Possible? Probably.
Very difficult? Definitely.

Is anyone else out there attempting to quit smoking while losing weight? It's pretty much a *have to* situation as prescribed by my doctor recently, due to my current eating habits/smoking habits, and my family history.

Any advice is appreciated.

OMG! May the force be with you lol - that sounds pretty difficult! But I'm sure you can do it. Then, write a bestselling novel that can inspire us all please!

I've never been addicted to smoking (I've smoked maybe 3 packs total in my life), but as far as breaking habits and losing weight goes, I think it's important to find a replacement habit. So instead of smoking, maybe have a stick of gum... I've had times when I kept more than 5 flavors of gum around my house because it helps beat sweets cravings. Or drink a diet soda - not the healthiest habit, but it's what I do sometimes when I'm craving food. There's lots of little tricks you'll find for yourself on the way, but sometimes it's gonna come down to taking it minute to minute. It gets easier once you've done it for a while.

But the biggest piece of advice I have for anyone: never, never, never, never, never give up. Never. You'll mess up sometimes, sure, but see it not as a failure, but as a place where you need to reassess what went wrong and try again.

Thanks Lizzie I'll make sure to send you an autographed copy of that best selling novel. lol

And with trying to change habits, whether it's not smoking, or not eating two bowls of cereal, it's really a day by day thing. I've learned that I can't beat myself up over it, as both overeating and smoking are addictions. And it takes time to break that.

I would pick the two hardest things to give up at the same time though.

My, oh my!!! It is a huge task but it can be done. U have to be the most focused you have ever been in your entire life!! My two top tips is replacement for the oral fixation and replacement for the activity. Okay, so invest in sugar free gum stock because u will need it. I replaced my cigs with a pack of gum in every nook and cranny that I would ever be located in, at, or near!! U MUST HAVE GUM!!!! Every time u get the urge to eat pop a piece of mint gum. Then, u must find some activity to fill your time. Knit, sew, take a class but for me the obvious activity was exercising. It takes off the calories and keeps u busy. You do not realize how many times you reach for a cig out of boredom. All and all, good luck....u will need it. However, like I said it can be done!!! Good Luck!!!

My dad did it... but inadvertantly... when one of his dear friends died of lung cancer, he quit smoking and took up running. Lost a heck of a lot of weight and gained breathing again. You can do anything if you want it enoguh.

Jokan - I do have gum, and suckers. My dentist said he'd rather fill a cavity and me be smoke-free. I am starting to walk 30 minutes a day so hopefully that will help offset the anxiety I feel for not being able to smoke. And yes, I smoked out of boredom more than anything. But I'm working more on my crochet projects too. That at least keeps my hands busy. I do drive the people at work crazy by clicking my pen too much. But I think that will get better over time.

Silverstar: You could not be more right when you say you can do anything if you want it enough. It goes with losing weight too. I don't want to be a smoker, and I don't want to be overweight. It's going to be challenging, but I do not want to wind up in a position like your dad's friend. I am sorry for his loss. My father died at the age of 42 (when I was 15, I'm 34 now) from a heart attack that was exacerbated by his smoking. The older I get, the younger he seems, and I have to do something now about the weight and the smoking, because I would like to see the age of 43 (and past that).

I quit smoking while losing weight! Good for you for trying to do it! I pretty much just replaced the smoking with exercise. I was very ready to do it though, so I didn't find it that difficult. I used the patch at first for a couple of weeks but stopped because of crazy dreams, side effects. You will do great!!

All I can say is good luck. I quit smoking a year and 1/2 ago, and it was difficult to just do that. I gained a lot of weight when I quit, and if I had known then what I know now, I would have definitely come up with an eating and exercise plan to do while I quit.

For me, when I was having nicotine cravings, it felt just like being hungry physically. So I ate. Bad choice on my part. Now, I would say that when you quit, every time you want to light up, do a lap around the block or around the pool or anything but smoke or eat! Don't let food become a nicotine replacement.

I used the newest medication to quit smoking and it was incredibly helpful for quitting smoking and I never could have quit without it. I also joined an online support group clled quitnet, which I'm sure you can google.

Also, stick around here as much as you can and get "food support" too.

Barb

Lauren, that's what I was thinking that if I start exercising that it would at least offset the drop in metabolism from not smoking. I'm doing the patch right now, and it keeps the edge off usually, it's just breaking the oral fixation that's hard.

Barb,

I will definitely need the food support, as I'm doing my best to not replace the smoking with overeating, but that's a battle I'm currently trying to win. Maybe I should try duct tape? lol

I couldn't take the medicine for smoking cessation due to the bad dreams. I do the patch right now, and the only side effects I have from that are slight skin irritations.

I think it'll get better in a few weeks. I like not smelling like smoke.

I quit smoking while trying not to gain a ton of weight! When I had a crazy craving, I would do something physical like 20 jumping jacks or push ups or something similar. I was amazed at how much I was doing those first few days! And I upped my water intake TONS!

Good luck, this is hard to do, but know that it isn't impossible! You can do it!

I quit smoking while losing weight too, it's been almost a year. I was REALLY ready and I used the patch which helped TREMENDOUSLY. I had tried several times before and could never do it no matter how I tried (cold turkey, the gum, etc.) so I think this time it was a combination of really being ready and the help of no nicotine withdrawals to deal with.

I didn't even have to use the entire program length worth of patches, I easily weaned off after about 3 weeks. It feels AWESOME!!! Makes losing weight so much easier because you can breath so well when working out, lol. Might seem liek a small thing but imo it's very significant.

Good luck... I KNOW you can do it.

I'm right there with you with wanting to quit smoking. I'm a little nervous that I'll start to eat more if I quit smoking. It's just vicious cycle that I have to break out of.

Dandi - That's a good idea, about the jumping jacks. Someone also told me to brush my teeth when I get the urge to smoke as well, as you don't want to smoke (or eat) right after you brush your teeth.