Left one bad habit to pick up another!

cfinley21 · June 2011

I have been overweight my entire life. I started smoking when I was 16 years old. I quit smoking at 20 for 6 months, 22 for over a year, 23 for 6 months, and I am 24 now and just started again a few weeks ago. I started my weight loss journey for my kids and husband. Since joining MFP I have lost 40+ and that is after having 2 children back to back. I ussually emotionally eat, since I have gotten my bad eating habits under control that has taken me about 6 months, I dont feel like I have a release from the stress!

So If i have a bad day or am under an unusual amount of stress 6 months ago I would have reached for a Super Sonic Cheeseburger. Now, I reach for my marlboro lights! It pisses me off. I worked incredibly hard to get to were I am in my weight loss only to start this bad habit. So I guess I could die from lung cancer, or die from a heart attack!

I guess my question would be if anyone out there has experienced this, please tell me how you managed it. What release did you find to deal with your stress, how did you cope with not eating and not smoking your way through a bad day???

I quit smoking with both my pregnancies, quit eating bad things to get healthy for my kids. My husband hates that I am smoking! And to top if off I feel like **** about it!

vdavis_89 · June 2011

Oh man you need a hug! Girly don't let it get you down! My mom ate carrot sticks when she first quit smoking so try that! Then you could be workin on both goals at the same time!! Good luck and remember everyone here is here to help ya! Friend me if you like

NicholeTrussell · June 2011

I smoked from the time I was 18 up till I was 28. I got sick and tried to smoke a cigarette and passed out cold. My O2 level was too low. It scared the hell outta me and I have never lit up again since. Even all these years later, I can tell you everytime I would light up.
At first I used cinnnamon toothpics or gum. Someone recommended it to me. There is something in cinnamon that curbs nicotine cravings. Then I switched to Altoids..Everytime I felt the need to smoke I popped a mint or toothpick in my mouth and found something to do!!

Before I knew it, I didnt really think about the cravings anymore and they just kinda dissipated. Now I cannot being around them!

If it makes you feel like crap when you smoke, your body is telling you it is rejecting it...listen to it!!

Good Luck!

Thomasm198 · June 2011

I know that feeling. I haven't managed to quit smoking yet though.

I basically try and take my mind off smoking by throwing my mind completely into my hobbies. Focus enough on a hobby and it helps (to an extent).

Zoe678 · June 2011

Food has always been my outlet for stress, and it seems like you relate on that level as well. When taking food away as an option for stress relief it is natural to reach for something else, such as smoking. I think the secret is to find something else that is a stress relief for you. It is really tough, but what works for me is video games/watching tv, having a coffee, etc.

You can do this! You've come so far already, 40 pounds, that is amazing! You can do anything

Friend me if you like!

meggers123 · June 2011

I also "quit smoking" a few times before it stuck. I gained some weight, and chewed a lot of gum.

A co-worker of mine is using the electric cigarette (with steam) so he has something to do with his mouth.

Good luck to you!

ShellyMacchi · June 2011

if you were eating badly, or smoking, as your method of coping with stress, you now need try to find a healthy stress relief method to help you achieve your goals *S*
easier said than done i know... but... while i have not been a smoker, i have at times been an emotional eater... and i can honestly say that taking a long walk, not too slowly *L*) has been one of the single best stress relievers i have found... plus it's good for me! bonus!

craft338 · June 2011

I quit smoking a month and a half ago. It's hard, but u just have to NOT DO IT. I just got it into my head one day that I needed to quit, and I did. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I feel awesome now and I'm so happy I quit. I used an e-cig in the beginning and I LOVED it, and it definitely helped me quit.

GOOD LUCK!!!

AdorablePanda · June 2011

Slow down, take a breath. You are taking the right step. You are aware that you left one habit for another. I haven't reached this stage in my weight loss journey, but I've seen friends who have gone through similar problems.

Some people worked off their stress by going on evening walks, which turned into jogs, so they got into better shape. I had one friend who bought a punching bag, and whenever she would get stressed she'd just punch at it.

For me, whenever I get stressed or hyper, or just need to get some frustration off my chest my husband gets a pillow and holds it to him and lets me punch at him. I have weak punches though, so it doesn't do him any harm. But it saved me the cost of a punching bag. (Note: Don't worry, my husband is not abused by me, he thinks its funny. He says he doesn't even need the pillow, he probably wouldn't feel it even without anyway).

I like the carrot idea though that vdavis_89 mentioned. :-)

Good luck, and feel free to add me too. It's a long journey for me, and I like meeting new friends to support and to be supported by. :-D

maryam4444 · June 2011

I've heard weight loss professionals say you're not supposed to try to quit smoking when you're trying to lose weight. It's too difficult to try to change one bad habit while working on changing another. Pick one or the other. Maybe you should wait until you reach your goal and are in a maintenance phase before trying to quit again for good. Although what helps me not smoke when I'm in weight loss mode is an increase in the intensity of cardio. Smoking tends to get in the way of working out hard at the gym. When I'm in the mode where I want my lungs to work at their maximum to be able to increase the amount of cardio I'm doing, it's easier to put the cigs down or not pick them up at all.

yourdarkheart · June 2011

I'm an emotional eater too! Now when I feel stressed, instead of turning to food I exercise, and when I just bring myself to do that I journal. I never used to be a person that liked to journal, but now it makes me feel ten times better. There is something about getting it all out that just takes the stress away. I hope that helps!!

LillysGranny · June 2011

I quit smoking 18 years ago. What worked for me was, first, using exercise to beat stress, and second, I made a list of all the pros and cons of smoking and kept it with for the first year or so. One of the number one reasons I had was not wanting to do something I didn't want my kids to do. Another one, was I'd been working out, eating healthy and continuing to smoke made me feel like I was living a lie. Another, I wanted to be in control of my own life, not a slave to the tobacco companies. I was tired of standing outside in the rain so I could grab a smoke and tired of apologizing because I stunk. Of course I had some things on the pro side, too, but when I looked at them, they were all things that could be replaced like, "smoking helps calm me down" (so does a good long walk!) or "smoking helps me wake up in the morning" (so does coffee!). I'm not going to tell you it was easy, because it wasn't, but you CAN do it.

Bakins929 · June 2011

You have quit before, you know you can do it again!

I had shots when I quit smoking 8 years ago and I never had any cravings afterward. Well, I take that back, every once in a while I think about how nice a smoke was after a meal; but it is maybe once a year and certainly not enough to get me started again. I don't know if you can find the shots where you live, or even if they are still offered, but I highly recommend them! I think it was $500, but with me smoking 2 packs a day, it paid for itself in no time; and that was when they were only $2.50 a pack. I found this website, although it's not the company I used:
http://www.health-is-wealth.org/stopsmokinginjection/index.php
I saw you are in KS and found this too:
http://stopsmokingshotguide.com/no-smoking-shot-therapy-in-kansas/

Quitting and dieting at the same time is a tough battle. Good luck, you can do it!

unhinge · June 2011

I agree, you need a hug! First off I would have to say quit beating yourself up! Second I would say nicotine is an addicting drug and it takes great strength and willpower to break free of it.

Step back, take a breather and ask yourself some hard questions. Why did you start again? Do you really want to quit? If so, you have done it before and you can do it again. The stress needs to be directed into a positive outlet, like going to the roof and yelling at the top of your lungs, your lungs will feel better than having tobacco in them, or maybe a good workout or brisk walk.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you need to take care of YOU. You have people who care about you and need you to take care of yourself. If not for you, do it for them.

madivp · June 2011

next time you have a bad day instead of reaching for a cigarette reach for a friend. I can tell you are the type of person that has lots of friends. Use those friend to help kick that habit. Your kids need you, your husband need you, and your friends would love to have you around to a ripe old age.

Get lots of fruit ready in the refrigerater and carrot sticks too. Be kind and gental to yourself it is hard to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time but here you will get support for both. I would love to help you anyway that I can. I quit smoking 9 years ago, and i was always one that figured i would be smoking with my oxygen straped on to my back, so i know how hard it is. I have 4 kids that are grown and on there own now, but know what a challage it is to rasie little ones. it isnt a picnic in the park some days. lol.

I wish you the best of luck in both of your journeys, would love to be your friend.

joyce1973 · June 2011

For me it's a substitute thing, whilst not a smoker I am an emmotional eater and caught myself yesterday and threw out the last of the mars bar i was eating just because I was stressed and went for a long walk instead. For me I find that excersise is the key to reducing that stress I like to ride and that free's my mind, but I used a boxing class at the Gym for a few years and it got me through a particularly stressful time (and yes I would picture the cause of my stress in the bag I was hitting).
Remember though the person you are is the sum of your experiences and by making mistakes and learning from them is the only way you can become a better you.

delilah122 · June 2011

Why don't you have some compassion for yourself and focus on one of those major goals at a time? Put all your energy into losing the weight that you want to lose - you know you can do that! You're a young woman and from your picture it's clear that you are very pretty. When you lose the weight you will feel healthy, beautiful and empowered to take the next step and tackle the smoking. Give yourself the same advice you would likely give a good friend if she were asking you the same question... cut yourself a little slack. You're doing great. You'll get there!

SiltyPigeon · June 2011

When I quit smoking (7 years ago) I popped fruit breezers cough drops whenever I felt like smoking. Eventually I stopped needing those, also.
When I was smoking, I was doing it because I thought it was making me feel better. Then I realized that smoking (and more recently over eating) ACTUALLY makes me feel worse about myself. Why would I do something that has NO ACTUAL BENEFIT for me. I quit and never looked back. You can, too.
Quitting smoking is just like losing weight. There is NO secret or magic pill. The media makes it out to be more difficult than it is so that we have excuses not to do it. It simply comes down to DON'T PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH.

blink1021 · June 2011

I quit after 10 years of smoking by exercising I found if I exercised I did not want to smoke. I also had a few scares of almost passing out and having bad anxiety when smoking. I think it was because I knew it was bad for me so I would freak out. Exercise really helped and I did not gain any additional weight that I already did not have. I cannot chew gum but I have been told that helps alot. First and foremost you have to want to quit if you really do not want to you will sabotage yourself everytime. It takes a few times of quitting to get it done, but I have faith and you can do it.

cfinley21 · June 2011

Thanks everyone! I have one left in my pack...I WILL NOT BUY ANY MORE!

meggers123 · June 2011

Thanks everyone! I have one left in my pack...I WILL NOT BUY ANY MORE!

You can do it!!!

Left one bad habit to pick up another!

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