Struggling after quitting smoking

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olive1976
olive1976 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone help?

I quit smoking at the end of November 2011. I have been 7 months completely smoke free. I am thrilled to be free of smoking and will never go back. I was in great shape (externally) before quitting. However, I didn't watch my diet when quitting, it was hard enough to just give up the smokes, let alone be careful with my diet. End result - I am now a good 8-9lbs heavier on any given day. I know that may not sound alot but i'm only 5'3 so its a lot for my frame.

I have been trying to lose weight with diet alone (not strict) for a 3-4 months - have not lost a pound - in fact i've gained some.

Since last week i have started a vigorous exercise program - 2 days of HIT class 50 mins- 1 day with personal trainer - 1 hour - 2 days of just cardio 45 mins. I am restricting net calories to 1200.
I have gained another pound since then.

Am i just doomed to gaining weight no matter what i do?

I am tired of feeling bloated (bigger) and not being able to wear my old clothes.

Any Ex smokers with advise, or anyone with knowledge please help!!!

Replies

  • butterfly0475
    butterfly0475 Posts: 91 Member
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    I wish I could offer advise but I am right there. I quit in December and have gained almost 20 lbs. I have smoked again the past couple of weeks and have a new quit date of July 4th (freedom from this horrible habit). I would also love to hear of any success. I felt tired and stress levels soared. Looking for the same suggestions as you.
  • findfan4ever
    findfan4ever Posts: 153 Member
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    Congrats olive!!!!! That is awesome you quit smoking!!!!!

    I believe I may be able to help you out. I was a personal trainer for 17 years.

    Send me a friend request and an email detailing what your goals are, the details of your exercise program, and any other questions you may have.
  • babybs
    babybs Posts: 48 Member
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    Great job Olive! You've conquered the hardest habit, this coming from a smoker.

    I've quit smoking a ton of times ( I consider myself a professional quitter) and have been in your shoes, only to my demise I start smoking again. This time I'm starting backwards, I'm trying to lose 10 pounds and get into good exercise and eating habits and then quit.

    Don't give up! Learning to live healthy is much easier in the long run then smoking. I admire you!
  • Alex729
    Alex729 Posts: 103 Member
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    I wish I could offer advise but I am right there. I quit in December and have gained almost 20 lbs. I have smoked again the past couple of weeks and have a new quit date of July 4th (freedom from this horrible habit). I would also love to hear of any success. I felt tired and stress levels soared. Looking for the same suggestions as you.

    I've been looking for a quit date and I LOVE your July 4th "freedom from the horrible habit" date! I have been smoking for most of my life and have had some long quits, but I always seem to come back to it. I've been working out pretty good lately and I don't want to feel winded any longer. Send me a friend request if you like and we can motivate each other!
  • mdelcott
    mdelcott Posts: 529 Member
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    I quit last august and then gained 20 pounds. Even with running 30-60 minutes a day... I decided to try low carb and in 6 weeks lost 17 of the 20 pounds.. I HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER I OVE not smoking and I love low carb living Best decisions I ever made
  • roguestates
    roguestates Posts: 223
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    I quit smoking a couple months ago because of (unrelated) surgery. Since then, I've definitely gained some weight. I'm in this for health, so I have to remind myself that the weight gain is preferable to the smoking. I can continue to work to get fit and lose weight, and my lungs/heart will thank me for it.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    after i quit, i did low carb, and it make it so much easier.
  • capperboy
    capperboy Posts: 99 Member
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    I quit over 20 years ago.
    Didn't worry about the diet in the first few years used exercise to maintain my weight.
    Snacking is preferable to smoking.
  • alfie1313
    alfie1313 Posts: 51 Member
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    Hey there :-) Cant really offer you much advice really but just tell you what i did :-) I quit smoking 3 years ago and whilst quitting i substituted the cigarettes with food and plenty of it.... 28lbs later i regretted it! being 4ft 11 it really did show :-) BUT now finally this year im in the right frame of mind to deal with it and thanks to this site for being able to track my calories and thanks to my gym membership so i can go swimming and running its all starting to come off again :-) Just find an exercise you love, track your calories and i promise things will move in the right direction eventually :-)
    Well done on quitting smoking!!!! :-))))
  • ktarbox57
    ktarbox57 Posts: 1
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    I'm in the same boat.. That's exactly why I just signed on here tonight. I quit last August and I'm now approaching 20+ pounds. I had never had a problem with weight my entire life, now battling mid-life on top of it all... And sick that I can't fit in any of my clothes... I'm 5'3 also, so I know how those few pounds look on our small frame.

    Hopefully hooking up with you guys will help with my accountability!

    BTW: I started smoking 2 weeks ago.... Part of me wanted to so I could shed the pounds, but I KNOW I can't continue down this road.... That freedom quit date on the fourth sounds like a plan!
  • naughtynikky2
    naughtynikky2 Posts: 1
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    hi i quit smoking 1 year ago and i put 3 stone on which is alot. i am only 5`2, and i am struggling to loose the weight as well. ive started running been doing it for 4 weeks now and have lost 6lbs which is frustrating when i want it to come of quicker, my weight jumps up and down week to week. but im not to worried as i believe it can take upto 18 months from stopping smoking for your body to adjust to that change. good luck with the weight lose you will do it.
  • pinkwhisk
    pinkwhisk Posts: 41
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    Can someone help?

    I quit smoking at the end of November 2011. I have been 7 months completely smoke free. I am thrilled to be free of smoking and will never go back. I was in great shape (externally) before quitting. However, I didn't watch my diet when quitting, it was hard enough to just give up the smokes, let alone be careful with my diet. End result - I am now a good 8-9lbs heavier on any given day. I know that may not sound alot but i'm only 5'3 so its a lot for my frame.

    I have been trying to lose weight with diet alone (not strict) for a 3-4 months - have not lost a pound - in fact i've gained some.

    Since last week i have started a vigorous exercise program - 2 days of HIT class 50 mins- 1 day with personal trainer - 1 hour - 2 days of just cardio 45 mins. I am restricting net calories to 1200.
    I have gained another pound since then.

    Am i just doomed to gaining weight no matter what i do?

    I am tired of feeling bloated (bigger) and not being able to wear my old clothes.

    Any Ex smokers with advise, or anyone with knowledge please help!!!

    Stress perhaps? I gained a couple of stone when i quit smoking. I've lost it now, but I know I couldn't until i removed certain stresses from my life

    Are you eating enough protein? And are you checking your calorie intake? You may *think* you're being healthy when in fact you're not!
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
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    I went from 50 a day to zero, 20 years ago this August, I lost weight in the first five or so month by filling up on salad every time I felt the need to smoke, I was so full of food by the end of the day I never felt like eating my meals. I then put on weight when I stopped eating eating the salad I was addicted to.
    Now I am still a smoker, but one who has decided not to smoke. I know that I would start smoking were I to have even one cigarette. Don't give up, you'll live longer with an extra 20lb, than with an 20 a day habit.
  • sweetgeek793
    sweetgeek793 Posts: 22
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    Hi congratulations on stopping the smoking your creating a better and richer future for yourself !

    After a few failed attempts I got serious and stopped smoking in Jan 2011. I was 10' 7 stone when I quit and evening snacked my way to 11'4 stone. I now feel over the smoking and cravings enough to start to fix the weight and evening eating.

    Don't worry too much about the snacking as its better to snack than smoke and you really want to focus on one thing at a time,

    I joined my fitness pal just over a month ago and have already lost 4 pounds and more importantly have stopped the night time snacking as this site helped me realise how many calories are in all those little snacks If I really feel the need I have some fruit (I still eat crisps and things I enjoy but not in evening which is when I struggled most :)

    my advice - don't rush it and make sure that you are fully over the need for a cigarette before you cut back on what your replacing them with xx
  • earthwitch
    earthwitch Posts: 7
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    I've been there, done that too. One question - do you still drink coffee? My experience was that I needed to cut out both coffee (and other high caffeine drinks) and cigarettes at the same time. If I didn't, I either kept getting the cigarette cravings, or wanted to compensate in some way (sugary foods usually). I probably kept right off coffee for a year or so - until I knew I wasn't going to start smoking again. I've been able to reintroduce it and don't have a problem with the coffee now.
  • barbara4599
    barbara4599 Posts: 114 Member
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    I'm in a similar situation. I quite smoking before and gained weight so started smoking again. At the time I was still in the military and hovering around body weight standards so I couldn't afford to gain weight. I'm retired now and gained more weight while smoking anyway!

    A few months ago I quit smoking using sheer willpower! I admit I was a beast to be around during weeks 3-6, but it got better and I feel like myself again. I've been here on MFP to lose the weight and I'm succeeding so I don't believe you have to give up 1 thing at a time - food vs cigarettes. What helps me is a lot of positive self talk. Find your internal motivators and keep reminding yourself of them. Some of the thing I tell myself:

    "I don't want to look older than I am. Smoking and fatness were aging me fast!"
    "I want to set a good example for my kids."
    "I don't want to be old and sick like my parents."

    Just some examples, find your motivators and talk to yourself!
  • Living4Liz2012
    Living4Liz2012 Posts: 312
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    I quit smoking 1 year 5 months and almost 2 days ago....Yes I am 25 and started verrrrryyyy young(no comment)
    Anyways I put on alot of weight afterwards
    What helped me out besides gum, was doing cardio, eating alot of fruits and veggies and downing about 10-12 bottles of water a day. It was will power, and knowing I wanted to live a long,healthy and happy life that helped me:)

    I hope my tips will help, and feel free to message me and maybe we can come up with something to help you loose the weight:)
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
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    bump

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