contemplating quitting smoking...need advice

Avg weight gained from quitting smoking is 5lbs so it's unlikely you will gain back all that you lost through hard work. This is because cigarette smoke does increase your metabolism slightly compounded with the withdrawals which might make you want to snack. I won't even list all the bad things it does to your body cause you probably know.
I'd say talk to your Dr or pharmacist before starting anything because they know your medical history, but I'll list some things anyway.
Patch - helps minimize the withdrawal symptoms while decreasing the severity of cravings. Good place to start.
Gum/lozenge - for cravings...might help with the snacking too. Essentially a replacement to having a smoke
Inhaler - also for cravings but helps satisfy the hand-mouth habit
e-cigarette - same as the inhaler but without nicotine...probably looks better than the inhaler too.
prescription stuff - works great for some people but you need to see your doctor.

Actual smokers may have other advise.

Good Luck! You're doing a great thing for your health!!

Sugar Free gum was my best friend, I smoked for over 20 years (started in 6th grade). I quit 6 years ago and never went back. I called the New Mexico Quit line, they provide you with either gum or the patch for free plus great support. I only used the first box of patches then decided I didn't need them and just quit. I carried and still carry at least 3 packs of gum with me always. I didn't gain weight and loved everyday how my clothes didn't smell, my house, my car, and now I am whitening my teeth. Sooo worth it. Bottom line, you have to want to quit. You can do it.

I am on week 5 with the patch. Pack a day smoker for 20 years. You know how it goes...you really need to WANT it. And want it now. Or it won't work.

I hope you want it!!

Someone posted this and I loved it: You can lose the weight, but you can't lose lung cancer.
For me personally, it was never the weight gain I was REALLY worried about. It was the fact that quitting sucks.I chew like two packs a day of gum now!!

Good luck to you! I know you can do it.

I didn't gain any weight when I quit smoking. I chewed a lot a lot a looooot of sugar free gum. Find something to keep your hands busy. And for Pete's sake, quit cold turkey. It's the best way. Weening yourself of doesn't work, it just keeps the nicotine addiction going inside your body, and you're basically just torturing yourself. Drop your pack in a puddle, stomp on it, and move on. All you have to do is NOT buy another pack.

Try using nic gum in the beginning to help with cravings. I smoked on and off for 10+ years, and quit for good last September. The nic gum helped to replace the cigs, and then I had to quit the nic gum

I feel a million times better now that I am smoke free. And I didn't gain any weight once I quit. I wish you lots of luck! You'll be so much happier once you kick the habit :drinker:

I work for an addiction agency that helps people quit smoking, and we get this question a lot. On average, if you do gain weight, it's not more than 5 lbs. Some reasons include: substituting food for the oral part of smoking, being bored, mistaking the cravings for nicotine for hunger, and also that your tastebuds start to work better again! Just keep healthy snacks around, drink water to get through cravings, etc. If you want more info I can ask my coworker...he has books and websites he knows of about it.

Good luck! You'll do great!!

I quite 3 weeks ago. I let myself go for a week, anything I wanted to eat or have for 7 days. (anything is better than smoking) I did gain 5 lbs but because I was used working out and I used exercise to help burn off the rage, I lost it all within 2 weeks and now Im down 4 more from all the extra lung capacity I have to go harder!

I only smoked for about 3 years but when I quit I lost 25 lbs in the 6 months after... good luck!

Coming from a 30 year, now non, smoker...DO IT.


Also, here is what I have learned through my experience from quitting...

It is not an addiction to nicotine that is your greatest battle. It's out of your system in 3 days. It's the habitual means of smoking. Find other ways to keep yourself busy.

Good luck!

EDIT: I quit cold turkey....no gum, no anything...YOU MUST CHOOSE AND ACT UPON THAT CHOICE TO SUCCEED

Coming from a 30 year, now non, smoker...DO IT.


Also, here is what I have learned through my experience from quitting...

It is not an addiction to nicotine that is your greatest battle. It's out of your system in 3 days. It's the habitual means of smoking. Find other ways to keep yourself busy.

Good luck!

Agreed.

Change your routine. I used to stop at the QuikTrip for smokes and an iced tea in the mornings. I stopped going that way and just went straight to work. Keep yourself occupied doing something anytime you feel the urge. I still get it. Its been a few months for me. Its hard but so worth it. My favorite part about it is I dont stink anymore. Its the little things!

Best of luck!

I smoked for nearly 50 years. I quit the first time when I was 30 and have quit, literally, 100 times since. Until this time, I never made it beyond hours, days, or weeks and once for about 6 weeks. I would always psych myself up for about a week, then quit on a Monday. I would always have a thought in the back of my mind that I could smoke again some day. I don't know where that came from, but it was always there. It would pop into my mind and it prevented me from getting past a certain point, because it was popping in every 5 minutes. I always gave in.

This time, I quit on Oct. 17, 2011, so tomorrow it will be my 5 month anniversary. This time I made a plan before hand. I planned my quit date, then I made a list. I made a long list of 5-10 minute activities that I liked (or didn't mind) doing. Stuff like walk around the block, play a game of solitaire, play a short computer game... think of as many things as you can, then print it out and put it somewhere you can see it easily (like on the fridge). Then print this out:

http://www.stqp.org/quitsmokingtimeline.asp

and do the same. If you can, avoid quit smoking "helpers" like patches, pills, etc. They just prolong the agony. I tried everything you can imagine including those, and acupuncture, hypnosis (very expensive), herbal stuff, etc. Getting through the first week will be the hardest and the second week is still a little difficult. Think about it upfront, before you stop smoking. It's not that long of time. It will get progressively easier at time passes. Drink lots of water and try to exercise regularly (a good workout releases stress, and believe me there IS stress). Also, a massage helps if that's an option for you. ALL the times I quit smoking for more than 2 weeks; I felt FANTASTIC! I was SO energized, it was unbelievable! You will see. Anyway, I didn't really gain any weight, but waited about 2 months before dieting. If I had been here on MFP, I would definitely have logged what I ate. I wouldn't hold myself strictly to a calorie limit, but if you log, you can keep it down just by knowing how much you have eaten. Just remember, you'd have to gain a lot of fricken weight to get as unhealthy as smoking makes you. Give yourself a break the first 2 weeks. You will survive and be stronger. At this point, whenever I think of smoking, instead of wanting a smoke, I think "Man, I'm glad I quit smoking!" :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Good luck!

Edit: One more thing: After smoking became non-PC, I was always self conscious about smelling like cigs. I spent a small fortune on breath mints, sprays, etc. When I went to the grocery store or doctor or anywhere I would be around people, I changed clothes, spritzed my breath, blah blah blah.. then didn't smoke until I got done.. and so many more inconveniences caused by smoking. It's like you've been released from a major obligation.. ahhhhh! No more of that! YIPPEEEEEE!!!!

I started working out while I was still smoking. Working out made the easiest path for me to stop. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't complete things. my body did well for a month but I eventually got to a point where my muscles simply weren't getting enough oxygen and neither were my lungs. I couldn't step up my workouts because of the smoking. This made me really frustrated and it was easier to stop smoking....however, I did gain a few pounds, but that's okay I'm losing them. And I chewed gum. And sometimes I still have issues, but as long as I'm working out, that need to smoke is kept at bay. Good luck!!!

I have been quit for almost a year now. Here's what I did:
1.) downgraded from Camel crush to pall malls...gross!
2.) since my addiction was mostly with the act of smoking, I cut back to half a cigarette per smoke break
3.) then I cut out one smoke break a day
4.) then I went to only smoking a third of a cigarette per smoke break
5.) then I slowly cut back until I only smoked one cigarette a day
6.) then I realized how close I was to quitting, finished off the pack of gross pall malls
7.) haven't bought a pack since

Allen Carr's easy way to stop smoking.

i quit June 16th of 2008 using this method. it worked.

I smoked for 33 years and quit almost 3 years ago ( July 21). I read Alan Carrs Easy Way to Quit Smoking about 3 times before I chose my date to quit. His book helped me to change my perception of the withdrawl portion among other things, and I actually lost 4 pounds when I did quit. You could learn to knit, crochet, embroider/cross stitch and not only keep you hands busy, but relax yourself and create something both beautiful and useful.