Holy potatoes, is this why I can't lose weight?

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  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    :smile:

    I couldn't care less whether my weight stays at the same if I lose inches. However, it does equally confuse me when on here it says I'm at a defecit, but have gained, or stayed the same.

    My weight has recently been bouncing around the same 2lb, recently gaining those 2 back again. But my measurements are the same. Dunno what it is, or why I'm not losing when my numbers are green and I'm working out, but unless my measurements go up then I wont be crying. :sad:
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
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    You could incorporate more cardio exercises. How many miles are running per week?
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
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    CONGRATS on the quitting smoking! That is AWESOME!!!

    Also, you have to give your body some time to adjust. If you change things too much too often, you will not get a chance to see the results. If you up your calories, do it for a few weeks and then check it and so on. Whatever you do, be consistant for a bit before deciing it doesnt work.

    GOOD LUCK and again, CONGRATS on the NO SMOKING!!!!!
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
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    So, how long does it take for your body to get the memo that you are doing something good and that it can start losing again. I am terrified of quitting. But, a plateau is WAY better than gaining. And I can take that if I know it will kick it back in. Smoking also causes you to hold on to more of the visceral fat, Ive heard.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    Just read that smoking increases you metabolism by 7%. D:

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
    Well nicotine does increase metabolism a little but I think you can also compensate it with drinking green tea or upping your workout without eating it back. I also posted a thread about it before as I also dreading about the weight gain considering that I had ED before & then got some responses. By the way that s a group thread for those who are quitting smoking (I'm one of them & am in my first week) & got some responses that might help.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/675266-any-tips-on-how-not-to-gain-weight-while-quitting-smoking
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    Yep, unfortunately your metabolism slows down as you quit smoking. My first weight gain was when I quit 10 years ago.
    It is still better to quit
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
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    Likely. When I quit I gained 6lbs. Then after a couple of months I got used to it and lost those, and then some more. Tough it out until your body gets used to being without all the toxins.
  • cheerocracy
    cheerocracy Posts: 38 Member
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    mmhh maybe it isn't the cigaretts? I started losing weight when I quit smoking and started running. Probably because the change of lifestyle shocked my body and thus the weight loss began (that combined with a healthy diet). I did encounter plateaus, however they were fixed once I changed my workout routine/ increased my exercise or such.
  • nabali
    nabali Posts: 6 Member
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    I quite 2 years ago and didn't gain a pound for like 12 months. I did indeed up my cardio by a lot, so that might be it (app. +30 minutes more per workout compared to when I was smoking and couldn't do high intensity cardio for very long time).

    Smoking might get your heart beat up for a little while because your poor body needs to deal with all the toxins, but it will also take years of your life in the end.

    Intensify your workouts for the first couple of months after quitting the cancer sticks - that should do the trick.
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    I quit smoking New Years day of 2008 ... and gained 20 lbs over the following months. I have heard (but dont know how true it is) that smoking speeds up your metabolism so when you stop it slows down...
  • Hayleighs_mom
    Hayleighs_mom Posts: 48
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    Keep up the great work and don't start smoking again. Keep an eye on your sodium levels (that was one of my main issues). Also, your gaining a lot of muscle from working out so much. Lastly, drink LOTS of water.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    ^^^This! Please don't get discouraged. The benefits you'll get from not smoking will completely outweigh this period of none weight loss. Just keep doing what you're doing and your body will catch up!
    Oh please never say that, I know about those but at the same time I hate to gain weight. That doesn't sound too motivating especially if you're telling that to somebody whose been through ups & downs just to get to his/her goal weight.

    EDIT: I'm talking about weight gain, not plateau.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
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    Congrats on giving up smoking - you won't regret it.

    Next - 3 weeks is too short a time to be panicking - you need to stick with one thing for 2 - 3 weeks before you know whether it has worked. 3 weeks is even too little time to know if you've really plateaued.

    agree with comments suggesting upping your work out though.
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    Perhaps another way to look at it is that smoking destroys your metabolism which has to work harder to maintain homeostasis and provide respiration to your cells.

    Congratulations, you just avoided a triple bypass. . . saved your life!

    Be patient, you will lose weight. If your diary is open, I'll check it to see if anything is wrong there.
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
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    I quite 2 years ago and didn't gain a pound for like 12 months. I did indeed up my cardio by a lot, so that might be it (app. +30 minutes more per workout compared to when I was smoking and couldn't do high intensity cardio for very long time).

    Smoking might get your heart beat up for a little while because your poor body needs to deal with all the toxins, but it will also take years of your life in the end.

    Intensify your workouts for the first couple of months after quitting the cancer sticks - that should do the trick.


    O___________________________O

    twleve months? *fumbles for lighter*


    I kid, I kid.

    But seriously.







    No, seriously.

    I can't plateau for 12 months.


    I'm at 1200 calories a day. I now do classes-- dancing, kickboxing, heavy weight training, and Zumba. 4 - 5 times a week. On exercise days, I try to add about 100 - 150 calories.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Just read that smoking increases you metabolism by 7%. D:

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
    Imagine how much weight you'll loose after the chemotherapy to treat the eventual lung cancer. People drop weight fast during those treatments and Methamphetamine will increase your metabolism by probably triple that amount but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to do that. Focus on what's healthy for your body. There are no gimmicks or shortcuts. Just do the right things. Eat good foods in the proper amount, exercise, and get plenty of rest.
  • angelalf1979
    angelalf1979 Posts: 244 Member
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    how could you call it a plateau when it takes atleast 3 weeks for it to be a plateau....?

    you said you tried UPPING your calories, then tried lowering them... in otherwords, you probably averaged out to the middle.. where you will remain.

    just hold a steady deficit for 3 weeks.

    ^THIS. 3 weeks is not enough time for figuring this out. Congrats on quitting though!! Keep at it!!! I quit 2 months before joining MFP so it will be 4 months in August.
  • sodaisy
    sodaisy Posts: 69
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    Check out http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/weightgain/a/metabolism.htm

    I quitted smoking in March 2012, joined MFP in April 2012 and weight started to drop in Jun 2012. Don't give up, just take 1 step at a time!
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
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    how could you call it a plateau when it takes atleast 3 weeks for it to be a plateau....?

    you said you tried UPPING your calories, then tried lowering them... in otherwords, you probably averaged out to the middle.. where you will remain.

    just hold a steady deficit for 3 weeks.

    ^THIS. 3 weeks is not enough time for figuring this out. Congrats on quitting though!! Keep at it!!! I quit 2 months before joining MFP so it will be 4 months in August.

    Because for three months straight I was losing anywhere between 1 and 2.5 pounds, and now it's completely stopped. For three weeks. Pretty good indicator!

    Thanks for the encouragement, guys! I was mostly curious if it was true that quitting makes you gain. I'd previously thought it was because people replace smoking with food, which I haven't done, yet I've still not lost.

    And when I said I upped my calories, I went from 1200 to 1300. Not that drastic, I suppose.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    25% of quitters LOSE weight while quitting.

    The few percentage points of added BMR can't make you plateau at 1200-1300 calories. Your BMR has still got to be at least 1400, plus you burn calories through activity.

    Don't chalk it all up to the quit. You might be retaining water from the new workouts or something. Keep at it!

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