Quitting Smoking

Well...I can answer your question, but you won't like it :sad:

I gained a lot of weight and thought it was only me. I didn't understand what was happening. Giving up smoking is hard, it's a pain in the behind. Smoking is an addiction, it's not just a bad habit. It takes will power and discipline. You can't just have "one" you have to give it up for good; no questions asked.

I used an online support forum when I quit (not sure if I am allowed to mention it here, but you can find it my profile). I was relieved when I learned that it wasn't just me. Almost everybody gained weight. Quitting smoking was just more important!

Now, well now I feel like I have super powers and can do anything. Losing the weight that I gained will be a walk in the park :-) (sorry but that's how I feel)

I read somewhere that smoking can also block your weight loss and your metabolism will increase once you stop.

I started using an e-cig a month ago. It's going really well. No weight gain and every time I buy e-juice I get the next level down of nicotine so I can wean myself off.

I've quit smoking many times. The last time I quit it has lasted over 31 years. I guess I was the exception to the rule when I quit because I didn't gain weight but actually lost weight and for two reasons:

1) My addiction was so strong that my body revolted against me and I threw up every day for two weeks when I quit.
2) I was so poor at the time all I could afford to buy for food was a bag of potatoes and carrots.

Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but one of the greatest decisions I've made as well. One of the biggest shocks for me was when a young lady told me, "I'm glad you quit. You don't stink anymore." Now I actually start to get physically sick if I'm around smokers even if they are not smoking. I've heard others who quit say the same thing. And if I can do it, you can too.

Yesterday made 4 weeks for me. I have not gained weight, but I haven't lost either. I've stayed conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth, and made sure to have lots of healthy snacks available to satisfy that oral craving. I pre-portioned things like cashews and cheese into little 100 calorie bags, I have baby carrots, black bean hummus, hard-boiled eggs, and I even tried kale chips.

Get lots of low-calorie snacks that you like. If you have the time and a scale, portion them in advance. When you have a craving, go for a walk or run if you can, and if you can't, go brush your teeth. If none of those are options (like sitting at work or whatever) then reach for those healthy snacks.

I am needing to quit smoking myself and worried about the weight gain. I have bought load of trident gum and I just need to get into a mindset and get a plan in my head. The only times I have stopped were the 3 times I was pregnant, as soon as I found out I stopped smoking and it was no problem because I knew my kids health was more important. I was doing so good this last time around and then major stress hit and I buckled and started up again, that was about 10 months ago. My big trigger is stress, most people go for food for comfort I go for a cigarette. And this time is a lot of stress for me (going through a divorce, fighting for custody with someone who hasn't called the kids since christmas eve (go figure) plus dealing withthe soon to be ex inlaws) Glad to know I am not the only one looking for a healthier lifestyle that includes quitting smoking...feel free to add me!

Just keep in mind that even if you do gain a bit, that is MUCH less important than quitting smoking. Smoking is such a huge health risk that quitting should be your very top priority, far above weight management. Any weight you gain can be temporary if you want it to be, it's much easier to lose it later than it is to grow new lungs.

The good thing is, can't smoke when you're working out!

Incorrect. I have smoked while doing chin ups before.

I quit with Wellbutrin. Helped me a ton. It helped curb my appetite, helped with depression and with quitting to smoke.

I quit smoking 8 weeks ago after numerous attempts over the past 20+ years. Last summer I quit for 7 weeks (but there was quite a bit of slippage) and my binge eating got out of control and I gained 25-30 lbs. I resumed the smoking because I couldn't handle the weight gain or constant daily binges.

This time around I got my eating under control for the most part before I quit. I tried a trial of Weight Watchers which is a little more lenient in logging food as far as counting calories. I found a medically supervised university study for smoking cessation that I could participate in. They provide my medications and patches and in return I go for visits every so often and submit to saliva nicotine samples, exhaled CO testing and fill out questionnaires about my cravings and such. I feel this made me more accountable because I knew if I slipped and lied it would show up on my test results. I gave myself a week to adjust then started logging everything I ate except for freebie days every so often.

I gained around 8lbs this time, but I quickly lost that when I really got serious with the logging and started a running program. Also in the beginning I was very bloated, had water retention and severe constipation for the first 4-6 weeks. After that started to subside, I felt much better and my clothes fit better. Sometimes it felt like I had gained 20 lbs because of the bloating, BUT THIS DOES GO AWAY!! Do not that scare you away from quitting.

Find something to keep your hands and mouth busy. I worked yarn crafts (knitting and crochet) until I had a knot in my hand. I have chewed my weight in gum and have drank enough water to fill a large lake. Find a hobby that really interest you and learn all you can about it. It is all about distraction and diversion when those cravings hit.

I am much happier now that I have quit. I didn't realize that I wasn't as happy as I could be until after I quit. I have more energy. I want to live a healthier life and do all that I can to get that. I still eat junk and not so great things. I have a sweet every day. It keeps me sane lol. Some days I go over. I am not going to beat myself up over unless it gets out of hand, then we have a problem.

I am now on the lowest dose patch and I am scheduled to come off those and the medication in 2 weeks. If worse comes to worse after I finish the study, I will go buy patches before I buy another cigarette. This time has been much easier, but I can't say it has been a walk in the park. I have had my bad days where I could have eaten a cigarette. Then I have had days I didn't think about it at all. I have had days I forgot to put on my patch and been okay and days where I had to wear two just to get through the day. I seldom think about smoking now, I think about being smoke free more. Sometimes I feel a little lost, kind of like I forgot something. My tech at the uni says this is just another withdrawal thing and that I haven't completely learned how to replace the smokes. But I swear I think at times it just makes me feel scattered brained.

Good luck to you. Trust me, you will be a whole lot happier being a nonsmoker even if those first few weeks/months are a little rough.

I'm planning on quitting the next week, so far I've bought an ecig and am weening down from almost a pack a day..
Whenever I think about whether or not I'll gain weight, I try to remind myself that I'll be able to do cardio so much easier without a bunch of junk of in my lungs I'm planning on putting together little bags of veggies to snack on while I'm driving since that's mainly where I light up.. It'll be tough but we can do this!!

I quit in October using an e-cig and didn't gain any weight.

Me too! E-cigs are the way forward. I get some yummy flavours too like cherry and cola, they somehow satisfy sugar cravings... 2 birds with 1 stone