Can anyone give me hope - Given up nicotine and gained 10 lbs.
cheryldumais
Posts: 1,907 Member
I quit vaping in May. I was never a smoker but in a sense I changed deck chairs on the Titanic. I lost over 100 lbs and was doing well but while losing I took up vaping. It kind of replaced the eating. Now I have quit vaping and although I feel I am eating the same I am up 10 pounds. I know it's normal to gain when quitting nicotine but will it ever come back off? I'm tempted to go back to vaping because I don't want to gain all the weight back. Anyone have experience with this? Is there hope that I will get it back off?
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Replies
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I have no experience with smoking or vaping, but I do have experience with weight gain.
Sounds like it's time to tighten up on your logging. Start weighing out portions again. You didn't gain weight because you quit vaping. You gained weight because you are eating more than you think.
You can get it off. You just have to be consistent and diligent. Will it suck? Yep. Will it be worth it? Yep.5 -
Don’t go back to vaping, it’s killing people.
What are you taking in for total calories? If you can, try cutting back a little calorie wise.5 -
I think you've been around the boards long enough to already know the answer to this.
If you create the deficit it'll come off, it's the appetite that increases when you quit nicotine. Nocotine suppresses appetite but you choose what you put in your mouth.
I could be wrong but it sounds like you've replaced one coping method with another. So I guess you need to figure out what you were using vaping and eating to deal with and find another way of dealing with it that doesn't lead you back to overeating.10 -
Yes I was eating more and yes I have tightened up my logging. Had I not then I would have gained 30 pounds not ten, lol. What I was hoping for is someone who has quit nicotine to tell me when does the hunger rebalance? I've heard it said that you gain then it settles down and you will go back to normal. I want to know how long that takes. I was hoping someone on here had experienced this by quitting smoking or vaping. My total calories are 1320 before exercise. I generally earn about 150 for exercise which puts me around 1470 daily. I'm fighting to stay within that scope. Going lower would likely set up binge behavior.7
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Whatever you do, don’t go back to vaping. Those ten pounds are much healthier for you than vaping.
Good luck, I wish I had more to contribute
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cheryldumais wrote: »Yes I was eating more and yes I have tightened up my logging. Had I not then I would have gained 30 pounds not ten, lol. What I was hoping for is someone who has quit nicotine to tell me when does the hunger rebalance? I've heard it said that you gain then it settles down and you will go back to normal. I want to know how long that takes. I was hoping someone on here had experienced this by quitting smoking or vaping. My total calories are 1320 before exercise. I generally earn about 150 for exercise which puts me around 1470 daily. I'm fighting to stay within that scope. Going lower would likely set up binge behavior.
Sorry can't help with the experience side of things. The only recent threads I could find on the subject, you already participated in.
Are you actively trying to lose at the moment? If you are, perhaps consider maintenance for a couple of weeks rather than trying to battle the appetite at the moment.
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I'm a vaper/smoker too and everytime I try to quit for good I get tired,restless,foggy brain so I try to eat to "wake up" do you feel like you've been doing that? I agree with whoever said eat at maintenance for a bit while you figure it out,there's also the not knowing what to do with yourself feeling so maybe you're munching mindlessly,great job on quitting! Absolutely DO NOT go back it's getting deadly and they don't know the exact cause so 10 lbs is an ok trade for life, you'll get through this just fine💖6
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cheryldumais wrote: »I quit vaping in May. I was never a smoker but in a sense I changed deck chairs on the Titanic. I lost over 100 lbs and was doing well but while losing I took up vaping. It kind of replaced the eating. Now I have quit vaping and although I feel I am eating the same I am up 10 pounds. I know it's normal to gain when quitting nicotine but will it ever come back off? I'm tempted to go back to vaping because I don't want to gain all the weight back. Anyone have experience with this? Is there hope that I will get it back off?
I was a smoker for over 20 years. I quit 10 months ago. I gained 10 lbs in a month. I did not eat more I ate less. It was horrifying. Nicotine raises you metabolism. I just got back from Paris. Not many overweight people, but lots of smokers! It is finally starting to come off. It takes time. Don't be too hard on yourself. You can live with 10 lbs for awhile , but not without lungs. Best of luck11 -
No experience with quiting nicotine, but I did go off a medication that had appetite suppression as a side effect, wellbutrin. A brief google search and knowledge that this med is used to help quit smoking says that dopamine is affected with nicotine use as well and that can affect hunger.
For me I added a tyrosine supplement as well as a methyl folate supplement, which are both reported to help dopamine production. I also changed up my WOE a bit to reduce carbs, which tend to make me hungrier. Once I got over the initial change I was able to go back to my previous WOE. It took about a month to get it all straightened out and that was with the added tyrosine.1 -
I quit cigs 15 days ago, cold turkey, no replacements... I've actually lost 7 pds since then, ( I started tracking and better eating the day I quit) It's tough, when a craving hits I do what the app tells me to do, I delay, I take deep breaths, drink water, or do something... This is gonna sound weird but I have a stepper in my living room , just a tiny one, cost 40 dollars on amazon... When a craving hits, I get on it, and do it for a minute or 2 to make me realize I like breathing... lol sound weird but it works for me...18
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I will be a ten year ex-smoker in January and thankfully had no interest in e-cigs or vaping. However, you choose to quit, the keys to doing it are making your reasons and motivations for doing it exclusively yours and your methods equally so and then commit to it totally. I could spend the ten minutes telling you how I quit, but that could be totally meaningless to you as you are a different person. Example: What fueled my final attempt to quit was pure and simple rage!! I got so angry with myself that after days and days of thinking and planning the previous try, I was smoking again within hours! It really *kitten* me off. That propelled me to try a few days later and I haven't looked back since. Find your fuel!!! And trust me the obstacles that keep you from staying smoke or vape free are total mirages, easily broken through when focused!5
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geraldaltman wrote: »I will be a ten year ex-smoker in January and thankfully had no interest in e-cigs or vaping. However, you choose to quit, the keys to doing it are making your reasons and motivations for doing it exclusively yours and your methods equally so and then commit to it totally. I could spend the ten minutes telling you how I quit, but that could be totally meaningless to you as you are a different person. Example: What fueled my final attempt to quit was pure and simple rage!! I got so angry with myself that after days and days of thinking and planning the previous try, I was smoking again within hours! It really *kitten* me off. That propelled me to try a few days later and I haven't looked back since. Find your fuel!!! And trust me the obstacles that keep you from staying smoke or vape free are total mirages, easily broken through when focused!
I forgot to mention that this final attempt was "cold turkey" and such was my driving fuel (inward rage) that the so called "withdrawal effects" at least for me were negligible, and with each obstacle (mirage) that I passed through without smoking [some I didn't even notice until afterwards], things got easier and easier, then suddenly I began to wake up amazed, "Did I just go a week, month, a year, ten years (Jan. 4, 2020) without smoking or vaping?!?!?" YES!!!! Honestly, it is that easy! Too many of us (I've forgotton how many times I've fallen victim) allow our minds, bodies, emotions and life circumstances to dictate and feed us excuses for not making changes. So far as smoking, it's all manageable. Take control!4 -
cheryldumais wrote: »Yes I was eating more and yes I have tightened up my logging. Had I not then I would have gained 30 pounds not ten, lol. What I was hoping for is someone who has quit nicotine to tell me when does the hunger rebalance? I've heard it said that you gain then it settles down and you will go back to normal. I want to know how long that takes. I was hoping someone on here had experienced this by quitting smoking or vaping. My total calories are 1320 before exercise. I generally earn about 150 for exercise which puts me around 1470 daily. I'm fighting to stay within that scope. Going lower would likely set up binge behavior.
I quit smoking a little over 3 months ago after 40 years. I'll let you know when the hunger settles down! Seriously, it has been a real struggle. Usually I would get some exercise in to help, but I'm severely limited in what I can do right now (waiting on spinal surgery) and it's taking all my willpower to not either smoke or eat everything in the house.
Hang in there, it has to get better, right?10 -
Nicotine is a stimulant and works to suppress appetite and increase activity. Without it, you may be less active than before so even if you are eating the same, you can still gain weight.
I suggest keeping your mouth busy with sugar free gum, going for a walk when cravings kick in, or brushing your teeth when cravings kick in.
You could also drink some green or black tea or coffee for a caffeine boost, just don’t overdo it.
I am an ER PA and about a month ago I had a young man in his early 20s come into the ER in respiratory failure from vaping. Don’t go back to vaping, whatever you do.16 -
I quit cigarettes 1.5 years ago and finally got off the patches/lozenges 6 months ago. Which also happened to be the same time I started CICO and logging on MFP so any hunger I experienced due to lack of nicotine, I chalked it up to the calorie deficit I had just started. I don't have much advice to give other than keep up what you're doing, every day is a struggle but every day is easier than the one before.2
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Before I lost the 59 pounds that I lost so far, I quit smoking. It's been 7 years now.
I quit slowly because I was never good at the cold turkey thing. I didn't gain maybe more than 10 pounds but I was already obese.
You obviously know how to lose weight but keeping weight off while quitting nicotine is a different story. I really recommend to anyone who is in your shoes to replace those nicotine moments with something else. For example, a lot of smokers smoke when they feel stress. So if you quit smoking, what will replace that stress mitigator? For some it's food. For others it could be meditation or playing a video game.
Maybe think about some healthier habits that can replace smoking to help prevent reaching for food or the vape pen. Keep close tabs on your weighing/logging, replace the NEAT you spent vaping with something else, and be easy on yourself - quitting smoking can be difficult.
Good luck. I hope something I said is helpful.4 -
Nicotine vaping is really a national nightmare. After 50 years of hard, hard work, we finally made smoking "uncool" only to come up with a slicker, higher tech delivery mechanism. Now a whole new generation is starting all over with that evil chemical.
There is hope, and your weight will probably stabilize now or within 5 pounds. I gained a very quick 10 when I quit smoking, only to take up a smoking cessation product and start the cycle all over - so that was good for another 10 when I finally put the kibosh on the replacement product, which was more addicting than cigarettes.
You are not on a permanent up-ramp with the weight. There's just a transitional period, which is usually around 4-8 weeks. The first 4 weeks are the worst, then it gets easier. I think almost everyone goes through it. You'd have to be super-human to hold your weight steady when giving up nicotine. Nicotine w/drawal causes intense, kind of unhinged and insane cravings & all the "log more carefully" stuff will make a dent but just a dent in the animalistic urge to cram food in your face to make up for the lack of nicotine.
BUT in about 4-8 weeks, depending on the person, the cravings and other weird feelings that go with nicotine withdrawal will have gradually subsided and you will be a new, better you. And you will finally be free. This happens, I think, for everyone who actually quits. You're not going to permanently, forever, be in a battle with your cravings or putting on fresh new poundage. You'll "get over it" with the nicotine soon enough. You'll need a little patience though. There is no short-cut for that 4-8 week process, in anyone I've ever known, including myself.
Quitting was the most miserable thing I ever did, I understand exactly what you're going through. The most important thing is to NEVER use ANY kind of nicotine product again. Ever. Don't make excuses or allow yourself any excuses. Nicotine is one of the most addicting substances on earth and you will never be done with it until you are completely, 100 % done with it. No matter what, no more nicotine in any form. Nicotine, not vaping, is the problem.
Go buy a boatload of Newmann's Own Peppermints and keep a tin with you all day. They are very low calorie so you can use them at will, and they will make you much less compulsive about food. Put one in your mouth and just let it sit there. It's a strong mint and will mask a lot of the nicotine craving so that you don't binge or overeat. Seriously, these made a huge difference for me; when my box of 100 tins arrived, that was the day I stopped packing on weight and started getting things under control.10 -
Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.12 -
Thank you to those of you who have shared your experiences. I don't feel so alone. I had to quit vaping because my blood pressure was through the roof. So no patch for me. It's become harder lately because my husband started vaping again and I'm fighting it. The weight gain seems to have stopped but now getting it back off is frustrating as I can't seem to make it budge and I'm still hungry.
There are some good suggestions here and thank you especially to @nooshi713 for your input. It does feel like my metabolism is slower. I have been walking a few miles a day but I need an at home solution I think. I've started crocheting a blanket for my neice's new arrival in February, lol. Maybe that will help. Gonna look in to the Peppermints and see if that is an option here in Canada.8 -
cheryldumais wrote: »Thank you to those of you who have shared your experiences. I don't feel so alone. I had to quit vaping because my blood pressure was through the roof. So no patch for me. It's become harder lately because my husband started vaping again and I'm fighting it. The weight gain seems to have stopped but now getting it back off is frustrating as I can't seem to make it budge and I'm still hungry.
There are some good suggestions here and thank you especially to @nooshi713 for your input. It does feel like my metabolism is slower. I have been walking a few miles a day but I need an at home solution I think. I've started crocheting a blanket for my neice's new arrival in February, lol. Maybe that will help. Gonna look in to the Peppermints and see if that is an option here in Canada.
Congratulations to you. I know it is not easy.
Best of luck to you! ❤️
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Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
I got "disagreed" too. There's a person on MFP who pushes a "nicotine is completely harmless" line and advocates vaping and usually shows up in the quitting threads to argue with anyone who says to avoid vaping and nicotine. Just ignore it.9 -
Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
I got "disagreed" too. There's a person on MFP who pushes a "nicotine is completely harmless" line and advocates vaping and usually shows up in the quitting threads to argue with anyone who says to avoid vaping and nicotine. Just ignore it.
I see.
While vaping doesn’t have all the other carcinogens that cigarettes do, it is not harmless.
Nicotine is not harmless. It is a vasoconstrictor and increases blood pressure.
So whoever said that is wrong.
10 -
Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
I got "disagreed" too. There's a person on MFP who pushes a "nicotine is completely harmless" line and advocates vaping and usually shows up in the quitting threads to argue with anyone who says to avoid vaping and nicotine. Just ignore it.
I see.
While vaping doesn’t have all the other carcinogens that cigarettes do, it is not harmless.
Nicotine is not harmless. It is a vasoconstrictor and increases blood pressure.
So whoever said that is wrong.
I can definately be a scary example of that. I lost 100 lbs and was able to get off all my meds. I started vaping somewhere in the middle of maintenance. Then I had a tummy tuck to remove the excess skin and had every single problem possible I think. I had quit vaping a month before surgery but it wasn't enough. I had necrosis and drained for 5 weeks. When I went back for a repair because of the necrosis I ended up with a hemorrhage and had to be restitched again (I had restarted vaping at that point). My blood pressure problem took a while to figure out as it never occurred to me that it might have gone back up. My BP was fine before I started vaping. Finally I ended up going back on the BP meds. I probably don't need them now, lol.8 -
cheryldumais wrote: »Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
I got "disagreed" too. There's a person on MFP who pushes a "nicotine is completely harmless" line and advocates vaping and usually shows up in the quitting threads to argue with anyone who says to avoid vaping and nicotine. Just ignore it.
I see.
While vaping doesn’t have all the other carcinogens that cigarettes do, it is not harmless.
Nicotine is not harmless. It is a vasoconstrictor and increases blood pressure.
So whoever said that is wrong.
I can definately be a scary example of that. I lost 100 lbs and was able to get off all my meds. I started vaping somewhere in the middle of maintenance. Then I had a tummy tuck to remove the excess skin and had every single problem possible I think. I had quit vaping a month before surgery but it wasn't enough. I had necrosis and drained for 5 weeks. When I went back for a repair because of the necrosis I ended up with a hemorrhage and had to be restitched again (I had restarted vaping at that point). My blood pressure problem took a while to figure out as it never occurred to me that it might have gone back up. My BP was fine before I started vaping. Finally I ended up going back on the BP meds. I probably don't need them now, lol.
Wow you have been through a lot! But, you are a fighter and are still here! You should be very proud of yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself over 10 extra pounds.
🤗
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Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
There are several of us here that got disagreed with. Obviously there are at least a couple of people here that are vaping. They don’t listen to the news, let alone believe an ER PA that has seen firsthand what vaping can do to people.
Don’t be surprised that some don’t want to know the truth. We can only hope that they don’t become one of the statistics, most of whom thought it was harmless too.4 -
missysippy930 wrote: »Who the heck disagreed with my post?!
Seriously.
There are several of us here that got disagreed with. Obviously there are at least a couple of people here that are vaping. They don’t listen to the news, let alone believe an ER PA that has seen firsthand what vaping can do to people.
Don’t be surprised that some don’t want to know the truth. We can only hope that they don’t become one of the statistics, most of whom thought it was harmless too.
Deep down, everyone knows the truth about vaping. Some are lying to themselves because they want to vape, or more accurately, can't stop vaping. The similarities to how I use to lie to myself about smoking are striking. "I can stop anytime - so why should I have to stop right NOW?" "Things are stressful; once they settle down, I'll stop." "Every time I stop I gain weight, which is ultimately even worse for my health." "Finals week / new job / other life stressor is not the right time to do it" Yada yada yada. Excuses excuses excuses. Layers of excuses.
In truth, nicotine is a deeply addictive drug and it takes a great act of personal will, courage even, to banish it. It took me decades to finally be done with it, so I'm sympathetic with all who struggle. But in the end, nicotine is a dangerous poison and all of us who succumbed in the first place have to find it within ourselves to banish it.
Vaping is a dangerous, unhealthy, addictive thing to do. Stopping the vaping should be Priority # 1 in anyone's life. Maybe smoking cigarettes is one increment worse, but they are both slow-motion suicide.1 -
I cannot help with your question, but know I'm going through something similar. I quit my e-cig a month ago and have gained about the same amount of weight.5
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I was a pack a day smoker for 20 years and tried to quit so often. I read Allen Carrs 'The Easyway to Quit Smoking' and that was it, I was done. No withdrawal, nothing...just Yipee I'm a non-smoker.
I highly recommend!4 -
chew a lot of gum and drink a lot of water1
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I’m sorry you are struggling with this. Good for you for reaching out. I have no specific advice but I know you will consider all the tips and get it figured out. Take care. 😘0
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