Any smokers?

Hey , I will tell u my weird story of how I unintentionally quit lol!, almost 2 1/2 years ago, during the month of December, I had heard of these electronic cigs on line and thought they looked pretty cool, I have a kid and do not smoke inside, and I was getting pretty tired and annoyed at having to go outside and smoke all the time (especially here in MTL Quebec Canada-it's damn cold!! lol!), so I thought it would be fun to try it out!.
I researched what I would need, what amount of nicotine to get, and what flavours etc (so fun!!), and decided on my order, well I received my package in the mail shortly before Christmas!, I was happy to have my e-cigs as I went to many family gathering, restaurants, events etc. and I was able to smoke my e-cig indoors!, how awesome!, I was so happy with them, that I eventually started going out less and less for that real cigarette, until I decided I just didn't want to freeze my butt off and smell like cigarettes any more, so I quit smoking real cigarettes all together.
I can say that the first couple days were weird, I was CONSTANTLY smoking my e-cigs as I WAS feeling some sort of withdrawal, but it wasn't too bad, as I knew I could smoke my e-cig all day long and it did make it better, there was a good dose of nicotine in the fluid and I found it gave me the same type of throat hit when inhaling the vapor, so I dealt with it, (I researched later that I pob. wasn't having nicotine withdrawals, I was having chemical withdrawals, as we are also addicted to all the chemicals that come with smoking too and that is what I was missing!).
Fast forward a couple months, I naturally started decreasing the amount of time smoking my e-cigs, the craving just wasn't as bad!, so then eventually I was smoking them after my meals, with coffee, while on the 'puter, and then I started getting lazy with them, forgetting to charge them, and so I would wait longer and longer to smoke them until finally I was only talking them with me to outings, just in case, as that was a major trigger for me, eventually they were bulking up my purse and I really wasn't using them, so I left them at home and I eventually stopped smoking those too!, all that in 4 months!.
BTW, before the e-cigs, I was smoking around 3/4 to 1 pack (25 cigs, king size) a day, and I had been smoking steady since the age of 13! (which makes it a total of 15 years smoking), I couldn't even remember how it felt to NOT smoke!.
In conclusion, I feel like I cheated!, lol!, no suffering or crazy withdrawals for me, and I am soo happy to have quit now!, I am no longer a slave to those cigarettes!, I am free! .

After my second kid i quit smoking and maybe gained 3-5lbs it wasn't a huge gain right so I didn't think too much of it cause with breastfeeding and light exercise it came off as quickly as i put it on. Yet my husband also quit smoking and he lost about 15lbs. Which blew my mind, and we both had huge cravings for chocolates and sweets and found that because we weren't smoking anymore we went into a constant snack mode. But i really wanna kick myself in the *kitten* cause we both started smoking again because of stress of work/family issues but we don't smoke as much as we used to, i'm down to 4 smokes a day, he's down to 10 because he's constantly around people who smoke so it's not as easy for him as it is cause I stay at home with the kids But it's true when you quit, it'll be hard and you'll notice a significant difference in your endurance, sleep, and overall stamina.

I gave up two weeks ago and fitness wise, it's been the best thing I've ever done..I've just slightly increased my exercise and haven't gained..in fact, I've lost.
You can do it.

I smoked for 41 years (I was 9 when I started). I gave up just over a year ago and immediately put on 15 lbs. It's not so much the extra eating as the fact that you burn 200 cals a day while smoking (your heart is pumping harder). So when you stop smoking your body adjusts.

DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!

You probably won't be able to fight the weight gain in the first year. That's ok. Again, it's your body adjusting. Continue to watch your calorie intake (myfitnesspal). It's taken me a year to lose my 15 lbs...not quite there yet...but like rassha01, I've turned into a runner...and boy do I run!

Good luck, stay strong. (smiles)

I smoke and keep thinking of stopping but I make so many excusses as to why I need to carry on. going to have a read of the links posted

I used to smoke a lot some time ago, and one day I quit cold turkey. I spent something like two years without any ciggies, but then one day I was drinking with some friends and someone was smoking: I could'nt resist. I started smoking two-three, and went up to almost 10 a day until a month ago, when I decided I was going to GRADUALLY quit. Since last week I don't smoke during the day or before I exercise. It is only at night when I get home that I give into my craving for smoke and on the weekends when I go out or drink with someone (especially if they smoke).

As I read on a previous reply, everyone is different. The first time I quit it was sort of easy, but as you can see I picket it up again... so I guess doing it gradually might just be what will work for me.

smoking causes horrific mouth odors during intimate kissing sessions. Best solution is to hold your nose. The relationship will last alot longer when its outta smell outta mind

i was smoke free from july to october last year about 10lbs during that time. then i ran a marathon, celebrated my achievement with a couple cigarettes a day for two weeks, then got laid off from my job and jumped back on the horse and went back to smoking half a pack a day until now. i found quiting easy in some ways because i was going on a camping trip with my family and wouldnt be able to smoke during the trip so when i came back i had a week under my belt and kept up that positive momentum. if you have something, even if it isnt a whole week or more, where you can change your surroundings and routine it makes it much easier since so much of it it mental. i have another family trip coming up in june and so i am enjoying every last smoke until then when i will put them down for good

i have posted my suggestions and advice before so this is mostly cut and pasted from another thred i posted it in but it all applies here.

oranges help when you have a craving and are a good post workout treat.

wanting a cigarette feels a lot like hunger - which it is, your body is hungry for nicotine, and you are hungry for the taste and experience of smoking. This is a big reason we eat more when we quit, recognize that and be prepared with carrots or something else to fill that void and realize you arent really that much more hungry than normal, they just feel the same.

on weight loss and nicotine loss at the same time...
1. if you arent going to watch your weight while you quit smoking, then when will you know it is time to start? once you quit smoking then you have quit. do you wait a week, a month, a year? what is the magical date? if you arent actually quit for X amount of time then you are allowing the doubt to exist in your mind and allowing for the possibility that you will fail, dont allow for that doubt, dont make failure an option. there is no magical date where you have quit other than when you stamp out that last cigarette so dont make excuses for yourself by saying you cant do both at once.

2. to change, add, or get rid of habitual behavior you need to shake up your routine, thats hard enough to do once so why do it twice? you want to add or build on new habits - dieting and exercise and get rid of one - smoking, so set up a new routine that incorporates those goals.

3. if you are starting to exercise more and you want to quit smoking (this is the most important factor, you have to really want to, otherwise dont bother trying) then you dont want smoking to become part of your exercise routine. a cigarette after a workout is the greatest thing in the world (that is by far the hardest one for me to give up) so if you want to quit then you are going to make it a lot harder.

4. you can obsess about your calories and or your exercise to help eat up the time you might be thinking about how you miss smoking, it will give you a new addiction to replace the old one.

5. of course there are people at gyms and in running groups and other people you might meet exercising who smoke but if you start to make fitness related friends and have never smoked around them, they might not smoke around you or not much at least since it is less acceptable since you met at a gym or on a run, thats a good thing for you, fewer people smoking around you is fewer temptations and less envy.

6. workouts will start to become easier as you get in better shape and also as you smoke less, get both of these benefits at the same time and it will spur you on in your efforts that much more

i dont say good luck to people since there is no luck involved in quiting smoking and saying there is gives you an out or an excuse to start again, it is mental, you have to convince yourself and your mind that you really really really dont want to smoke anymore. the rest is handling the side affects.

grab your goal by the horns and dont let go, add me if you want, i will do my best to check up on you

I quit in June 2012 after smoking a pack a day for 10 years. I did gain some weight, maybe 10 lbs, but guess what? It's a lot easier to lose weight than to get a new set of lungs! (I wish I could take the credit for that, someone else said that in a previous post a few days ago on the same topic).

Anyway, have you tried nicotine replacement? The gum is great for break-through or sudden cravings. Quitting smoking is more than breaking one habit- you've built up habits around that habit. For instance, smoking after meals, smoking in the car, taking smoke breaks at certain times of the day, smoking while drinking, etc. Try breaking each habit, one at a time. And take it one day at a time, like any addiction. Can you promise yourself you won't smoke today? Or at least for the next 2 hours?

It is doable. You have to understand your "why" though. Why do you smoke when you smoke? Because it's just that time? Because of a specific feeling? Is it a reward? Is it punishment? Find other ways to manage these "whys," ways that don't involve food. You don't want to be transferring your addiction onto food!

I wrote a blog a bit ago on the topic, so feel free to check it out. Good luck!

I quit this past January. And I was doing really well, until about a month ago. And I'd go visit one of my friends once a week and sit on her back porch and smoke like 4-5. And now I'm at like 1-4 a day for the past week. It's sick I know, but it's like an old friend I didn't realize I missed until I indulged it. This has to stop. I know that. I just kinda want to hang on for a bit longer... which is dumb I now b/c it'll make it worse.