Any ex-smokers?

itgeekwoman

I quit last year. I gained a bit then started the new lifestyle and have been losing continuously for the last 8 months. I feel better than i have in years. Good luck. You'll love it!!

mskari77

I quit a 16 year pack a day smoking habit almost two years ago, when I would walk up the stairs to my bathroom and have to stop and catch my breathe when I got there. A few months after quitting, I noticed I was able to ride my bike longer without becoming winded, among many other things. I did gain weight, but that's because I quit exorcising, and went through a very stressful time. Good luck to you

stephensmith0929

i am not a smoker, but my guess is you are def gonna gain wait.... IN YOUR WALLET!!!

LauraSmyth28

I know weight gain is not as important as being a non smoker, but you are underestimating how vain I am (that's a joke).

I need to try convince my fiance to quit too....no way I'll be able to if he's still smoking. I think he's ready too though.

Will check out those links posted above, thanks.

deftanker

My quit date is a week from Monday....

incendia3

I smoked for about 15 years. Tomorrow is actually 16 months of being smoke free. Cold turkey and I didn't cheat once. I was a competitive athlete my entire life but could never run. Finishing a mile without walking was an amazing accomplishment. I started C25K when I quit smoking. I am now up to running 5 miles a day. Quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself on so many different levels. Good luck!

c_armbrust

im 24 and have been smoking since i was 17 and i recently tried quiting, and as this coming monday will be 8 weeks with out a cigarette. i couldnt be happier. you never realize how deep of a breath and how well you can breath untill you quit smoking. it has made my fitness goals alot easier! and not to mention, i save 210 dollars a month!! thats almost my car payment!

crimznrose

I smoked for 11 years and enjoyed things like bike riding and hiking without much trouble. Then about 3 or 4 years ago, I got a cough in November. It got worse to the point where I would have blinding coughing fits and couldn't lay down without feeling like someone was sitting on my chest. Doctors tried antibiotics, inhalers, breathing treatments, etc but nothing improved. That New Year's I had my last cigarette and committed to walking every day. It was rough at first - my husband wouldn't quit smoking so there was always temptation, and any kind of physical exertion sent me into coughing spasms.

It was slow and steady progress to where I could walk in a charity event that June and volunteered for their planning committee the following year (Indiana Lung Walk). Years later, I'm glad I did it and am constantly on my husband about quitting as well. You have to want to do it though. The cravings can be rough for the first month or two but replace that habit with others like exercise and I chew sugarfree gum a lot. The minty taste helps curb your need for a cigarette...or at least it did for me.

p_barron

When I stopped smoking I did turn to food but I turned to healthy food because I could taste again I lost 15lbs due to the water weight I was retaining because of how much sodium all the foods I had to eat as a smoker. I quit about 4 years ago and about a year after I quit I didn't like the smell of cigarettes anymore. A year after I quit my husband quit to and he lost weight as well.

WhitneyJerome

This is a good thread....today is my 1st day as a non smoker.

Same here!! Really needed this today. Especially after I woke up this morning and found I had gained four pounds since yesterday (which I have to keep telling myself its because of the weight training this week) and my coffee maker was broken. Thats the kind of morning that makes you want a smoke!!

frycase

I stopped smoking about 6 years ago after reading the book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allan Carr. A friend gave it to me after it worked for another friend of hers. I'm so very much not a self help book sort of person so I tossed it on the bookshelf where it sat for about 6 months. When I finally did pick it up, it pretty much worked like a charm. After getting through the first couple of days after reading the book, which you read at your own pace and smoke the whole time you are reading it, my cravings were almost all gone. A coworker had also used the same book, unbeknownst to me at the time, and had the same success. It basically brainwashes you into not wanting to smoke. Best thing I ever read and I'm a huge reader. :

No joke, this book is seriously magic. I used it to quit smoking, as has my mother-in-law (she quit about 10 years ago), my husband's aunt (she smoked for something like 20 years and quit about two years ago), several of their friends (who all smoked for years and will tell you this book is magical), and my husband and myself (quit nearly 7 months ago). I agree, I hate "self help" books, but this absolutely does work.

More to the point of your question, it is MUCH easier to work out now. I never had a smoker's cough, unless I was getting out of breath, and then it would kick up hard-core, so exercising was awful. This went away almost instantly when I quit. I did have a lot of trouble with snacking, but if you make sure to keep healthy stuff around, it should be easier. Give yourself some healthy options (carrots, sugar snap peas, etc.) and then even if you do snack, it shouldn't make you gain.

But most importantly: It is MUCH worse for your health to smoke than it is to gain a few pounds. Please don't let this be an excuse to put off quitting. As hard as it is, as difficult as the first few days will be, you will look back and be so, so glad you quit.

petreebird

I quit smoking exactly 22.53 day's ago. I'm using the patch and have had zero weight gain!! Actually I lost 1/2 a pound. :happy: I'm keeping up with my food diary and exercising and doing really well!! Also, if you have an android phone there is an app called Quit Now! and it keeps up with your day's and hour's quit, how my cig's you HAVEN"T smoked, $$ saved, etc. It's really cool and motivating.

I just decided I was done, after having smoked 1 to 2 packs a day for 22 1/2 years. Slapped on the patch and the rest is history. I didn't think I would be able to quit if my fiance didn't quit with me but he is still smoking and it doesn't bother me. Now, he is being thoughtful and not smoking around me, but the other day, it was freezing outside and he was standing outside of the car have a smoke and I told him to just get in the car because it was too cold. I also thought, "Man I used to DO that!" hehe...he got in with his cig and I still wasn't bothered by it. I guess I'm either lucky or extremely stubborn!! :laugh:

My workouts are definitely improving too. It doesn't happen overnight, as your lungs don't recover overnight, but it does get easier everytime I workout.

Good luck to you!!

Lesa_Sass

I started having the exact same issue when exercising. I mentioned it to one dr and she said I had allergies. Jump to a year later, I changed drs and she sent me for tests. Turns out, I was in the very early stages of emphysema, SCARED ME TO DEATH! So I quit. I stopped by using the electronic cigarette.

I gained 8 lbs BEFORE I discovered bell pollen to curb my appetite. It also increased my energy and helped with allergy symptoms, it is natural super food, please google it to find out how great it is. The bee pollen did work, I lost the weight and did not have that insane appetite.

The only way I could increase my lung function was to exercise, it has been 1 year and 7 days since I stopped smoking and yesterday I ran 3 miles and walked 3.5 miles! Let me tell ya, I would get winded watching cops chase the criminal watching CSI before I stopped smoking.

Stopping now does not reverse the lung damage but exercise can increase lung function.

Good luck, and highly recommend the ecig, it is a much easier way to quit smoking. Lord knows that I needed an easy way because the hard way did not work for me.

diddyk

I'm 24 days smoke free...using the nicotine patches. I have gained some weight, but only 5 pounds. The way I see it is a few pounds if a lot less unhealthy than smoking half a pack a day. I never had a smoker's cough or seriously struggled at the gym because I smoked, but that being said without cigarettes my stamina has increased 10 fold.

carwen62

You would have to gain 100 lbs to risk your health the way cigarettes do. Go for it! Everything in life is better without cigarettes.

cbenzerga

I have been a non-smoker for almost 2 years. I feel so much better, and can exercise so much harder. I didn't know how much it affected my breathing until I had been off smoking for awhile, when I realized I could breath so much better, I smelled better(I am Vain) and food did taste better, especially healthy foods(fruit&veggies) so thats a plus! I didn't gain any weight, however I became pregnant 2 months after I quit. But, my son is 8 monthes old and I weigh less then I did pre-pregnancy, so if anything I have lost weight. Quit and never look back.....Oh I need to tell you how I did it. I know a lot of ppl love to smoke on vacation...but for me stress was a triggor, when I was calm and chill I didn't feel the urge as much. So I went to the beach for 3 days and didn't take any with me, and didn't buy any when I arrived. I forced my self to relax and let the chemicals leave my body..if I tried to do that at home and work...forget about it..I need to be in a place of total zen. It doesn't take that long to get the nicoten out, but the cravings ofcource still hit, and when they did I just worked through it..you have to have will power. mind over matter and all that. I just pushed through it, because I wanted a family and didn't want to be a smoking mom....find what makes you want to quit and think of that. ps I smoked for over 7 years 10-15/per day off and on.

jody664

I had an interesting experience when I quit the next-to-the last time. I had been smoke-free about a week and started doing some exercises. I was walking on the treadmill one day and took a deep breath in and out.......it smelled like smoke! Totally grossed me out. I can only imagine what my lungs looked and smelled like.

I quit for the final time in May 2011. I gave myself through the Christmas holidays to not worry about my weight. I gained probably 25-30 lb (was overweight to begin with). I joined MPF on January 2.

Marll

I smoked about 3-4 packs a day for 10 years and then 1-2 a day for another 5. I was in excellent shape while smoking, could even run 2 miles in about 12 minutes. I just got to a point where I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to and decided to quit. Could just be a genetic freak in that way. My Dad has smoked about 3 packs a day (at one point up to 5 a day) for the last 39 years and can still run a mile in under 6 minutes at almost 52 years old (and yes I relaize the math means he's been smoking since he was 13).

My wife and I both went on Chantix and in 2 weeks we were smoke free and have been for about 4 years. We didn't even need to finish the month of the doses, it worked that well for us. While there are some people that have strange side effects from the drug, I was happy with the results and I personally had 0 side effects and no weight gain at all.

Bridget0927

I am just as Vain!!!! Just quit last wed. Its been tough, i crave smoking and sweets bad!~
I have been working out extra and havent gained any but havent lost either

LauraSmyth28

I'd love to try champix but if you have a history of depression you can't. I've had PND twice, so that rules me out.

Great to hear so many of you have been successful.