[iawildflwr]

Anyone out there trying to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time? Thats one of my goals and I would love to know how others are handling it, coping, etc. So far, its a real struggle.

[mizz186]

Hi I am 32 I started smoking @ 12 ...I know terrible huh..anyhow 6 weeks ago I quit smoking...drinking & a week n 1/2 later started my diet I decided A whole lifestyle change this was the 3rd or 4th time I quit smoking I never lasted more than 2 weeks then I would go back. I really had to make A decision & mean it & pray on it quite A bit. I bought slimquick diet pills & it helped with food cravings & I walk ALL the TIME I never ate veggies or fruits but I am eating them alot now & I bought the fat free pringles I got low cal bars for cravings & 100 cal kudoes bar for when I need the real chocolate fix & I have lost 15 pounds I am feeling better than I ever have in my life (even when I was much thiner) I hope this helps!!!!good luck & don't quit quitting!!!

[Lafayette]

I quit smoking cold turkey last August. I still think about having a cigarette- I don't know if that ever goes away- but I said, "I quit" and I quit.

I did gain about 15 lbs so it pays to plan a diet with the smoking cessation but don't beat yourself up about a few pounds.

Quitting smoking was the best thing I ever did for my health! And, believe it or not, my sanity... once I started thionking about why I wanted a cigarette, I came up with other ways to deal with the emotions and boredom (besides brownies, haha!).

Good luck!!!

[MelPerimeter]

I quit smoking about 3 months ago (after 14 years of smoking) and am planning on starting my weight loss regimen in earnest on August 1st. I recognize that I still could pick up a cigarette and happily smoke it, but the craving - the real desire - for one is pretty much gone.
I hope I can be that successful with losing weight.

[spirithorse63]

I stopped smoking 12 days ago. I suck on a Tic Tac when I get the urge to smoke, and I use a straw when drinking, which replaces the hand to mouth action, using a straw also replaces the action of sucking on a cigarette. This is what has help me to stay away from food while quitting.



Ruby

[Jayde]

Originally Posted by spirithorse63

I stopped smoking 12 days ago. I suck on a Tic Tac when I get the urge to smoke, and I use a straw when drinking, which replaces the hand to mouth action, using a straw also replaces the action of sucking on a cigarette. This is what has help me to stay away from food while quitting.

The straw is a good idea for those who have just started and need the sensation. I used to stuff cotton halfway up a straw to give me the extra draw.

Free of the habit 20+ years. It was the best thing I did for myself and my family... it was also the hardest.

Kudos to all of you who are kicking the habit!

[Tori]

i planned on quitting when i started dieting, but was having a hard time. at the same time i was put on wellbutrin for anxiety (it is given to people trying to quit smoking too) i ended up changing meds, but before i did it helped me quit, within 2 weeks of starting it. if nothing else works, ask your doctor about it

[snuggle]

I quit smoking 18 months ago and after I did I gained weight. I found out it was easier to do one thing at a time so first was the smoking. Now working on the weight issue. Good luck!!

[Daisy Boo]

i quit in April after having smoked for nearly 15 years. one of the reasons i waited to quit was that i always used cigarettes as an appetite suppressant so i thought I would gain weight. however i managed to put on weight while smoking so that theory kind of flew out the window.

the other was that i wanted to be healthy, not just lose weight, and smoking contradicted that.

so i quit and bought nicotine gum to use as a replacement to the cigarettes. best thing i have ever done. the chewing action helps with the motion of doing something which for me is a bigger challenge than the nicotine withdrawal. I am now managing my stress in other ways than having a cigarette which is helping - although I often have times where I feel a cigarette will complete the moment.

I think that the gum became a replacement for me, in a way that food becomes a replacement for some people. I stepped up my exercise and loved how it became easier to breath while moving. I shifted my focus. I was conscious to not let food become a replacement though.

I have had no weight gain since April, and am now just starting to lose some weight.

If you want to do it - you will.

[SarahinBalance]

I quit smoking 15 months ago and used http://quitsmoking.about.com/ to help me do it. They have all sorts of nifty things that'll help you lose (a star for every month you quit etc.) and it helped me in the same way that this web site helped me lose weight.

Good luck!

[FerretNose]

I was a smoker for about 13 years.

What I wanted to say is that exercising and serious water consumption not only kept weight off me while quitting smoking: it also reduced the cravings and made the withdrawal symptoms much easier to deal with. I actually *lost* 10 lbs when i quit. Sometimes people go inot quitting smoking with the mindset that oh, gaining weight is inevitable, can't be helped, may as well eat up and make myself feel better about the withdrawals. Well I say Bull**** to that noise.

In fact, that weight gain belief is what kept me from quitting for many years- and I didn't realize that it was also ultimately keeping the weight *on*. Here's why. We tell ourselves, "I'm already overweight. If i quit smoking i'll be even more so, because quitting makes people gain weight." We use this to rationalize keeping ourselves in that comfort zone, and there is a lot of rationalization and junkie thinking when it comes to smoking cessation.

The truth is, unless you put those smokes down, you won't have the energy or oxygen to work out properly. Working out is actually painful when you're not getting enough oxygen, and a painful workout is a surefire way to get fed up and stop working out.

People put on weight when they quit smoking because 1) society tells them that's what they can expect 2) they eat more than normal, and often less healthy foods than normal, because they are trying to sooth the withdrawals. Both these factors are completely under the control of the individual.

The way i did it was thus: The first thing was to start smoking ultra lights. Then I got myself down to only about half a pack of those a day. Then I quit cold turkey. The first day i spent just drinking as much water as possible and reading inspirational junk from smoking cessation websites. I took tylenol to combat the aches. I went to bed super early. The next day, I made myself walk like 2 miles, and also drank as much water as I could stomach. The next day I did aerobics, ditto the water. I did stuff like this the first week, as much water as possible, avoiding caffeine, sugar, etc. Then i began to cough up brown stuff. Once that was all out, I was feeling super good and stepped up my workouts.

You'd be amazed at how much farther you can go on a workout when you can actually breathe normally. You don't know how much air you are missing until you get it back again.

Good luck!