Success stories: quitting smoking without weight gain??

emirror · September 2013

Wellbutrin XL, 150mg once daily, (if you go generic, make sure you get the 150mg once daily, and not the 300mg, as those are being proven to be not effective) did it for me.

I was taking it for seasonal depression, and it is often prescribed to help stop smoking. After a few days, cigarettes tasted nasty. I'd light one, and then after one or two pulls, I'd look at it and think eww, I don't want this at all, and put it out.

After 2 weeks, I was completely smoke-free, and after 1 month I didn't even think about it anymore. It has been over a year now. I quit taking the Wellbutrin a few months ago, and I have no desire to smoke at all.

mimi337 · October 2013

I smoked for more than 30 years (which blows my mind) and quit using the Alan Carr book. Weird how it works -- it's positive brainwashing instead of negative brainwashing. I highly recommend it. I also think it's important to quit when you want to quit. By the time I picked up the Alan Carr (and as mentioned before, he tells you "go ahead and smoke while you read this book") I was so sick of my smoking. I'm old enough now to know as well that I was simply tempting fate to continue. It's one thing to smoke at 20 it's another thing to still be smoking at 50. My final point is: you will be able to work out better when you quit smoking. I won't lie, I was able to run, weight lift, do ballet and walk up five flights of stairs daily while I smoked. But I was young. It catches up with you. The reason I feared exercise (by the time I was 45) was because I knew I didn't have the breathing strength. And like everyone else has said: a few pounds is nothing compared to the long term effects of smoking. Read the alan carr book, continue to ask for support and start to take a nice long walk every day. Try to walk up a hill. See how it compares after you've quit. I know you'll do great. And PS -- I managed to get fat while smoking so the idea that it is what allows us to remain thin is really bull****.

I also posted this question under general diet and weight loss forum but thought I would post it under success forum as well to see if I could get more feedback.
Has anyone successfully quit smoking without gaining weight? Over the last couple of months I've lost 18lbs. I started smoking again around a month after the birth of my son in January simply due to so much stress and loss of will power. Ignorant choice I know! I started smoking when I was 15 years old and quit successfully when I was 24 without any slips for a year and half. I was so proud of myself and felt so good but I did gain 15 lbs when I quit. I don't remember if I was counting my calories at the time or not (probably not). I've came to a point where I simply cant afford the disgusting habit anymore but it has such a hold on me. Plus I don't want to see that scale moving up again.
I read online (whether or not its true I'm not sure but it does make sense) that smoking due to increased heart rate etc. burns around 200 cals a day if your smoking an entire pack a day. Plus the things like increased hunger, better taste, boredom etc causes weight gain when stopping smoking. I'm going to try and burn 200 more cals a day by walking/running/etc or on lazy days that I'm not proud to confess to I will decrease my cals by 200. I really need to quit and will quit whether I gain or not but I want to hear that it is an option whether I gain weight and not an envitable consequence of stopping smoking!

sunsetzen · October 2013

I quit smoking cold turkey in 2007, after...too long. I had pneumonia and had to stop, so I could breathe. Never started again. I didnt gain any weight. But I also didnt use anything else in lieu of ciggs, like candy or other things. I also was cycling more and faster because I could breathe better.

cmarr7 · January 2018

I have been smoke free for 11 mos. quit cold turkey on 2/28/17 after smoking for 47yrs. I had bottle water with a nozzle and gum ready-every time I wanted to smoke I reached for one or the other. Also would deep breath every time I got the urge. I have LOST 15lbs. I also quit Diet Coke with caffeine that I drank every day for 45yrs. Sublimated with Low sodium V8 juice and pedialyte. I switched to a dairy free,sugar free,gluten free diet. Have not had a migraine in 2 1/2 months. Prescription free except I take minimal dosage of hormones and Vitamin D. My diet consists of brown rice,antibiotic/cage free chicken,beans,veggies in olive oil,fruits and veggies. Definitely a banana and avocado a day. It’s all in the head. You can do it!

The_Ta · January 2018

I was a 5-10 cigarette per day smoker for about 15 years. I decided to finally quit after getting really sick (digestive nightmare) the week before surgery to remove my ovaries due to cancer risk. The week of being laid-up in bed being sick and then a few more days after the surgery was enough to stop the habit. I was fortunate because I never was a “I gotta have a smoke” smoker.

Use MFP, and you shouldn’t gain weight if you are honest with your logging. You might need a plan for what to do if you are craving a cigarette. Not keeping snacks around is a good idea, and doing a burst of exercise is a great idea.

You can totally do this!! If you should have a set-back...just pick yourself up and try again. It’s not easy, but just focus on being stubborn with your goals.

nutmegoreo · January 2018

I lost weight the first time I quit, but I started a new job that kept me active. The second time, I changed little, but food tasted so much better, so I assume I ate more.

It can be done, just watch how much you are eating. I'm pretty sure most weight gain that happens when people quit is related to hand-to-mouth habit in combination of food tasting better, plus searching for a new coping mechanism to replace smoking.

Success stories: quitting smoking without weight gain??

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