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Quit smoking or not when starting to lose weight.
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I played the "which should I do first" game in my head for years and all it did was result in me neither quitting smoking or losing weight, at least for any decent amount of time. The mind is good at playing tricks like that. One minute it's "It's too hard to do both" and the next it's "well I'm smoking so why should I care about eating this pizza?" or "If I'm eating crap food, who cares if I have one little smoke?"
As many others have said, people gain weight when they quit because they replace cigs with food. The nicotine craving also feels a bit like hunger, so it's easy to confuse the two. But think of it this way, the nicotine is gone in 3 days. Any craving after that is mental. So take that little craving monster and say, "F you, cigs! You don't run my life! I am NOT a smoker!" Then take that energy and go for a walk, or drown it with some water or tea.
I also recommend Alan Carr's book "Easy Way to Quit Smoking." I NEVER thought a book would help me, or that I'd be one of those people who recommended it to others, but I bought it out of desperation, and it changed the way I looked at smoking forever. Three years ago, my husband and I both quit with the help of that book, after being smokers for over 10 years and having tried other methods of quitting for several years (patches, gum, cold turkey, etc.) You're actually encouraged to continue smoking WHILE you read the book too, which helps make the prospect of giving a shot a little less scary
But if feel you need to choose one or the other, QUIT SMOKING!7 -
You can do both. I quit smoking December 5 and started MFP January 3. Haven't smoked yet, and I'm down 15 pounds.5
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I took a year to change my eating habits, then I started exercising, then I quit smoking 3 weeks ago, with help from the patch...I've lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks....you can do it ALL, however you want to5
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Worthy of note...I quit smoking on Feb. 19th. I've noticed a huge change in my muscle tone and overall strength gains. I feel stronger and better every time I lift. Just saying...that is one positive benefit.
Precisely why I quit. Them deadlift PRs don't pull themselves, and you'll not pull them either if your body isn't getting sufficient oxygen.3 -
I agree with the quit smoking first, start logging at maintenance to be aware of what you are eating, and move to a deficit when you are ready. You will feel so much better about yourself, and the food you can eat will taste better when you do start to log a deficit.2
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Do both, but keep a log and identify all the bad habits and behaviors that you associate with smoking and overeating. One by one replace each bad habit with a good habit that reinforces good health. Never tackle more than two habits at one time. Best to stick to one.2
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I quit smoking 10 years ago. After 50 years of using. I started following The South Beach Diet to make sure I didn't gain weight. I tried Atkins and gained. I started walking everyday up and down hills. I watched every bite/sip that went into my mouth and I gained 30 lbs in 3 months and after 10 years, I'm still trying to get rid of the last 10.
I was never overweight in my life until I quit. The Dr. suggested Weight Watchers. I counted every point religiously. And I still did not lose. Then she put me on thyroid meds. Still no loss.
For some of us, our metabolism crashes when we quit smoking. It is not always a lack of control over food/drink. It is not always inactivity. It just happens.
My suggestion is to quit smoking as soon as possible. Unless you need to lose weight for a medical reason. But, do not feel that you are doing something wrong if you gain weight. I felt guilty for years when I could not get rid of the weight no matter what I did. I would hate for anyone else to feel the way I did (like a total loser), because people say that everyone who gains weight does it from hand to mouth disease.
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Obviously do what's best for you.. But I used to use the excuse - only tackle one thing at a time. Only fight one fight at a time. Not with smoking, but with other life events happening. There is never a "good" time to start losing weight. There is never a "good" time to quit smoking. If you've made it to this point in your journey, give yourself enough credit that you are strong enough to do it. I've learned I'm a "pull the band aid off" type of person.
There's never a good time or fight one fight - become road blocks and excuses that keep pushing your progress back.
Commit to your good health.3 -
I quit smoking Dec 6th and i gave my body a month to get over withdrawals before I started exercising and clean eating. I have lost 15 lbs since January 3rd and I am so glad to be free of the addiction to tobacco.8
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I did both at the same time 7 years ago and it was the best thing to do. Quitting smoking can affect so much your mood and you also trigger some nasty cravings... training helped me completely control them and deal with the frustration over quitting - it was basically my way of compensating. As a results, I melted in no time and kept the weigh off until my recent pregnancy (I was able to lose it all by training again).
Good luck!0 -
I quit smoking 2 years ago and started gaining weight. I started vaping but I never picked up another cigarette. Now, I've decided that I needed to drop the weight I gained. I only gained weight because of my husband. He eats a lot of calories but works out everyday while I did not.0
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I got into a habit of exercising as some penance for smoking. I had 20+ years of to/start In 2006 I flipped it, wanting to do a 12 k fun run, and the run was the reward for not smoking. The running endorphins were an unexpected nicotine replacement.4
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It is NOT a myth. I gained when I quit. The reason some people gain is because the need to keep the mouth busy. Not everyone goes through this, some people do. It is best to have something ready just in case this is you. I liked different flavored hot teas, cinnamon gum, mints and things like that. Once I gained the initial "quit weight" because I just couldn't stop eating I had about a 2 month period of trying to get it under control. I just needed something to take the place of the cigarettes. We did not come from a cookie cutter. It is not the same for all of us. That being said here I am 12 years later and still not smoking.1
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The key is to to replace a bad habit with a good habit. Our brains are wired towards habit and stopping one activity without providing a new course invites disaster. You just need to identify an activity that you can sustain long term.1
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I battled with this one trying to do both - don't put yourself through it it's horrendous! Eventually I went onto nicotine replacement therapy (patches and then lozenges) whilst dieting so I could manage both. I didn't gain any extra weight and have been smoke free for 2 years now! It's tempting to lose weight first but you'll feel better and fitter for quitting smoking first1
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Quit smoking. You can do it. There are plenty of tools to help. If one fails try another. Do not give up.4
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I was just in the same boat as you less than a year ago. But the answer is to quit smoking and start living a healthy lifestyle, I didn't gain any weight when i quit. It motivated me to push myself. You can do it!0
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That was great advice Britt...Obviously do what's best for you.. But I used to use the excuse - only tackle one thing at a time. Only fight one fight at a time. Not with smoking, but with other life events happening. There is never a "good" time to start losing weight. There is never a "good" time to quit smoking. If you've made it to this point in your journey, give yourself enough credit that you are strong enough to do it. I've learned I'm a "pull the band aid off" type of person.
There's never a good time or fight one fight - become road blocks and excuses that keep pushing your progress back.
Commit to your good health.
To OP..Dont get frustrated and give up because you think your doing to many things at once.
And dont forget better to be a few lbs heavier during the quit,than to have lung cancer.
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It was easier for me to quit smoking while losing weight and exercising. I am now a quitter for three months. Have a craving, go for a walk or any other form of exercise. It works!0
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