Smoking and weight gain

[BiXLL]

You guys got me back to quitting smoking after falling off a 5 month wagon for 3 weeks. My question is have any of you successfully quit smoking without weight gain? Any tips?

 

[Terry H]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

I applaud your triumph...I quit on the 6th of Jan and at this time I'm not even tempted, knock on wood. <br />I'm a very fit 55 yo at 6 ft 170# and feeling like I'm getting a beer gut outta this, so I'm just gonna do some situps and crunches and quit snacking...something I just picked up as a diversion from the ciggies...I think . I would rather have the gut than the smoke...but a good exercise program will help me I hope...good luck

 

[BiXLL]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

As a teenager, I was "husky", on the verge of fat. Kids are cruel, and when I lost the "husky" in the army, I promised myself to never go back! I have watched my weight to the point of obsession since, and am affraid I will loose control. If it came down to it, I think I would probobly start smoking again if too much weight is gained. HELP ME!!!

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Not an expert here, BiXXL, but I think it is widely regarded that long term smoking alters the metabolism. When you quit smoking, some weight gain is inevitable. The issue is certainlly compounded if you take up food as a substitute for smoking.<br /><br />Even so, I think it is worth the short term gain.

 

[BiXLL]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

When you quit smoking, some weight gain is inevitable

aw man, that is not what I wanted to hear!

 

[11 footer]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

A friend of ours smoked since he was 13 and he quit last year when he turned 50. <br /><br />Along with smokeing, he was a heavey drinker, he pretty much lived off beer, cigs and slimjims. At age 50 looked underweaght, like skin and bones. He's a very good friend of my dads and my dad got on his a$$ to sober up. He quit smokeing cold turkey, this was the 1es time he ever tryed to quit and he went from three packs a day to nothing, its been a year and he hasn't had a puff. After quiting smokeing he started to put on weaght, but eat more food which caused him to drink less. He has a little pot belly now, but he is no question healther then he was a year and a half ago.<br /><br />Don't worry about the weaght, kick the smokeing first, once you beat that you can move on to loseing weaght.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Winter is gone and spring is here. Most people gain weight in the winter and loose it again in the spring and the summer. I have gained 12 lb this winter but will loose most of it by the end of june. When you crave food try drinking lots of ice cold water. Hunger pains tend to be short term. The more active you can become the less likely you are to gain weight. That before bed snack is the worst. It is pretty hard for your body to burn that off while you sleep. I hate to preach but the line about going back to smoking to help loose weight is the same as saying I want to smoke and I will do anything I can to do so. I have fallen for that a couple of times when I quit. Just to let you know that first drag tastes like crap. You smoke that first cigarette and say this tastes like crap, why would I want to smoke these nasty things. Funny an hour later you are asking yourself the same question all the way back to 2 packs a day at over 3 bucks a pack. You have made it past the hard part. Most people dont get as far as you have. Keep up the good work and fight the urge.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Awwww, just loose the motor and get the oars out, that will get rid of that belly! Saves gas too!

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Good news! Weight gain is a product of what you eat, not what you do or don’t smoke. Bad news…a component of smoking involves the routine of putting something to your mouth. Good news! If you quit smoking in such a way that habit is also broken, no weight gain. Bad news…this is one of the negative effects of nicotine gum…it preserves the hand-to-mouth routine.<br /><br />Whether or not you gain weight will be decided by you…do you replace the hand-to-mouth cigarette routine with a hand-to-mouth yummy routine?

 

[JB]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Weight gain is NOT inevitable, BiXll.<br /><br />Weighed 175 when I quit, now weigh 165. Exercise and discipline can overcome the natural slow-down in metabolism.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[ndemge]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Bix...<br /><br />The one thing that let me quit this time, from enough times, I learned the tricks my body would do on my head to get me back to smoking. Your brain is very addicted to it's nicotene. It will do anything to get you to give it more. It will tell you, "you've done good, have a smoke"<br /><br />It will tell you, "Screw this, Fat A$S, your gaining weight, smoke!" SCREW THE BRAIN, !YOU! are in charge!

 

[gaugeguy]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

Yep, that's right. I've lost a little weight since January, about 5 pounds. The times that I had tried quitting before, I always packed on a few pounds, but not this time...I was ready for it. Drink a glass of water every time you get a craving, and pick up the activity level. Good Luck!

 

[BiXLL]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

It will tell you, "Screw this, Fat A$S, your gaining weight, smoke!"

ROFLMAO!!!! Thats what it did to me just this last time!

 

[Butch Ammon]

Re: Smoking and weight gain

I quit smoking in Feb 1993 and haven't looked back. Yes, believe it or not, I did it cold turkey. The first week, I was a vicious, horrible, spawn of satan. But things got better with each day. Once you get over the hump, you will notice food tasting a lot better. You will notice you can breathe in easier too.<br /><br />I started packing on weight and went up to 210 lbs from originally being 180. I wanted to slim down, so I started working out S-L-O-W-L-Y. I started going for walks, then walks evolved into a short jog. Let me tell you from an ex-smoker.... Go EASY when you start out. I found out I could only jog -barely- 1/2 mile, then I got that wicked pain in the side of the ribcage. Not only that I was coughing, hacking, and almost needed an oxygen mask and EMT service. I pressed on, 1/2 mile this day, 1/2 mile two days later, etc... then, slowly, I wasn't coughing and hacking and could do the 1/2 mile without any pains in the ribcage. So then, I bumped it up to 3/4 of a mile. So on and so forth, and then made it up to a full mile.<br /><br />I slowly started getting in shape, cleaning out the crap in my lungs, and rebounding from years of smoking a pack of Marlboro Lights a day. It was rough and hard work. Sheer determination, willpower, and memories of Coast Guard bootcamp, drove me into getting into shape and giving up smoking all together.<br /><br />I am now 43 years old, retired from the Coast Guard, and still go jogging every few days and can do a full 3 miles without problem. My problem nowadays is that the body metabolism has slowed a little and I can't shed the weight as easily anymore. It s*cks getting old! <br /><br />Butch A.