Any smokers?

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  • ChuckNourish
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    I quit 5 years ago. Cold turkey. I gained but it was worth it.
  • Shelby1582
    Shelby1582 Posts: 191 Member
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    I'm 5 months smoke free today. You can do it! I was afraid to quit because I didn't want to gain weight but I made sure that didn't happen and I lost weight. I started doing Insanity when I quit smoking and I used the ecig for a couple weeks. I was more grumpy in the days of tapering down when I knew I was about to quit. The first week was hard but not unbearable. I would drink a lot of water and take small sips when you are craving. I really like the livestrong app too. Apparently I have a thing for online communities and support from strangers but it's a great app. It gave me something to do when I was craving, instead of eating I would log a craving on the app and read support from other people and see how they were a month in or whatever, it was motivating. Just up your workouts and workout when you are craving.
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
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    Possibly gain a little weight that you'll have to work off, versus guaranteed health problems from smoking, including PAD, COPD, lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, emphysema, CAD, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, CHF, hypertension, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, thromboembolism, DVT... Not to mention all the people your second and third hand smoke affects and causes health problems for.

    Not a hard choice to make. But you have to be ready to make that change. However, if the only thing keeping you from quitting smoking is fear of slight weight gain, you need to seriously adjust your priorities, or admit you aren't worried about the weight gain as much as you are scared of the discomfort of quitting smoking and going through withdrawal.

    This is coming from someone who smoked for ten years and quit June 26, 2012, and had that mindset. Find your inspiration and reasons for wanting to quit and commit. You can do it.
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    I will purposely not smoke on gym days, and I hate smoking inside so I've given up on that altogether.

    The last time I was in shape and at a decent weight and was running, I found myself cutting back on cigarettes simply because I could tell a difference in my run time. I was PISSED that I couldn't burn the calories and run the same distance or time because I'd had a smoke a few hours before the gym. I naturally tapered off and in the end was smoking only one a day!!!-- at night, before bed. My doctors and friends asked me why I still bothered to smoke just one cigarette, and I told them it was because I liked smoking. *shrug*

    Life happened, stress hit me like a mack truck, I started smoking full time, gaining weight, etc etc. You know the story... Now I'm trying to stop smoking again. I plan to go cold turkey on the 19th.... my 32nd birthday. I'm ready to do it. And if I can breath better, then I can make my *kitten* run harder to burn off the extra calories I might gain. Life's a trade off, but I'm ready to drop this bad habit and hopefully not pick up another... unless it's wine. I love wine. More wine would be fine! :drinker:

    Good luck to ya sweetie :smile:
  • harley1968
    harley1968 Posts: 218 Member
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    Hello, I sarted smoking when I was 16 and smoked for 29 years. I finally decided that I didn't want to do it anymore and gave up on the 2nd April this year, today is day 67.

    I have put extra weight on but I know now that I have stopped smoking it will be easier for me to exercise more at the gym and not get out of breath.

    Don't let putting weight on stop you giving up smoking. If you can give up smoking you can lose weight.

    Good luck :smile:
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    I was a smoker,, now I am a runner
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not sure if I posted this on the right category. Mods, feel free to move it to its proper place.

    Anyway, I just wanted to ask about smokers, if there are any around here, like me. I used to smoke a pack a day. Now that I'm venturing into weightloss, I tapered it down. I thought of going cold turkey but I tried that before and I packed on an extra 5lbs. Now I'm able to lessen my consumption to 5-10 sticks per day. Still, it gives me a hard time working out.

    Are there any previous smokers in here that was able to cut it out completely from their lives and still achieved weightloss? I really want to completely take smoking out of my system but I'm too addicted and too anxious of gaining more weight than actually losing it.

    Help :(

    I tried to pack up smoking with a previous diet, but that failed and so did my diet. I'm only concentrating on weight loss at the moment, and later on I will pack up smoking as well. It's hard to do both at the same time.
  • GypsyPirate
    GypsyPirate Posts: 42 Member
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    I smoked for 34 years. I quit last fall, 8 months. When I quit, I was right around a 25 pound weight loss mark. I gained some of that back. I expected to, and I allowed it. I continued to track every single bite, just as I did while I was losing. But I allowed myself some pity food and some "oh look at what I gave up" snacks, and some "I really want a smoke right now" chocolate. All told, I think about 15 pounds crept back on. Then, I realized it was time to get back to living the rest of my life. And, the same way that I am not on a diet, I am not going to feel bad anymore that I don't smoke...I just don't. You can do it. When you are ready, when you are tired of being a smoker, you will quit.
  • Frankii_x
    Frankii_x Posts: 238
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    I literally just stopped. When you REALLY want to, you will.

    I can't say that I personally found it 'easy' but it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done either. I just literally didn't smoke again.

    In a morning rather than going for my morning cig - I'd have an extra 5 minutes in bed so that in the morning I didn't have time to smoke even if I wanted to, on my lunch I walked to the furthest sandwich/salad shop so that it took up more time, on an evening I'd spend longer in the gym and go to bed earlier. Soon enough your routine is changed so much that you won't do it anymore.

    This is now my 6th month of not smoking :)

    Hope that helps.

    Edit: I never gained any weight when I quit.
  • coco3382458
    coco3382458 Posts: 296 Member
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    I am on day 18 of no smoking for my 3rd time. The last time I quit a couple years ago I gained 30 lbs. I ended up losing it after I had my son but of course I am worried about gaining this time and that is a big reason I joined MFP. For some reason this time around is easier for me to quit. I think because I am just over it. I will say though any time I have a major craving I will take a couple puffs from an e-cig which does help. I can tell you on day 2 of quitting smoking I could tell a big diff in my breathing. I am so happy I have quit and I can not wait to start an exercise regimen-good luck to you, if we can all do it so can you!
  • elleshimn
    elleshimn Posts: 11 Member
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    Great recommendation with the QuitNow app!! It's really neat, thank you for sharing!!! :) An obviously I don't know how to reply to one specific post/person! LOL