Hey Chicks!

I have been smoking for 4 years now. I am really in the mind set to quit, but there is only one problem... I have worked so hard to lose the weight I have, and cigarettes have been my crutch throughout the process.

Money, sadly, is the number one reason why I want to quit so badly. I know, I know, health should be my number one priority, but I'm only 20 and feel that what I do in college will somewhat erase itself??? (haha, I'm obviously justifying my actions.)

If you could ladies, please don't preach about my smoking. I am very aware that it is bad for me, and I am very sensitive and someone calling me "stupid" or "irresponsible" for starting will only hurt my feelings.

Has anyone maintained or even lost while trying to quit? I would love to hear some success stories that make me not as nervous to throw this pack of cigarettes away.

Thanks Ladies! I knew I could find answers here. I've seen tons of amazing women who have stopped the habit, and in order to be fully healthy, I know I need to too.

Hi Katybug,

Cute name. That's what we call my kid's best friend Katie.

Ah, this is a tough one. I was 290 pounds when I quit smoking 5 years ago. I am now over 360 and coming here for help. I know that isn't what you wanted to hear but anecdotal observations don't mean anything anyway. My dad quit smoking at 240 pounds and struggled for several months with diet before taking charge and spending the rest of his life at 190 pounds. You can do both, but it will take will power, support, and maybe even other types of help. He says it took him a year to get his eating in order after quiting the cigs.

I can add this. I started smoking in college and wish I never did. I could quit easily for the following decade, whenever I wanted. Put them down many times for as long as a year. Cold turkey worked for me. By the time I was 43 is was incredibly hard to quit. Really really hard and I had a lot of help. It was the best move I ever made. Take advantage of your youth and put those things down asap. They stink. Fat girls are cuter than smokers and they have more money and they smell better. My bro was living with me after Christmas until his new job started. He is a smoker. He was broke between jobs. It cost me $90 to keep him from going crazy, and I hated the way he smelled up my house even though he only smokes outside. It gets on your clothes, in your hair, comes through your pores. Blech.

Good luck

I totally know how hard it is to quit. I smoked for over 18 years - started when I was just 12 years old! I was in 7th grade at a new school and wanted to fit in soooo bad. Didn't know it would take me until my 30's to quit.

That said, I quit when I had a terrible case of pneumonia. By the time I felt well enough to breathe normally the nicotine cravings were gone. I didn't gain weight until many years after I quit.

One thing that helped me not go back to smoking was very strong coffee. I missed sitting around with friends at work in our little smoking circle (and some of my friends were nurses!) I needed something in my hand. I would have a little bit of espresso or strong black coffee. It gave me a little pick me up that I thought my ciggies did. I don't drink much coffee anymore but I know it was much less harmful to me than my ciggies were!

It has been over a decade since my last cigarette. Listening to anyone yappity yappity yap about the dangers of smoking did nothing to help me quit - I don't think. It took what it took. I'm very thankful that I no longer smoke. I do understand your worry about the weight. I hope you can quit, tho!

Best of luck
koo

I am curious about this too. I really want to quit smoking, but I am scared that it will stall my weight loss. I almost feel like once I reach my goal weight, I will feel like I can accomplish anything, and then I can tackle the smoking thing with more confidence? But then that makes me feel like I am just making excuses again.

I have taken up running lately, and I know that quitting smoking will help my lungs be able to run longer. I do work out pretty hard, especially for being a smoker, and I know I could do a lot more if my lungs were healthier. I just need to make the decision and stick to it. It just seems hard to do both things at the same time.

I'd love to hear some success stories of people who quit while losing weight. Hopefully you can inspire me to tackle the next goal.

I quit smoking about six months ago, and I had been smoking off and on for about 16 years. I finally got tired of everything smelling like smoke and my family complaining, so I quit cold turkey. I decided on this motto: one addiction at a time. To me, smoking was more of a hazard and health issue in the short-term than my weight, but I knew that the weight wasn't far behind. I didn't want to overload my brain and emotions by trying to fix everything all at once. It seems to be working!

I quit smoking on January 2 of this year. I've lost 16 pounds since then. As long as you're putting all of your energy into losing weight, you might as well put some into quitting smoking too. My best tips are drink lots and lots of water, chew gum, change your habits (every time I do __ I smoke - so now, every time I do __ I will do this instead), don't spend as much time with your smoking friends (hard but necessary), and start doing cardio. Every day without a smoke, you will see how much better you are at cardio. Makes it hard to go back.

Like the previous poster, I also quit January 2nd of this year. Since then I've lost about 18 pounds. I started in college too and ended up smoking for about 7 years. I quit cold turkey because I just didn't like it anymore. I felt gross. You have to be ready though, all of my co workers tried in December and I told them I wasn't ready. In January I was ready and now I'm a non smoker and they are all back to it!

For me, I put all of the thoughts and energy I waste smoking into researching healthy recipes and working out. When I needed to smoke, I'd get on the elliptical machine. Instead of wondering when my next cigarette would be, i just wondered what meals I would be planning for the week. It actually mad it really easy to not focus on smoking! Good luck

Smoking (nicotine) increases the body's metabolism. When someone quits smoking, their body adjusts and their metabolism slows down. My doctor told me that it is guaranteed that people will gain some after quitting. But I think after the body adjusts, if you are eating in a healthy manner and exercising, your weight should continue to come off. Maybe just a hiccup for a while and then back to losing.

Good Luck!!