I quit smoking and im dieting and exercising! any advice?

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Since the new year started i've been smoke free (yay!) and starting a new diet with exercise. The diet is a simple 1200 calorie intake with cardio 30-60 minutes a day. Any advice for someone new to this?

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  • DeltaZero
    DeltaZero Posts: 1,197 Member
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  • AyeCorona
    AyeCorona Posts: 204 Member
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    I quit smoking too as of December 24th. Yea! Feel free to add me as a friend.

    ETA: 1200 calories may or may not be the right amount of calories you need per day...you may want to calculate your TDEE first. I'll find the link and send it to you.
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
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    Congrats and good job. What you're doing is not easy. My advice is to take it one day at a time and don't give up.


    Good luck on your journey.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    congrats on quitting!! exercising should be able to distract you from some of your cravings. My best advice is dont take on too much at once. It can become overwhelming. Course, what do I know, ha ha, I quit smoking 20 years ago and I said to myself, I dont care if I gain weight, I will deal with that after I have handled quitting smoking. Gained 100 pounds and only got around to dealing with it a year ago!! oh dear.
  • Barbonica
    Barbonica Posts: 337 Member
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    Lot of changes - congratulations! Make sure you eat back your exercise calories (or most of them) if you are at a 1200 calorie level so you don't burn out from hunger. I did the same thing in 2011, but phased it in. Started exercising in April, started eating healthy in early July, quit smoking end of July. The not smoking thing made the exercise thing so much better and easier!

    To help not smoking, find non-health related items to enjoy, such as how nice your home smells, or how wonderful it is to run up stairs without huffing and puffing, or how wonderful it is to go out and not sit around wondering when you can smoke again.
  • hamminit
    hamminit Posts: 184 Member
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    Just stick with it :) I quit smoking almost 2 years ago- now dealing with the weight loss :) slow changes have worked for me! good luck!
  • JustYandy
    JustYandy Posts: 221 Member
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    Take like up to 3000mg of vitamin C daily,Vitamin A,Vitamin E,....Just helps with withdraws and healing from the smoking.Vitamins help though.I also replaced smoking( and drinking )with living different,but I still slip up about once a week dang it hope I can kick this habbit too. I use the nocotine patch the 14mg I can handle when I step down to the 7mg I get tired more and headaches from lack of nicotine then I caved in because I don't like being tired....Then found Vitamin B12 helps with energy so I'm gonna try that
  • Xx_renee_xX
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    Thanks everyone! great advice! Believe it or not, the quitting smoking thing has actually been quite easier than expected. It's only been 9 days, but so far so good! the exercise has been fun and rewarding so far. Im staying close to my 1200 calories, but going over slightly on some days (there's cupcakes in my house lol). But I'm starting slow and working my way up. Like yall said, I dont wanna burn out too quickly!
  • ashadowreflected
    ashadowreflected Posts: 20 Member
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    Don't look at it as a diet, but a lifestyle change.

    ^^ Definitely this! ^^

    I started on my journey to better health in 2011. In June I make a lot of dietary changes, In July/August I make exercise changes and also quit smoking. I counted the days and at any moment could tell you how many it had been since I had my last. After only a month I was smoking again and soon, back to a pack a day. I quit again in October of that same year and haven't picked it back up.

    What helped me: Don't count the days. Don't say: it's been 13 days since I've had a smoke. If you do that, you are focusing on it and thinking about it. Try to put it out of your mind. Starting a new exercise regimen can help with that. Also, you will find it easier to work out if you aren't smoking.

    Maybe it is weird but I would also take sticks of gum and roll them up (they roll up to about filter size) and when I was really stressed or sometimes in the car, I would suck on the end of it for a little bit and then start chewing it when I felt calmer or got tired of looking like a weirdo... lol.

    Good luck!
  • Xx_renee_xX
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    Hey that's actually not a bad idea, haha! Driving is the one thing I'm struggling with since I quit. That, and avoiding alcohol and coffee. But yes, a lifestyle change indeed. I had my wisdom teeth pulled out in November and had to quit smoking to avoid a dry socket. I went almost a week then Thanksgiving reared it's head, and yeah. I picked it up again lol. But the new year rolled around and i'm determined to finish strong! Thanks for the advice :)
  • bbroadway127
    bbroadway127 Posts: 1 Member
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    The more you practice your goal setting plan, the more it will turn into a habit. Keep at it :-)
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
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    I quit smoking, cold turkey, as well. Right after the ball dropped, I had my last cigarette. It's hard. 9 days later and I am still craving for one every once in a while. I don't have any advice for you, but I commend you on quitting. I went from 1 and a half pack a day to nothing... it's a strange feeling!
  • barb106
    barb106 Posts: 36 Member
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    I quit smoking cold turkey a few years back. My advice is to apologize to people at the beginning of every conversation!

    Really, I found myself very cranky at the beginning but found when I told people I was quitting smoking and was sorry if I was short or snappy with them, they were very supportive!

    You can do it!
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
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    I quit smoking cold turkey a few years back. My advice is to apologize to people at the beginning of every conversation!

    Really, I found myself very cranky at the beginning but found when I told people I was quitting smoking and was sorry if I was short or snappy with them, they were very supportive!

    You can do it!

    Before quitting, I sent out a FB post stating that my friends and family should stay away from me for the first few weeks. Lolz.