Not for me. I felt like my "off" switch had disappeared--not only was I physically hungrier, whatever had previously stopped me from eating once I stopped being hungry went away. And I was craving junky food, so what I was overeating, was high-calorie and not particularly healthy. I put on 20-30 pounds almost immediately (130ish to probably high 150s).

Still, quitting was the right choice.

Some of you have mentioned chantix--I used chantix when I quit too and it helped to get me off the cigarettes.

BUT it also had me in an extremely depressed, suicidal state within a week or two of starting to take them. I went from being pretty normal, mood-wise, to weeping at the gym and being unable to get out of bed and go to work. I stopped taking the pills within the first week of quitting--they were NOT worth it.

Just be aware that suicidal depression is a known side-effect of that drug and you want the people in your life to be aware of that risk and to keep an eye on you.

It was really bad.

I Have to respectfully disagree with ALOT of the posts... while its TRUE that manmy people gain due to the "oral-hand to mouth fixation" this is NOT the only reason, and there IS a real medical reason for it, which cannot be avoided

I think the reason some people LOSE or DONT GAIN when they quit, is because they quit at the same time(ISH) that they decide to become healthier, generally... they may have recently begun exercising, or eating better, etc etc... hence, the weight loss

ANyway, the reason people gain weight has to do with 2 things: (ALSO THE ORAL FIXATION---- But these are MEDICAL reasons)
#1) nicotine is an appetite suppressant.. guess what happens when you take that away? You got it.. HUNGRIER... TRUE hunger.. Its also a stimulant, wich means it CAN give you more energy, and make you "move more" so to speak.. id be willing to bet though, that particular side effect tapers off the longer you smoke
ok, enough of that
reason #2 for weight gain) Nicotine, due to its hunger suppressing characteristics, actually causes your body to be insulin resistant.... What i mean is, is that in order for you to GET hungry, to feel a crash in your blood sugar levels (as a long time smoker,)your body has to produce larger amounts of insulin to get the normal response, because it has to override the nocotine. when you quit smoking, your insulin still acts in the same way, for a while, because its used to that... massive amounts of insulin are being released, causing major fat and water storage (SOMETHING like that, im not an insulin expert). It takes a while for your body to figure out it doesnt need to release so much tto overcompensate for the hunger signals (ie; blood sugar crashes).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: EVERYTIME i quit (im a seasonal smoker-- depressed during winter months) I gain upwards of 10+ pounds, up to 14 pounds even!! This happens ALMOST immediately, like within the first 2 weeks. ALOT of it is bloat, and TMI WARNING, often when someone quits smoking they become EXTREMELY constipated... one time when i quit, i didnt go for 17 (you read that right) 17 whole days. OMG, it was so so awful... of course, that def contribued to the weight gain...eventually everything settles back down, but im still ALWAYS left over with 5 or more pounds, that i just cant seem to get rid of, EVER


Thats my experience

I have the same fear! I'm a smoker, and want to quit. But I don't want to gain weight because of it. My friend, who has no weight problems, quit for a while and gained 5-10 pounds from it. She would tell me she seems to have replaced it with food. She fell of the wagon, started smoking again, and the weight came off again.

BUT...what I forgot to mention? She was happier, mentioned her mood improved. She felt sooo much better when she quit. When I quit for a few months before falling back, I felt sooo much better for it.

The advice given to me on this forum was to quit, and exercise to burn off the stress and cravings. Like others said here, it is worth the 5 pounds you'll gain temporarily to be healthier. Hey, think of how your lung function will improve!

Nicotine stays in the system for only 5 days after your last smoke. So after that, the cravings are all mental. And like you, I'm afraid food will replace them.

Thank you all for the advice, encouragement and for sharing your experiences! I think part of losing weight is the choice to be healthier. I am already being careful with what I eat, and I plan on doing that after I quit.

I don't feel like I need to worry about gaining weight. I can just lose it again. And I will!

Maybe this should morph into a thread to help each other stay off the smokes! Who wants to do it with me? lol.