Well, I am quitting anyways. Today is my first day without a cigarette in probably like 2 years. I am doing well so far, except I have had a killer headache all day.

Does quitting smoking mean I am definitely going to gain a couple of pounds? I just starting eating healthy/exercising a week and a half ago and I don't want to undo what I have done so far.

YAYY!!!!!!! That is so great! I commend you on taking such an important step for your health. Make sure you drink lots of water over the next few days to help detoxify your body. As far as gaining, when I quit, I wasn't trying to lose weight so I can't answer that definitavely. But I can say that even if you do gain a little while your body is adjusting is worth the health benefits of not smoking any longer. Good for you!

First off, WAY TO GO! I know how challenging it is to quit smoking and you look like you're off to a good start. And about the weight gain... to my knowledge, gaining weight from quitting smoking is usually because people tend to eat to keep their hands busy or focus their mind on something else when they're craving a cigarette. It also gives them the same feeling of the motion of moving a cigarette up to your mouth. So as long as you keep up your healthy eating habits, you will be fine!

You can anticipate a couple of pounds due to metabolic slowdown (nicotine increases your metabolism). Anything other than that is likely due to eating more.

The health risks of a few pounds are NOTHING compared to the risks of smoking, so be gentle with yourself. Congratulations!

Congrats on stopping smoking...not an easy feat for sure. Can't say if you'll gain any weight or not but I haven't smoked for 4 months, 2 weeks and 6 hours, saving 4,089.51 cigarettes and $920.14 while still losing a little over 20#s.

Good luck & hang in there. It gets better after a couple of weeks. Really, it does!!

Way to go!!!
I quit over 11 years ago and let me tell you, eventually you don't even notice it. The first few months I had cravings every time I was within a mile of somebody why was smoking, but now - I have a few smoking co-workers and I can smell the smoke on them all the time, but it doesn't even bother me anymore. The headache is pretty normal, but it only lasts a day or two. Drink lots of water and take aspirin if you can and you'll be fine.
As far as the weight - you may gain a few pounds, but you don't have to. It's all up to you. But at any rate you're going to get healthire and that's what counts.
Congrats and stay strong

Good for you! The headaches are normal. When I quit for my last pregnancy, I also had muscle/bone aches from withdrawal.

I'm planning on quitting. I'm getting to that point where cigarettes just don't taste good anymore. I still crave them, but the taste gets really annoying - especially in the morning. I'm waiting until I get on a steady eating/exercise regimen so the cravings won't be so awful.

Altari-- I had the same experience that you did. The taste was starting to make me feel nauseous, and every time I took more than 2 drags of a cigarette my throat felt raw. I love to sing and I was finding that I couldn't even finish a phrase on one breath! That was a wake up call. Also, any time I would start laughing it would turn into this nasty hacking cough. I felt like I was way too young to be feeling that way-- not that anyone older than me should feel it either, but you know. I hated feeling like I "had" to have a cigarette first thing in the morning, after every meal and snack, and last thing before I went to bed. Even though I don't mind the smell of cigarette smoke on my clothes I know I stunk to other people.

I smoked at most half a pack a day so I wasn't a really heavy smoker. I started when I was 18 and went to college and my best friend smoked. I smoked on and off for about a year. Then I got into smoking more frequently, every day and I have been doing that for about 1.5-2 years. I want to quit smoking before I get heavily addicted for many years and have all the health problems to go with it. I have already had several severe cases of bronchitis that I attribute to smoking.

This is my first time of quitting smoking and I have been careful not to eat any more than I normally would. I have also been drinking tons of water. Although after I eat I don't know what to do with myself because that is one of the times I would go out for a cig. Oh well, I am hoping that I will have success with this! Thanks for the responses everyone.

Christine, if you can make it through the first 3 days, and then through the first two weeks, things will get a lot easier! I promise! Just hang in there--don't give in!

Jay

Hi! CoNgRaTs!! I just quit smoking 8 weeks ago today. I started smoking at the age of 15!! Crazy I know! I smoked for a total of 9 and a half years. Smoking made me develop Asthma, bronchitis episodes and worsen my allergys. Like you, one of the reasons I quit was the hacking, congestion I would get just from laughing! My husband was diagnosed with Emphysema at the age of 26 years old. They found it in stage 1. All of the specialist and doctors he went to told him it was 100% from smoking. They told him if he would stop smoking it would heal and go away. So we both quit!

I wear a 21 MG patch on my arm. After 8 weeks I *do* still have cravings off and on. Some days are better then others. You just first have to relaize that this isn't something you jump into. Take it 1 day at a time. If you have a slip up, thats ok! Just get back on track there-after. It's hard, but it's something that will be one of the best things you will EVER do for yourself.

Good Luck & CoNgrats again!

Drink lots of water and boy crunchy foods - veggies helped me and apples too. Sugarless gum by the box and I chewed it constantly. Oh, I quit 36 weeks ago I smoked half a pack a day for um 8 years - yuck! I am glad I quit when I did. Now I fear for my husband and am going to get him to quit this year!

I quit 7 years ago and didn't gain any weight, I just upped the exercise. After dinner you should go for a walk instead of a smoke

congrats and good luck!!! It's so worth it.

Congradulations, this is a HUGE step! I quit smoking in July and feel SOOOOOO much better. What helped me was drinking ridiculous amounts of water, and getting new after meal activities. going for a walk after dinner, playing a game with my husband, something to distract me. I have no cravings anymore, infact when my husband smokes i want to make him brush his teeth before i kiss him because i cant stand the smell!

You can do this!

Thank you for the encouragement and success stories everyone! Today is day two and I am feeling better -- no headache. I just went for a strenuous walk and I am watching my cals very carefully.

I know I thinking too far in advance, but I am worried about starting school in 2 weeks. I was very big on the social smoking, in fact that is the reason I started. I just graduated from community college and all of my friends there smoked. And I mean ALL of them! So I am worried about starting a new school, and being tempted to smoke because I see others doing it. So far I have mostly been home for the past day and a half so I haven't been exposed to the sight/smell of others smoking around me.