Quitting Smoking

Options
2»

Replies

  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Options
    I'm just wondering if there are any other smokers out there, and if you are actively trying to quit while also trying to lose weight. I quit once before and gained a ton of weight, and it's a big fear of mine that it will happen again.

    I know I need to quit--what's the point in getting my body in better shape as far as fat goes if I'm killing it slowly with cigarettes??? I also would love to try running at some point, right now the problems I have with my feet are holding me back, but when my feet are ready, I want my lungs to be ready as well..

    Any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.

    I quit 5 weeks ago... kept losing through out. I think it's because I was tracking so even if I nibbled on something to get past a craving it was accounted for in my log. Also... water and exercise are good anti-craving measures... bonus - They help with weight loss. :happy:
  • lisa35120
    lisa35120 Posts: 230 Member
    Options
    I don't smoke, but my husband did and he quit 3 years ago! Chewing gum helped him a lot with stopping the cravings.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    Options
    I quit cold turkey 5 years ago and did gain. However I was already morbidly obese so it didn't make much of a difference in that respect. At the time doctor told me to tackle one thing at a time and would rather have me be fat than smoke- the long term illnesses from it were worse and harder to treat.
  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
    Options
    i quit 2 months ago...i found a Rubik's Cube in our closet and went on you-tube to learn the algorithms to solve it...worked on it all weekend long while eating Wint-O-green lifesavers...the rubik's cube kept my mind and hands busy so i didn't even realize i was fighting cravings. PLUS, now i can solve a rubik's cube!
    57 days smoke free
  • eellis2000
    eellis2000 Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    i was doing some research on the effects of smoking because i've been thinking about quiting again myself and a site i found i think it web md said smoking raises your heart rate so when you quit you have to exercise a little more often like a few extra 10 min walks or jogs or jumping jacks to compensate for the exercise of smoking that you don't do anymore. that also might explain the calming effects of cigs if you think about it. it has been proven that exercising or expending energy calms most people down or relaxes you within a few min. after exercise. smoking raises your heart rate for 10-15 min and afterwards you are more relaxed so find some 5-10 min exercise that you can do throughout your day when you get the urge for a cig. supposedly you will retrain yourself to crave the exercise more than the cig.
  • PeaceLoveStrength
    PeaceLoveStrength Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    My husband and I have been quit for 5 weeks. What really helped me with cravings(and NOT devouring everything in sight) were cigarette sized straws and nicotine gum. I only ended up needing them for about a week. I also keep in mind my friend's uncle, who died of esophageal cancer a few weeks ago from 30 years of smoking. :frown:


    I know it's difficult but make sure you're ready and committed to quitting. Make sure you have a strong support system and tackle it one day at a time. Best of luck!
  • tdexter
    tdexter Posts: 15
    Options
    I gave up beginning of January this year and started eating less, moving more. It was tough to start but threw myself into exercising. I'm now cycling, swimming and running and training for a triathlon in July. I'm also down nearly 50lbs since Jan. You can do it, you just gotta want it. I gave up the smokes so many times only to take that first nasty cigarette (that first one always tasted nasty ;) and then get back to it.
    I guess I finally had some better motivation in January, over weight and my doctor threatening me with blood pressure meds. I will not take a pill every day for the rest of my life for something so preventable. 4 months later and I can cycle up stupid hills, I can smell again and my BP is under control. Just go for it, it's tough but you will feel so much better in a months time.
  • ItsTerriC
    ItsTerriC Posts: 436 Member
    Options
    try the book "the easy way to quit smoking" Allen Carr
    its really good at putting things in perspective. it worked for me almost a year now. good luck
    and a note. around the 4-6 month mark after quiting you are really going to have urges and think just 1????? but dont or you will smoke every day. 1 leads to every day of your life.
    you can do it


    My daughter quit smoking with this book. She read it, quit and hasn't even wanted to smoke since. I read it and it helps me fight the cravings and gives me a new way to look at smoking.
  • Terri73
    Terri73 Posts: 238
    Options
    I'm trying to quit i have cut is down a lot nut they still creep in there. Its difficult while losing weight too but whats the point in taking care of youself with food etc then ruining it with a cigarrette?
  • zoebea33
    zoebea33 Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    I quit 13 weeks ago, i have put on a bit of weight but its coming off so quick since i joined MFP, good luck YOU CAN DO IT xxx
  • RadicalCharlie
    RadicalCharlie Posts: 123 Member
    Options
    I tried recently to stop smoking. I went 6 hours without a cigarette and then I started seeing things.

    Doctors actually told me they'd prefer it if I continued smoking.
  • chnkydnknmomma
    chnkydnknmomma Posts: 258
    Options
    Thank you all so much! Nice to hear I'm not the only one, and all the support and advice is so appreciated.

    I'm gonna do it. I need to, health-wise...Both of my parents have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, which is very treatable, but is also directly linked to cigarettes. My dad is going in for surgery tomorrow, to remove the cancer, and during his pre-op tests, they found a nodule on his lung (I'm not sure what that means, exactly, but I know it can't be good), and his MD wasn't gonna clear him for surgery.

    I'm thinking I will up my exercise a bit daily to help get me through. You are all so wonderful, thank you so much!
  • craft338
    craft338 Posts: 870 Member
    Options
    i'm quitting on tuesday...my e-cigarettes just came in the mail yesterday, so i'm trying to reduce the amount of actual cigarettes i smoke until then, raplacing it with the e-cig, so that on tuesday i can stop cigarettes all together and just use the electronic ones. (i only had one so far today, and i usually would have had 3 by now!) tuesday is my 100th day on MFP, so i really want to stop smoking for good because starting again on day 107 or something would annoy me lol (i'm a little OCD)

    is there a group on here for people who are quitting AND dieting? or can we start one? i'm a little nervouse about tuesday and could use some support :(
  • jacsen21
    jacsen21 Posts: 20
    Options
    I'm just wondering if there are any other smokers out there, and if you are actively trying to quit while also trying to lose weight. I quit once before and gained a ton of weight, and it's a big fear of mine that it will happen again.

    I know I need to quit--what's the point in getting my body in better shape as far as fat goes if I'm killing it slowly with cigarettes??? I also would love to try running at some point, right now the problems I have with my feet are holding me back, but when my feet are ready, I want my lungs to be ready as well..

    Any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.
    I quit smoking in Sept 2010, I gained about 35lbs. I joined MFP about 2 weeks ago to help me lose the weight I gained and more. Quitting smoking was really hard for me. I am 53 years old and had been smoking since I was 12 years old. I watched my father die of bladder cancer (due to smoking) and it was a real eye opener for me. I just do it one day at a time, I still think of smoking every day, and I keep telling myself if I have a cigarette today I will just be quitting again tomorrow so why bother. I have made it my mission to quit forever. I think that exercising, keeping a healthy mind (avoid stress) and a healthy diet really helps. I used the smoker's helpline also. They phoned me every week to see how I was doing. Feel free to add me as a friend if you would like some support.
  • stircrazy
    stircrazy Posts: 1
    Options
    I am in the exact same boat! I have quit before and know it can be done without a lot of weight gain........but it is hard! Right now I have not set a "quit date" but I must admit that the more cardio I do and the more I am working out I definatly feel less and less like having a cigarette! I am hoping this will help me when I decide to set the date.
  • chnkydnknmomma
    chnkydnknmomma Posts: 258
    Options
    i'm quitting on tuesday...my e-cigarettes just came in the mail yesterday, so i'm trying to reduce the amount of actual cigarettes i smoke until then, raplacing it with the e-cig, so that on tuesday i can stop cigarettes all together and just use the electronic ones. (i only had one so far today, and i usually would have had 3 by now!) tuesday is my 100th day on MFP, so i really want to stop smoking for good because starting again on day 107 or something would annoy me lol (i'm a little OCD)

    is there a group on here for people who are quitting AND dieting? or can we start one? i'm a little nervouse about tuesday and could use some support :(

    Can we start a group? I don't know how to do that...but I'm willing to join, I need help!!
  • mountainwoman98
    mountainwoman98 Posts: 182 Member
    Options
    I quit smoking 2 years ago and I did it by promising my boys that the last day of the school year would be my last day of smoking. I found it so easy to quit by making that promise to them and knowing they were watching me. It was about more than dropping my bad habit at that point, it became all about my boys knowing that I would keep my word to them. My state has a quitline that provided me with Chantix( I took it for about a month) and great support. Maybe your state has a program like that?
    I will have 2 years smoke free on May 23rd and yes I did gain a few pounds at first but it came off easily and I have such a better quality of life than when I smoked. I have such a feeling of freedom...I am no longer a slave to my addiction to nicotine.
    You can do this sweetie...you just have to find your reason and make a promise to somebody even if it is just yourself. You know where to find me if you need a nudge. *hugs*
    Tina
  • Jenyfur1
    Jenyfur1 Posts: 361
    Options
    i quit smoking in November!!!! (only smoked for a year straight) and going strong. its been hard needless today but i didnt gain any weight. i found that to cut the crave i chewed gum alot!!!! and start running. it pushed me even more not to pick them back up. i can remember trying to run for the first time after quiting i really did think I was going to die and each day of running it got easier. but when a slip up smoke happened i payed for it. it was like starting all over again. so needless to say i didnt slip up much after that. I have notice that after running for a long time I get that same feeling that a smoke gave. now I really love running alot more than smoking. you can do it and im sure you will fall in love with running its just as addictive :)

    Dawn,
    I feel the same way.... I quit about a month and a half ago... I wanted to be able to finish a work out DVD and run with out feeling like I was going to die,... I have substituted with A LOT of gum.

    If you want to start running, try the C25K program.... You can just Google it The program works you in to running gradually and there is always some kind of support here.
    I have acutally lost weight this time..... I do want to add that I could not have done it with out the support of the forums.... :)
    thanks Terri, LG and QT pies mom!

    Good luck to you... We are here for you!
  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
    Options
    when i quit 2 months ago, i had found a website like this one, but for quitting smoking...you get daily email tips, community forums like these, etc. it tells you each day how many cigarettes you haven't smoked since you quit, how much money you've saved, how much life you gained, etc...i could've never quit without the support of my online quitting family, which is what i'm hoping this website will do for me, diet wise...
    www.quitnet.com
    check it out!

    And i still stand by the Rubik's Cube for Quitting...i might write a book about it someday :)

Categories