contemplating quitting smoking...need advice

I have smoked most of my life but quit about a year ago for 5 months then started again,I have finally lost most of the weight that I wanted to loose but I am worried about gainning it back if I quit smoking ,does anyone have any tips to get me through this without weight gain,I know I will probably want to snack more to find something to do with my hands instead of smoking.help

I smoked while I quit smoking. I recommend it. I didn't quit cigarettes, you see. i quit nicotine.

The rationale was that if I was merely addicted, the smoking would naturally die away. But if I smoked because I needed to actually smoke, then I would be smoking something that cost half the price.

Well, I went cold turkey on the nicotine and smoked myself into a coma for the first few weeks, I went through every single withdrawal in the laundry, puffing away on a placebo and it taught me an enormous amount about nicotine addiction. For a start: it lasts maybe 3 months! You haven't escaped till you've been off them for at least 3 months.

the other was that cigarettes themselves lost their magic, lost their gloss and glamour. My brain no longer associated cigarette smoking with a fix or a kick. So when I stopped smoking it was just because I couldn't be bothered, not because I was denying myself something.

Totally different mindset.

My point being I didn't gain any weight. Not an ounce. Whenever I wanted a *kitten* I had one- that was my promise to myself that I kept no matter when others said 'hey, you can start cutting down on these herbals now bridgette, that would be good for you.' yeah, No dice. They didn't know what they were talking about.

It's been 2 years now and I can sit with smokers and have no problems. I'm totally relaxed. If I want one, I have some herbals in the car but truly, I can't really be bothered going and getting them... or if I want one I do. I think in the last year I've had two? Maybe 3. Don't know, don't remember. The magic of smoking is gone.

You won't necessarily gain any weight. Because you're in the habit of counting calories now and you're in a current routine. I quit smoking and put on a lot of weight, however I did not have any accountability - I wasn't watching what I was eating before and after quitting... I just basically didn't care about that, all I wanted to do was quit. Now that that part is over (a year later) I am now ready to concentrate on my weight,
You are doing the right thing, one step at a time. Quitting smoking is breaking a habit, a big one. You just need to be mindful of dropping one habit and picking up another which can also cause damage

I'm in Australia, and the AUS Goverment have been doing a really effective quit smoking campaign over the past couple of years. I found it really motivational. Feel free to check it out

http://www.quitnow.gov.au/internet/quitnow/publishing.nsf/Content/damage-lp

Goodluck

I quit smoking in 2009 after suffering from chronic lung issues such as bronchitis for most of my life (grew up with two smokers, smoked from 20 - 26) and have not been sick since. I was in and out of emergency rooms for most of my early 20's, even though I was thin. I'd get sick around October and STAY SICK until July.

Quitting was the best thing I ever did for myself.

I've been smoke-free for nearly nine months now, though there were two occasions where I did have a cigarette. I beat myself up for it at the time, but realized, "hey, I no longer smoke. This was a mistake." And I moved on.

Stress will eat at you at first once you stop smoking. You'll notice it more, but you need to replace that habit with other activities to lower your stress. I don't recall if I gained weight after I stopped smoking (I started my new lifestyle a few months after, and I did both cold turkey, ha), but I have lost 29 pounds to date and am in maintenance mode. Without giving up my cigarette habit, I wouldn't have been able to effectively form a new one — running.

I just completed an 8K race in 10 minutes less time than the prior year, when I still smoked occasionally. I'd say training had a lot to do with it, but being healthy overall helped immensely.

You can do it. And if you fail once or twice, it's not the end of the world. Just remember all the great things you have done since quitting, and the way it makes you feel to not depend on a cigarette for stress relief, comfort or what have you.

It is definitely one of the hardest things I ever did! I did it cold turkey with nothing more than determination, and helping to keep my now cancer free fiance healthier too. My last cigarette was Dec 28th 2011. By the end of January I truly felt liberated somehow....I have only had one or two moments here and there where I felt I could enjoy one,but for the most part I am determined to never smoke again. I hope you can do it, I wish there was an easy way and a magic button....but there is not. I think I finally just made up my mind to do it. Exercise has definitely helped...remembering what my fiance went through to survive after having a bone marrow transplant....
I smoked since I was 18 and will be 39 in June, I just want to be healthier! I have gained weight over the last year and a half from stress but have not gained any more since quitting.....and now since beginning this 3 weeks ago added to the exercise I began 6 weeks ago I have lost a total of 8 lbs since Feb. 1st.
You can do this!!!!! Good Luck!

i quit smoking and lost 45lbs... i lead a more active lifestyle and i dont snack anymore then i did when i did smoke

i recommend reading Allen Carr;s "The Easy Way To Quit Smoking" it helped me and has helped a number of people I know, its a great book and it really works!

Best of Luck! But believe me quitting smoking can be really easy and will lead to a much better life! I promise

I, too, am wanting to quit smoking. I've have felt that it has stopped my progression in my workouts. I've hit a wall and I would like to do more. Alot more. My goal is to one day run a marathon and I'll definitely never get there while smoking. I've tried to quit 2 times, each time a little longer than the last was. I feel confident the 3rd time will be the charm. I'm just looking for the right method for me to quit smoking. I've tried another brand of drug similar to Chantix, but didn't like the side-effects. I've tried the patch, which was very successful, but I've been considering quitting cold-turkey in order to cut down on the withdrawl time. Good luck!

I, too, am wanting to quit smoking. I've have felt that it has stopped my progression in my workouts. I've hit a wall and I would like to do more. Alot more. My goal is to one day run a marathon and I'll definitely never get there while smoking. I've tried to quit 2 times, each time a little longer than the last was. I feel confident the 3rd time will be the charm. I'm just looking for the right method for me to quit smoking. I've tried another brand of drug similar to Chantix, but didn't like the side-effects. I've tried the patch, which was very successful, but I've been considering quitting cold-turkey in order to cut down on the withdrawl time. Good luck!

I did it cold turkey but first I changed the times that I smoked to break that habbit,so like if I usually had one first thing in the morning I waited a half an hour then had one,,just break the cycle,,its bee 2 and a half weeks for me now,,no turning back now,,good luck,,

Well done you . I quit cold turkey too and I believe it's the only way. Why would you replace a drug with a drug (patch, gum, pills... you name it)
I also read the Allen Carr book and it was an eye opener.
Stay quit and enjoy your new life:flowerforyou:
I'm quit since November 9th and will never ever smoke again. And I'm training for my first 5K :-)

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how's it going, am stopping tomorrow, april 6, good friday

bump



how's it going, am stopping tomorrow, april 6, good friday

do it ,it will be a good friday for you if you do,,it's the best decision I have made in a while,3 weeks on sunday,feel so much better....

Congrats on your 3 weeks !! Well Done !! I quit today ....hope I can do as well as you !

Why all the contemplation? JUST STOP! This is coming from someone who smoked for 6 years, and quit COLD TURKEY 8 years ago. You can do it.

I baked when I quiet never ate much of what I baked I started working out more I also Tried different things like straws that were to mimic cigarettes. Then I just started working out more. I gained weight but not as much as I thought I was going to gain.

But if you are not ready to quiet no matter what you do or try it isn’t going to work you have to have the right mind set for it to work. I have tried quieting 3 times this will be the fourth time and this time around it doesn’t bother me like it did in the years past. I can watch others smoke and not want where in the past I would crave it. Good Luck to you. I hope you can find something that will help you out.

I've not read all of the responses...but my advice is find some tangible motivation to quit. I smoked about a pack a day for more than 25 years...I was pretty hard core. Today is my 99th day not smoking and it's certainly not the first time I've been down this road, but I feel it will be the last because I've taken up running, and I love it. My breathing is SO much better and I don't want to lose that!!!

Good luck. The way I feel about it is, if I can do it, anyone can! :flowerforyou:

Congrats on your 99 days of success. Your breathing with only continue to get better. Proud of you!