stop smoking weight gain

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sarahlouisah
sarahlouisah Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi im on day 3 of being a non smoker. I am not eating more but have heard i willl gain weight anyway as smoking increases your metabolism. Should I cut back on calories or will it even out in the end. Thanks in advance for any advice

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  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    You should try to eat the target amount that MFP set out for you. That goal was set without knowledge of you being a smoker, so it will work as a good goal now that you aren't smoking.
  • CalorieNinja
    CalorieNinja Posts: 645 Member
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    Congratulations on your wise decision to stop smoking. More Americans die from smoking-related diseases than from AIDS, drug abuse, car accidents and murder – combined. You have taken a big step towards better health for yourself as well as for those around you

    Nicotine, one of the components of cigarette smoke, increases energy expenditure by stimulating the central nervous system. Once this drug is removed from your system, energy expenditure returns to normal. This difference is not very significant and you should adjust to it in a short period of time. Smoking also appears to ease feelings of hunger. Smokers can usually overcome hunger signals by lighting up. Consequently, weight gain is often experienced soon after a person quits smoking. The average weight gain for people who quit smoking is less than 10 pounds. Being aware of the problem will help in avoiding or minimizing the weight gain. It is often necessary to adjust eating habits and physical activity to maintain weight during and after quitting.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    I am an ex-smoker too. Your levels will even out after a while, depending on how heavily you smoked. The stopping of steady intake of nicotine may or may not put your body into a withdrawal due to lack of the stimulant, which for many people, affects weight. It was never my intention to quit, but I really was ready to quit smoking cigarettes. So, I invested in a PV [personal vaporizer] AKA e-cig. Sure, the nicotine is still there, but the benefit of not having the other 3999 carcinogens and chemicals makes it a plus. I'm not going to contribute it to my weight loss, but it hasn't hindered me in the slightest to work out. I'm vaping right now, actually, and I'm just about to start my workout routine.

    There's my advocation of using an "alternative nicotine delivery device." Other than that, quitting cigarettes in general is always a good thing.
  • jessit72
    jessit72 Posts: 15
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    I'm in your same boat. I've noticed that I have smoked more now that I have been dieting. I was at about... 6 cigs a day, and in the past week it's jumped up to almost a whole pack. Any advice to just get that craving to go, I've heard sugar free gum or lolli's... any ideas?
  • clioandboy
    clioandboy Posts: 963 Member
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    Congrats! I was a heavy smoker n I gave up 3 years ago, I switched to sweets so put a stack of weight on.... I don't know if I'd have managed to kick them if I hadn't done it like that but now that the weight is back under control I am so happy to have quit! I would recommend drinking water when you want to light up, and starting on an exercise regime your ability to do card is gonna go thru the ceiling. It is so worthwhile good luck tO you, oh yes I was a total ***** for about..... 3 years lol no about 3 months edgy irritable etc......
  • goldenbutterfly
    goldenbutterfly Posts: 64
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    hey i gave up smoking around a year ago... i have found that if i swap the smoke for a peice of fruit like a kiwi fruit, or a nectarine, everytime i wanted a smoke , i didnt need the smoke, apparentley the hand to mouth action is the hardest part to get rid of. i thought i lost weight when giving up, but not sure about how many calories the fruit contained, kiwi fuit detoxes you so i figured that s a good thing. i also chose my favorite fruit so it was a little like rewarding my self too... hope this helps !!
  • sarahlouisah
    sarahlouisah Posts: 116
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    thanks guys have got some grapes and will dink more water , i suppose if i do gain i can lose it after and look forward to being better at cardio as a very distant goal is to run a 1/2 marathon and right now I cant even run for a minute hope this is due to extra weight and *kitten* and will improve now.
    thanks for all your support your all a fantastic help
  • davejchapman
    davejchapman Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi all,

    I made 2 new years resolutions this year - give up smoking and lose about 20 pounds. I am 40 days into a 12 week course of Champix tablets and they're working a great, no cravings and fingers crossed none of the documented side effects :happy: .

    My only problem is I have completely changed my lifestyle to lose some weight - i've gone from a junk food eating PS3 playing couch potato, to a health eating gym bunny, but i've only lost 7 pounds and most of that was in the first 3 weeks. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong? Perhaps muscle is replacing fat or maybe I just need to be more patient? :wink:

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