do you eat breakfast?

I know my husband is a smoker right now and he usually skips meals and eats a large dinner. He is pretty skinny and ive been trying to get him to eat healthier and not miss meals but yeah he is usually smokign all day long then coming home at night having a small snack and then eating one large meal. I am personally not a smoker so I cant relate but I just wanted to let u know ur not alone out there

Well, you're supposed to eat 3 meals a day with snacks. It keeps your metabolism going all day. Try having for breakfast toast with peanut butter and fruit or a bowl of healthy cereal or a breakfast shake. Try keeping your meals/snacks small and every 2-3 hours. Also drink tons of water! That will help you feel full through the day. Hope that helps.

And congrats on thinking about quitting! Thinking about it is the first step, and your body will be SO happy once you're smoke free!

My other half is also a smoker and skips meals... All he had is *kitten* and cups of tea during the day with maybe a snack in the afternoon and then pig out at night.

Guess it a smoker thing LOL

My parents were both smokers and neither of them ate breakfast. My father tried quitting a few times, but he'd start snacking on Drake's cake products and gain weight, I never ate breakfast until I was about 18. Certain foods can make you really hungry throughout the day, but I find if I eat high protein foods for breakfast I can last about 4 or 5 hours without thinking about eating. I also second the water consumption. I've never liked water, but the more i drink the easier it is to drink and the less peckish I am throughout the day. I usually drink between 2-3 liters a day. Good luck!!

I have found that if I eat carbs in the morning for breakfast, I am very hungry all day. If I eat a "bigger" breakfast which is more protein-based, then it curbs my appetite longer throughout the day, and I don't eat as big of lunch or dinner.

I still like my high-fiber cereal, so I sometimes substitute this in for dinner. I exercise in the evenings, so I figure I can burn those off easier at night.

My eating habits are not great, being a smoker (looking to quit soon) I tend to skip breakfast, not eat much during the day and then have a large meal and snacks in the evening. I know this is bad, so am trying to change my eating habits.

Trouble is, if I eat breakfast, I'm really hungry throughout the day. This is one of the reasons my last attempt to quit smoking failed- I ate 3 meals per day and snacks, and put on weight quickly. And it all started with breakfast, which would then make me hungry all day.

Could this be my body trying to adjust? Have any of you had a similar experience, or is it just me??

I'm trying to eat better in the day, but not really hungry in the morning- however now that I'm going to the gym 3 times per week, I should be eating more right?

I think you maybe my long lost twin :laugh: I am the same way , smoker and never eat breakfast ....I have tried many times and when I do it totally sends my body into binge mode and I eat all day like a mad person :noway: I usually have my first snack or meal around 1pm and eat mostly at night ...I did manage to loss over 35 lbs even with this bad habit ...Good luck

A breakfast that's full of protein and fiber should have the opposite effect and keep you feeling full for much longer than, say, white toast and jam, or Cap'n Crunch. I am a big advocate of big breakfasts Today I had a big bowl of Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal (high-protein, multi-grain, good stuff) and I added some nuts and prunes, and followed it with an apple. High in calories...but also high in lots of other things a body needs. 24 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber!

Personally, on those rare weekend days when I don't eat breakfast, I just plain don't get enough real nutritious food that day. I might get the calories, but they're much more likely to be junk if I haven't had breakfast. I don't smoke, but knowing that it affects your appetite, might this be the case for you? If you're not getting enough food, then your metabolism slows down to make better use of what it gets. If you start eating more, your metabolism has to adjust, which sometimes means some weight gain in the first couple of weeks.

Yes, if you're going to the gym, you should be eating more! MFP already has a built-in weight deficit so if you stick with it, you'll lose weight at your goal rate even if you don't exercise. You don't need to "create a deficit" by exercising--it's already there. Instead, eat most of your exercise calories back. People with a higher body fat percentage, who have a lot to lose, can sometimes get away with not eating them back, but it's pretty important for most of us to at least try to eat some of them. (I almost always eat all of mine.)

My eating habits are not great, being a smoker (looking to quit soon) I tend to skip breakfast, not eat much during the day and then have a large meal and snacks in the evening. I know this is bad, so am trying to change my eating habits.

Trouble is, if I eat breakfast, I'm really hungry throughout the day. This is one of the reasons my last attempt to quit smoking failed- I ate 3 meals per day and snacks, and put on weight quickly. And it all started with breakfast, which would then make me hungry all day.

Could this be my body trying to adjust? Have any of you had a similar experience, or is it just me??

I'm trying to eat better in the day, but not really hungry in the morning- however now that I'm going to the gym 3 times per week, I should be eating more right?

I think you maybe my long lost twin :laugh: I am the same way , smoker and never eat breakfast ....I have tried many times and when I do it totally sends my body into binge mode and I eat all day like a mad person :noway: I usually have my first snack or meal around 1pm and eat mostly at night ...I did manage to loss over 35 lbs even with this bad habit ...Good luck

Bump!!!!!!!!

My eating habits are not great, being a smoker (looking to quit soon) I tend to skip breakfast, not eat much during the day and then have a large meal and snacks in the evening. I know this is bad, so am trying to change my eating habits.

Trouble is, if I eat breakfast, I'm really hungry throughout the day. This is one of the reasons my last attempt to quit smoking failed- I ate 3 meals per day and snacks, and put on weight quickly. And it all started with breakfast, which would then make me hungry all day.

Could this be my body trying to adjust? Have any of you had a similar experience, or is it just me??

I'm trying to eat better in the day, but not really hungry in the morning- however now that I'm going to the gym 3 times per week, I should be eating more right?

1) It does take your body a while to adjust to having breakfast- try to have about 300 filling cals and add snacks of about 20-50 cals (think veggies) every hour until lunch (300-400 cals). If you are used to one big meal, your body (or mind) is likely having a panic attack about how long it's going to be until you eat next - seriously, people get anxiety attacks about this, it's why we tend to save food for nighttime- there's an assurance that those calories we consume will 'last longer' because we will go to sleep and burn less.

2) I know this isn't going to be what you want to hear, but I think it maybe far more important that you quit smoking first and then work on the other aspects of healthier living- the smoking seems to inhibit you at many crucial points- when to eat, how to eat, etc. Sorry if it's a misplaced suggestion but it's just my $.02.

Definitely. It isn't just a health thing for me it's the cost. Just paid over £6 for the first time

I know what you mean, but having failed 3 times at quitting smoking (cold turkey, patches, inhaler) I want to ensure that next time it's forever...i figured that making some changes that i find easier first, such as diet and exercise will motivate and inspire me to quit, and maybe by developing these good habits, I can avoid the weight gain that always results from quitting...what do you think?

I have never smoked (or tried to quit) so my opinion is certainly limited, but I would think when you do try to quit smoking it would be healthiest to focus on food in take goals rather than a specific weight because quitting will probably make your weight fluctuate quite a bit (and thus make you less likely to stick with it).

So the short answer, IMO is you don't NEED to eat breakfast, but if you are going to work on your diet first and then try to quit smoking, it will probably be most helpful to start a pretty regular schedule of when and what you eat- to help give you structure when you do quit.