Am I crazy? MFP & stopping smoking?

I think it can work. Might even be the best thing you do, because monitoring your calories can prevent you from -putting- on weight when you quit. That said, if you feel that you will struggle, focus on smoking first. It's a. a quicker fix, and b. more important, imo. Once you've got that down pat, mfp will still be here.

As a person in the same position, I decided I was going to focus on my weight loss and quitting smoking at the same time. However, I made it about three days of no smoking and caved. I am now focusing on my weight loss, eating more fresh foods and less processed foods and getting to the gym.

If you can handle such a drastic change, focus on them both. I could not handle that.

Quit both at the same time? WHAT?!

It's a lot to take on, but you can do it! I quit in August of 2010 and haven't looked back. Best of luck!

I have been doing MFP for a week now and I also have been thinking its time to quit smoking. I feel I have been ready for a while and why not do them both at once. Even after 1 week I feel so much better and honestly think that I am ready to take the non smoker plunge right along with the other stuff. Why not make a total overhaul life change

Nope, you're not crazy. I'm doing the same thing. I'm getting rid of one cigarette out of my daily routine per week. I'm now down to 4 cigarettes, and starting tomorrow, I'll be down to 3 cigarettes a day for the week. I feel that in order to get rid of the bad habit, you have to replace it with a good habit. Out with the bad, in with the good. You can do it! Good luck!

That be crazy!

I think got now set your goal to .5 lbs a week loss till you kick the smoking habit. That is going to be hard!

it's possible! I'm doing it! However, I started the quitting smoking one month before I started dieting. 1. quitting helps me work harder at the gym and 2. I was already stressed and irritable quitting and didn't want to add to it with starting a diet at the same exact moment. So I quit... and about a month later I felt entirely ready to start a diet. I was already feeling better physically. OH! and I started EXERCISING at the same time that I quit. baby steps though. I was walking a lot. The exercise helped take the edge off of not having a cigarette and I hear it's good to help you stick to quitting. But i didn't start counting calories and being strict with my diet until the next month when I was getting used to not smoking.

hi there, its up to you, which is more important? I came here and did weight loss first as i wasnt ready to quit, i hit my goal december, then quit smoking ( a pack a day for 23 years) cold turkey 9 am dec 30th, so its 3 weeks tomorrow, its ok, ive been cranky, ive cried etc, i crave, im eating a lot more, but i also run as im fit and i work out because im used ot it. I love the fact my runs have increased as my stamina is amazing now, so thats cool anyway here are my quit stats, hope it helps you make the decision xx

quit date 30/12/12 09.00
time since last smoke 20d 13.53
money saved $329.27
cigs not smoked 514.48
life saved 2d 03.26

anyway I really dont want to go back to smoking there are heaps of free aps to help and they all have a little counter to keep you motivated. Good luck and check out the amount of money i saved, and life xxx

BTW I have gained 2 pounds byt that could be water or muscle as training harder xx

I am on electronic cigarettes, they give me my nicotine fix and keep me off cigarettes (2 years now). They help me so I thought I would post it. MFP has changed my life, completely, I have never been so motivated to lose weight with my new friends, its brilliant. Stay with us and good luck

So...could you focus on stop smoking...and track your food too? I'm not saying "lose weight"...just start tracking WHAT you eat, and get used to tracking.

My entire problem was that I had no clue how many calories I was consuming on a daily basis. I look at the old data now and just shake my head, "WOW".

Just do it my friend, just do it.

I quit smoking as a 50th birthday present to myself (12 years ago) Here is something that I discovered.

Without knowing it, I headed to the refrigerator. My body was trying to get me to eat something because it knew that I would smoke after. It was like my body was possessing me. As soon as I recognized what was happening, I put a note on my refrigerator that asked me if I was hungry or was my body just pushing me around. That helped a lot. (I know that it was more psychological than physical - but I framed it in a context that helped me remember who I was doing it for)

(Unfortunately, in a time of GREAT stress 2 years ago, I started up again. What a mistake. Now I have to go through it all over again. May I friend you so that I can see how you are doing and learn what I can about doing it again?

Where can you find a computer safe quit meter?

I know just how you feel. If I'm honest, I've spent at least eighteen months debating with myself whether to tackle the weight problem or the smoking. In the end, the 'can't go on like this' feeling culminated at the beginning of the year in a decision to tackle the weight while I was deciding If I'd done this eighteen months ago, I'd just be looking at tackling the smoking now. *Sigh...

My current favourite saying is 'Don't find an excuse, find a way'. When I first started tracking my food and movement (I made the decision about thirty seconds after I found MFP - I LOVE this place ), I was keeping half an eye on my cigarette count too and I'd often ask myself if I really needed to light up there and then, and there were plenty of times when I could just let the feeling pass and indulge twenty or thirty minutes later instead. My cigarette count went right down - there was one day when I'd only smoked 12, which is half my usual 20-25 a day.

However, there were one or two 'events' coming up in the week that's just gone, and so I gave myself permission to let the smoking thing ride. It was only this morning that I'd realised the obvious - I'd found an excuse instead of a way. The events in question have come and gone, and would have come and gone just the same way if I'd been smoking a bit less. I'm now trying to be a bit more 'mentally present' whenever I reach for my baccy tin

I suppose what I'm saying is that if you're not ready to quit totally yet either (and I don't think you'd be asking the question if you were), there's no reason why you can't make small, steady, painless changes in how often you smoke - even if that only means deciding not to light up for another five minutes - while making tackling the weight your priority. Then, when you do come to address the smoking problem it should be a significantly smaller one and your newly-trim self is likely to be more energetic and feeling much more motivated to do something about it.

That's the approach I'm taking to it, anyway. The weight loss goal is a priority and set in stone here now, but as far as the smoking (and a zillion lesser bad habits!) go, I shall keep asking myself if I've found an excuse or a genuine reason. If it turns out to be an excuse, then I'll just have to find a way. Good luck with whatever your strategy turns out to be