QUIT SMOKING

kyes31

Hi all,
I decided yesterday that I am gonna quit smoking 1 wanna improve my health whole heartedly but also it costs a fortune.. Doing so well HOWEVER the pains makes me wanna eat my house out I have so far lost 10.6 kilos I do not wanna go backwards & can understand why they say you gain so much weight when you give up has anyone got any suggestions I have brought skinny fiber hoping this will help but it doesnt come for a week or so as its shipped from the US.. I am desperate as I could so easily go to the shops & grab a packet but I really need this for my fitness & strength

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lawre028

I gather you are in the UK. I am in the states, But I imagine you can get e-cigs there. I bought one for when the urge to smoke was so bad i found myself stuffing food in my mouth. I have been tobacco free since 07/28/12. I am losing weight and smoke free! never thought it would happen. You could try going to a store that only sells healthy stuff, (we have Whole foods) and buy some crystalized Ginger. Very strong taste, kinda knocks out the urge. or suck on sugar free candy (not too much though cause you Could get the runs) or chew sugar free gum. All those things helped me. You can do this, hang in there. friend me if you like. Cindy

lawre028

Also thought I would mention, I was up to almost 2 packs a day. Had smoked for over 30 years.

kyes31

Thank you I was thinking along the same lines I'll wait to I get my goal weight HOWEVER that would mean I would have to wait 12 months++ 12 months time non smoking I will save a minimum of $4000AU plus I know my breathing & occasional Asthma would improve heaps. I am also the same, part of me does not want to quit as it relaxs me, but I am a single mum $300-350 AU a month I am spending on smokes will help immensely with the kids so its me sitting back pondering about my future with my children & smoking loses hands down as it is so not worth it..

Skinny fiber is a diet pill that has all natural products in it I brought it to stop cravings & to boost my metabolism as I have had a bumpy road for the past 4 weeks due to having laryngitis so it was just for a bit extra help as I have been planning to quit for awhile.

I quit last night have not had 1 smoke today however my cravings are killing me as I just want to eat eat eat whereas if I have a smoke I know the pains will go

Thanks Kylie

kyes31

Thank you I am going cold turkey with sugar free gum however still feel as hungry as ever lol I am in Australia have not heard of e-cigs before I was only a 20 pack a day however somedays would be double or less depending on my mood & what I was doing will try ebay & check out prices otherwise will be going cold turkey all the way

HelenDootson

Today is my first day as an ex-smoker too - I have quit more times than I care to remember - But after a length of time, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, once 3 years I go back to it.
Smoking is now affecting my weigh loss - I am struggling to run any further as I can't breath and I NEED to run more than I need to smoke.

Do a puzzle, knit a jumper, clean your teeth, clean out a cupboard - Keep busy, it is the only way and if you must eat.....
a bag of seedless grapes, the really tiny ones works a treat as they remove themselves quite quickly and are fiddly so your hands and mouth are engaged

Good luck to us all and THINK OF THE MONEY lol

Keiko385

Good on you trying to quit! Hardest thing I ever did. The good news is if you can get past the first 3-5 days most of the really bad cravings are gone as the nicotine leaves your body. The rest is mental and finding something to occupy your hands with, I walked, knitted, brushed my teeth what seemed like non stop, have a drink of water.

There are several options if you find you cant do it alone, the nicotine patch or gums, E cigs or a prescription drug.

Brewster1215

Good for you! I quit smoking over 2 years ago (also used e-cigs). You'll be amazed at how better you'll smell and taste food. I still "vape" daily but only because I enjoy the rhythm of smoking...it's the 4000 chemicals in cigarettes that are bad LOL. I would suggest that you do a little research on them if you're interested in em (lot of shoddy, expensive ecigs on the market). A good resource is ECF.

Good luck!

Girl_du_jour

I know what you mean - I have been eating so much more since I quit smoking three weeks ago! Just starting to get a handle on it now - but it IS possible!

If you want to give up smoking, read the Allen Carr book. It will help you change your mindset and see how stupid smoking is. I virtually chain smoked for ten years and I did enjoy it at times and was afraid to fail etc, but the book helped me. You don't have to buy any fancy equipment or pay anyone to help you - YOU have the power to do it yourself.

I know it sounds a bit weird and brainwashy, but it is true - smoking does nothing for you really and the book helps you see that. Not to say I don't occasionally have a craving, but they pass and I know I'm better for it and can start carrying on with my weight loss properly.

Remember - more money, better skin, better health, better fitness, better smell! The weirdest thing I have noticed is that the whites of my eyes have got whiter! Bizarre but good. I swear it's worth it - don't be afraid. YOU CAN DO IT!

Dch2012

I was in the same situation as you. I was always afraid to quit smoking due to weight gain, then i would quit gain 10 pounds and go buy a pack of cigs. So I thought I have an idea I lost 20 pounds then quit smoking, 20 pounds came back within a couple of months so i picked up smoking again. Tried again a few years later gained 10 pounds, started running and joined mfp. Currently quit 14 months and weigh less than i did as a smoker. I guess my point is it can be done you just have to give yourself time and be a little forgiving. Now i dont think i will pick up again cause next time could be the quit where i gain 50 pounds lol.

TheVimFuego

I can also recommend reading Allen Carr's Easy Way book.

I quit cold turkey after 20+ years and I almost can't identify myself as an ex-smoker, it's just a thing I can't imagine myself doing.

It deprograms a lot of people.

You can't crave what you don't want ... no willpower required.

wiijogger

I gave up Smoking in January , Yaaaaaay ! I was a 20 a day Smoker and had smoked for 32 years. I loved Cigarettes believe me. I had tried several times to quit to no avail. I went Cold Turkey a couple of times, and I tried Zyban which sent me nuts.

I quit in January after reading The Allen Carr book (Allen Carrs Easy Way to stop Smoking) and I have never looked back. I made sure I read as much as I could each day in complete silence so that I wasn't distracted by the TV or Radio etc. If I didn't understand some parts of the book I read and re-read it until I did understand.

Yes, some parts of it are quite monotonous and repetative but read it all. You can Smoke while you read the book, (He tells you to

do that) He really changes the way in which you think about Cigarettes and Smoking. We say that we love a cigarette to de-stress, relax etc.....we don't, we love a Cigarette because we are ADDICTS, we are addicted to Nicotine and the top and bottom of it is when we have a Cigarette we are feeding our addiction, end of.

When I had my last Cigarette I made sure that I always had the book with me wherever I went (Even t the Pub) because there is a chapter in there called 'Just the one'...a chapter which talks you out of having 'Just the one' when the urge strikes.

When I was a Smoker I couldn't even run to the end of the road without my heart leaping out of my chest and not being abe to speak because I was so out of breath....Now it's totally different. I Use the Gym every day for 1 hour 5 x per week, I can Jog on the Treadmill for an hour and a half, My Clothes don't smell (I truely cannot believe how a Smoker stinks so much, I never knew that I smelt like that ) Some people say that they can taste heir food more...I never got that, to me it tastes just the same as I did when I smoked.

I can tell you now that quitting Smoking is THE best thing that I have ever done. I have Loads more money, I am fitter, I don't smell like an Ashtray and I am no longer an addict, a slave to a substance. Believe me If I can quit Smoking anyone can.(Boy did I love Cigarettes)

Yes, I have put weight on, I have put a Stone on hence joining MFP to hopefully lose that stone. I only put the Stone on because I made bad food choices instead of Healthy ones.

Good Luck in quitting you CAN do it, you just have to really want to. You are slowly killing yourself at the end of the day by being an Addict.

YOU CAN DO IT !

Mehuman2

I quit smoking using the e-cig also, I love that thing, unfortunately a few things popped up and I started again, Am puffing my e-cig here and there like I did when I first went to quit, I have my batteries (I have 2) charged and ready to go for when I finish this pack. They helped me tremendously, I didn't even have an urge to smoke when I was using them, I would forget it when I got to work but I made it through pretty good as I was even cutting back on smoking (vaping is what it is called) without realizing. I could kick myself in the butt for picking up that first cig under stress. I dealt with a few extreme stress factors while using the e-cig and the stress that sent me back wasn't even that big. Grr, Oh and I lost weight while I was on e-cig (20 lbs) unfortunately believe it or not I gained it back when I started smoking again.

Hope this helps and good luck. I do highly recommend trying an e-cig. They are starting to carry them at gas stations too and convenience stores here. (Wisconsin, USA). Menthol, non-menthol and flavored. (I think the grape tastes like grape LOL).

jsextrasmooth

I can also recommend reading Allen Carr's Easy Way book.

I quit cold turkey after 20+ years and I almost can't identify myself as an ex-smoker, it's just a thing I can't imagine myself doing.

It deprograms a lot of people.

You can't crave what you don't want ... no willpower required.

Absolutely this!! I too quit cold turkey after 20+ years. You have nothing to lose in reading the book so I would urge you to give it a go.

praxisproject

Once you have quit, explore your new sense of smell, it can take awhile, but it's something I would never give up now

shipwreck79

I have quit smoke for about 3 years. I still want one everyday. My husband on the other hand; he quit about 4 years ago and doesnt miss it.
I love being able to smell my perfume, and the extra money to throw towards other things is nice too.
Far as health, I do feel better. I notice I am less sick, and dont have this weird dry cough lol
My weight did reflect my decision to quit, but I think I just used it as an excuse to be honest. I agree with the other poster, its the whole rhythm. Lately my thing now is to chew straws. Nasty habit, but its what I do...and it helps.

healthygreek

Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your health.
Congratulations.
I smoked for 20 years. I loved it. I stopped cold turkey when someone I knew (also a smoker) got diagnosed with lung cancer. Until that moment, I was in denial about what I was doing to myself. That person has died as well as my mother-in-law from the same disease (she was also a smoker).
It was difficult quitting and I had tried several times before but this time it stuck because I was heartbroken.
To help me quit (and lose weight at the same time as I was 50-60 pounds overweight), I started walking every time I had the urge to smoke. I did lots of walking.
I also:
Drank cold water to flush the nicotine out of my system.
Sucked cinniman sticks.
Sucked pretzel sticks.
Chewed gum.
Deep breathing.
Cried a lot.
Let myself feel my anger and grief.
I quit, lost weight, and got fit all at the same time.
The first few days were the toughest physically and it took me about 2 years to not want one at times.
I am grateful I was able to quit and I fully believe I will never pick up again.
You can do it. I know you can.

Retiredmom72

Congrats on making the choice. Keep your hands busy and stay away from the refrigerator. When I get bored, I want to look inside and then I want to eat. You can do it!

Alluminati

Recognize that eating is just replacing the habit of smoking. You're probably not really hungry you're just looking for the oral fixation. Gum or a lozenge might help a little. I quit my pack-a-day habit 6 years ago. I went cold turkey and boy was it rough. I couldn't drink coffee for along time because that was a major trigger for me. Once I got to week 3 the physical craving seemed to let up but the need to fill that time during the day (aka all the 5 minute smoke breaks I was so used to taking) was when eating would fill that void. I had to make a conscious effort to keep busy during those time gaps and realize that I wasn't hungry, I was just replacing one bad habit with another (overeating). It did work and I never went back to smoking since. I'm here now because I ate my way thru pregnancy. :blushing:

You can do this. You just have to be more aware of why you feel the need to eat when you don't have to. Like logging in MFP makes us aware of what we eat, maybe keeping a journal of when your cravings are the worst can help you counteract the overeating. It will get easier, I promise. Good luck OP.