Smoking

NickStar247

I find myself eating less and losing the weight but smoking a whole lot more......its hard work cutting out the snacking and smoking :smokin:

Cait_Sidhe

Me too. I've found it easier to quit food than it is to quit smoking. Long story short, I watched my mother die of lung cancer (non-smoker) and still can't quit smoking. Someday though.

AngelaPowPowPOW

I'm not quitting until I get this food thing under control. One vise at a time.

mumma2boyz

Im so glad im not the only one.

NickStar247

Sorry to hear that...it is hard, and i think like ang said one thing at a time is probably the easiest way to deal with it.

SweetP88

I also smoke more when I eat less!! I can only fight one demon at a time....I am going to put forth my best effort to quit smoking in a few weeks (now that I've reached my goal weight) so that I can begin training for my first half marathon. Crazy that I can run that far now but just imagine how fast and strong I would be with healthier lungs!!

Melroxsox

Yea same here...I actually quit smoking before I started working out and eating right again....and then slowly started back up...I am up to about 4 cigarettes a day now

Asomething

I miss smoking, I mean REALLY miss it - I feel your pain! I have 3 kiddos, I think they are the ONLY reason I was able to quit. But, it actually took me several years to do it - good luck!

kettlewitch

I smoked more the first few weeks but it's levelled out more now. Still on 15 - 20 a day and wanted to cut to 10 as from tomorrow but I'm ill and in pain from gallstones so I don't think it's going to happen. Hoping to try after the evil gallbladdr has gone and want to be packed up by November

Aspynmom

Yup, smoker here too....Once I get my weight off I plan to quit. I'm hoping my healthy lifestyle will be habit by then so any weight I gain while quitting smoking will be easier to take off. That's my PLAN, anway!!!

bstiver

I quit back in Nov. and it is part of the reason I ended up on here. I gained a ton of wieght.

NickStar247

its catch 22 guys...cut smoking out start snacking, start smoking cut snacking lol....keep it up peeps x

michelellawrence

good luck to all of you! I quit 4 months ago tomorrow...and gained about 30 lbs! Now I begin the struggle of cutting the fat back off! I agree it is a catch 22.... I told my girlfriend, I am saving my lungs, but killing my heart...what's a girl to do!

NickStar247

keep it up hun....just gotta get the balance right.

FearAnLoathing

Im trying to do both right now,its really really hard. Ive cut down but can not seem to stop compleatly.

NickStar247

i think its a lot to ask to do both at once hun...dont beat yourself up concentrate on 1 at a time x

michelellawrence

I loved smoking, and smoked a little over a pack a day for 23 years. I used Chantix and didnt have too hard a time. And the dreams you have are crazy. Some people can't handle the dreams, but I got a kick out of them... funny how screwed up your own mind can be!! LOL anyway, good luck, and dont give up!

FearAnLoathing

yeah its time though ive been smoking for 20 years,so im starting to see alot of complications from it.
Im lucky in the sense that it quiting does not make me want to eat more,it kinda does the oppisit and i dont want to eat anything which can be bad also. Im trying to ween myself of them slowly.Ive gone from a pack a day to 6 a day.
Its funny because I kicked a long time drug habit with no problem,but smoking is way harder than that was.

NickStar247

going down to 6 a day is gr8..im on at least 20.

Zuznana

I was there. I still miss it on the odd day of stress, but generally I found it easy this time around. Stopped using patches about 2 weeks ago as well. I just don't think about them as much. The big test for me will be in Prague, staying with my mum who smokes...that will probably be very painful mentally.

Well done to you who stopped and to those who are going to stop one day...it really is not that bad. Just take one day at a time.

leanne2376

I smoke too. I am on 10 a day trying to cut down but i just love it and i also find it difficult not to eat when i gave up in the past so i am not fully quitting until i am at a suitable weight and have my emotional eating under control

qtpiesmom

I used to smoke and Im gonna say it. You can make all the reasons why you cant quit and you can choose to stuff your face or smoke more because your eating less. ITS A CHOICE, YOUR MAKING A CHOICE!! If you choose to quit then quit and know that it is that easy, you have to want it. As for gaining weight, make the choice to not sub food for smokes simple, find other ways to deal with it, healthier choices. Its not as hard as you make yourself believe it will be to quit or not snack because you quit or smoke more because your eating less. QUIT Telling yourself those Lies of its too hard, I want to eat instead, I want to smoke more IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO POSITIVE THINKING and YOUR want YOU can do Anything!!Drink Water Instead, Chew Gum Instead, Go for a Walk Instead Make a different choice.

foodforfuel

yeah its time though ive been smoking for 20 years,so im starting to see alot of complications from it.
Im lucky in the sense that it quiting does not make me want to eat more,it kinda does the oppisit and i dont want to eat anything which can be bad also. Im trying to ween myself of them slowly.Ive gone from a pack a day to 6 a day.
Its funny because I kicked a long time drug habit with no problem,but smoking is way harder than that was.

Good idea! I think I'll give that a go- cutting down to 6 a day. It came to a head for me when I tried doing Jillian's 6 Week Six Pack- and I couldn't even make it through 15 minutes because of my lungs. Not good. It's just so hard to quit.

ninpiggy

I can totally understand this. Potential weight gain stopped me from attempting to quit for quite some time. But I decided to just take that risk and instead of smoking a cigarette, I would drink water and hold a cinnamon stick between my fingers. It sounds really silly but it helped me tremendously. I quit cold turkey and then dove into MFP. I am extemely stubborn and determined to prove it is possible to quit smoking and lose weight and it's true. You all can do this. But only when and if you're ready. But please believe it is possible. You can quit when you're ready!

I miss the social aspect of smoking, honestly. And to be able to use something as a crutch when I'm feeling upset, but it's nothing that a decent set of healthy coping skills cannot fix. If anyone is interested in quitting, CBT techniques are extremely helpful.

ETA: I have been smoke-free since January 3, 2011.

VixFit2011

I find myself eating less and losing the weight but smoking a whole lot more......its hard work cutting out the snacking and smoking :smokin:

I know it's hard for you ( I used to smoke before being told I had to have open heart surgery or I would die) but first the snacking....healthy snacks are ok...I do better eating snacks between meals and one in the evening (healthier ones than I used to) and second ..think of that cigarette as a little demon tugging on you to pull you down your ladder of success. Kick him away!

bstiver

I have sub-ed walking for smoking when I get stressed. The first thing i use to always think about was a cig when I was uber stressed, even a few months after I quit. I started walking instead and now my mine jumps to walking when I am stressed.
21 days to make a habit

I could not of started a diet and quit smoking at once. Every time I tried I failed. I quit smoking first because I wanted to be able tow ork out with out dieing and at 22 they said I showed the early signs of empashema (I still ended up smoking a year after that too)

realme56

I was lucky. When I got pregnant (like 34 years ago) my little bundle of joy made me super sick when I smoked or ate fish....I went back to eating the fish but only smoked for a couple months after she was born.
Cigarettes are designed to maximize the addiction factor by the companies that produce them. Then there are the social connections we have with them (as well as social taboos), having a beer and a smoke, smoke after a meal.
Some folks work on more than one addiction at a time, other can only do one. Start with what is easiest for you and maybe the lessons you learn from one lifestyle modification will help in others that you want to accomplish

LJSpady

My girlfriend smokes and it has been an issue in our relationship. Before we started dating she said she was quitting smoking, and I thought "Great, 'cause I really like you, but I can't handle dating a smoker" (no offense to people who smoke, just the smell of cigarettes brings up very bad memories, especially certain brands). So we started dating and she kept giving new start dates for her quitting, and those dates never really came I guess. Well she's committed to me and herself that she will quite July 14, that day after to vacation to Orlando. I'm concerned though, after reading your posts that quitting will have adverse effects on her weight loss journey. Do you guys know of anyways to help keep that from happening, or at least lessen the neg. effects?

leanne2376

I gave up for 2 years and replaced smoking with the gym. I suppose i was more dedicated then, but i was a NIGHTMARE :sad: to live and work with i was grouchy and moaned alot of the time as i had gone cold turkey. But i didnt have a partner so it was alot harder but i did it.

I started again do to stress in my life and now i have gone from 10 a day to 6 a day.

Cutting down is the best way forward than going cold turkey

nykdem

I've been smoking for over 20 years now. I have tried to give up several times (once for 6+ months) but the evil weed keeps dragging me back. I have tried replacement therapy, cold turkey, medication, will-power, positive image therapy, Dr Alan Carr's programme etc ........ but NOTHING has worked!! I know that some people (usually reformed smokers) will say that "if you really want to quit, you can and will quit" ....... but it certainly isn't that easy. I am hoping that, like others, once I've built up my will-power and resistance to food on MFP, I will then have the necessary tools and coping strategies to help me give up smoking.

To those that have succeeded in giving up, I salute and congratulate you. To those that WANT to give up (because there are those who DON'T want to) I wish you EVERY success. To those who don't want to give up I wish you every enjoyment and hope that further smoking laws do not diminish your enjoyment.

Diet_Hell

I loved smoking, and smoked a little over a pack a day for 23 years. I used Chantix and didnt have too hard a time. And the dreams you have are crazy. Some people can't handle the dreams, but I got a kick out of them... funny how screwed up your own mind can be!! LOL anyway, good luck, and dont give up!

Is that Champix? I was on them for two weeks, but they made me feel really sick.
They definitely helped me get over the first few days though. I now haven't had a cigarette for 12 days )