past 17 years. I have tried Hypnotherapy, accupuncutre, patches and gums

Right now I'm on Champix (pills) and my quit date is Sunday. I've already put on 30 lbs since September. And I'm really scared about putting on MORE with Quitting. Has anyone else here quit smoking and not gained weight? any tips ?

i'm not hesitant to quit this time, and these pills are already starting to work, sometimes I realize it's 11 am and I haven't had a smoke (would normally have 4 by that time of day) and I go out just cuz its my habbit

(Background) I can run 10 - 15 KM races, I am fit cardio wise, I still work out but in summer I hike, bike, swim, run, tennis, beach volleyball. In fall and winter I'm stuck a gym and STILL put on weight. I am just sooo frustrated!

IamRoJ

Hang in there! I quit over the summer and ballooned...started running...nothing! Started tracking calories...saw some movement the right way! Started networking and finding MFP supportive awesome friends...and things are getting there.

Good luck with the smoking...it is SOOOO tough...you can do this!!!

eteter2

I wasn't a runner before I quit smoking so I probably can't be of any help. When I quit (almost 2 years ago) I kept the weight off by running 3-5 days a week and walking my dogs 3-5 days a week. I never lost weight (so clearly I was eating more) but I didn't gain. This site has really helped me understand the amount of food I have been eating, and I have only been tracking for a few days. The best thing I can tell you is that it is all about what you eat, so if you can track all of your food intake, you should prevent any additional weight gain.

sarahsmom1

I smoked for 30 some odd years and quit because my kids kept on gripping about it. The funny thing is it took my daughter about 3 1/2 months to realize I quit and we had to tell her brother at 6 months. I did a lot of solitaire and puzzle books my thing was I did not know what to do with my hands. PS I went cold turkey. Good Luck and best wishes

msbanana

I quit one year and 4 days ago. I smoked a pack a day for 15 years. I set them down January 8th 2010 and haven't touched them since. I have lost about 75 pounds since then. Don't replace the habit (i.e. stuffing your face) BREAK the habit, get it out of your life and forget it. You'll find you have a bunch of extra time and money it's great! good luck!:bigsmile:

Serenifly

*sniff* thank you all! I thought I would be alone in this battle. ... I will definately have to be more careful with what I eat. cuz the size I am right now I'm not happy with at all but I still want to quit. Do you think it's strictly food that makes you balloon after quitting?

CarolHudson11

I'm a pack-a-day smoker too.....for many more years than I care to admit. I quit with both pregnancies and gained weight - but only because I was pregnant. The last time I quit (and I could literally kick myself because I started back again over a "stress day") I just ran out of cigarettes and didn't buy anymore. Went 9 months and didn't gain a pound. I think I just didn't want to smoke. I'm going to do that again - very soon - because I'm hitting that point where I just "don't want to smoke" anymore. Good luck to you - and don't worry too much. If you gain a pound or two, your lungs are clean, you smell better, your car smells better, your hair and clothes smell better.......Okay. You can still eat right and lose those couple of pounds, you know? I would take a couple of pounds over smoking ALL. DAY. LONG!

Good luck to you! Friend me and let me know how it goes, okay? :flowerforyou:

nilisabel

sorry, no advice here from me, just support. I totally get how frustrated you are, it's so hard to be doing all the right things and not see the desired result. Have faith fellow browncoat, you are headed in the right direction and good things DO come to those who wait.

msbanana

*sniff* thank you all! I thought I would be alone in this battle. ... I will definately have to be more careful with what I eat. cuz the size I am right now I'm not happy with at all but I still want to quit. Do you think it's strictly food that makes you balloon after quitting?

IMHO yes absolutely. I focused on eating healthy and moving more and I kept losing... I didn't gain a single pound (not even when I first quit). Smoking really isn't any better an appetite suppressant than caffeine.

jpmajors

Smoking will kill you faster than 30 lbs Keep up the good work. I have stopped smoking with out gaining weight but I haven't stopped smoking with out eating more. When I quit I just plain ate more but I also new I would so I planed for it and chose low carb/fat foods and ate most my calories from protein. If you are gaining weight and working out then either you need to increase the exercise or lower the caloric intake :-)

sophiajackson99

Please don't feel shunned for "coming out" about your desire to stop smoking. What you're doing is very brave and very hard! I quit 13 years ago after a pack a day habit and it's the hardest thing I've ever done. I didn't gain weight right away, but I did eventually.

It helped me to remember that smoking had served a purpose in my life, as a filler - after dinner, on the way to work, at the bar with friends... it's an anxiety reducer. So is eating mindlessly. So what will you do with the anxiety that does not have a cigarette as a solution now? Perhaps it will help to have a plan. Here is one thing I told myself that always helped: The average craving lasts one minute. Wait it out. and, after 48 hours the craving is solely in your head, not your body. it's like Chinese water torture with a little voice in your head saying, go smoke, go smoke, go smoke.... If you ignore him, he will eventually go away.

For me, it was six months before a day went by when I didn't think of a cigarette. You are right that it's simply a habit and it will take time to create a new ones.

mom715of2

I quit smoking a year and half ago and really didn't gain any weight because I chewed extra gum. I chewed it all the time. It helped until my husband quit, then he ate all the time (as so did I) and thats when i gain my 35 pounds. But I was worried about gaining weight but then i thought "hey kick the smoking habit and get it undercontrol then focus on my weight." And that is where I am now. I hate that I gain weight but not as much as I LOVE BEING SMOKE FREE!! So take it moment by moment and get some Extra Gum. And know that you will be happy and healthy!! Christi

fun_mom

So I'm going to be a little different here. I quit about 6 months ago. I started smoking when I was 12 years old! Yes, 12!!! And I too had tried everytihng. I spent $1000 on hypnosis and wasted just as much money on Zyban, the patch and even tried the electronic cigarette. I've been quit since Fathers Day and I know this is going to sound crazy but I did it with a book. I know I would have laughed in someone's face if they ever told me I quit simply by reading a book but I swear by it and recommend it to everyone I know trying to quit. This is NOT a "let-me-scare-you-with-all-the-health-problems-you'll-have-book"! Smokers already know the health risks and it doesn't help any of us to quit smoking. The book is called The Easyway to Quit Smoking by Allan Carr. Please get it and ready it. It's a very short read and it really spoke to me. This book has helped countless people quit smoking and if you care about celebrities it's even helped Ellen DeGeneres, Ashton Kutcher, the guy who owns Virgin etc!!!!

Just try to remember this no matter if you get the book or not. Don't make this out to be such an event. It's not an event. The thing you are doing is simply not smoking which is what you were born to do. You were not born to smoke. Don't make this a big deal, don't think of it as hard or something that you will gain weight from. You won't. I lost 25 pounds my first three months of quitting and it was due to using this site and remembering that I was NOT replacing cigarettes with food. Cigarettes are not something I need so therefore there is no need to replace it. These are the kinds of things the book will talk about and it made me think very differently about why I smoke and the process to quit smoking.

I won't lie and say it'll be super easy, the first two weeks was very difficult for me but after that it's been pretty nice and I can honestly say, six months later, I'm so incredibly happy I am finally released from the prison of smoking. It feels great. You will get there. One day at a time!!! So proud of you for making the decision to put yourself and your health first!

HW2Hottie

Thank you for coming out. It is taboo, to even say that you are a smoker in mixed company these days! I am tapering off right now and very very nervous about it. So far hanging out in the gym helps because I can't smoke there, but it is hard.

overit

Good luck on your quit! I quit smoking over 2 1/2 years ago and do not regret it one bit. Sadly I do have the weight to show for it but I did that to myself. I allowed myself a little too much freedom with what I ate and I was not on an eating or exercise program. You are on this website and you can do this! Good luck! Quitting is the best decision you can ever make.

toxicat

I quit smoking 8 years ago, but I had only smoked 5 years moderately. I quit by using nicotine patches. It worked well. I was tired of smelling like smoke, feeling anxious when I couldn't have one, and hated having ashtrays and junk lay around- gross. I had one after I had quit and it was nasty and made me nauseated. I was definitely addicted to the nicotine itself. So weening off of nicotine with the patches really helped me. It wasn't cheap, but I saved so much money by not having to buy cigarettes. I started chewing more gum, especially after I ate, because cigarettes were great after a good meal. I can't imagine ever smoking again, and it's funny how now I see other smokers and cringe. I can't believe there was a point in my life where I wasn't bothered by it, didn't think much of it, and thought nothing of how attractive or unattractive I was, or how other smokers appeared. Now I can't stand to see people smoke, mostly because I know what they're doing to themselves, and it's such an unhealthy habit- and a stinky one at that, ha. I have since become really involved in health and nutrition.

Even better:

My parents smoked for about 40 years, my Dad a little longer than Mom.

Last April 2010, Mom went into cardiac arrest and had to get the fun electric shock thing done to bring her back. She then had to have an emergency double bypass surgery on her heart. We almost lost her. She was the only person left on this particular floor of the hospital that had survived. It took months and months for her to heal because they had to break open her chest bone and stretch her body out just to do the surgery. That's common of course but it was weird to hear about. She didn't have any taste for months, and because of the surgery, she now has neck and shoulder problems from being jerked around so quickly so they could save her life.

After this, both my mom and dad never once picked up a cigarette after that day of her surgery. My dad spent every moment possible with mom while she was in the hospital. When he came home, he kind of muttered to himself how the house smelled like cigarettes. They never even smoked inside- only outside. So it was pretty strong for him. I knew at that point it was unlikely he or mom would ever go back to smoking.

Coranary Artery Disease happens from poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking. My mom is not an obese woman. She's petite with a little bit of a tummy, but that's it. She's not the healthiest eater in the world, but she's not the worst. And while her mother also had heart problems, I am certain, as well as the doctors, that her years of heavy smoking landed her in the position of facing death. She was considered dead for 4 minutes- that's a long damn time.

I'm sharing this because I want to show that if my parents can do it, anyone can. It doesn't take a horror story to get you there. Just determination and a damn good reason as to why you want to quit. And to me, any reason is good enough. You just have to make up your mind that you will do it. You have to know you will quit. If you're scared about gaining weight, understood- you might. But you'll create a new habit later and deal with that when the time arrives that you're comfortable for another change. It's a much better alternative.

So yeah, okay, so they eat more now. They've gained weight. My dad is a piglet! Sheesh. Whatever. But you know what? I wouldn't change it for the world.

Serenifly

sorry, no advice here from me, just support. I totally get how frustrated you are, it's so hard to be doing all the right things and not see the desired result. Have faith fellow browncoat, you are headed in the right direction and good things DO come to those who wait.

Omg Browncoat YOU GET IT lol *hugs* Love my screename ! I pattened it in a way (took hotmail gmail etc...)

Serenifly

So I'm going to be a little different here. I quit about 6 months ago. I started smoking when I was 12 years old! Yes, 12!!! And I too had tried everytihng. I spent $1000 on hypnosis and wasted just as much money on Zyban, the patch and even tried the electronic cigarette. I've been quit since Fathers Day and I know this is going to sound crazy but I did it with a book. I know I would have laughed in someone's face if they ever told me I quit simply by reading a book but I swear by it and recommend it to everyone I know trying to quit. This is NOT a "let-me-scare-you-with-all-the-health-problems-you'll-have-book"! Smokers already know the health risks and it doesn't help any of us to quit smoking. The book is called The Easyway to Quit Smoking by Allan Carr. Please get it and ready it. It's a very short read and it really spoke to me. This book has helped countless people quit smoking and if you care about celebrities it's even helped Ellen DeGeneres, Ashton Kutcher, the guy who owns Virgin etc!!!!

Just try to remember this no matter if you get the book or not. Don't make this out to be such an event. It's not an event. The thing you are doing is simply not smoking which is what you were born to do. You were not born to smoke. Don't make this a big deal, don't think of it as hard or something that you will gain weight from. You won't. I lost 25 pounds my first three months of quitting and it was due to using this site and remembering that I was NOT replacing cigarettes with food. Cigarettes are not something I need so therefore there is no need to replace it. These are the kinds of things the book will talk about and it made me think very differently about why I smoke and the process to quit smoking.

I won't lie and say it'll be super easy, the first two weeks was very difficult for me but after that it's been pretty nice and I can honestly say, six months later, I'm so incredibly happy I am finally released from the prison of smoking. It feels great. You will get there. One day at a time!!! So proud of you for making the decision to put yourself and your health first!

I'm reading that book for my second time as well, it really is a wake up call! I love it! The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr ... Great book indeed! thanks for your insight!

ka_42

I just wanted to wish you luck! :flowerforyou: I'm a former smoker as well but not a long time smoker (maybe 3 years) and I think that made it easier to quit. I'm so glad I quit- the smell alone just grosses me out now. BUT I still have an occasional cigarette and I'd like to quit doing that. The peer pressure!

Randee75

I stopped cold turkey over a year ago(yesterday was my 1 yr. anniversary).......best thing I ever did. Just always remember you can lose weight not a lung. Another thing I was told is a women's body handles the withdrawal alot different than a man's and it can take us up to a year to mellow out. Not sure this is true all I know is I don't want to go through the withdrawals ever again. I learned cigs are sold in packs for a reason......cause if you want one you will buy a pack and be right back in the habit again. I always remind myself of the NOPE not one puff ever!! Good luck with your journey and I hope I can be some support for you.

roboray

thanks for posting!! i'm a closet smoker, almost a pack a day. I have no problem quitting, it s around the 6mth marker about 5 times and then I pick up a smoke and start again. I have to admit, that since I've lost weight I am terrified to try quitting. Kudos to you for appreciating your health and going for it. Youll be my inspiration so keep us posted!!!

hunkahunka

My wife and I quit 15 months ago using the pill. It really works. We both smoked for over 20-25 years. So don't give up, every day will get better. Every week will make you stronger. MFP is such a great tool, the support is great! Best of luck!