Quit smoking, metabolism and dieting. Lower calories more?

bexx03

I quit smoking and I haven't noticed a difference in my metabolism. Its given me more energy as i'm healthier to exercise and keep active so I wouldn't worry about your metabolism !

Spacecas

Hi I have been stopped smoking for 27 days now...I was so worried when I first quit that i would gain weight..I am taking wellbutrin to help me stop and it really helps with the mood swings and emotional withdraws..i have had none..But as far as eating well the first week I just wanted to eat the whole house and not just sweets but anything...I done my best to try not to just eat mindless and control it some..but I drank plenty pf water and continued with my workout as normal..probably pushed myself a little more during that time..I had days I felt like crap and just rested and gave myself days where i did not log food at all...

I would love to say i lost during that time but i did not..the important thing is I did not gain eighter...so it can be done..I also read that your metabolism slows down to normal again..which is slower then when we smoked cause smoking is a stimulant...

I think about cigs sometimes but do not miss them...my hubby smokes and he even smokes in the house and to me it stinks now...I have only had a few times during this time that i really wanted to smoke a cig but most days they are not on my mind or if they are then I have learn t to ignore it..

p.s. I also used tic tacs to curve the eating and they are really low on cals so it was not hurting like all that extra food...

good luck to you and congrats...

oats4breakfast

HI All,
I quit smoking 6 months ago. Gained 30 pounds, so obviously, don't do what I did. I just have that much more to lose!!

As a word of caution, my blood pressure went up when I quit. Doctor says he has seen it happen as quite often smoking will mask the anxiety.

I miss smoking terribly. If it were good for me, I would not have quit!!

Good luck during your quit. I wish you the best!!

In my opinion, writing and saying this "I miss smoking terribly. If it were good for me, I would not have quit!!" is a really bad idea. I would go as far as to say "you are 'f-bomb'ed" Sorry, but that is the state of people can get into when they say things like this.They are more likely to relapse and may still be having a cheat smoke every now and then (and the nicotine withdrawls never leave - which should be gone after a few days and then it's just strength of will and habit reforming). I may be wrong with you, but generally this will be accurate. Even if it is next month for you.
I am a firm believer in positive re-enforcement. Where we can tell ourselves that we can do something by writing it down and saying it out loud. When we do this, we hear ourselves say this, or read it, and so it's a good thing. But because of this, it will also work in reverse, where we'll "positively reenforce" a negative thought. Our subconscious doesn't hear don't and doesn't now that we don't really mean it. All it knows is that you miss smoking and so it will do what it can to get you to do what you want.
The same thing happens in sports. Golf for example, they'll say to themselves "don't hit it in the water" and their subconscious won't hear don't .... so the perfectly struck shot goes dead center of where the subconscious thought you wanted the ball to go. Dead center lake. Other times they may have a good score going - but before things go wrong, they'll say "I always screw this up" and guess what happens ?

So, all I'm saying is to be carefull what you wish for.
When I was quitting, one of the thing I did which I think was really successful, was to never vocalize that feel. Say someone was smoking next to me and it smelt so good. Sure I thought it but I never said it out loud so I could hear myself say this and re-enforce that feel. That was probably the best thing I did IMHO. Now smoking just smells like crap but it doesn't worry me - and no, I'm not a smoking nazzi now, I don't care if they smoke or not. I wish they didn't and will move, but it's their choice so who am I to give them grief. If I remember rightly, it only made me dig my heels in more and smoke more when people hassled me about smoking.

Cheers

My mother has not smoked for 20 years and tells me there isn't a day that goes by that she does not want a cigarette. I have been smoke free for 3 and 1/2 years and I still crave cigarettes maybe once a week maybe every other week. Even though you think about here and there just keep with it. I feel better than I have in years and the cravings are just fleeting thoughts...

I've been smoke free for 2 and a bit years and never even think about smoking let alone have cravings. The only time I think about smoking is when conversations come up.
We're all different. Personally, I couldn't stand it to think about or have cravings every week. You have only just re-enforced my thoughts on the matter. Thanks.

I quit a few times, once for two years and one day decided I could just smoke one to get rid of the craving. Took me 10 years to be able to quit again with any success. I learned a hard lesson with that one cigarette.


Sometimes quitting is a good thing

That sucks. Good to know you've come back from the dark side
From what I've read and come to understand, our bodies will always want the level of nicotine that it once had. So reducing over time is a near impossibility, because our bodies will always want that 100% of its nicotine levels. Even after 10 years of nothing, that 1 cigarette will make us want that 100% level again - which is also often the reason that when smokers start again, they start like there's no tomorrow. I think that info is buried in the "why quit" site. I think I believe it because all those times I quit and then started again - I think I smoked a little more than previously.

The amazing thing to me, quite the revelation, is that no matter how great we feel, or how good our complexion may be - it's really just normal. So feeling normal to an ex-smoker feels "wonderful" and "great". Feeling and looking like crap is "normal" to smokers. I never want that again and do not miss it - it's not sensational or glamorous, it's terrible.
I also hated being a slave to buying them. Everytime I went shopping or filled up the car, it was buy some smokes. It was like a constant nag. Buy some smokes so I don't run out in 7 hours. booo.

NoAdditives

Its 10:36 pm right now and I have been smoke free for 26 hours and 53 minutes. So far today all I wanted to do was eat, and smoke of course. Really hoping that it goes away in the next few days but I am going to continue to watch the scale and my food intake for a week or two and see if I need to change the calories around but for now I am leaving everything the same.

Drinking OJ can help the nicotine withdraws. But be careful as OJ is fattening. For the next few days (and no longer) try drinking some - it really does help. You'll screw your cals but that's just a small set back - so long as you don't turn it into a new habit. When nicotine leaves, it drags your blood sugar down (so you want to smoke to get more nicotine in). You'll feel like crap - however, if you get a glass of OJ into you every now and then, you'll boost your blood sugar back up and will feel better. It's only temporary so be prepared. I probably drunk a couple of liters of OJ a day for 3 days, then cut back to a glass or two for a coupe of days, then stopped altogether. From there, it was just mind over matter and being prepared for all the triggers that made me smoke. Like waiting, getting ready, breathing, eating, sex, drinking, walking, living, driving, sleeping etc etc.
Good luck. You can do it.

Orange juice is not "fattening". In fact, no foods or beverages are "fattening".

oats4breakfast

Its 10:36 pm right now and I have been smoke free for 26 hours and 53 minutes. So far today all I wanted to do was eat, and smoke of course. Really hoping that it goes away in the next few days but I am going to continue to watch the scale and my food intake for a week or two and see if I need to change the calories around but for now I am leaving everything the same.

Drinking OJ can help the nicotine withdraws. But be careful as OJ is fattening. For the next few days (and no longer) try drinking some - it really does help. You'll screw your cals but that's just a small set back - so long as you don't turn it into a new habit. When nicotine leaves, it drags your blood sugar down (so you want to smoke to get more nicotine in). You'll feel like crap - however, if you get a glass of OJ into you every now and then, you'll boost your blood sugar back up and will feel better. It's only temporary so be prepared. I probably drunk a couple of liters of OJ a day for 3 days, then cut back to a glass or two for a coupe of days, then stopped altogether. From there, it was just mind over matter and being prepared for all the triggers that made me smoke. Like waiting, getting ready, breathing, eating, sex, drinking, walking, living, driving, sleeping etc etc.
Good luck. You can do it.

Orange juice is not "fattening". In fact, no foods or beverages are "fattening".

If you say so.
Go ahead and drink a gallon of milk or a gallon of OJ a day and get back to me.

EDIT: Now before someone gets onto me about everything in moderation - the context here is that we're quitting smoking. They're going to drink the hell out of some OJ and it is going to be bad. OJ is everything good removed from the orange and all that's left is sugary goodness. It's a high calorie high sugar drink. Your body will store this extra input as fat/energy to be used later because it cannot use it now. Look up high-glycemic foods and what they do. It's right there between the fat and diabetic books.

reese66

That sucks. Good to know you've come back from the dark side
From what I've read and come to understand, our bodies will always want the level of nicotine that it once had. So reducing over time is a near impossibility, because our bodies will always want that 100% of its nicotine levels. Even after 10 years of nothing, that 1 cigarette will make us want that 100% level again - which is also often the reason that when smokers start again, they start like there's no tomorrow. I think that info is buried in the "why quit" site. I think I believe it because all those times I quit and then started again - I think I smoked a little more than previously.

The amazing thing to me, quite the revelation, is that no matter how great we feel, or how good our complexion may be - it's really just normal. So feeling normal to an ex-smoker feels "wonderful" and "great". Feeling and looking like crap is "normal" to smokers. I never want that again and do not miss it - it's not sensational or glamorous, it's terrible.
I also hated being a slave to buying them. Everytime I went shopping or filled up the car, it was buy some smokes. It was like a constant nag. Buy some smokes so I don't run out in 7 hours. booo.

I know, I felt fine and looked great... Ok not really, I woke up coughing and I stunk like an ashtray.

When I went back to smoking after quitting I went from one pack to two packs in six months of starting back. I felt like a crack addict or something I always wanted to smoke. It literally took everything I had and Chantix to quit.

I wont go back, I love the way I feel now. Besides running and smoking don't mix well, I like running more

NoAdditives

Its 10:36 pm right now and I have been smoke free for 26 hours and 53 minutes. So far today all I wanted to do was eat, and smoke of course. Really hoping that it goes away in the next few days but I am going to continue to watch the scale and my food intake for a week or two and see if I need to change the calories around but for now I am leaving everything the same.

Drinking OJ can help the nicotine withdraws. But be careful as OJ is fattening. For the next few days (and no longer) try drinking some - it really does help. You'll screw your cals but that's just a small set back - so long as you don't turn it into a new habit. When nicotine leaves, it drags your blood sugar down (so you want to smoke to get more nicotine in). You'll feel like crap - however, if you get a glass of OJ into you every now and then, you'll boost your blood sugar back up and will feel better. It's only temporary so be prepared. I probably drunk a couple of liters of OJ a day for 3 days, then cut back to a glass or two for a coupe of days, then stopped altogether. From there, it was just mind over matter and being prepared for all the triggers that made me smoke. Like waiting, getting ready, breathing, eating, sex, drinking, walking, living, driving, sleeping etc etc.
Good luck. You can do it.

Orange juice is not "fattening". In fact, no foods or beverages are "fattening".

If you say so.
Go ahead and drink a gallon of milk or a gallon of OJ a day and get back to me.

An excess of calories will result in the storage of body fat. No food, consumed in moderation, will result in the storage of body fat. A gallon of any beverage containing calories will likely result in an excess consumption of calories. One serving of a beverage containing calories likely will not.

Personally, I would currently do well drinking a gallon of milk or orange juice every day. That would give me approximately 1000 extra calories, which I need, since I'm burning 1200 calories making 60ish ounces of breast milk every day.

Gloria67648

I quit (actual, not a puff every now and then etc) on January 9, 2010. To get through the nicotine leaving my body phase, I drank the heck out of some OJ. Then after a week I stopped the OJ and joined MFP to track my cals so that I would also loose weight. It worked, steadily over the next 10 months I lost about 30 pounds (and worked out so I increased density/muscle too).
So it's all possible. It's all up to you. Be deligent and remember, no matter how bad it gets. Never take another puff. It's not worth it. There were times I couldn't string a sentence together - even months later out of the blue - but not having "just one" got easier and easier each time it didn't happen.

I was a pack+ a day smoker and had "quit" 100 times before - but all those other times I never really quit, I'd still score a smoke every now and then - we all know what I mean. This time it's for real - I can even go out drinking in a smoky bar and be fine.
I did, however, use an iPhone app to quit. I just tried it on a whim and it just did something for me - even when I was listening to it I was thinking nonsense, but sometimes I'd fall asleep to it and perhaps that's when it really worked. I tried it but still had 3 packs of smokes left. The next day, the smokes tasted bad ..... but I was a smoker and was going to finish them ... a pack+ day smoker took an entire week to force those 3 packs down. From there, I stopped (and the beginning of my post starts).
The app I used is called "Quit Smokingt" by Max Kristen. The reviews seem sensationalized but I can attest that for me, it is true. Anyway, you listen to a main session once a week (48 mins) and then a booster session the other 6 days (21 mins). I'd put my headphones in and listen as I went to sleep. Sometimes I'd still be awake at the end, other times I'd fall asleep and other times, I'd fall asleep and wake up with a start. I didn't think I was easily hypnotized either - even to the point that I was volunteered to be a hypnotist's assistant in a show ... and he actually sent me back as I was not suitable. But something did work from this app. Best $7.99 I ever spent. The app also tells me I've saved $4305 too. That's $5 a day for 861 days.I also poured over the website "why quit" too.
Good luck.

I just downloaded the app! And I will pick up some orange juice. I have 3 packs of cigarettes left. Wish me luck!

Vailara

Smoking does affect your metabolism but I don't think that's the only thing that causes you to gain weight when you stop. It's also a natural appetite suppressant, so your appetite is likely to go up when you stop. Some people turn to sugar because of the nicotine withdrawal (which can help with the craving, but obviously, add calories). I found that stopping smoking changed my eating habits. For instance, when I smoked, I'd be keen to finish a meal so that I could smoke. Afterwards, I'd take longer over a meal (and so probably ate more).

Given all that, if it was me, I wouldn't adjust my calories, because the I feel that the change in your metabolism is only a small part of the cause of the weight gain. I'd carry on with the same calorie allowance and see if I continued to lose weight before adjusting.

Phoenix_Angel

Smoking does affect your metabolism but I don't think that's the only thing that causes you to gain weight when you stop. It's also a natural appetite suppressant, so your appetite is likely to go up when you stop. Some people turn to sugar because of the nicotine withdrawal (which can help with the craving, but obviously, add calories). I found that stopping smoking changed my eating habits. For instance, when I smoked, I'd be keen to finish a meal so that I could smoke. Afterwards, I'd take longer over a meal (and so probably ate more).

Given all that, if it was me, I wouldn't adjust my calories, because the I feel that the change in your metabolism is only a small part of the cause of the weight gain. I'd carry on with the same calorie allowance and see if I continued to lose weight before adjusting.

I know only time will tell. Bloating causes some of the weight gain and eating more. Some studies even say that your metabolism stays the same. I did catch myself trying to underestimate my calorie intake and had to slap my hand lol.

LordHappyCat

Wow, I have never been quoted so much in my life!! I will take that as a complement!!

What I neglected to say is that I know that I will never go back to smoking, I can't.

When I quit, I was given the gift of an easy quit. I only had one bad moment and luckily it was at home and I ended up in tears... my hubby hugged me thru it.

I never had a moment like that again. There was something/someone that assisted me. I don't know who, I don't know why but there was an angel on my shoulder.

As other posters have said, many people have quit for years and still miss it. I don't think I am setting myself up for failure, just being honest. Its a hard habit to break!

oats4breakfast

I just downloaded the app! And I will pick up some orange juice. I have 3 packs of cigarettes left. Wish me luck!

Good luck. Have you noticed anything since starting ? I thought I was crazy, but cigarettes were pretty noxious within next day or two after starting (but I still choked them down .. which made me dislike even more).

Gloria67648

I noticed that my sodium counts are up. I think chewing gum makes me crazy. I'm very cranky. I think I need to listen to some hypnosis app daily - I downloaded the weight loss one too. I think all my stress is roiling inside of me and I'm not dealing with it that well. not enough sleep. Blah blah blah

jazzpollard

Metabolism describes the physical and chemical processes that create and use energy within a living cell or organism....
Tips to Add More Activity to Daily Tasks:
Take five.
Park at the back of the lot.
Use the stairs.
Get your hands dirty.
Breathe deep and embrace your yard work.
Use housework as a tool.
Smoking also affects the facial area and make wrinkles appear more and more!!!!! here are eye creams that can help you: http://www.thebeautyinsiders.com/eye-creams