Quitting Smoking...

woodies1
woodies1 Posts: 8
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
I know I'm being a bit ambitious trying to lose weight and quit smoking at the same time, but I have to do both due to health problems. Does anyone have any tips as to how to beat the 'munchies' when you feel like a cigarette, and would normally have something to eat instead? I don't have any choice about this, so I would really appreciate it if anyone has any tips on how to survive the next few months. Thanks :) x x
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Replies

  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    Its hard. I've been trying to stop smoking for sometime. For me, I do well until I get around others that smoke. i can go all week without a cig but if I get around people on the weekend that smoke, I break down and smoke. What I did in the beginning was bought flavored cigars that I could just put in my mouth. I wouldnt light them, just kind of nibble on the end. It gave me something to hold in my hand and it mimmicked smoking without actually smoking.
  • SLT01
    SLT01 Posts: 58
    I am also going to quit smoking, my quit date is 1-6-12 ( my birthday). My present to myself! I have no idea about muchies, I was thinking celery sticks and carrots. I was also thinking about learning sign language so my hands will be busy with something else. I am also going to try writing with my left hand. Just to keep my hands busy. I don't think I will have any trouble stopping, its not knowing what to do with my hands..I am also using the patch to help me quit. I work graveyard hours and from 9 pm- 5 am I have only had 4 cigarettes. I wish you the best of luck and understand it will be hard.. but you can do it!!
  • natika33
    natika33 Posts: 154 Member
    Congrats on deciding to follow a healthier path! I have a few suggestions for avoiding the munchies:

    1) Tell yourself you can eat that snack only after you've exercised the same number of calories. Do the exercise, then have the snack (if you still want it).
    2) Have a drink of water or diluted fruit juice or weak tea. Sometimes thirst can mask as hunger.
    3) Brush your teeth.
    4) Eat an apple. They provide crunch so you get that satisfied mouth feeling, they are high in water to rehydrate you, they have a nice amount of fibre to make you feel full and they have enough sugar to signal to your brain quickly that you've eaten something, but they aren't that high in calories overall.

    Hope that helps! Good luck!
  • stephanieseaward
    stephanieseaward Posts: 6 Member
    I was a smoker for 17 years and decided I wanted to quit. Someone suggested that I read "Easyways to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. At first I was very hesitant and didn't think a book could possibly help me quit smoking. I WAS ADDICTED, how could a book help???

    My friend who suggested it swore to me that she knew 4 different people in her immediate circle that read it and quit. So...I bought it and read it. It is fairly short, doesn't make you feel bad about yourself, and it works!!!! He tells you to continue to smoke while you read the book. He doesn't want you to use willpower to quit, he wants to teach you a lesson and then you decide for yourself. It is all about the psychology of smoking. All smokers know that smoking is a mental addiciton. He helps you overcome the mental attachment.

    My husband was a smoker too. He only smoked at night as he works in the health industry. If he was so physically addicted to smoking....how could he sleep all through the night, get up and go to work all day without craving a ciggy. He only craved one on his ride home as he knew he was soon able to light up.

    We both read the book and quit. I have been quit for 2 years this week!!! The odd time I still feel like smoking....mostly when sharing a glass of wine with friends but I just tell myself that if I have one puff that I have ruined it all. I know one puff would lead to me smoking again.

    So...I know this doesn't REALLY answer your question about avoiding weight gain while quitting but it kinda does cause once I read this book, I honestly just quit and didn't look to food or patches or gum to replace the addiction. I was over the addiction.

    This book works....for real! Take it from an ex smoker who LOVED smoking. Here is a link to a webiste on the book. As you can see, many famous people endorse it.....including Ellen.

    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/books.aspx

    Good luck!!! Your body will thank you for it. :)
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member
    Tried yesterday. Didn't do so well. But the pack I broke down and bought is sitting at home instead of in my pocket where it would usually be.

    I don't know that I'll be able to do it. Quitting smoking is so hard for me that weight loss is fun by comparison.

    But I am trying.
  • classycouture
    classycouture Posts: 888 Member
    I am also going to quit smoking, my quit date is 1-6-12 ( my birthday).

    Happy Early Birthday!!

    It's my birthday, too :) I really wanted to quit before it, but right now I am in the process of lowering my cigarette intake before I make the plunge.. I'm down to about 5 a day, which is huge from my usual pack a day! Best of luck to everyone!
  • sirihermine
    sirihermine Posts: 123 Member
    i quit cold turkey 74 days ago. Had been a smoker for 10+ years...
    What I did, and my trainer said I should do, was allow myself to eat crap for the first 2 weeks while I was in nicotine withdrawal and purely focus on not smoking instead of losing weight. I was a raging lunatic in these weeks, so low cal food would not have helped. When my physical nicotine dependence was gone, I found that healthy foods and work outs helped me not smoke as well, because it kept me so focused on being healthy.
    I gained about 3 lbs during those two weeks, but got back to business after that, so the weight didn't stay on long.
    And I am still smoke free and thinking less and less about cigarettes.

    Edit: BTW, I have also quit after reading Allen Carrs book in the past, and highly recommend it as the poster above does. (Just don't start again like I did at that time.. I was smoke free for a year first though)
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I'm trying to quit too - I'm on day 3. In the past I've tried Allen Carr, hypnotherapy, willpower and medication. This time i'm trying the Paul McKenna book and DVD. I'm not really craving but as I haven't had any alcohol yet this year I haven't really put myself to the test. I always want a cigarette when i drink....
  • stormystrickland
    stormystrickland Posts: 187 Member
    bump
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
    im trying to quit too..i usually smoke every hour, but im trying to spread it out to every 4 hours for now..try gum..or go look at a health food store..i got these anti craving lozenges from ours..maybe you can find some near you, if there is one..good luck to us all
  • clocklady
    clocklady Posts: 111 Member
    I agree The Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr is great. I tried and failed numerous times to quit smoking, but after ready that book I threw away a half a pack of cigarettes and never looked back. It's been almost two years now. I don't remember munchies being too bad. Gum might help and sipping on something to drink, water, tea, coffee, etc. Good luck! You can do it and you will feel so much better when you do!
  • dinos
    dinos Posts: 1,390 Member
    Bump
  • Hottness4Lyfe
    Hottness4Lyfe Posts: 321 Member
    Bump....
  • angeldelight13
    angeldelight13 Posts: 177 Member
    Im also gearing up to quit smoking... I tried before last year and started again (we was broken into whilst in bed, i couldnt cope with the stress). Last time and hopefully again i used Champex, i know some people wont want to use drugs but this stuff was awesome and at no point did i notice an increse in my eating habbits although i wasnt logging back then =/
  • butterflimom
    butterflimom Posts: 121
    bump
  • AmythistRae
    AmythistRae Posts: 107
    I quit a year ago with a lazer treatment...it may sound crazy but she made the smell revolting and I had no desire to eat when I wanted one...Actually I never really wanted one. It was the easiest thing I have ever done and I was 2 packs a day for 20+years...

    good luck,,You can do it...
  • 8dozendiets
    8dozendiets Posts: 47
    The only way I could be analog free and lose weight is to go electronic. I love my electronics and won't give them up until I lose the rest of my weight. I recommend trying a disposable at first to see how you like it, then HIGHLY recommend the eGo Brand.

    http://tomsvapor.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_40

    I love being able to choose my flavors and nicotine content. I'm down to only 6mg of nicotine and am going to mix the 6mg liquid with the 0mg liquid to get down to 3mg.

    If it sounds confusing, it is....LOL

    But if you're interested, I can help.
  • BuffyKicksButt
    BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
    Hey all - I will have been smoke free for 6 months on 1/13/2012. I was already overweight when I quit and put it off for the longest time as I was afraid to gain more weight after quitting. The reality is that most people do gain weight regardless of whether your eating more or not. I did some research and smoking does increase your metabolism so when you quit your metabolism is whacked out for awhile and needs to reset. You may be eating the same diet as before but will gain now because your metabolism is slower. I tried to be super strict with dieting while I quit but found I felt deprived of everything I wanted then. So I ate what I wanted for a couple of weeks - nothing crazy - but to get through the nicotine withdrawls I would suggest doing the same for the first couple weeks - after that your blood should be clean and you can start your diet plan.

    I also found that focusing on the lifestyle change helped. I looked at my weight gain as temporary. I am becoming a healthier person. 1st by quitting, now by changing my diet and exercise.

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!! - Good luck and friend me if you need some support!
  • smc1277
    smc1277 Posts: 239 Member
    I'm on day 3 not smoking.Ice Cold Water, Nicotine Gum & Mints are my life right now. I also quit making coffee in the mornings because that triggers my urge. Break routine whenever possible.
  • chipper15173
    chipper15173 Posts: 3,981 Member
    my DH and i quit 5 years (feb 25) ago with chantix. it worked great. we were only on it for a month. after you start taking it a few weeks later you just don't want to smoke. than you realize you quit. we were 30+ yr smokers and up to 3 packs a day sometimes. heavy smokers. tried other ways, didn't work. we crave sometimes. we remember the price of them now and there is no way we will return to it. i chewed on stir straws and sugar free hard candy. changed the living room around so the feeling of sitting and having one were different. also did a deep cleaning and washed everything.

    good luck to you.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    I'm on day four of non smoking this year. I feel good. I haven't really had the munchies but do chew gum when I find I'm locking my jaw tight. I try deep breathing and have added the couch to 5k running program.

    I don't know what to tell you but it's hard. It's super hard. You can't smoke at all or you have to quit all over again. That's how I feel. I haven't hung with my friends that smoke but my husband is also trying to quit and I know he's cheated. You can do it. Grab some gummy bears, gum, carrots, whatever is going to keep you away from the toxic chemical filled cancer sticks.

    Look at the American Lung Association and they have virtual support groups and other resources.

    Also be like that other gal and give yourself 2 two weeks to eat/munch whatever then get serious about what you're putting in your mouth.

    I like to think of it as a plus to my life. Every smoke I don't smoke add minutes to my life, better breath, smell better, better for all around me, better example of health, etc. Look at the positives. Stupid cigs are lame and controlling and there's no room in my life for them :)
  • sadiecara
    sadiecara Posts: 59 Member
    I was a smoker for 17 years and decided I wanted to quit. Someone suggested that I read "Easyways to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. At first I was very hesitant and didn't think a book could possibly help me quit smoking. I WAS ADDICTED, how could a book help???

    My friend who suggested it swore to me that she knew 4 different people in her immediate circle that read it and quit. So...I bought it and read it. It is fairly short, doesn't make you feel bad about yourself, and it works!!!! He tells you to continue to smoke while you read the book. He doesn't want you to use willpower to quit, he wants to teach you a lesson and then you decide for yourself. It is all about the psychology of smoking. All smokers know that smoking is a mental addiciton. He helps you overcome the mental attachment.

    My husband was a smoker too. He only smoked at night as he works in the health industry. If he was so physically addicted to smoking....how could he sleep all through the night, get up and go to work all day without craving a ciggy. He only craved one on his ride home as he knew he was soon able to light up.

    We both read the book and quit. I have been quit for 2 years this week!!! The odd time I still feel like smoking....mostly when sharing a glass of wine with friends but I just tell myself that if I have one puff that I have ruined it all. I know one puff would lead to me smoking again.

    So...I know this doesn't REALLY answer your question about avoiding weight gain while quitting but it kinda does cause once I read this book, I honestly just quit and didn't look to food or patches or gum to replace the addiction. I was over the addiction.

    This book works....for real! Take it from an ex smoker who LOVED smoking. Here is a link to a webiste on the book. As you can see, many famous people endorse it.....including Ellen.

    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/books.aspx

    Good luck!!! Your body will thank you for it. :)











    This book worked for me!! I read it and it all just made sense, Now I could never imagine having another cigerette. I did put on weight though- Which is why I am here now
  • 8dozendiets
    8dozendiets Posts: 47
    PS I could never do the aerobic exercise I do unless I smoked electronic cigarettes. They do not crush your lungs like the analogs because they contain only nicotine and not the other ingredients. Think of electronic cigs as a sophisticated nicotine replacement system, much like the patch. You get the nicotine but none of the other bad stuff.

    The tobacco industry is very much against electronics - naturally - so they sponsor these bogus studies to prove that electronics can cause cancer. From my studies, I feel this is trumped up bull and that electronics are far safer than analog.
  • missy_1975
    missy_1975 Posts: 244 Member
    I was a smoker for 17 years and decided I wanted to quit. Someone suggested that I read "Easyways to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. At first I was very hesitant and didn't think a book could possibly help me quit smoking. I WAS ADDICTED, how could a book help???

    My friend who suggested it swore to me that she knew 4 different people in her immediate circle that read it and quit. So...I bought it and read it. It is fairly short, doesn't make you feel bad about yourself, and it works!!!! He tells you to continue to smoke while you read the book. He doesn't want you to use willpower to quit, he wants to teach you a lesson and then you decide for yourself. It is all about the psychology of smoking. All smokers know that smoking is a mental addiciton. He helps you overcome the mental attachment.

    My husband was a smoker too. He only smoked at night as he works in the health industry. If he was so physically addicted to smoking....how could he sleep all through the night, get up and go to work all day without craving a ciggy. He only craved one on his ride home as he knew he was soon able to light up.

    We both read the book and quit. I have been quit for 2 years this week!!! The odd time I still feel like smoking....mostly when sharing a glass of wine with friends but I just tell myself that if I have one puff that I have ruined it all. I know one puff would lead to me smoking again.

    So...I know this doesn't REALLY answer your question about avoiding weight gain while quitting but it kinda does cause once I read this book, I honestly just quit and didn't look to food or patches or gum to replace the addiction. I was over the addiction.

    This book works....for real! Take it from an ex smoker who LOVED smoking. Here is a link to a webiste on the book. As you can see, many famous people endorse it.....including Ellen.

    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/books.aspx

    Good luck!!! Your body will thank you for it. :)

    I used this book too and think it is brilliant! I'll be off the ciggies 9 years in March :smile:
  • 8dozendiets
    8dozendiets Posts: 47
    With much respect, Alan Carr's Easy Way did absolutely NOTHING for me. But it's definitely helped many others.
  • louisau
    louisau Posts: 159 Member
    I quit, cold turkey< on 1 March 2011 after smoking for nearly 26 years.
    My tips:
    Firstly get you head around not smoking - to quote Yoda "Do or do not, there is no try." I set a date weeks before I quit, then I told everyone that I'm quiting on that date. When March 1 came around I was totally prepared, mentally to quit.

    I believe the addiction is purely psychological. I purposely didn't avoid the situations where I normally smoked. For weeks after quiting I still took regular "non-smoking breaks" with my smoker buddies. We would hang out on the patio and soak up the sun and chat for 10 minutes and then back to work. (getting rid of my craving for fritos was a lot harder than quiting smoking)
    For me tapering down would never have worked.

    Now after 10 months I only crave when my staff drive me crazy and I want to commit murder.

    To all of you "quiters" out there, if you can "diet" you can quit smoking. The process is the same.

    Good luck

    PS: Feel free to add me if you need your butt kicked for not quiting
  • stroken96
    stroken96 Posts: 436 Member
    This book works....for real! Take it from an ex smoker who LOVED smoking. Here is a link to a webiste on the book. As you can see, many famous people endorse it.....including Ellen.

    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/books.aspx

    Good luck!!! Your body will thank you for it. :)
    [/quote]
    Thanks for this web site and info on the book,
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    I was a smoker for 17 years and decided I wanted to quit. Someone suggested that I read "Easyways to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. At first I was very hesitant and didn't think a book could possibly help me quit smoking. I WAS ADDICTED, how could a book help???

    My friend who suggested it swore to me that she knew 4 different people in her immediate circle that read it and quit. So...I bought it and read it. It is fairly short, doesn't make you feel bad about yourself, and it works!!!! He tells you to continue to smoke while you read the book. He doesn't want you to use willpower to quit, he wants to teach you a lesson and then you decide for yourself. It is all about the psychology of smoking. All smokers know that smoking is a mental addiciton. He helps you overcome the mental attachment.

    My husband was a smoker too. He only smoked at night as he works in the health industry. If he was so physically addicted to smoking....how could he sleep all through the night, get up and go to work all day without craving a ciggy. He only craved one on his ride home as he knew he was soon able to light up.

    We both read the book and quit. I have been quit for 2 years this week!!! The odd time I still feel like smoking....mostly when sharing a glass of wine with friends but I just tell myself that if I have one puff that I have ruined it all. I know one puff would lead to me smoking again.

    So...I know this doesn't REALLY answer your question about avoiding weight gain while quitting but it kinda does cause once I read this book, I honestly just quit and didn't look to food or patches or gum to replace the addiction. I was over the addiction.

    This book works....for real! Take it from an ex smoker who LOVED smoking. Here is a link to a webiste on the book. As you can see, many famous people endorse it.....including Ellen.

    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/books.aspx

    Good luck!!! Your body will thank you for it. :)

    I'm pretty much the same as this, but I did gain a few pounds (maybe up to 7lb). It really does work. the bit about not substituting food for *kitten* is important - just remember food won't sate your nicotine craving.
  • magikmax
    magikmax Posts: 2
    First time I quit I used the Alan Carr method, which worked, but I did start smoking again. Have also tried the usual patches/gum/will power. I've been smoke free for a year, but the only thing that has really worked for me has been using electronic cigarettes.

    Like 8dozendiets, I've been gradually reducing the nicotine content in the eliquid (electronic cigarette 'refills') I make, and have reduced myself from 24mg down to 12mg so far. Electronic cigarettes have all the 'advantages' of traditional ones, taste, satisfaction, thoat hit, nicotine, but none of the nasty chemicals.

    I would advise you try Alan Carr or cold turkey first of all, and if you don't manage with that, try electronic cigarettes. There's a great community of users that can help you with them at http://www.ukvapers.com
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    I just tried to do day 1 of the 30 minute shred and got 5 minutes in before my lungs collapsed :grumble: Think this will be my motivation to give up smoking (again!) I think pushing myself to finish a 20 minute workout will be all the motivation I need, sick of being unhealthy :sad: :laugh:
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