Perfect or worst time to quit smoking? (during weight loss)

Switch to Vaper smoke (i used the kind with nicotine. I found that i slowly started wanting it as much and then eventually quit. It ran me about $100 to get but i found it to be worth it.

Perfect, I say go for it. I did - !

Something like 25% of quitters actually lose weight.

I highly recommend Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking book. It helped me immensely 10 years ago when I quit.

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

Good luck! You'll be so glad to have that monkey off your back. I couldn't even imagine the cost of a 2-pack a day habit.

Another vote for quit smoking first. 8 years smoke free. Still miss it. Know I can never smoke again. Gained weight but too bad - quitting was more important. Quitnet.com is a good resource - it helped me a lot. Misery loves company and it is nice to know that you are not alone. It does get better. Good luck to you!

Actually this is a trick that may help you. It may be silly and you may feel silly, but it helped me A LOT. When you feel the urge you can actually "smoke" a pencil. Just mimic the action of smoking with a pencil, a pen or your empty hand. The deep breathing will help calm you down and the hand to lip movement will help you tackle the oral fixation. Within a few minutes the urge will be gone, it's actually like magic!

That's actually not silly at all, and they make fake cigarettes for that very purpose. The fake cigarettes, if you can find them, might work better than a pencil (as they're exactly the same length and width of a cigarette).

I was a smoker for ten years. Started in middle school (sad to admit). I just... one day quit. I actually, though, traded one addiction (smoking) for another (eating disorder). And don't recommend it. I got so wrapped up in the 'new' addiction, that I always just forgot to smoke. And I have not smoked since. However, I'm sure this trick could work with a healthy addiction, too. As others have suggested, exercise might help when you think about smoking. Eventually, you'll be so involved in your new lifestyle that you'll find yourself thinking about smoking less and less.

I quit on December 23, 2013. Cold turkey because I couldn't stand replacing an addiction by another one. Emotionally I was a mess for about 3 weeks because my addiction was mainly emotionnal. I would smoke to 'celebrate' every state of mind. Super happy? Let's smoke! Sad? Need my cigarettes... I went through a roller coaster of emotions but my mind was set on quitting.

What helped me the most was having cigarettes at home. It sounds strange but for me, not having any was an enormous source of stress. I still have them almost 8 months later.

I think there are so many ways to quit, you just need to pick one that agrees with you.

You hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, I love smoking. Love it. We're partying! Woo-hoo! Let's go smoke! I'm depressed, I need to smoke. I'm stressed, Oh God, I need a cigarette! I'm bored, let's go smoke. I'm driving down the road, I need a cigarette. I've loved to smoke for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who will jump from one addiction to another. I tend to pick the lesser of two evils if I possibly can, but I know, in the end, this one will end up killing me, eventually. Like you, if I don't have any cigarettes, it's EXTREMELY stressful. Right now, I don't have any, and I can't wait for my husband to go to bed so I can sneak out and buy a pack.

I think the gum is the way I need to go. I have to do something. I can't keep this up and I've GOT to get the right mindset. I'm glad to see there are others who are wanting to quit, and many who have been successful.

It is the perfect time to quit!

I quit May 31st. I smoked 3 packs a day, and I smoked 42 years.

The reason I say it's the best time is that I am so mindful of what I'm eating, that there is no way I'm going to fill the void of cigs with food.

I also suggest you join the Quit Net or Quit for Life program. Just google it and sign up. The encouragement and support is amazing.

I used the patch for the first month, and now use nicotine gum. The best thing is to have a PLAN in place before you quit.

I've not only not gained one ounce since quitting, I've continued to lose.

Starting smoking was the only real regret in my life. I wish I had considered quitting long ago but I was so scared I'd gain more weight.
Seriously, you CAN DO THIS.

I quit on December 23, 2013. Cold turkey because I couldn't stand replacing an addiction by another one. Emotionally I was a mess for about 3 weeks because my addiction was mainly emotionnal. I would smoke to 'celebrate' every state of mind. Super happy? Let's smoke! Sad? Need my cigarettes... I went through a roller coaster of emotions but my mind was set on quitting.

What helped me the most was having cigarettes at home. It sounds strange but for me, not having any was an enormous source of stress. I still have them almost 8 months later.

I think there are so many ways to quit, you just need to pick one that agrees with you.

You hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, I love smoking. Love it. We're partying! Woo-hoo! Let's go smoke! I'm depressed, I need to smoke. I'm stressed, Oh God, I need a cigarette! I'm bored, let's go smoke. I'm driving down the road, I need a cigarette. I've loved to smoke for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who will jump from one addiction to another. I tend to pick the lesser of two evils if I possibly can, but I know, in the end, this one will end up killing me, eventually. Like you, if I don't have any cigarettes, it's EXTREMELY stressful. Right now, I don't have any, and I can't wait for my husband to go to bed so I can sneak out and buy a pack.

I think the gum is the way I need to go. I have to do something. I can't keep this up and I've GOT to get the right mindset. I'm glad to see there are others who are wanting to quit, and many who have been successful.

Nicotine is more addictive than any drug, illegal or legal, known to man, When I quit, I used the gum and it worked for me, but even then you really have to want to quit. Gum or other won't do it, if your mind is not there. It's kind of like losing weight, it's all mind over the substance, either cigarettes or food.

Lots of exercise, out of breath type, like cardio really helped me to stay off of cigarettes. 30 years later, I am still an x smoker and never put one in my mouth again.

Interesting fact: 70 percent of this nation used to smoke, now it's down to 30 percent.

It is even lower than 30 percent now. Latest stats say it's about 19%.

i quit the week after i started on MFP and in that first month i still lost 12 lbs I would say quit right now because the longer you wait the harder it is.

Bump.


This board is really helping me. You all have wonderful ideas. I had a rough night last night. Crying and everything. I just want to go to the bar with my friends, drink beer and shots and chain smoke an entire pack (which is what has made me gain 25lbs in a year). As much as I miss and love it, I know if I start again I'll never stop until it kills me. Today is Day 3 with no cigarettes. Avoiding the smoke-filled bar also because I'm afraid if I go I'll relapse. Not really using any replacements. I'm sure it's bad but I take Chantix occasionally though it makes me really nauseous for a 1/2 hr so I'm trying to not take it. Nicotine gum here and there (hate it because I have to spit every 5 seconds like it's chewing tobacco) and the Vape here and there but that bothers my lungs more than a real cigarette...

::sigh:: It's hard but not impossible. Keep the faith.

:flowerforyou:

ETA: QuitNow! is an app that you can download on your phone. You put in all of your info (how many cigs/packs per day, how much each one costs, age, gender, etc) It tracks your "quit stats" such as how many cigarettes you haven't smoked, how much money you have saved and how much time on your life you have earned back. That's helping me also. It's motivating and lets you know when you've hit a milestone. Pretty cool. One of my friends used it successfully and hasn't smoked in a few years.

That's a great way to look at it Celesteholt19!!

Hi, there. I just quit a little over two weeks ago. That's why I'm back on my fitness pal... to keep tabs on my diet and control the inevitable couple of pounds of weight gain. If I subtract the years that I quit due to pregnancy and the few short months I quit years ago, I smoked a total of about 12 years. I smoked over a pack a day during heavy periods and half a pack a day during "good" times. Over the last year and a half, I have made a LOT of positive changes in my body. Due to a medical condition, I experimented with a gluten free and dairy free diet, and it basically changed my life. So, with those changes, as well as others, it just got to the point where it was like, "Okay, I weigh less than I did in highschool, I eat clean, I exercise, I'm basically healthier and happier than I have ever been in my life... So, WHY am I still smoking???? It just didn't fit anymore. That's not to say it's been easy. But I read the Allen Carr book over the course of about a year (LOL) and I kept putting off the quit. Finally, I started having shortness of breath- I'm 31 and otherwise very healthy. I couldn't figure out if it was true shortness of breath or severe anxiety.. the anxiety I felt before every cigarette, during every cigarette, and then the guilty/ anxiety after every cigarette.. was taking its toll. It finally just clicked with me. Let. It. Go. It's holding you back. I started listening to hypnotic deep relaxation "stop smoking" recordings on youtube at night when I was going to sleep. I kept reading the Allen Carr book, and one night , I just smoked a whole pack. The next day, I knew I was ready. It hasn't been easy. The first two weeks, I didn't smoke during the day, but I caved at night before bed. Then it was on the weekend. Finally, 16 days ago, on a Sunday, I smoked my last one. The first two weeks, particularly after a couple of days, I started to get acne and feel basically like a raving basket case. I was EXHAUSTED too. You really don't realize how much of a stimulant nicotine is. Gradually my symptoms have lifted, my mood being the final one. Yesterday, after crossing the two week mark, I started to feel really more like myself again. Our whole smoking lives, we've been so deceived by these things. These fat, rich tobacco executives are laughing all the way to the bank as they watch us choke ourselves to death, indignantly, as if it is our right to do so. Physically, you are addicted. There is only one way out of that addiction, and that's abstinence. But psychologically you are deceived to believe that you need them, that they do ANYthing for you, that they relieve something that's wrong inside of you, some unique affliction that can only be relieved by a smoke. That is really a lie. The physical addiction takes willpower to overcome- the same willpower that has allowed you to change your eating, exercise, etc. BUT the psychological addiction only takes you having a revelation. I strongly suggest that you read Allen Carr's book. Look it up on Amazon. Cheap and really enlightening. Best of luck and feel free to "friend" me here for a quit buddy.

I'm 18hrs into quitting and counting...

Using an e-cig which I'm currently maintaining a death grip on at work. I've also got some 2.5mg oral strips that dissolve under your tongue and come in a minty flavour.

Good luck OP! You & me both :flowerforyou:

laurenz1017:
Congratulations on your quit. I'm so excited for you! Please don't give up. If you cave and smoke, just realize while you're smoking it, that you didn't really need it. Then forgive yourself and get up the next day and don't smoke. I'm at 2.5 weeks, and I feel SO MUCH better!!! Also, read Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way". It helps SO MUCH!!!

So...I am trying. In 5 days, I have had 2 half cigarettes.. I am using the Nicorette quickmist. It helps. I am trying to not stuff my face as I sit at my desk. Trying to remind myself, 'eat well, feel well--don't smoke'. I have smoked for 15 years. We want to have a baby. It super sucks.