Hi guys!! Well, I did it, I quit smoking!!! I had my last cancer stick on Friday, the 17th, at 11pm. I've been doing pretty good!
Just as the title of this thread implies, I am really frightened of gaining weight now that I quit. I've read a lot of information and supposedly, your metabolism is supposed to slow down when you quit. I've read that even if you eat healthy and eat the same amount as you did before you quit, even if you exercise, you are going to gain.
Has anyone quit smoking and dealt with gaining weight? Do you guys have any ideas for me? I'm starting to freak out about it!!

when i quit smoking ( i quit once for a year, and then second now permanetly.) i gained with each. But i wasn't doing anything about it. I wasn't excersizing,i wasn't paying attention, and other issues were going on in my life that was causing me to have stressful life situations and i used food as a crutch. I know you will be fine. get some sugar free gum or mints or something like that. I can tell from your posts where you have been, and i know you don't want to go back, and you won't. i think as long as your mindful, you will do great. good luck

i quit once for a year and now permanetly now too...just work out and eat right...you will be fine...

Thank you! I'm just really nervous. This is harder than anything that I've ever done! Even harder than losing the weight!!

Well I totally understand what you are going through!!...I had smoked all my life...stopping during each pregnancy, then going back as soon as somehting would happen, and I (in my mind) thought i need comforted!!
Well I decided to get a operation(that wont be mentioned!! )and new I had to stop because my Dr's would NOT preform the surgery if I didnt!! It was quite easy once I had a goal, but I found the only time i really missed them was after eating my meals, you know it was kinda like my dessert, my little treat after a meal!!.....so I bought some little fat free gummy bears, and kept them in the freezer, we all know how hard gummy bears are to chew at room temp, so when i would put them in my mouth frozen, i would have to suck them and it would take a while and by that time, the craving of wanting a ciggie had past.....and if I got anymore urges I would just get another handful and start sucking!!!
I hope this helps, and dont feel bad if you do pick something up to eat instead of a cig.......becuase a couple of lbs gained is way better for you then smoke related diseases!!
And BIG CONGRATS to you for quitting!!! it is a hard thing to do!!

Thank you!! Yes, today is day number 4 with now cigarette. Actually, I've only really had one craving today. Besides being extrodinarily tired, today hasn't been to bad. I'm just dreading going home because at around 5pm is when I freak out and have a horrible craving and anxiety attack and get very angry. Well, at least that's how it was the first three days. I'm praying that tonight will be different. My poor husband!!!
I would just hate to gain weight and know that there is nothing I can do about it!!

Hi! I just wanted to say congratulations and chime in as another who never gained weight when quitting smoking, so it can be done! And at the time I wasn't "dieting" or exercising or anything.

In my personal opinion based on my own experience and a few (limited) observations of friends who quit, the main reason for weight gain when quitting is replacing cigs with food, kind of a need to satisfy an oral fixation, rather than a slowing metabolism.

Yes! Yes! Yes!! That makes me feel 10 times better and takes a big load off of my chest!

I basically quit smoking over my Christmas break from school. I've had a few since then, but none in the past few weeks. Anyway, I was 1 lb heavier when I weighed myself at the beginning of January than I had been at the beginning of December. Considering how much I ate over Christmas break, it was quite a relief for me that it was only 1 lb! Some of that eating may have been a reaction to quitting smoking, and some to holiday eating. Anyway my point is that I agree with the others, you won't gain weight from quitting smoking unless you increase your food intake to compensate.

I've heard that nicotine increases metabolism, and I've also heard that smoking dulls your appetite, but I don't think either of those things were ever true for me. Congrats on your success so far, don't give up!