Quitting smoking

jenniferivy3
jenniferivy3 Posts: 1 Member
edited January 2023 in Motivation and Support
Hi,
Has anyone lost weight or maintained while quitting smoking? I am using the patch but paranoid will gain weight.

Replies

  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 178 Member
    Just keep tracking your calories, and keep yourself distracted. For me, chewing regular gum helped. It’s the mindless eating that you need to avoid. Read all the stickies at the top of every heading, that’ll keep you busy for a while 😀🤣😎
  • cymande1961
    cymande1961 Posts: 45 Member
    Unfortunately, I have gained 15 pounds, in 4 months. It was so discouraging I abandoned logging here in MFP . However, in terms of what is going to mess my health up, there is no question that the smoking, not the weight, is the bigger issue. My therapist and I have agreed that my goal should be to maintain where I am now rather than stress about the weight because 95% of folks re-start smoking within a year and thus all my psychic energy needs to go into staying quit. So I'm logging again, and trying to show myself some grace until I pass the 1-year quit mark and my odds of staying quit go up exponentially. Good luck to you!
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    edited September 2022
    Hi there, not sure this will help. I quit four times before I quit for good. I tried the patch but it made my heart race. I tried Chantix but it made me crazy. I ended up using the gum and an app that would countdown things like “you just decreased your risk of heart attack by ABC%” and showed pictures of smokers lungs and other shocking things. I can’t remember the name of the app as this was 2011. Throughout the years my weight yo-yo’ed. I think I did try to lose weight and quit at the same time once without success. I’ll be honest, it’s 11 years later and I still keep nicotine gum in a junk drawer in my kitchen. Just in case. I craved cigarettes every day for years after quitting but it would pass. I crave them once every couple of years now but not enough to get in my car and go buy a whole pack. Nicotine addiction is no joke. If you do continue to try to quit, be gentle with yourself. Good luck!

    ETA: I used nicotine gum to quit, not regular gum. I didn’t gain weight but I certainly didn’t lose any. I understand the temptation of wanting to quit and lose weight at the same time but sometimes you’ve got to pick your battles.
  • superconejoak47
    superconejoak47 Posts: 1 Member
    You can help yourself doing exercise. If you do excercise you improve physicaly and will be in better mental shape, also you could take a 'snap' time to time . And in the longer run being active physical will improve the chances you never smoke again.
    Best regards,
    And ex smoker.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I didn't gain any weight when I stopped smoking as I didn't stuff extra food in my face!

    You don't have to replace one habit with another, you can just break the smoking habit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Quit cold turkey in 2003 and never looked back.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,713 Member
    My wife found she just needed to keep her hands busy, so she did a lot of puzzles and has since moved onto to cross stitching. Helps her stay smoke-free and produces hand-made art which she hangs on our wall or gives away in place of buying things at holidays/birthdays.
  • clemrath3738
    clemrath3738 Posts: 1 Member
    I quit in 1989 (a pack cost only 70 cents) ... I found that it helped immensely to keep my teeth brushed. You know that 'fresh breath, clean teeth' feeling??? Brushing my teeth often also helped me NOT eat extra. I brushed my teeth every time I wanted to smoke. Often, I used to dream of smoking. I was so disappointed in myself ... until I woke up and figured out it was just a dream. I'm so glad I never picked it up again!
  • fatboy10125
    fatboy10125 Posts: 5 Member
    Follow your diet and weightloss it will be exactly the same whether you smoke or not.

    For motivation read here daily

    https://whyquit.com/

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