Giving up cigs vs Gaining back the weight!

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kazj17
kazj17 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
HELP! I started on MFP to lose the extra lbs that had crept on over the years without me noticing ( sneaky little critters those lbs!)
Over the last 6 months or so that I have been on I here I have tried to be as honest as possible with my logging ( my diary is open which helps with the honesty but isn't always pretty to read!). I am quite proud to say that I have lost 19lb & am now almost at goal. The problem is I also wanted to lose the weight as I intended to try to give up smoking too ( the smokers amongst you will recognise the "intention" bit no doubt ha!)
As everyone always tells me you gain weight when you stop smoking, I wanted to try to lose the extra lbs so at least if I quit & gained, I would at worst (hopefully) be back to where I started & know "if I lost it once I can do it again"
I am now on day 5 of "cold turkey" and just wondered if anyone had any tips/advice to help as I am starting to struggle a bit now.
PS. All advice that includes nibbling on carrot sticks or such like instead of having a cig, - thanks, but you obv have never smoked & it really doesn't help / work!!!!!!!!!! (well not for me at least)

Replies

  • sjeagle30
    sjeagle30 Posts: 292 Member
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    I am a smoker myself and worry about this too. My Dr did tell me that yes you will gain weight but you can always take that back off and the health benefit of quitting smoking outweighs the 10 lbs you may put on. Yes I know this but still....it is hard as hell! The biggest reason he states is that smoking speeds up your metabolism and quitting smoking returns it to normal. This is the reason for the gain...not so much just eating out of boredom. So I know when I do this I will have to exercise a ton more to make up for that. Congrats on the 5 days though. I hope you can stick it out!!! Let me know how it goes for you.
  • ThaRealNicki
    ThaRealNicki Posts: 328 Member
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    BUMP!! MUST KNOW!


    EVerytime i want a cigarette i chew on gum but it doesnt satisfy the urge!!! im trying to quit ive been all day without smoking and giving myself two weeks to kick smoking daily or hopefully even weekly by then then I can quit . I need something thats gonna work for me though when I have a craving!!! gum only works for some of the cravings and then BOOM!!! Its hits you and theres no amount of gum thats gonna make that urge go away!
  • Keiko385
    Keiko385 Posts: 514 Member
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    I quit June 1, not given much choice to do so but thats neither here nor there

    My routine that helped me
    walk the dogs, drink some water, brush your teeth, picked up my knitting or some other hobby that occupies both hands, when that failed I broke down and bought the nicotine patches now I am off of those as well with no cravings what so ever
  • ThaRealNicki
    ThaRealNicki Posts: 328 Member
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    and my guy still smokes!!!! i need help ASAP
  • MizzTweezy
    MizzTweezy Posts: 250 Member
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    celery sticks or carrots and sugar free popsicals and sugar free candy or gum and lots of walking... And if you have the blessing of having money or insurance there are a few meds that can help...
  • deineira
    deineira Posts: 75 Member
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    I think the ease of quitting varies from person to person based on their personal physiology and how much they smoke. I have personally quit smoking twice. The first time I gained about 10 lbs or so, but my diet was not as strict and I was not exercising regularly at the time. I cannot remember if I was eating a lot more, but I must have been because I certainly gained a decent amount of weight. Once I had stabilized my non-smoking habits, then I got rid of the weight. From my point of view, I decided I'd rather be a few pounds heavier than smoke, because the smoking was way worse for me than the extra weight.

    Fast forward five years and I started smoking again when I was getting divorced. It was a crutch for the stress, blah, blah, blah. However, at that time, I was also exercising and eating much better trying to take better care of myself in general, and I wanted to lose more weight (I had gained back half of the weight I lost previously, just by not really being consistent with my diet and exercise). Because I was already exercising and eating better, I did not gain any weight when I quit the second time around. That was two years ago and I've maintained my weight, even lost a few more pounds by really amping up my exercise. The other benefit was that I could exercise so much harder because I wasn't smoking! That would more than make up for any extra eating I was doing, and my diet was clean so I was not eating a bunch of junk at that time.

    What I found help me was chewing gum. I chew gum more frequently now, and I'm sure it's still because there are just times when I'd love to have a cigarette (it also keeps me from snacking too much as well).

    I don't know what you could really do to ride out the cravings except to ride them out! I just had made up my mind that I was going to quit, I knew it was going to suck, but I just put on my big girl pants and pushed through it. Unfortunately, that's all you can do. My sister used the nicotine gum and she said that helped her, but she also started smoking again in a few weeks, so I'm not sure how helpful it really was.

    Good luck to you. I know it's hard, but it can be done. I've done it twice! ;-) I think the secret to quitting and getting through it is just wanting it bad enough to be determined to succeed. It's a total mind over matter kind of thing, but you CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
  • WickedPixie1
    WickedPixie1 Posts: 111 Member
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    I quit in April...mostly cold turkey...chewed nicorette gum 2x a day for a week and haven't touched it since (p'ed me off, that stuff isn't cheap!!)
    I didn't gain weight, but I had to make a concentrated effort to keep my hands from my face...didn't help I was a chronic nail biter too!
    If you are determined to quit, you'll do it and you can do it without nibbling or anything else.

    For the record, I've been smoking since I was 12. I'm 40 now. I had quit years ago for about 5 yrs due to getting pregnant, but once I had my kids, I did go out one night and caved when someone offered me one.

    I've quit hundreds of times, I've tried the patches and inhalers and all the little tricks. What it boiled down to was being really determined to pack it in this time. Mentally, I was ready and willing.
    The cravings were not bad this time, just the odd day or two when I was seriously irritated with people. I even passed the 'beer test' a week after I quit with flying colours!!
  • Skye_Light
    Skye_Light Posts: 12
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    I am on day 10 of no smoking, the first few days were the worst and I was eating everything in sight. I found what worked for me were life saver mints. They also come in sugar free which helps with sugar intake. Everybody has advice to give, but only you can figure out calms your cravings.
  • kazj17
    kazj17 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice, I am trying to keep reeeeeally busy so I don't have time to think about smoking, my house has never been so clean! I feel more positive this time than previous times I have tried to quit & have come to the conclusion that it's just sheer will power and determination that are the best strategies - although maybe not the easiest.
    My appetite doesn't seem to have increased too much as yet but there's still time I suppose & will have to cross that if it happens. Still rather gain back a few lbs than go back to smoking cos up to now losing the weight was definately the easier of the two!
    My husband still smokes so it is quite difficult & I even had a glass of wine last night & resisted temptation! :drinker:
    So far so good - one day at a time! :smile:

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