Ex-smokers?

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Icoza87
Icoza87 Posts: 111 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
SO I quit smoking 11/1/13 (just over a month ago) and I feel awesome and I'm happy and everything is going well.

EXCEPT -

I got on the treadmill last night for the first time since quitting and ended up having super bad breathing problems 6 minutes in.

My lungs burned for almost an hour after.

I have super mild asthma that only effects me when I'm sick, and when I was little it gave me issues when I exerted myself, but I haven't had an experience like this since I was probably 10 years old.

Is that normal? I thought it'd be easier, not harder!! :laugh:

Anyway, I've got this big 'ol 20 lb gain hanging over my head just from the last month so I really wanna get back to eating healthy and moving more. Do you think it'll get better with time? Anything I can do to help it?

Any advise is much appreciated! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • zornig
    zornig Posts: 336 Member
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    Had you been doing cardio-intensive exercise while you were smoking, or have you just started exercising now that you've quit? Your lungs need to be conditioned, just like other muscles and organs in your body, and I found when I quit smoking that I had a month or two of hacking up disgusting stuff while my lungs sorted themselves out. There'll be a period of transition, and you might experience some exercise-induced asthma along the way. Just take it slow and build up your capacity over time. You will definitely experience a benefit, it might just not be instantaneous as you had hoped it would be.
  • JojoInTheForks
    JojoInTheForks Posts: 134 Member
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    Congratulations on quitting smoking! I know from experience how difficult that can be! Your lungs are going to take awhile to get cleaned out...so, unfortunately, what you are experiencing is normal. Probably exacerbated by the fact that you have mild asthma.

    Here's a sample timeline of what you'll go through...you can do it, though! If I can, anyone can! :)

    http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/quitting-cesser/benefits-bienfaits_e.php
  • Icoza87
    Icoza87 Posts: 111 Member
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    Had you been doing cardio-intensive exercise while you were smoking, or have you just started exercising now that you've quit? Your lungs need to be conditioned, just like other muscles and organs in your body, and I found when I quit smoking that I had a month or two of hacking up disgusting stuff while my lungs sorted themselves out. There'll be a period of transition, and you might experience some exercise-induced asthma along the way. Just take it slow and build up your capacity over time. You will definitely experience a benefit, it might just not be instantaneous as you had hoped it would be.
    I'd had a cardio routine on and off and here and there over the past several years of "trying" to lose weight, and it never bothered me at the time.

    Thanks for your response. Maybe I'll try C25K to help gradually increase capacity.
  • Icoza87
    Icoza87 Posts: 111 Member
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    Congratulations on quitting smoking! I know from experience how difficult that can be! Your lungs are going to take awhile to get cleaned out...so, unfortunately, what you are experiencing is normal. Probably exacerbated by the fact that you have mild asthma.

    Here's a sample timeline of what you'll go through...you can do it, though! If I can, anyone can! :)

    http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/quitting-cesser/benefits-bienfaits_e.php

    Thanks for the link! That's awesome to see.
  • TarynAngeline
    TarynAngeline Posts: 95 Member
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    Congratulations!!!! I went through the same thing when I quit. I went to the doctor and he told me that when you quit smoking, it gets worst before it gets better. This is simply your lungs beginning to clean and repair themselves. Go easy on yourself during this period. Maybe do some lifting instead of cardio or keep your cardio very light, like walking on the treadmill for an hour instead of running. It's a gross and painful stage but once your lungs get past it you will feel INCREDIIBLE and your breathing and asthma will greatly improve, I promise. Patience <3
  • Caporegiem
    Caporegiem Posts: 4,297 Member
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    What everyone else is saying is true, it will take a little while but just by quitting you've improved your health alot. I quit four years ago did the same thing as you I immediately started going to the gym to do cardio. I found that I just couldn't run long without my breathing being affected so I ended up going slower but raised the incline up quite a bit where I was still keeping a higher heart rate but I wasn't running out of breath. I'm still not a great runner now but that's due more to my knees that my lungs.

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