Any ex-smokers?

LauraSmyth28
LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Don't worry, this IS a fitness question.

I'm a smoker, about 10-15 a day. I've been a smoker for almost 10 years now.

I love exercise, I love to push myself....but lately I'm finding that my breathing is really holding me back. I get so out of breath I have to stop.

I'm basically looking for people to tell me how much their fitness levels improved when they stopped smoking, and that they DIDN'T gain any weight.
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Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    I quit last year. Your fitness level will not improve by quitting smoking but your capacity to do aerobic exercise will increase almost immediately which will make it easier to do the exercises that will lead to increased fitness.

    Like anything else, you will not gain weight if you eat less than you burn.
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    I know I won't gain weight directly from quitting, but I know it's harder to stick to a calorie controlled diet when you're craving nicotine and a lot of people can turn to food instead.

    That's why I was trying to get my diet under control before quitting. Excuses excuses, I just need to do it!

    Thanks for the reply.
  • Cathyvil
    Cathyvil Posts: 230 Member
    I stopped smoking about 6 years ago after reading the book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allan Carr. A friend gave it to me after it worked for another friend of hers. I'm so very much not a self help book sort of person so I tossed it on the bookshelf where it sat for about 6 months. When I finally did pick it up, it pretty much worked like a charm. After getting through the first couple of days after reading the book, which you read at your own pace and smoke the whole time you are reading it, my cravings were almost all gone. A coworker had also used the same book, unbeknownst to me at the time, and had the same success. It basically brainwashes you into not wanting to smoke. Best thing I ever read and I'm a huge reader.

    Good luck on stopping! I guarantee you will feel so much better and have much more stamina when you do :flowerforyou:
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I quit when I started here in 2009 and lost 15 pounds. My current ticker is last year and this year. It took about a year to overcome the limitations of 34 years of smoking. When I sprint, I do still have minor breathing problems, but they're improving.

    I feel a thousand times better and I have save a barge load of money. Totally worth those 3 days of agony when I went through withdrawals.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    I was a pack a day for 30 years. Jeez, seeing that number makes me kind of sick.

    At any rate, tomorrow with be 30 days smoke free with zero weight gain.

    Good luck...you can do it! If I can, anyone can! :laugh:
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Smoking will keep you from EVER making the kind of progress you'd like. Since I quit, I don't have any more wheezing! I can workout for more than 30 mins. at a time! I did gain about 10lbs after I quit, but I was still eating crap food, drinking beer, and not exercising consistently. Once I changed my diet and got moving more frequently, it was easy to drop the post-smoking weight. So eating right and exercising will certainly help stave off any weight gain.

    Have you thought about trying the patch? It will help reduce cravings while allowing you to improve your fitness. By the time you're completely off nicotine (6-8 weeks), you should be able to see noticeable improvement. That in itself is a great motivator to not smoke.
  • cPT_Helice
    cPT_Helice Posts: 403
    When I first quit, 3 years ago, I lost 30 pounds. I don't stress eat, though. I missed my cigarettes and wasn't happy and when I'm not happy I don't eat much. After a while I gained back to my normal weight. So, overall..... no, I didn't gain. It is so liberating to not be a slave to butts anymore. I never have to worry about having enough or going out to get a pack or having cash on me or where i can or can't smoke. And....... I don't smell nasty anymore. :) Good Luck!!
  • VivicaJayne
    VivicaJayne Posts: 13 Member
    That's exactly what it is : EXCUSES
    It will be harder to stick to your calories, but you just have to do it. I quit smoking a couple months before MFP and controlling my urge for food was nothing compared to getting over a cigarette craving. Stop Thinking of it as a choice because it really isn't. Stop killing yourself and throw those things away!
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    I've tried Allen Carr's books, patches, inhalors...will power, everything!

    I think the only thing left for me to try is an electric cigarette. Not sure where to buy one but I will google.

    Thanks everyone. I think I'm ready to finally give up.
  • VivicaJayne
    VivicaJayne Posts: 13 Member
    Try a e-cigarette. That's how I quit.
  • VivicaJayne
    VivicaJayne Posts: 13 Member
    21stcenturysmoke.com
    They're super cheap and really really effective. Plus delightful to smoke especially if you get the menthol. It tastes like sweet mint. Good luck.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    I quit with these ecigs http://www.volcanoecigs.com/

    Great product with great customer service.
  • phillips529
    phillips529 Posts: 194 Member
    This is a good thread....today is my 1st day as a non smoker. One would say this is called Cold Turkey, but this has been a time in the making. After my many failed attempts I got smart this time. I started with changing my diet to eating clean, then I started to take care of my fitness and lastly was my smoking and here I am...QUIT DAY.

    Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciated it!
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    This is a good thread....today is my 1st day as a non smoker. One would say this is called Cold Turkey, but this has been a time in the making. After my many failed attempts I got smart this time. I started with changing my diet to eating clean, then I started to take care of my fitness and lastly was my smoking and here I am...QUIT DAY.

    Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciated it!
    Good luck! You're doing the best thing you possibly can for your health!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I quit smoking a bit more than 20 years ago and one of the first things I noticed was that food tasted so much better!

    Worrying about weight gain is a very poor reason not to quit smoking. The bottom line is that the health risks associated with smoking are far worse than putting back on a few pounds.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    This is a good thread....today is my 1st day as a non smoker. One would say this is called Cold Turkey, but this has been a time in the making. After my many failed attempts I got smart this time. I started with changing my diet to eating clean, then I started to take care of my fitness and lastly was my smoking and here I am...QUIT DAY.

    Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciated it!

    Good luck - it may be tough but you'll be glad you quit!
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    I quit smoking 12 years ago. I didnt' gain a lot of weight from quitting. At least not noticable, because 3 months later I got pregnant. :blushing:

    I did read something though that makes sense. When you smoke it actually raises your blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops you crave another cigarette. If you replace smoking with sweets, it does the same thing to your blood sugar. Up and down and makes you crave more cigarettes, causing you to replace them with more sweets. Make sure you don't replace smoking with candies.

    Best wishes
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
    I have quit a multitude of times. I quit over a year ago, relapsed for a couple of months, then cold turkied in Nov and have stayed off since. Most of the times I have quit I either stayed the same weight or lost. I would lose because I felt so much better I would exercise more. I have used various prescription and OTC things and actually have the most success with cold turkey. It sucks for about 3 days then is much better. Good Luck!
  • tquig
    tquig Posts: 176 Member
    I quit smoking a bit more than 20 years ago and one of the first things I noticed was that food tasted so much better!

    Worrying about weight gain is a very poor reason not to quit smoking. The bottom line is that the health risks associated with smoking are far worse than putting back on a few pounds.


    ^^^^^^^^This
  • ashlibbie
    ashlibbie Posts: 6
    I smoked for abou 5 years and just passed my 1 year mark of being a nonsmoker on December 28th :)
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    I quit last year. I gained a bit then started the new lifestyle and have been losing continuously for the last 8 months. I feel better than i have in years. Good luck. You'll love it!!
  • mskari77
    mskari77 Posts: 142
    I quit a 16 year pack a day smoking habit almost two years ago, when I would walk up the stairs to my bathroom and have to stop and catch my breathe when I got there. A few months after quitting, I noticed I was able to ride my bike longer without becoming winded, among many other things. I did gain weight, but that's because I quit exorcising, and went through a very stressful time. Good luck to you
  • stephensmith0929
    stephensmith0929 Posts: 160
    i am not a smoker, but my guess is you are def gonna gain wait.... IN YOUR WALLET!!!
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    I know weight gain is not as important as being a non smoker, but you are underestimating how vain I am (that's a joke).

    I need to try convince my fiance to quit too....no way I'll be able to if he's still smoking. I think he's ready too though.

    Will check out those links posted above, thanks.
  • deftanker
    deftanker Posts: 105 Member
    My quit date is a week from Monday....
  • incendia3
    incendia3 Posts: 57 Member
    I smoked for about 15 years. Tomorrow is actually 16 months of being smoke free. Cold turkey and I didn't cheat once. I was a competitive athlete my entire life but could never run. Finishing a mile without walking was an amazing accomplishment. I started C25K when I quit smoking. I am now up to running 5 miles a day. Quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself on so many different levels. Good luck!
  • c_armbrust
    c_armbrust Posts: 8 Member
    im 24 and have been smoking since i was 17 and i recently tried quiting, and as this coming monday will be 8 weeks with out a cigarette. i couldnt be happier. you never realize how deep of a breath and how well you can breath untill you quit smoking. it has made my fitness goals alot easier! and not to mention, i save 210 dollars a month!! thats almost my car payment!
  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
    I smoked for 11 years and enjoyed things like bike riding and hiking without much trouble. Then about 3 or 4 years ago, I got a cough in November. It got worse to the point where I would have blinding coughing fits and couldn't lay down without feeling like someone was sitting on my chest. Doctors tried antibiotics, inhalers, breathing treatments, etc but nothing improved. That New Year's I had my last cigarette and committed to walking every day. It was rough at first - my husband wouldn't quit smoking so there was always temptation, and any kind of physical exertion sent me into coughing spasms.

    It was slow and steady progress to where I could walk in a charity event that June and volunteered for their planning committee the following year (Indiana Lung Walk). Years later, I'm glad I did it and am constantly on my husband about quitting as well. You have to want to do it though. The cravings can be rough for the first month or two but replace that habit with others like exercise and I chew sugarfree gum a lot. The minty taste helps curb your need for a cigarette...or at least it did for me.
  • p_barron
    p_barron Posts: 63
    When I stopped smoking I did turn to food but I turned to healthy food because I could taste again I lost 15lbs due to the water weight I was retaining because of how much sodium all the foods I had to eat as a smoker. I quit about 4 years ago and about a year after I quit I didn't like the smell of cigarettes anymore. A year after I quit my husband quit to and he lost weight as well.
  • WhitneyJerome
    WhitneyJerome Posts: 80 Member
    This is a good thread....today is my 1st day as a non smoker.

    Same here!! Really needed this today. Especially after I woke up this morning and found I had gained four pounds since yesterday (which I have to keep telling myself its because of the weight training this week) and my coffee maker was broken. Thats the kind of morning that makes you want a smoke!!

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