I can't lose weigh no matter how hard I try

akarmiloff

I have quit smoking in the beginning of June, done really well on that front (read: didn't gain weight). Before I even quit I changed my behaviors around, and began to exercise. Been doing really well there too. My eating I would say is healthy, ok, maybe I can work on portion sizes. But I strictly don't eat junk food, and really try to stay natural and organic. But losing weight has been like pulling teeth. I was able to lose 1 lb. THAT'S IT!!! ONE MEASLY POUND:explode: :mad: :explode: !!! To add to that I got sick and couldn't work out for almost 3 weeks. Now I the scale says I gained 4lb and my clothes confirm it. At this point I have like zero motivation to keep up at this. Could quitting smoking have this affect? Anyone here had similar experience?

routerguy666

Can't see your diary, so it's hard to quantify what 'eating ok' means. If you gained weight, your eating too many calories.

amyers35

I know its not what you want to hear probably but portion control IS probably most important! Atleast for me. I always ate healthy things and NEVER lost while working out hard and always wondered why until i paid attention to exactly what a serving was and started measuring it out. just with that i could probably still lose gradually even without working out. so so so very important!

RTricia

lack of adequate sleep and stress will hinder any weight loss strategy.

Get some rest and a massage!!

Kristy144

I am not a smoker, but I heard you gain weight after you quit.. but what do I know about that.. nothing.
I think you should measure your portions, drink all your required water and track everything you eat on here. Continue to exercise as well, try to fill up on protein and stay away from high amounts of sodium, hope that helps. Don't give up! You can do this!

suse56

Believe in yourself. You can do anything that you believe you can do!! Keep at it!!

HadraPriestess

I agree. The calorie in/ calorie out facts cannot be denied.
Track your calories like there is no tomorrow. Track any exercise kcals burnt.

If you keep your intake at or below your BMR (basic metabolic requirement) you WILL lose.
Keep at it!

soknurdy

Smoking suppresses hunger.. That's why homeless people would rather buy a pack of cigarettes than a burger.

It's 80% diet, 20% exercise. Portion size plays a huge factor, and definitely cutting out processed foods helps too. Processed foods always seem like it's a small portion, but it's always packed with other nasty buggers like high sodium content and lack of real nutritional value. But it sounds like you're pretty much there with the natural and organic.. Are you drinking enough water? Ex-nay the coffee if possible. Coffee will actually make you dehydrated.

Are you feeling hungry ? It could be lack of protein. ...Maybe vitamin deficiencies?

Hope that helps.. Somewhat.

ak_in_ak

It is all in the portion sizes. Invest in a food scale and log everything! You will be amazed how much you are eating. For me at least, I though stuff was heathy because it was in the natural foods section but once I logged it I realized it was terrible.

andallthatjazz

Hey there
I did have a similar experience, and it wasn't until I cut down my portion sizes (I measured everything for a week, it drove me bonkers but was worth it) to make sure that I was eating 1600 calories a day (recommended for me and my goals) that I started seeing results. Because I Was on a processed-sugar-free diet and only ate organic I completely overestimated my portions. Once I had that under control I ended up not even needing the exercise (in a weight loss sense, obviously not health-wise). It really is about what you eat.
Hope this helps

deborahfg

Also remember that if you're working out a lot, you could be gaining muscle, but still losing fat, so your weight might not drop as quickly as you'd like. Sometimes, the way your clothes fit is just as good an indication as the scale for progress.

racloud

Don't be discouraged! It took me a long time before the scaled even moved 1 pound down. You body has to get adjusted to the change. Your body is holding on! Keep pushing through those walls, I PROMISE, it WILL HAPPEN! Stay encouraged and continue to EAT RIGHT! Look at the food diary of others and see if you can implement some of their menu items. ALSO WATER, WATER, WATER means soooo much when you are on your journey!

Best of Luck dear!

runnerjenn0708

Can't see your diary, so it's hard to quantify what 'eating ok' means. If you gained weight, your eating too many calories.

I agree here!! You have to lose more than you put in... For a while I was having the same issues. I wasn't eating ALOT, but what I was eating was NOT a balanced meal. This is why I love this site so much!! It shows me what I need and how much of it I need.

Getting good rest works too!!

Serenifly

wow yup! Yesterday was my 3 month quitting smoking, I put on 19 lbs and 4 inches on my waist quitting. Even though I tracked food, and burned over 3000 calories a week training (with a personal trainer, kickboxing, and three days of strict cal burn blasting cardio sessions)

I'm finally starting to lose. A few things, a smoker burns an extra 200 calories a day. When you quit, Your metabolism comes to an instant crawl. Takes a while to get rid of it ... I didn't start gaining weight until about a month into my quit, then I averaged 3 lbs a week. I went to a naturopath and asked myself the following questions

1) What do I do with my other 22.5 hours in the day I'm not working out?
Am i sitting all day at work ? yes
Am I sitting on my butt when I get home from the gym? Yes
Ok so need to start moving around more

2) do you eat as much as your 6'4 husband? Yes
Ok No more big plates in the house, small plates only.

I get hungry cuz I work out, though I don't eat crap - you can view my diary - I eat too much - though it hasn't made me GAIN before, Now that my metabolism is at a crawl ... and I'm still eating the same (though not bad) it's not helping the situation.

My doctor, and naturopath both say 'Id rather see you overweight than smoking!' so keep at it, it will take some time, but keep at it!

♥xenawarriorprincess♥

track your food for a week and i bet you will see that is where the problem lies...most people gain weight after quitting smoking because the replace cigarettes with food and voila they gain weight...once you find out the problem then a solution is sure to follow...you can do this don't give up !!!

kerriknox

Smoking suppresses hunger.. That's why homeless people would rather buy a pack of cigarettes than a burger.

It's 80% diet, 20% exercise. Portion size plays a huge factor, and definitely cutting out processed foods helps too. Processed foods always seem like it's a small portion, but it's always packed with other nasty buggers like high sodium content and lack of real nutritional value. But it sounds like you're pretty much there with the natural and organic.. Are you drinking enough water? Ex-nay the coffee if possible. Coffee will actually make you dehydrated.

Are you feeling hungry ? It could be lack of protein. ...Maybe vitamin deficiencies?

Hope that helps.. Somewhat.

^^ This. I hate to say it but quitting smoking does not make you gain weight. The stuff you put into your mouth instead of cigarettes is what does it.

franzy

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

franzy

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

hannavasgreen

This is just the way it worked for me so I don't know if it will work for you but I only have about 10 pounds to lose. I exercised and stayed within my calories ( which were healthy calories) but I lost 1 pound in 2 months. I talked to the gym trainers and a nutritionist who suggested that i try to limit my carbs. She didn't say to cut them out completely but cut back on carbs that come from whole grains. So now I only have bread, pasta, or rice at 1 meal during the day and no more than 2 servings of fruit. I have lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks! I try to keep my carbs around 75 grams a day. This has definitely gotten me back on track! It's really discouraging to be stalled for so long.

Liz1dixon

Sometimes you don`t realise what you are eating, and the ONLY way I can lose weight is to write down everything that I eat and this site has helped me enourmously with this. But you do have to be honest and realistic. Measuring/weighing your food to paint an accurate picture is essential. Also a tip I picked up off this site also, is to drink more water. I gave up tea/coffee and now only drink water all day. If you really can`t give these up with everything else you are giving up - try Green Tea to boost your metabolism.
I know exactly what you are going through - I was in the same position as you earlier this year, but in June I joined a Zumba class to lift my mood. I now do two Zumba classes a week and go on the treadmill most days. I have lost 18 pounds since the beginning of June.
Keep up the good work on the smoking front and don`t give up on the diet. You will get there, but sometimes it is difficult trying to give up too much at once.

Serenifly

ps. I'm on a quit smoking forum, and got a REALLY good post -but possibly too long for here, but it's strictly about weight gain and quitting smoking, happens to the best of us!

suggagina

Im not a smoker either but Im gonna echo the others. Portion control is very important, eat plenty of raw and/or steamed vegetables, drink your water requirment and eat 4-5 small meals per day... How that helps. You can do it!!

SLaw4215

I quit smoking in 2005 and even thought I thougth I was really in tuned with my eating {BECAUSE I wanted to make sure I didn't gain weight} but no matter what I did I still gained weight. I don't know if it's a nicotine thing or that I was in some state of denial...I really don't think that I was...but I could not lose weight and continued to gain about 45 pounds. I started MFP in January 2011 and took off 20 pounds in the first 2 months. I've mostly maintained that 20 but not because of the site...because of my own lack of committment and discipline. Keep working at it. Keep adjusting and learning whate works for you. Don't give up. Even if you don't lose pounds...your overall health is improving with every day you don't smoke and every day you exercise and eat right. Sometimes a small change is all that it takes.

Serenifly

Smoking suppresses hunger.. That's why homeless people would rather buy a pack of cigarettes than a burger.

It's 80% diet, 20% exercise. Portion size plays a huge factor, and definitely cutting out processed foods helps too. Processed foods always seem like it's a small portion, but it's always packed with other nasty buggers like high sodium content and lack of real nutritional value. But it sounds like you're pretty much there with the natural and organic.. Are you drinking enough water? Ex-nay the coffee if possible. Coffee will actually make you dehydrated.

Are you feeling hungry ? It could be lack of protein. ...Maybe vitamin deficiencies?

Hope that helps.. Somewhat.

^^ This. I hate to say it but quitting smoking does not make you gain weight. The stuff you put into your mouth instead of cigarettes is what does it.

Quitting smoking does make you gain weight, maybe not everyone, but there are different factors other than food intake that attribute to weight gain post-smoking.

Metabolism crawl, low seratonin levels, depression (and inactivity due to depression), You're a lot more tired, therefor lathargic sometimes. A lot of factors not food related contribute to a lot of quitters weight gain

akarmiloff

WOW, I didn't expect such a warm quick response, I opened my diary up so you guys can get an idea.

julzmm

I stopped smoking june 11th and i have put on 14lb since then. For the last 3 weeks i have been tracking what i have been eating daily and exercising 6 days a week. I have NOT lost any weight yet either.

BUT I have noticed that the top tyre around my belly is going down and i feel a lot healthier!

Yes, I do think it is because you have stopped smoking, but DO NOT give in!

Believe in yourself that you will lose this weight, because if you can manage to stop smoking, then you can do anything! It may take some time, but just think of all the benefits, even with slightly changing your diet or doing some more exercise, you will gain.

Good luck!

Serenifly

^ thank you, for some common sense! *having a nic fit now!* haha

TourThePast

If you aren't controlling your portions, it's just as easy to put on weight when you're eating extremely healthy food.

If your goal is to lose weight, you absolutely need to measure your portions. Fresh fruit, nuts, lean meat, organic cheese and whole grains can contain just as many calories as junk food.

CharlieBarleyMom

Excerpts from Livestrong article:

Smoking and Metabolism
If you smoke, the nicotine in cigarettes increases your metabolic rate. When you smoke a cigarette, your heart beats 10 to 20 times per minute more than the average nonsmoker's. You burn 70 percent of the calories you burn each day while at rest. When you quit smoking, your heartbeat slows, and your metabolism lowers to a more normal rate. So, yes, your metabolism slows when you quit smoking, but it only lowers to a normal rate from an elevated rate.

Avoid Weight Gain
Most weight gain associated with smoking cessation occurs within the first six months. You may lose any weight gained without extra effort -- your metabolism will adjust to the new smoke-free you. But if you want to avoid putting on extra pounds, you can exercise more and eat less during the transition period. You could burn off about 200 calories by walking 40 minutes at a 2 mph pace. You could shave about 200 calories off your daily total by skipping the mayonnaise on a sandwich and pairing it with a piece of fruit instead of a bag of chips.

Edit: Um, ex-smoker here... May 2, 2009 was my first day nicotine free... Yes, I put on weight - about 15 pounds - but didn't start gaining until after the first 6 months (depression!). So, yes, you can lose it again!

aliciarenee79

I quit smoking 7/9 of this year and have lost 18 lbs since then. Instead of replacing cigs with food I have replaced them with exercise. In the beginning I probably exercised 3 hours a day sometimes lol.

You can do this! I put off quitting for years for fear of gaining.

akarmiloff

Excerpts from Livestrong article:

Smoking and Metabolism
If you smoke, the nicotine in cigarettes increases your metabolic rate. When you smoke a cigarette, your heart beats 10 to 20 times per minute more than the average nonsmoker's. You burn 70 percent of the calories you burn each day while at rest. When you quit smoking, your heartbeat slows, and your metabolism lowers to a more normal rate. So, yes, your metabolism slows when you quit smoking, but it only lowers to a normal rate from an elevated rate.

Avoid Weight Gain
Most weight gain associated with smoking cessation occurs within the first six months. You may lose any weight gained without extra effort -- your metabolism will adjust to the new smoke-free you. But if you want to avoid putting on extra pounds, you can exercise more and eat less during the transition period. You could burn off about 200 calories by walking 40 minutes at a 2 mph pace. You could shave about 200 calories off your daily total by skipping the mayonnaise on a sandwich and pairing it with a piece of fruit instead of a bag of chips.

Edit: Um, ex-smoker here... May 2, 2009 was my first day nicotine free... Yes, I put on weight - about 15 pounds - but didn't start gaining until after the first 6 months (depression!). So, yes, you can lose it again!

Thank you for that, that is pretty much what I had been looking for. I had heard from various sources that quitting smoking actually messes with your endocrine system.
I really can't say that I'm eating more, in fact I eat less now, and move much more, because I have more energy. If anything I used to eat more when I smoked, and the food was definitely less healthy, because when you're putting nasty cigarettes in your mouth you don't care about the purity of your food.
I appreciate your input