Dieting, Exercise...getting rid of bad habits with it

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merlin87tx
merlin87tx Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all...again. T.T

I was wondering. I've been surfing around about the effects of quitting smoking can have on a person's body. I know that it has great benefits to it but I've also heard of people gaining A LOT of weight due to quitting.

I am quitting smoking now, figure I should since I'm trying to make my life healthier in the first place! So I've been wondering, does smoking cigarettes do ANYTHING to your weight? I know that it doesn't make you thin, that'd just be silly to believe, but what about when you're trying to quit? I know that stress can cause you to gain weight but what about quitting a bad habit?

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  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I had thought that it supresses appetite and the weight gain from quitting is behavioral. You're satisfying a missing oral fixation with food intake, or something like that.

    In for a better explanation if there's any experts on this!
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    Nicotine actually suppresses your appetite and I THINK it may speed your metabolism. Anyone I know who has quit smoking has gained weight. But, don't let that stop you, because you will be able to exercise longer, not get winded, have more energy, plus you will smell better and feel better overall once all that garbage is out of your system. Helpful tips: Gum (works wonders), lots of water (replaces oral fixation by sipping), and please, please remember...cravings only last about 10 minutes. Even though it feels like the world is going to end, if you just hang on, it will pass. :)

    Best of luck.
  • merlin87tx
    merlin87tx Posts: 27
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    I had thought that it supresses appetite and the weight gain from quitting is behavioral. You're satisfying a missing oral fixation with food intake, or something like that.

    In for a better explanation if there's any experts on this!

    I thought it surpressed appetite as well but learned that that's a major lie in health classes. The oral fixation, yes, I agree. I've heard some people will eat lollipops or others will chew on toothpicks, so I know that that's probably where some of the weight gain comes from but what if you don't do that? Hm....

    I hope someone knows or has experience about this too!
  • merlin87tx
    merlin87tx Posts: 27
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    Nicotine actually suppresses your appetite and I THINK it may speed your metabolism. Anyone I know who has quit smoking has gained weight. But, don't let that stop you, because you will be able to exercise longer, not get winded, have more energy, plus you will smell better and feel better overall once all that garbage is out of your system. Helpful tips: Gum (works wonders), lots of water (replaces oral fixation by sipping), and please, please remember...cravings only last about 10 minutes. Even though it feels like the world is going to end, if you just hang on, it will pass. :)

    Best of luck.

    Thanks for the luck! I know this isn't going to be easy. T.T

    But I've always heard that the idea that cigarettes is a appetite suppressant is a lie. Even my father, a heavy smoker for over twenty years, says that that isn't true. *Shrug*

    Also, I would chew gum if it weren't for a screwed up jaw surgery from a couple years back. Broke it in an accident, got it all bolted back, but now I can't chew stuff for very long. T.T
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Giving up smoking AND trying to lose weight at the same time is very, very hard. When you stop smoking you naturally look for something to replace that hand to mouth action. This normally comes in the form of snacking.

    Personally, I'm losing the weight first, then when i start bulking I'll use that as my time to quit, so the actual excess calories i take in from the hand to mouth action will contribute to my required calorie excess.

    That's the plan, anyway :)
  • merlin87tx
    merlin87tx Posts: 27
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    That's what I thought too, at first. Then I thought, hell, get it all over with and bite down hard to keep it up. Good luck to you when you get there!
  • dlongshot7
    dlongshot7 Posts: 79
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    The reason most people gain weight when they quit is because some people use smoking as an supressant, or smoke before they eat causing some to eat less. Then when they quit and the need the oral fixation they turn to eatting to fulfill that void they need. Just by quitting you wont gain, its how you fill the void of a cigarette that causes it.
  • babykanguruh
    babykanguruh Posts: 53
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    Hmm, maybe suck on a cinnamon stick? No calories and good breath! Good luck :smile:
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
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    I had thought that it supresses appetite and the weight gain from quitting is behavioral. You're satisfying a missing oral fixation with food intake, or something like that.

    In for a better explanation if there's any experts on this!

    You're absolutely right - smoking supresses hunger and when you quit, your mouth is craving that oral fixation, as you say. Thats why you see quitters constantly chewing on sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, gum, etc.

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