I've been following the thread with interest. I'm not a smoker, never have been (except in uni when I was smoking something other than cigarettes!). For the advice, I'd say to not be afraid of the side effects and don't "need". Instead, just change your mindset (a lot less difficult than it seems).
When you create need, you create anxiety. They (whoever "they" is) say that we create 97-99% of the anxiety that we experience-- it's all in our heads. You shouldn't NEED to do anything, but you "should feel strongly about" quitting smoking and losing weight. By saying that, it automatically lessens the anxiety you create for yourself.
When we say we "need to lose X pounds by Y date", we create an atmosphere of anxiety; if we don't achieve the goal, we feel like a failure, even if we're 2 pounds from that goal. We say to ourselves "Self, you didn't do lose X pounds, you only lost Y pounds! You didn't make your goal. You didn't do this, or that or the other." Instead of saying something like that, set little goals: "I feel strongly about losing weight. I feel strongly about stopping smoking. This is what I will do to achieve that goal."
Goals are measurements of our progress, so we want to be able to make SMART goals.
S- specific
M- measurable
A- attainable
R- realistic
T- tangible (others will say timely, but I find that having time-based goals in weight loss creates anxiety). Tangible goals are ones that you experience with all your senses. Breathing easier while exercising is a tangible goal, both from weight loss and from smoking; you can experience things you haven't done in a long time. You feel better, smell things better, taste things better, maybe start hearing things in a different way or hear new things (Wow, she's looking great! I wish I could do that!) and maybe you see things differently or see new things (like the way your body is changing).
I also find that visualising what I want will allow it to come to me more easily. Every morning, I've started thanking myself for the healthy size 10 body I have. Now, I'm still a size 16, but by focussing my attention on counting my calories and exercising, I can literally "see" myself as a size 10 and the weight has started to come off again. So by thinking of yourself as smoke-free, you can be smoke-free. By thinking of yourself as thin, you can be thin. But you should feel strongly about experiencing your visualisation through all 5 senses.
This is all very high-level thinking, much higher than we usually do. What we do now is good, but knock the thinking up a notch and see what happens. Visualisation is a very powerful tool that we have and should be using to get what we want- more money, a better job, weight loss, smoke-free... whatever!
I know that you can do kick both the eating and the smoking habit.
Good Luck!
