smoking and exercise

BrianSharpe

some great motivational stories here....I guess its pointless to lose weight and exercise and then kill myself with cigs. Perhaps its time i stopped making excuses and just give up.

I quit smoking about 20 years ago after watching my mother die of lung cancer.

Quitting may slow down your weight loss by a bit (you can't change everything overnight) and I'll warn you food tastes so good when your mouth doesn't taste like an ashtray. In terms of health I'm inclined to think quitting smoking should be your # 1 priority.

Good luck.

rhe280

I gave up smoking Aug 2010, be prepared for weight gain, I went from 12stone (168lbs) smoking to 14stone 8lbs (204 lbs), mainly due to comfort eating.
Now 196 lbs and slowly loosing the weight, and now i can exercise good luck with giving up smoking.

By the way I'm 65 and started smoking when I was 11, it isn't easy but but I do feel better for it, so my wife tells me.

wow...well done to you.....and lol at your wife:laugh:

Tricialew32

After 25 years of smoking, I quit in January (after a particularly scary bout with bronchitis). I used the patches for one week and got aggravated by them falling off when I sweated. It was really really hard.....and really really worth the quit.

My biggest fear about quiiting? Gaining weight.

I gained 20 lbs in one month...

But it was worth it because now I feel good enough to work hard and take the weight back off.

For the past couple of months I just put the money I didn't spend on cigarettes in a Jar. I spend that money on fitness friendly toys:
New bike
Running shoes
Fitbit Tracker
Turntable with USB port for my old albums....which I ripped to my computer....then put on my iPod
....okay that last one was a stretch but it was for my running and workouts so I can make anything fitness related.

Give yourself time and decide what is more important to you and you'll know when you are ready.
My mantra during the first two weeks smoke free, "I can always work off gained weight but I only have one set of lungs."

cberridge1987

I still smoke, I smoke between 5-10 as I don't smoke during working. The only time I feel I really struggle with it is when I play squash.

I do plan on quitting though, I'm not worried about weight gain whilst quitting as I see it like I see most things, everything is a choice, I chose to eat crap, and now I am chosing to get healthy, if I make the wrong choices, they result in me still being fat. I've started asking myself before I snack if I really need it (not want!) and smoking will be exactly the same, do I need a cigarette? The answer will always be no, to me, addiction is that simpe, be it alcohol, smoking, drugs or food. You just need to say no and take it hour by hour.

AnitaVolpato

I have smoked a pack a day for about 23-24 years. I have quit cold turkey 3 times. The first was for two years, second 6 months and third 1 year. I don't know why I picked them back up. I hear people say that you gain weight when you quit. Is that because they substitute food for smoking or because it chemically does something to your body to make you gain?

thelaurameister

I have smoked a pack a day for about 23-24 years. I have quit cold turkey 3 times. The first was for two years, second 6 months and third 1 year. I don't know why I picked them back up. I hear people say that you gain weight when you quit. Is that because they substitute food for smoking or because it chemically does something to your body to make you gain?

i'm really not 100% sure, but my guess is that you gain weight when you quit smoking because of substituting cigarettes with food. My issue used to be that I'd get bored, so I'd eat. Then, when I started smoking, I'd smoke when I was bored. Now that I'm trying to quit, I find myself eating when I'm bored again and it's no bueno

GroovyFoxyLove

Oh my gosh! Thank you sooo much for posting this topic! I smoke a pack a day so same as you and I exercise 40 minutes vigorously a day! I also do more moderate things such as walking and cleaning. I am 254 lbs and 5 foot 2 BTW. So far, it has not been easy but I've been committed. I huff and puff like crazy and have to drink water a couple times during my workouts but I always push through. Let me also add that I'm 23 years old and have been sedentary for pretty much all my life. I'm also an ex-addict to drugs and have been clean for over a year..well the hard stuff..I quit smoking pot a couple months ago. Anyway, I have been doing research and studies show that smokers that exercise even for only 15 minutes a day, prolong their life expectancy by a few years. So exercise is very good for smokers! Some may need to take it slow though..everybody is different.

GroovyFoxyLove

Oh and from what I read, exercising can help smokers quit the habit as well. I want to quit eventually but I'm not ready at the moment. I'm still proud of myself though for changing my lifestyle. I eat healthy and exercise daily so it's one step at a time for me. Best of luck to you! I know when we quit, we will be much happier!