I can quit smoking, but I can't quit overeating ?

Serenifly

I quit smoking 18 months ago, ZERO CHEATING! after 17 years at a pack-a-day ... Hardest thing I've ever done, when I think about it, I acutally get short of breath it is that fresh to me (smoking)

yet I can't seem to stop overeating. I put on 30 lbs since quitting smoking, I still work out rigerously 4 days a week, though I didn't change my eating habbits after quitting ... eat the same as before ... but I guess my metabo has shifted? Not sure ...

Point is. I can't seem to curb my bad eating. It's all in my head, and I have NO willpower for it, yet I have willpower to quit smoking, the hardest thing on the planet to quit ...

I don't get it ....

jeccawest

You just really have to put your mind to it. Food logging would be really necessary. I had the same problem in the beginning and now I have to make sure I meet my caloric intake everyday! Usually when people quit smoking, weight is gained on the body so that part doesnt really surprise me. Just put your mind and will power to it! JUST SAY NO!

jeccawest

Also when you think you are hungry, try drinking water. Most of the time when you think you are hungry, really your body is jsut thirsty.

Serenifly

Thank you ... I wish there was someone I could call before i go to the food court or go for seconds ... lol I wish I culd let myself be even just a little hungry (I eat whenever I'm even peckish) I nkow it's up to me and in my mind ....

Dayna5K

I have the same problelm. Very difficult to do.

byanyothername56

I understand where you are coming from. I quit smoking 5 years ago - really hard to do, but I'm really glad I did (still trying to get hubby to quit), but I have been really struggling with getting my eating under control. I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I know I HAVE to control it. I have managed to lose about 30 pounds without help, but it is really getting hard. My daughter-in-law told me about this site and I started coming here on Monday. I find it really helps keeping a log and knowing what everything is worth nutritionally. So far it has helped - it is much easier to cheat if there is no record of it. Knowing that I have to record my cheats makes me less likely to do so - more motivation!

bethfartman

It's really hard, but you can do it. I think for me, when I quit smoking I relied on food as a go to when I was stressed or tired or depressed, and previously I would have just had a cig. In a way, I think it’s for the best I went from smoking to eating (although it would have been great to go from smoking to smoking hot, but that’s a fantasy.) At least with eating, you see the damage you’re doing to your body much quicker than you do with smoking- which makes it easier to acknowledge and fix.
Figuring out my triggers to overeat or make poor meal choices helped me a lot. I know that if I’ve had a long stressful week at work, I want to stop and get some greasy Chinese food on my way home. So now I make sure I go to the gym or go surfing right after work every day and by the time I’m finished I don’t want to eat that crud anymore. I also eat poorly when I’m tired, so I try to always get enough sleep and if I know I’m going to be out late and up early the next morning, I stock my fridge with healthy options that I know I like and will want to eat the next day, which spares me wandering sleepy eyed and starving through the 7-11 on my lunch break seeking out candy.
Good luck!

Tanyam1233

What I’ve found to be a great way to stop overeating is to ensure each meal has a good balance of proteins (meats, beans, egg whites, peanut butter), Fiber (apples, blueberries, pears, grains) and dairy (one slice of cheese - try to stay away from cow's milk as it is too high in milk sugar). Also, by reducing calorie intake to 1400 per day and not eating foods that contain more than 5 grams of sugar per serving, you will assuredly lose pounds every week.
Unfortunately, rigorous exercise will not impact weight loss as much as changing the way you eat will. If you achieve a balance of the above you won't feel so hungry throughout the day.
Other tips:
- Stop eating when you feel full - even though the food just tastes so darn good, remember that this won't be the last time you eat it.
- Within your Fitness Pal log, record how you feel when you overeat – e.g., bloated, constipated, sick – and link to the food(s) that made you feel that way.
- Drink 100oz of water a day (roughly 1 gallon of water) – the water bottle that doesn’t leave my side is the 24oz double insulated plastic bottle from Starbucks – and you get a 10% discount at Starbucks when you use it with your order! Any water bottle with ounce indicators are the best for helping you keep track of how much you're drinking. Add lemon as needed - and fill it up again as soon as you finish!
- Log, log, log your food intake everyday - and stick to 1400 calories/day
- No more than 5grams of sugar per serving-- even if item is labeled as a low calorie food, check the sugar count. My favorite popsicles are only 40 calories, but contain 10 grams of sugar! Gave them up and opted for the 100 calorie Healthy Choice Fudge Bar instead…although 60 more calories, it only has 4 grams of sugar, satisfies my sweet tooth and is fairly filling.
- Like alcohol? Me too! I absolutely love a glass of wine in the evening, with meals, with friends, by myself (see a trend here??) needless to say, it’s adding 130 precious calories to my daily intake …100 of those calories I can save for a low-cal dessert (see above!). What I’ve done to replace my wine cravings is switching to Club soda with lime – this is so refreshing and quenches my craving and thirst when water just won’t cut it… I still use a wine glass!
- No more than 200mg of caffeine (two cups of coffee) per day – caffeine is dehydrating and if you add milk , you’re adding needless sugar and calories…I still have my one cup a day, switched to black and now using Stevia for a little sweetener. Try giving ‘black’ coffee a try – if you’re a wine lover like me, you’ll really enjoy being able to taste the different flavors of the coffee beans – something I didn’t notice or appreciate as much when drinking with milk. If you can’t get away from using milk/cream, switch to almond or coconut milk – hardly any calories, sugars, and tastes the same and is so much better for you.
- On goal setting – what worked for me is setting an overall goal e.g., lose 10 pounds. Though, now I have found it useful to think about my accomplishments at the end of the day – smaller daily goal such as: did I exercise, did I achieve my daily calorie goal, did I say ‘no’ to a larger serving, did I check the nutrition labels on the items I bought at the grocery store – and put the bad stuff back etc. Just thinking about everything I did throughout the day to achieve my overall goal gives me great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. And of course, if I went over my calorie goals for that day, I look back at my weekly progress and remind myself that I have succeeded and can continue to succeed by getting back on track the next day (let’s face a little cake once a week is not going to kill you).
Recommended reading: Jackie Warner - "This is Why Your Fat" - read this, it definitely changed my perspective on food, health and exercise. I also recommend subscribing to Women’s Fitness RX magazine – great articles, exercises, nutrition facts.

tatianna68

Eating replaces the habit of putting a cigarette in your mouth, for me the habit of when I smoked and finding something good to replace the motions I went through was harder than kicking the nicotine habit. When I found myself wanting to eat when I shouldn't I would go for a walk or play a game, anything to turn bad habit to good.

macpacman

From a quick google search, smokers tend to replace one addiction to another; binge. We tend to seek for the easiest way to relieve anxiety. Plan and log your meals. Think about why you are eating and what you are eating. Exercise more, if you can. Also, get professional help, if you want.

eric5150ii

I feel your pain on this. Quitting smoking is es compared to losing weight for me. Why? It is simple, really. You either smoke, or you do not. You do not have to smoke to live. Eating, now...well, we all have to do that to live. I gained after I quit in 2005. I m now addressing that issue, and working on making better choices, identifying my triggers, and building an arsenal of alternative behaviors that are positive and not self-destructive. Is it easy? Oh hell no. I know that I am a stress eater, and I also mindlessly eat when I get bored. Part of that was solved with MFP and the logging of everything I eat. The rest is like any addiction, one day at a time, and replacing the destructive negative reaction behaviors with positive non-destructive ones. It is not an easy journey, but change never is. Keep at it, an you WILL succeed.

just4me83

I just posted about this issue. I do not know how to stop overeating. My obsession/addiction to food scares me now because it's like I just can't say no and it kills me. My weight is killing me and my inability to stop overeating me is killing me... but nothing is enough to make me stop and I don't know why. It makes me cry. I hope you find what works for you Serenifly.

Serenifly

Wow this is so incredibly helpful it's unbelievable ... Thank you for taking the time to write this all out. I appreciate it.

Will re read it in the morning. Too...

Thank you all for your most valuable and appreciated input

What I’ve found to be a great way to stop overeating is to ensure each meal has a good balance of proteins (meats, beans, egg whites, peanut butter), Fiber (apples, blueberries, pears, grains) and dairy (one slice of cheese - try to stay away from cow's milk as it is too high in milk sugar). Also, by reducing calorie intake to 1400 per day and not eating foods that contain more than 5 grams of sugar per serving, you will assuredly lose pounds every week.
Unfortunately, rigorous exercise will not impact weight loss as much as changing the way you eat will. If you achieve a balance of the above you won't feel so hungry throughout the day.
Other tips:
- Stop eating when you feel full - even though the food just tastes so darn good, remember that this won't be the last time you eat it.
- Within your Fitness Pal log, record how you feel when you overeat – e.g., bloated, constipated, sick – and link to the food(s) that made you feel that way.
- Drink 100oz of water a day (roughly 1 gallon of water) – the water bottle that doesn’t leave my side is the 24oz double insulated plastic bottle from Starbucks – and you get a 10% discount at Starbucks when you use it with your order! Any water bottle with ounce indicators are the best for helping you keep track of how much you're drinking. Add lemon as needed - and fill it up again as soon as you finish!
- Log, log, log your food intake everyday - and stick to 1400 calories/day
- No more than 5grams of sugar per serving-- even if item is labeled as a low calorie food, check the sugar count. My favorite popsicles are only 40 calories, but contain 10 grams of sugar! Gave them up and opted for the 100 calorie Healthy Choice Fudge Bar instead…although 60 more calories, it only has 4 grams of sugar, satisfies my sweet tooth and is fairly filling.
- Like alcohol? Me too! I absolutely love a glass of wine in the evening, with meals, with friends, by myself (see a trend here??) needless to say, it’s adding 130 precious calories to my daily intake …100 of those calories I can save for a low-cal dessert (see above!). What I’ve done to replace my wine cravings is switching to Club soda with lime – this is so refreshing and quenches my craving and thirst when water just won’t cut it… I still use a wine glass!
- No more than 200mg of caffeine (two cups of coffee) per day – caffeine is dehydrating and if you add milk , you’re adding needless sugar and calories…I still have my one cup a day, switched to black and now using Stevia for a little sweetener. Try giving ‘black’ coffee a try – if you’re a wine lover like me, you’ll really enjoy being able to taste the different flavors of the coffee beans – something I didn’t notice or appreciate as much when drinking with milk. If you can’t get away from using milk/cream, switch to almond or coconut milk – hardly any calories, sugars, and tastes the same and is so much better for you.
- On goal setting – what worked for me is setting an overall goal e.g., lose 10 pounds. Though, now I have found it useful to think about my accomplishments at the end of the day – smaller daily goal such as: did I exercise, did I achieve my daily calorie goal, did I say ‘no’ to a larger serving, did I check the nutrition labels on the items I bought at the grocery store – and put the bad stuff back etc. Just thinking about everything I did throughout the day to achieve my overall goal gives me great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. And of course, if I went over my calorie goals for that day, I look back at my weekly progress and remind myself that I have succeeded and can continue to succeed by getting back on track the next day (let’s face a little cake once a week is not going to kill you).
Recommended reading: Jackie Warner - "This is Why Your Fat" - read this, it definitely changed my perspective on food, health and exercise. I also recommend subscribing to Women’s Fitness RX magazine – great articles, exercises, nutrition facts.

Serenifly

Thank you that's really good insight ..

I feel your pain on this. Quitting smoking is es compared to losing weight for me. Why? It is simple, really. You either smoke, or you



do not. You do not have to smoke to live. Eating, now...well, we all have to do that to live. I gained after I quit in 2005. I m now addressing that issue, and working on making better choices, identifying my triggers, and building an arsenal of alternative behaviors that are positive and not self-destructive. Is it easy? Oh hell no. I know that I am a stress eater, and I also mindlessly eat when I get bored. Part of that was solved with MFP and the logging of everything I eat. The rest is like any addiction, one day at a time, and replacing the destructive negative reaction behaviors with positive non-destructive ones. It is not an easy journey, but change never is. Keep at it, an you WILL succeed.

TheVimFuego

Firstly, well done on quitting the smokes.

I know what you mean, I quit smoking cold turkey but finding the key to dropping the fat has been a bigger struggle.

Since I quit the processed stuff, grains, legumes and sugar I have to say not only am I generally not ravenously hungry (like I used to be) but I don't crave the junk either.

The whole Low Carb High Fat thing isn't for everyone but it's honestly changed my relationship with food.

Serenifly

Firstly, well done on quitting the smokes.

I know what you mean, I quit smoking cold turkey but finding the key to dropping the fat has been a bigger struggle.

Since I quit the processed stuff, grains, legumes and sugar I have to say not only am I generally not ravenously hungry (like I used to be) but I don't crave the junk either.

The whole Low Carb High Fat thing isn't for everyone but it's honestly changed my relationship with food.

What's a legume ???? I'm a huge carnivore so I was concidernig tyring a more paleo type way of eating