At a plateau since I quit smoking!

sassykitty101

At a plateau since I quit smoking. I quit smoking a month ago and since then I have not lost any weight. I have still been eating good and exercising. I am getting frustrated. I don't want to smoke again but I want to lose weight. Any help please. :flowerforyou:

neacail

At a plateau since I quit smoking. I quit smoking a month ago and since then I have not lost any weight. I have still been eating good and exercising. I am getting frustrated. I don't want to smoke again but I want to lose weight. Any help please. :flowerforyou:

The effect of smoking on the body is like having an additional 60lbs of body weight. Quitting smoking has been like losing 60lbs, which is huge. In addition to that, you've done it without gaining any weight.

I'm actually in the same situation as you: I quit a month ago and haven't lost a pound (though I have lost a couple of inches). I'm logging everything, not overeating, am more physically active than I've been in the last six years . . . and my weightloss has stopped.

Nicotine is a stimulant, which increases one's heart rate by 10-20 bpm. Even if one doesn't change anything else (how much s/he is eating, working out, etc.), weight gain (4-10 pounds) often results once the stimulant is removed from the system and the heart-rate returns to normal.

It is just going to take our bodies some time to adjust. In the meantime, be happy with the lack of weight gain.

Healthydiner65

I quit Jan 26,2012 . You can lose without smoking. Exercise more, drink lots of water, no alcohol! And keep sodium intake below 2000.

meeper123

How much are you eating a day? I was eating around 1200 everyday not eatin back cals burned and eating quite a lot of sodium! I didnt budge a pound for 3 months I started eating more calories and just now the cals have started to come off. What I am trying to sayis quiting smoking might not have been everything have you looked at what and how long you have been eating the same number of calories?

Mcgrawhaha

i gained 40 pounds in 1 year after i quit smoking, from snacking... and i didnt even realize what i was doing... skittles here, hot cheetos there... a scoop of cake frosting over there... maybe your snacking as a coping method to your not only nicotiene withdrawls, but the mental and physical hand to mouth withdrawls as well. pay attention to that, that may be the problem!

sassykitty101

Thanks.

I usually eat around 1500 calories a day but it does just depend on the day. I have not been snacking on candies or junk foods. I have been snacking on fruits and veggies.
This is why I changed my eating and exercise habits before quitting smoking as it has really helped me not go from one addiction to another. I have been making sure not to go to candies and chips etc I have fruits and veggies with me all the time and sugar free gum.

rduhlir

I would focus on the inches. I quit smoking in December, and it slowed down my weight loss for about a month as well, but I lost inches. I would tape, and also be patient.

Another thing that helped me was finding a healthy addiction. That helped me not shift my nicotine addiction to food, but instead to something much healthier. That is what I would suggest. Find that healthy exercise addiction and keep to that. It helps.

Edited to add this:

I have not gained one single pound since quitting smoking. So do not believe the myth that you WILL gain if you lose. Those that do gain are usually the result of what I mentioned earlier, shifting from nicotine to food as addictions.

Astacia74

I quit just over 2 months ago and, like you, I started eating healthier and exercising prior to quitting. The first month, I continued to lose weight albeit, more slowly. Now that I am on month 2, I have plateaued as well. I lowered my calories from 15000 to 13500 and am increasing my exercise in the hopes that it will kick start the weight loss again.