I quit smoking and I quit losing weight, HELP!!

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mandy0688
mandy0688 Posts: 335 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
OKay here it is, I decided to better myself and quit smoking as of December 1st. The first two weeks weight loss was slow. Then it picked up. I stopped the nicotine patch all together on the first of January and haven't lost a single pound. I tried to eat like I always did for a few weeks to confuse my metabolism. I got that idea from people. When I started back I barely gained a pound which was a surprise to me. I have read online about ppl not losing weight for a year after they quit smoking. Its like the metabolism is not the same. WTF! I am getting really upset about this and I am at the point to where I wanna give up and say **** it.

Replies

  • castell5
    castell5 Posts: 234 Member
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    Give up and gain weight.. is that really what you want? Use the money you aren't spending on cigarettes (and that ought to be alot) and go buy yourself some pretty vibrant colored workout clothes.
    Then put them on and work out at least, (the bottom least) a half hour a day.
    Watch your calories and whallah.. you will lose weight.

    I quit smoking 27 yrs ago. I can't imagine how much money I have saved and how much healthier I am for it.
    Be strong and dedicated to whatever goals you choose for yourself and you will succeed.

    Congrats on quitting.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Just because you quit smoking doesn't mean you can't lose weight.

    Switch up what you are doing... increase the intensity of your exercise or exercise for longer. Ensure you are eating the proper amounts. Make sure you are measuring things properly.

    A lot of times, the feeling of wanting a smoke is the same as hunger.

    Keep going and you will end up losing weight. You won't always lose unfortunately.
  • ewhsweets
    ewhsweets Posts: 167 Member
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    Dont start smoking again....what's going on is your metabolism has slowed...as your heartrate isn't artifically increased...DON'T FEED IT WITH FOOD...

    When you smoke the nicotine keeps your heartrate at a higher constant. Generally this means that your not burning the regular high amount of calories that you would even just sitting or sleeping. You'll have to start paying more attention to what you eat until your body resets itself and prob increasing your activity levels... because you're not buring off what you would when you smoked.

    If you start getting hungry and/or craving a smoke...do 10 pushups - works for my husband.
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Don't be so impatient with yourself. You have LOST weight since quitting smoking? That's AWESOME !!!!

    Pat yourself on the back for the fantastic work, give yourself a break, take a deep breath and keep moving forward.

    As a former smoker who just quit about a month ago myself, I say kudos to you. If it takes a year to adjust, it takes a year. So what? This is your LIFE. Don't sell yourself short. You can DO this!
  • stellabobella79
    stellabobella79 Posts: 44 Member
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    I wear my nicotine patches long term so no help here! Now I'm scared to ever wean off of them after reading your post. Nicotine in itself isnt terribly bad for you, no worse than caffeine IMHO. Cigarettes will kill you though so great job quitting! I personally feel like nicotine helps with my anxiety and I'm off Prozac now, which really made me gain weight.

    I'm sorry, I'm no help except that the least expensive ones are the up and up brand at Target. And despite warnings d
    Saying don't cut them in half...you can totally buy a higher dose and cut it in half. Okay I'm officially a bad influence. :)
  • whatjesseats
    whatjesseats Posts: 228 Member
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    Congrats on quitting!

    When I quit smoking, I gave myself a week or two break from counting calories, but continued working out 4-5 times per week.

    After the break, I had gained a couple pounds, but started losing again when I started logging again.

    I lost between 10-12 pounds in the first 6 months after I quit smoking--so it is possible. Don't give up!
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    You're eating too much if you're gaining weight, it's that simple. Really. I quite smoking and changed my eating habits at the same time and didn't have a problem. Plus there's no such thing as "confuse your metabolism". Work out the numbers and eat below maintenance and you'll lose.

    Good luck
  • mandy0688
    mandy0688 Posts: 335 Member
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    I am not going to give up, I am not a quitter except when it comes to smoking. I feel like I do and I have tried changing my diet exercising more. I am gonna make a appointment with a weight loss doctor. I am not going back to cigarettes or to the size I was. I am a determined person I am just tired of fighting this battle and asking for ideas and for those who gave me some thanks.
  • Poprocket_2012
    Poprocket_2012 Posts: 142
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    Not true, i gave up nearly 5 months ago and have managed to lose weight
  • mandy0688
    mandy0688 Posts: 335 Member
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    You're eating too much if you're gaining weight, it's that simple. Really. I quite smoking and changed my eating habits at the same time and didn't have a problem. Plus there's no such thing as "confuse your metabolism". Work out the numbers and eat below maintenance and you'll lose.

    Good luck

    Eating too much if I opened my diary for you to read I am not even over 1200 cals so thats not the case. In fact I have cut more cals
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    If you're not gaining and you still haven't smoked, then congratulations are in order. Be patient about the weight loss, do the right thing and it'll come.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    You're eating too much if you're gaining weight, it's that simple. Really. I quite smoking and changed my eating habits at the same time and didn't have a problem. Plus there's no such thing as "confuse your metabolism". Work out the numbers and eat below maintenance and you'll lose.

    Good luck

    Eating too much if I opened my diary for you to read I am not even over 1200 cals so thats not the case. In fact I have cut more cals

    If you are not consuming more than 1200 calories you are not eating enough. 1200 is far too low unless you are a lighter weight and are shorter than like 5' .... Cutting too many calories is not the way to do... unless you want to lose lean muscle.

    Increase your calories, get more than enough exercise in and have some patience. You will lose weight if you stick with it.
  • Herestotrying
    Herestotrying Posts: 2
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    The same thing is happening to me!! I quit smoking back in October I work out like a mad woman and eat 1200 calories a day no sugar no nothing, and the weight still won't come off!! I gained 10 lbs from quitting I'm about to day the hell with it and go back to smoking!!!
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    First of all, congratulations on quitting smoking. It is not easy and you are doing really well.

    I didn't discover MFP until after I had quit smoking and gained around a stone of weight. To be fair, I wasn't too fussed at the time as smoking was the priority. That was over three years ago and I have never looked back, it's one of the best things I have done for my health.
    The second best thing was finding MFP and from following the programme the weight came off easily. I don't believe quitting smoking does anything to your metabolism, there is some stuff said about it, but the effect is so minimal it's not going to be a hindrance.

    One other thing was starting exercise - running to be precise. This was great for the weight loss and also great for the non-smoking as I began to realise how not smoking made such a benefit to my ability.

    So...quit smoking in the January, gained some weight. Started MFP in the April. Was at my goal weight by October (2 stone shifted). The following September I ran my first half marathon in just shy of 2 hours.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
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    Most of this post is old ... but

    I haven't quit yet. I am jealous of people that have.

    My goal is to get to my GW first. My new exercise/healthy eating habits are already taking me in a great direction. When I quit, I will continue to do what I am doing now. If I gain weight .. at least I got some off me first.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
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    I quit 2 months ago - went cold turkey. I didn't track for a couple of weeks as I didn't want to add too much pressure. But tracking again now. You have done great to quit smoking....try not to be too hard on yourself. It's the best thing you can do for your health. Keep tracking ur food to ensure ur not replacing nicotine cravings with food. Smoking does increase heart rate and metabolism slightly, but that will sort itself out. Stick with it & don't panick.

    I think there are too many horror stories surrounding quitting cigarettes & mostly I think smokers believe them as an excuse NOT to try giving up. I say this as someone who has just quit after 25 years of smoking. Honest truth.......quitting was so much easier than I expected - but only going cold turkey. Nicotine patches are just a form of expensive torture;-)
  • hig17
    hig17 Posts: 159 Member
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    I gained 30 pounds from quitting smoking and NOT sticking to my weight loss regimen at the time (Weight Watchers). I had lost almost 20 lbs with WW and gained that plus 10 more. Kudos to you for doing BOTH keep up the good work!

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