quitting smoking... "Healthy" candy... lollipops...

CaptainHandsome
CaptainHandsome Posts: 127 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm in the midst of quitting smoking, and I don't really want to use nicotine gum/candy/patch/vape/whatever to do so. So I'm thinking lollipops or hard candy of some kind. I've seen organic cane sugar pops and xylitol/sugar alcohol pops and so on. I'd rather no artificial sweeteners. Any suggestions? Calories is obviously a big factor.

Replies

  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    Not a candy suggestion, but when my husband quit smoking, he chewed on cinnamon sticks. Little to no calories and it gave him that physical sense of a cigarette in his mouth.
  • AnnaBanana5010
    AnnaBanana5010 Posts: 55 Member
    This might sound ridiculous and unrealistic. what about lettuce or kale ?
  • vegmebuff
    vegmebuff Posts: 31,389 Member
    I find 'sugar-free' candies in the store use Maltodextrin and Sucralos - can cause bloating, cramps, etc., bla!

    Amazon has several brands I've never tried - sweetened with stevia - which I think is ok

    I remember when I quit - I just said 'whatever'...my goal will be stop smoking and I consumed boxes of candy canes for a few weeks.

    Good luck to you!
  • CaptainHandsome
    CaptainHandsome Posts: 127 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Not a candy suggestion, but when my husband quit smoking, he chewed on cinnamon sticks. Little to no calories and it gave him that physical sense of a cigarette in his mouth.

    That's a great idea actually, can't hurt to try!
  • CaptainHandsome
    CaptainHandsome Posts: 127 Member
    sisa500 wrote: »
    This might sound ridiculous and unrealistic. what about lettuce or kale ?

    I eat enough of that as it is! I need something more for the random oral fixation sitting right in front of me.
  • CaptainHandsome
    CaptainHandsome Posts: 127 Member
    vegmebuff wrote: »
    I find 'sugar-free' candies in the store use Maltodextrin and Sucralos - can cause bloating, cramps, etc., bla!

    Amazon has several brands I've never tried - sweetened with stevia - which I think is ok

    I remember when I quit - I just said 'whatever'...my goal will be stop smoking and I consumed boxes of candy canes for a few weeks.

    Good luck to you!

    I'd love to do the candy canes, that's why I'm looking for a healthier alternative. I was addicted to cough drops for awhile the last time I tried, but the sugar was just bad.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited May 2017
    I've heard that newmans own ginger mints pack a nice punch to ease craving. You can get a six pack on amazon for $10. My grandfather quit smoking out of the army by chewing toothpicks too.
  • ohgeeque
    ohgeeque Posts: 224 Member
    My son constantly had a mint or cinnamon toothpick in his mouth for about month when he quit smoking.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    When I quit, I chewed shower seeds.
  • tamisteffens
    tamisteffens Posts: 29 Member
    I, too, used flavored toothpicks. I bought cinnamon and peppermint oils at Hobby Lobby (in the candy making aisle), and made my own. I still always have them in the car (I quit smoking the end of December), because that's where the desire hits most often/hardest.
  • ashlee_g
    ashlee_g Posts: 20 Member
    edited May 2017
    Hi. I'm on day 13 of quitting smoking cold turkey. I'm using hard candy (simpkins travel sweets) when I'm really struggling. They are a bit pricy but a tin will last you a long time because they are really satisfying/high quality and only 20 cals each.

    My other tips for quiting are:
    2. Lots of water
    3. Most importantly, actively preventing and managing stress. Prep by ensuring you have good sleep/exercise/food habits before you quit. Try using a relaxation app 30 mins per day.

    Good luck! You can do it!

  • getupforchange
    getupforchange Posts: 86 Member
    I have no tips really (never smoked myself) but just wanted to say good for you! That's great that you're going to quit! :) Good luck!
  • CaptainHandsome
    CaptainHandsome Posts: 127 Member
    Thank you all for the suggestions!
  • jessykab74
    jessykab74 Posts: 167 Member
    I year smoke free this month........17lbs heavier then last year. I fell in love with the taste of sugar and comfort food. Everything tastes a lot different when you quit smoking. I sucked on jolly ranchers and those little calories add up but even worse had me craving all sorts of bad stuff. By eating so crappy I lost all motivation and energy. I maybe hit the gym once a week.

    I suggest GUM!! AND tons of Water, and then more WATER

    K now fast forward to today. About a month ago I went back to healthy eating which in turn has given me a lot more energy. I have been going to the gym on a daily basis again. Now my go to is gum.

    Good luck! Everyday it gets a lot easier!!! Feel free to message me if you need anymore suggestions or have any questions!
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
    Not candy or gum but almost 3 decades ago the thing that worked for me - carrot sticks. Carried small bags of carrot sticks ((about the size of cigarettes or a tad thicker). Nibbled as needed and after a few weeks I was good....
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,020 Member
    This sounds stupid until you do it but pretend smoke with a straw, it helped me through some rough cravings. I also had lots of gum. I've been using cinnamon Altoids when tempted to eat food my nephews are eating, the cinnamon is nice and strong but they do dissolve fast. Way to go on quitting!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,250 Member
    do you still need help quitting smoking 3 years later OP ???? t3057.gif
  • nikkibrianne64
    nikkibrianne64 Posts: 89 Member
    Carrot sticks were my go to, especially in the car.
  • djwinch
    djwinch Posts: 33 Member
    The only suggestion I can really give is to break habits. I smoked for approx 10 years varying amount up to 30 a day.

    What I found was I was in a habit where I would have one at certain times of day to break up the day such as 10am to get out the office. The easiest way to break the habit was to find something else to occupy my time so I would go and make a cup of coffee at 10 for example or go for a random walk somewhere in the office looking busy! The hardest bit was stopping drinking for a bit as that was what I associated most with smoking at the time.

    The other thing which really helped me, it could be a very personal one though as I know most people seem to be the opposite, but not talking about it. When I finally did manage to kick the habit it happened when I didn't tell people I was quitting. I didn't have people asking me every 5 minutes "how many days has it been now" "well done on not smoking today" etc. Not having the constant reminders that I smoked helped me forget about it a bit.

    The financial gain was great though...

    Good luck with it though, it'll be the best thing you've done.

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