Stopped Smoking and Gained Weight

butterfly09
butterfly09 Posts: 40 Member
edited September 20 in Motivation and Support
I stopped smoking 4 1/2 months ago and I have gained 18 pounds. I just can not stop the weight gain, I have tried walking and cutting calories but it does not seem to help. Does anyone have any suggestions because I have pretty much given up? :indifferent:

Replies

  • I am the same way...quit smoking and just keep gaining. I hope people start replying cuz i am curious as well.
  • When you smoke you are used to always putting something to your mouth, now you have just replaced it with food. What I did was chew on a straw when the urge hit or eat a pice of sugar-free candy to get over the craving. You can also tell yourself: Ok, when I really want a cigarette I'm not going to eat I am going for a walk or I will drink a glass of water. Establish rules and try your best to follow them.
    Good luck:)
  • MissVitaVonCherry
    MissVitaVonCherry Posts: 709 Member
    :bigsmile: I quit some months ago and didn't gain anything, during that time i went on vacation and ate CRAP food too! my saving grace was baby carrots and nuts without salt. I don't know if it will help for you, but that is what worked for me, i do know that everyone is different when it comes to quiting, and I hop tath you find something that works, because after all your hard work of quitting to start up again would make you mad at yourself.
    I also knit to keep my hands busy.
    YOUY can DO IT GIRL! you mad a great decision to quit!
    :heart:
  • MissVitaVonCherry
    MissVitaVonCherry Posts: 709 Member
    oh and sugar free gum rocks!
  • Also smoking increases your metabolism too, so you could try hitting the cardio hard to give your metabolism the boost that it's missing. But most importantly....CONGRATS!!!!! Quitting smoking is hard as heck and you should be super duper proud of yourself. :flowerforyou:
  • neenaleigh
    neenaleigh Posts: 584 Member
    SUGAR FREE GUM IS THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME FROM SNACKING WHEN I WANT A SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bigsmile:

    AND IM STILL LOSING SINCE I QUIT!
  • I quit 1 month ago and was worried about gaining weight so I starting chewing gum. I have purposely started focusing on my weight this month and exercise as a part of looking at my overall health and fitness...

    look at it this way... now that you got rid of that nasty habit, you can focus of being HEALTHY.... it's not just about a dress size, its about going the distance in a healthier you.... obesity kills just as much as smoking..


    Be proud... you quit.... KUDDOS...
  • CrystalT
    CrystalT Posts: 862 Member
    I have tried walking and cutting calories but it does not seem to help.

    You've cut calories and you're still gaining weight? I start counting calories and losing weight before I stopped smoking in April. After I quit, as long as I stuck to my healthy habits I continued to lose. If you are honestly exercising and cutting calories and producing a calorie deficit, you may need to talk to a doctor to see if there is something else causing the weight gain.
  • Dive_Girl
    Dive_Girl Posts: 247 Member
    I quit smoking 2 years ago and put on 10 pounds. Well, I did evidentially stop gaining weight but never went back to smoking and I honestly can say that I no longer miss it a bit! Congratulations to you for stopping and keep it up! From my personal experience it is harder to quit smoking than it is to loose weight. You'll do it I have no doubt. :happy:
  • slumberbug
    slumberbug Posts: 45 Member
    I feel for you. I stopped smoking because of spinal surgery, which forced me to be bedriddin for two months. That really causes some weight gain. I gained twenty pounds pretty quick. That was the reason I found this site. I have stopped gaining, partly due to realizing it's just gonna get worse and realizing I gotta quit eating in place of smoking.
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
    i quit smoking 2 weeks as of today ..... and i am losing weight .... what helps me is to chew extra sugarless gum, eat fruit and drink lots of water and keep active .... GOOD LUCK TO YOU
  • TByrd1325
    TByrd1325 Posts: 920 Member
    I was at the beginning of my weightloss when I stopped smoking. I just counted calories and made sure to keep up with workouts. Try chewing on something. (Straw, sugarfree gum)
  • butterfly09
    butterfly09 Posts: 40 Member
    :smile: Thank you for the words of encouragement and wisdom. I will keep working on cutting calories and walking more each day. Maybe if I just set my mind to it like I did with not smoking anymore I will have better results. I will keep chatting to let you know how it goes. Thanks!!!
  • I'm on day 4 of no cigs and it is harder than I thought, but I'm going to make it. I am curious, where do I get one of those Smoke-free tickers?
  • butterfly09
    butterfly09 Posts: 40 Member
    :flowerforyou:
    Great job on stopping 4 days ago!!! It was and still is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I had to change everything about my daily routine so that I was not wanting a smoke. Exercise and eat healthy now so that you do not gain a lot of weight. I can not remember the name of the site where I got my ticker, I had just googled tickers and chose one. Good luck and keep us posted on being smoke free!
  • i am having the same problem i stopped smoking alitle over 2 months and have gained some weight. i try to eat healthy then by the end of the day i need chocolate or something naughty gggggrrrrrrr.
  • Think I've gained about 14 pounds in 3 weeks after quitting smoking...I'm so upset. I am thinking about food or cigarettes all the time, why am I so weak? I have to get my head together.
  • jmehere
    jmehere Posts: 108 Member
    One of the things my husband used to quit smoking was sunflower seeds. It gave his hands and mouth something to do, to hull them and it was orally pacifying. He uses nicotine gum now and then when he feels the urge to smoke again.
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