Smoking & losing weight?
 

Are there any other smokers out there?

Do you stop smoking first so that any weight you put on you can lose on your diet?

Do you start your diet first, lose some weight then quit and put more on to lose?

I am finding myself smoking more now that I am cutting out all the bad foods, ughhhh!

Actually, quitting smoking was the whole reason I started losing weight. When I had cravings, exercise was the only thing that made them go away. I never had the desire to exercise before I quit smoking. Normally, when I was stressed, I would smoke. I realized going for a run or bike worked just as well, and I was actually prolonging my life instead of cutting it short.

At one point, I DID start smoking again, partially because I was afraid of gaining and thought i would lose weight faster. I only smoked for two week sbefore I stopped because I realized how much of an impact of it was having on my weight loss in a negative way. I was working out less, for shorter periods of time, in less intense sessions.. because I couldn't breathe through them! I actually gained 3 pounds while I was smoking. So quitting smoking actually effected my weight loss positively.


Although smoking has a VERY slight boost on the metabolism, that's not the reason most people gain weight while quitting. Smokers depend on an outside force to make them feel better. Many people feel the need to have a 'thing' that makes them feel better. Some people drink, some do drugs, some people smoke, and some eat. All the same thing. Removing cigarettes can make someone feel like an emotional eater, which will cause them to gain weight. Emotional eating is something you can control, so yes, you can quit smoking without gaining weight.


The ONLY reason I have been succsessful with my weight loss is because I stopped smoking. There are physical reasons, sure: increased energy and stamina. But the real reason quitting smoking was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for me was because of what it gave me mentally. It made me realize that I had to be in charge of how I was feeling and stop depending on something to make me feel better - including food. I no longer am an emotional eater like I was before I quit smoking. Quitting also made me realize that I was capable of accomplishing goals I set for myself, something I needed to be successful at losing weight. I've already met my first mini-goal of 150 lbs.

There is a reason why, as a smoker, I always yo-yo dieted and never managed to stay on track! If you are thinking about quitting DO IT, it will only make your weight loss easier and more enjoyable! :hug:

I quit smoking 10/17/2008
 

I had smoked since I was 16- 22 years. I guess I was just done or something- not really sure what happened ? I saw a hypotherapist, I want to smike every day, but strangley I just don't ?? Here is the kicker- weighed myself this AM have gained nearly 30 lbs since I quit. I was in the 190's when I quit and this morning 219....I kidd you not it is like an eating animal has unleashed in me....not like before- this is just crazy ??

I smoked through my weightloss and quit when I took up running. I did cut back a lot when I began working out.

My doctor actually advised me not to quit smoking. He said that he feels my priority needs to be losing weight because that is an immediate threat to my health, and quitting smoking and changing my diet would be too much change and I would just end up failing at both. I tend to agree. Plus with school and work thrown in it is way too much. So my plan is to lose weight and then quit smoking.

Quitting smoking was easy for me even though I really didnt want to do it. I enjoyed smoking, it was my one and only vice. I loved my 10 minute *quite time* breaks when I went out onto the porch to smoke alone. But my kids nagged me about it so I quit for them.

I smoked a pack a day for 33 years (11-44) and I took the pills to quit. Not Chantix, there are too many horror stories about that stuff plus it wasnt covered by my insurance. Instead my doctor gave me generic Wellbutrin which is the generic of Zyban. I took the pills for about 6 days when the smell of cigarettes started to make me nauseous. By the 8th day I didnt want to smoke at all. My mother took the same pills and quit after almost 50 years of smoking. The biggest shock was the my brother then wanted to quit. He said he felt left out lol. He smoked 3 packs a day and a week into the pills he just didnt want to anymore.

I ALWAYS want a cigarette. I dont have one but I always want one. It's funny how many times I still reach for them but they arent there.

I dont know how much weight I gained from it but I'm sure I gained a bunch. I think it's just easier for me to lose the weight once and be done with it.

I'm with Hypra! I quit 7 months ago and dropped the last the last 10 pounds I wanted to lose 2 months into my quit. The main reason for this was that instead of my stress-smoking in the evening I went running instead. I was exercising fairly regularly for about 1.5 years before I quit, but I think quitting gave me that extra boost in confidence I needed to work out more and harder. I had never run before and to my shock I loved it! My metabolism seems to have sped up, I am happier than I have ever been and when I went home for the holidays friends and family said that I looked younger and better than I had in years. I'm pushing 40, so this felt great.

There are SO MANY other positive impacts quitting has had on my life, but since this is a weight loss forum, I'll just say that quitting smoking is THE reason I am in the best shape of my entire life.

You can do it.

Hi jade! I'm a smoker too and have been thinking about quitting. I've decided not to try right now-- I just think it's too much all at once. I figure that before I reach my goal weight, I'll get serious about quitting.

For me, the more I exercise, the less I smoke because it just doesn't feel as good after a workout as it does with a cup of coffee! So, I'll probably still smoke, until I get to the point where I feel I've got my eating under control and exercise is as second nature to me as brushing my teeth.

I tried the way where you prioritize your healthy lifestyle changes and that never worked, because I kept alternating which bad habit I was quitting depending on whether I wanted to eat or smoke at that moment.

I haven't had a cigarette or a beer in two weeks. I've had fast food once (a kiddie meal from Wendy's) and pizza once. I've lost seven pounds and I feel awesome. I don't want a cigarette or a beer, and the food thing is getting easier.

I'm just saying, it can be done, but you have to really want to. I want to.

Smoking is a crutch for me, get stressed grab a cigarette, get angry light one up. I know myself that I can't do both at one time, if I did I would be on the six o'clock news "1 Fat Chick barricades herself in McDonalds and says she won't come out until someone brings her a carton of cigarettes, story at 11".

Beloved, my doctor said the same thing, right now concentrate on losing some weight and we will work on the smoking later.

I am hoping that what some of you experienced as far as exercising taking the cravings away will work on me the same way.

I plan on quitting smoking when I move out of my moms house. I would never try to tackel changing my eating and smoking at the same time though... I would think getting one out of the way first, and then dealing with the next one (without using the other as a leg to stand on).

I've been dieting since August 12 and quit smoking November 14. Immediately after quitting, I had a really good couple of weeks of weight loss. No, I don't think it really makes you gain much weight, especially if you're dieting. However, smoking never really suppressed my appetite.

Maybe you should go back to that hypnotherapist for the eating:P And then, give me his number so I can get that kind of help!!!

Seriously? Where is his faith in you?

For me, overeating fills a need. For me, smoking filled a need. When I quit smoking, I did gain a lot of weight. I also had a full hysterectomy at the same time, but I also didn't find healthy alternatives to soothe my emotions in place of the cigarettes. Dieting and smoking are both very difficult challenges. I honestly don't believe that quitting both at the same time is overly strenous and too challenging. Just think...instead of stopping one habit and being left with another that you still have to deal with...and going through the same hard time twice..you could do it all at once and develop a healthy lifestyle to support your changes. Your body will thank you...for a long long time.

beautiful ace-

returning to the hyponotherapist about the eating had occurred to me...I really miss smoking- I want to smoke everyday- I wonder if it would work with the food ? my food issues are mainly sugar (cookies ice cream etc) I will keep you posted

I smoke and would like to quit but feel that I need to get rid of the weight first :carrot:(I can't do both at the same time). My friend's husband quit smoking because of health issues but he gained 60 lbs and now has other health issues. So, I figured if I lost some weight first if I do gain I could lose it again. Wild Roller Coaster Ride !

I quit smoking, stopped drinking soda, and started my diet at the same time. It can be done. I haven't failed at either and I feel amazing.

I started my new carb-free lifestyle 8/13 and by October I knew I had to give up smoking too. It was holding me back from a lot of things I wanted to do, like cardio. Also, I found that my body chemistry changed to the extent that cigarettes really tasted terrible. I had my last cigarette 10/8 and, except for a couple of episodes where I REALLY wanted a cigarette (but didn't have one), I've been fine. Mostly without cravings and I am at the point now where I very rarely even think about smoking. I quit cold turkey.

I also quit smoking in 2003 when I was on strict Atkins. I did great for six months then relapsed (on both diet AND smoking). So I'm not going to really and truly believe I've conquered this until after the six-month mark.

Personally I think it's easier to do both together than to do one and use the other as a crutch... Just my $.02

I used to smoke about a pack a day. But I've cut back quite a bit. Has anyone here heard of an elecrontic cigarette? It really worked for me. I haven't quit totally because of stress from school but it's really worth checking out if you want to cut back or quit. It's much healthier than smoking. It uses PG to create vapor, and you can chose your flavors.

You can check out puresmoker.com or e-cigarette-forum.com for more info.

But I definintaly think that trying to lose weight AND quitting smoking is way to difficult for me to do. Weight first..smoking later!!

You have to gain 3st 2lbs, on average, for the good effects of quitting smoking are cancelled out.

My supervisor quit about 3 months ago and has put on 2 stone. I guess she's healthier in the lung region (obviously) than before, although if she gains another 1st whatever she'll be back where she began in health terms lol but she is richer!

That is a good point Emily, not only is quitting a good idea for the health aspects but also for the wallet, its getting pretty darn expensive.

now this is really interesting. i've been attempting to low carb it since end of october but only got really serious this week. i just bought a scale and started counting calories within the last 5 days. i also decided to experiment with quitting smoking. i've smoked about 10 cigarettes since new year's day and none in the last two days, which is pretty good, in my book, though i've sorta been cheating. i knew i was gonna try and quit and wanted to make it as easy as possible on myself so i asked him to prescribe me bupropion. i think it's helping. i still think about cigarettes several times a day, but it's manageable so far. we'll see. i might be singing a different tune a week from now.
i was one of those crazy people who would go to the gym, run 4 miles on the treadmill, and then light one up before even changing out of my gym clothes. i haven't noticed any change yet in my workouts, but i'm really hoping to because i think that'll help with the motivation both to keep running AND not smoke.

oops.
him = my doctor

I started my weight loss first. I smoked for 21 years. Heavy smoker, about 2 packs a day is what I was at for years. According to my stop smoking ticker, I have been smoke free for 86 days and 10 hours, wooo! I believe everybody and every body is different and what works for one person may not work for the next. I stopped smoking cold turkey after several attempts and what worked for me was convincing myself that *I* am in control, not the cigarettes and that no one can make me smoke or not smoke but me so I chose to not smoke and I have not regretted it. I didn't have any cravings or withdrawals and this is even with my boyfriend, whom I live with, still smoking. Granted, he does go outside to smoke (even in this icky New York cold), I still thought it would be bother me but it hasn't any at all :).

I quit smoking and went on a diet on January 2nd of this year. In some ways it's made it easier to do both at the same time - I'm calorie counting, so I can kind of obsess over the numbers when i need something to think about instead of smoking; I can allow snacks when i would normally want to smoke; I feel much healthier because I'm doing both at the same time... However, when I had a very stressful day this week, i had to decide between overeating or having a smoke. (I know, I should have picked go for a run or something, but it was ultimately oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or a smoke). I overate instead of smoked, because I knew I could get back on the horse with the diet, but not with the smoking. Honestly, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
It's been hard, with both. I have to say, I miss that morning and before I go to bed smoke far far FAR more than I miss an extra slice of pizza.

The only cigarette I have truly missed is the after-meal one ~ and when it got to tasting horrible I knew it was time to quit. I have now been smoke-free for 99 days and I have never felt as healthy and energetic as I do right now, even when I weighed 100 lbs less than this.

I quit smoking, drinking and lost 140 pound in the last year. It CAN be done. In my family both parents and all 4 grand parents died of smoking related diseases at VERY YOUNG AGES. My Mother died from lung cancer at the age of 50 and my father died from emphysema at the age of 49. No one I know has ever died from weight related issues, but I know of at least 20 people who have died from smoking.

In my oppenion, anyone who has been advised against trying to quit smoking so they can concentrate on dieting needs to get a new doctor. Smoking is the NUMBER ONE cause of avoidable illness and death.

PS: besides that, it looks trashy, costs a fortune, makes you smell bad, reduces the value of your home and car, and affects those around you.

I'd also like to point out that it takes your body 3 days on average to get over physical nicotine cravings. After that, your health only continues to improve in ways that would actually AID your weight loss.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SPC/co...p?sitearea=PED


So clearly it's not the lack of cigarettes itself that makes one gain weight, it's the BEHAVIOR during the aftermath of quitting. There is nothing inside a cigarette that, once out of your system, will make you gain 20+ lbs.

Don't let fear of gaining weight be your excuse to keep smoking. You control what you eat and how you act around food, no matter if you are smoking or not.

I quit smoking on 7/18/08 and made the decision then that any weight gain would be "expected" and temporary and worth it for the sake of quitting cigarettes. And I gained somewhere between 15 - 20 lbs over the last 6 months, which is much more than I thought I'd gain, but it's actually also somewhat "okay" with me because at least now I'm free of cigarettes for life. So while I'm annoyed at myself for gaining back the weight, I actually feel like it was almost worth it if it's the price I had to pay for being nicotine free. Now I just need to get my act together again and re-lose the weight. And some day soon I'll be at my goal weight and STILL a non-smoker!

(And just a little plug for anyone considering quitting...it is SO worth it. It is crazy hard and will make you nuts for a while but 6 months into my quit I can say it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.) :)

I just quit smoking (am on day 6 of not smoking) and it has been really tough but I really wanted to quit so I think that helped. I have been staying on my food plan this week and exercising. When I have a craving to smoke I drink water, chew gum, read, anything to get my mind off of it. I have found exercise to be a lot easier and it helps boost my mood and get my mind off cravings. I def. think that it can be done (quitting smoking while dieting) it just takes a lot of will power and a strong desire to quit smoking.

Great Job Liz! Both on quitting and sticking to your plan, thats really impressive!

I'm still smoking, feeding into the whole paranoia of gaining if I stopped right now. Whether it's true or not, society has me believing this, and I don't want to take the chance. My plan is to get a bit closer to my goal, where if I do gain, I won't give up the weight loss fight, then try to stop.

Smoking gives a feel of moving to heaven .But don't forget. You are inching at a faster pace to death. We are all aware of ill-effects on smoking but amazingly many of us smoke just for pleasure. It is a common feeling that smoking can be quit without any difficult. Do you really think so?
I bet you .Controlling the desire on smoking is more difficult than any other temptation on earth.
Well somehow if you stop smoking,the focus of desire shifts from smoking to food habits. All of a sudden you start consuming more and eventually gain lots of weight. One needs to be careful in dealing with food habits after quitting smoking.

Good luck Buddies.;)

Thank you! I am still smoke free and I lost 2 lbs this week so I am pretty proud of myself!

Sigh....I still smoke. I've lost weight and can even run a whole 5K (and more) and I smoke a pack a day. Like others, my doctor told me to lose weight first and get a handle on eating correctly before I quit smoking. When I maintain my loss for one year, then I will try to kick the cigarettes.

Another smoker here. I actually quit for five whole years and then fell off the wagon (got over-confident and started smoking "socially" when out with friends). Anyway, I quit smoking right before I got pregnant with my first, and had a second kid not long after, so it's hard for me to know what was quitting smoking weight gain and what was two pregnancies weight gain. But, all in all, I'm 30 pounds heavier.

I'm so angry at myself that I added smoking to my list of bad habits once again. And, of course, now I"m worried about quitting and the weight gain that might come with it.

However, I know that for me, smoking and over-eating stem from the same exact issues. They are different manifestions of the same problem. I eat worse when I'm smoking and have zero energy (or lung capacity) to exercise. So I'm really hoping to do both.

Anyone up for a support group ... "Quit and Lose in 30 Days"??

In 2005 I lost between 65-70lbs smoked through the whole thing and told myself when I kept it off for 6 months I would quit. Got sidetracked with an injury and other issues and had to quit 2/3/06 and put back 45lbs as of today officially I am down the 45lb I gained and still not smoking next week will be my 3 year anniversary. If I had to do it all over again I would have quick around the time I was 20lbs short of my original goal. This way you are way on your weight loss journey and feeling good about yourself with good habits. Hope this helps

That is awesome cdawnfine, congrats on your weight loss and your 3 yr smoke free anniversary.

Lisa- I would def. be up for that challenge! I really want to stay on track!!!

cdawnfine- that is awesome! Congrats to you! :)