Quitting Smoking While Losing Weigt

I have lost 20 pounds, about a third of my goal. With that loss I am already feeling much better but my original plan was to quit smoking at 25 pounds. However, as I near that point I become more concerned about the effect it will have on my weight loss progress. That is stupid. I know that to stop smoking will be a greater benefit to my health than losing more weight. I am trying to build a better me.

I want to quit. I want to quit now. I need to know what to expect and how to counter it.

So, has anyone quit smoking recently? Do you have any warnings? Any advice? Tips?

Help.

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Replies

  • I quit smoking using a combination of the gum and wanting to impress a new boyfriend who thought it was disgusting(highly motivating) I had tried for years off and on and finally did it. To offset the possible weight gain I ramped up my exercise and started running again. It was helpful for me to see how my lung capacity grew as I healed. I told myself that I would accept a slight gain because the benefits of quitting outweighed the momentary gain. In the end I lost 10lbs, no gain! Its been over 11years since I quit and am so happy for it! You can do it! Good Luck :)
  • Thank you, all of you. You have given me some very important insight. I think it will be very helpful. I'm going to quit tomorrow. Go to bed a smoker and wake up an x-smoker. I have gum, water, and celery sticks. I took the day off from work, I plan to clean, walk, walk the dog, knit, read, clean some more.

    Like weight loss, it will be a process that takes more than one day and like weight loss if I never start I'll never finish.

    Right now, I'm an addict but I won't be one forever.

    Thank you again for your help and good wishes.
  • Do not, repeat, do not "quit" smoking. Change your mindset and become a non-smoker instead. I admit it is just a trick by changing your attitude but I found that becoming something was a heck of a lot easier than quitting something. Just like I am not losing weight...I am becoming a healthier person.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
    I quit smoking and drinking at the same time I started eating well and exercising. It just made sense, and I was tired of my lungs feeling like they were on FIRE every time I'd go jogging.
    It wasn't that much of a struggle for me, it really is just mind over matter.
    Edit: and I don't believe it hindered me losing weight at all.
  • ohgeeque wrote: »
    Thank you, all of you. You have given me some very important insight. I think it will be very helpful. I'm going to quit tomorrow. Go to bed a smoker and wake up an x-smoker. I have gum, water, and celery sticks. I took the day off from work, I plan to clean, walk, walk the dog, knit, read, clean some more.

    Like weight loss, it will be a process that takes more than one day and like weight loss if I never start I'll never finish.

    Right now, I'm an addict but I won't be one forever.

    Thank you again for your help and good wishes.

    Woo-hoo!! You can do it! I'd wish you luck but you don't need it. Enjoy! :smiley:
  • Vaping. You still have the smoking sensation but you can breathe so much better and wean yourself off the nicotine if you choose. My e cig has become one of my essential weight loss tools as well. Craving something? You can vape it! Right now I've got funnel cake, mint chocolate cookie, banana bread, and lemon bar juices. I find they are so much more satisfying than the real thing.
  • It takes a hell of a lot of determination to KEEP smoking these days! All the avoiding-the-health warnings, ignoring the shortness of breath, smelliness, and being a social outcast.

    You already know you've got that determined streak by losing weight, too. Turn the smoking stubbornness into the refusal to poison your body with cigarettes.

    You can do it!
  • Vaping. You still have the smoking sensation but you can breathe so much better and wean yourself off the nicotine if you choose. My e cig has become one of my essential weight loss tools as well. Craving something? You can vape it! Right now I've got funnel cake, mint chocolate cookie, banana bread, and lemon bar juices. I find they are so much more satisfying than the real thing.

    Yup when I want something sweet I put in my moon cream which tastes like moon mist ice cream, or coconut pineapple....watermelon for the summer and orange creamcycle.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
    I quit 4 months ago. I have lost 5lbs so far, I never actually gained any weight, but I think it might have made progress a bit slower. On the other hand I have taken up running and I can swim faster for longer since quitting, and the feeling of climbing a flight of stairs without thinking my heart will beat out of my chest feels GREAT! I would recommend it just for the personal achievements, a couple of pounds of weight gain is nothing compared to how better you will feel for doing it.
    Edit: knitting helped me ALOT! I really does help.
  • Quit cold turkey after 30 years in July. It CAN be done.
  • Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Quit cold turkey after 30 years in July. It CAN be done.

    Yes! Way to go!
  • Im trying to quit as well. I actually found an app on my phone to show me how my body systems are returning to normal after each min, day, etc that goes buy. Its a day to day. Ive smoked for 22 years (im gonna be 36 in july). I want to quit before i atart to step up ky cardio into harder workouts. Smoking is holding me back because i know i will feel like im going to die if i try the workout and still smoke. If you want to add me. We can be s support system both for the weight loss and the quitting of smoking. Good luck to you!
  • I've quit cold turkey twice. Each time, I had just found out I was pregnant. The first time lasted two years, the second time, three. My son just weaned himself on his second birthday and for whatever reason, I got a little tipsy and thought, "Hey, I want a cigarette.." Ugh. I'm honestly so ashamed. I feel extreme guilt and embarrassment when I buy a new pack. I often get told I don't "look like a smoker" whatever that means. I know I should just throw away the pack I have now but I've told myself.. Three today, two tomorrow, one the next day. I'm determined to make this my last pack. It was easy before, knowing I had a miracle growing inside me to quit for. Now I really need to tell myself that I'm worth it, too.
  • I quit back in January using the patch and made it 11 weeks. But now, I have been smoking again because honestly, I love smoking and really was not ready to quit. I do plan to try vaping soon though.
  • I quit 10 days ago. It's nothing compared to some of the other posters but it's still a huge win for me! I quit cold turkey. The very first day was the hardest for me, cause I usually falter in the evening and start over the next day.. I was a smoker for 7 years, about 6 cigs a day.. I've been exercising for about six months now, aiming for 4 times a week. I haven't gained a single pound since I quite smoking. I know it's only been 10 days but I have established a bunch of healthy habit over the last few months so gaining weight after quitting is unlikely. I also decided to start running more regularly. Running takes my mind of things.

    The thing I love most about being a non-smoker is the fact that my hair and clothes don't stink anymore. Sooo worth it :smile:

    You're already committed to being healthy, so stick to your exercise regime, healthy snacks, drink loads of water and keep your mind busy. You can do it. I believe in you B)
  • Good luck, bonekicker, and other quitters!

    One year anniversary of quitting for me was on Friday. Cold turkey, too. I just didn't want to be addicted to anything any more.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Quit cold turkey after 30 years in July. It CAN be done.

    Yep same here , was easier than anticipated after 30 years. I also feared piling on the pounds but as I had already been here sorting diet and such it wasn't a problem

    edit for spelling :/

  • I just passed my four year anniversary after having smoked 1- 2 packs a day for40 years. If I can do it, anyone can! I used the patches to help me quit. Good luck to all of you on this journey. It is *so* worthwhile!
  • Erm... yesterday was a total failure. Today was either a partial failure or a partial success depending on how you want to look at it.

    On Tuesday, I barely lasted until after breakfast and then smoked a whole pack. Today, I made it until after lunch and have kept my total down to three.

    So, I did better today. Just not as well as I had hoped. If I do better tomorrow than I did today, I'll count it as a very small victory and a step in the right direction. More importantly, I haven't quit trying to quit.
  • I recall times when I was quitting that I had to literally get through it a minute at a time. But when that minute passed, so did the craving. Even if the next one was only minutes away, I knew that it, too, would pass. My mantra was "For today, I am a non-smoker." This worked for me because it was more honest and less intimidating than saying, "I am a non-smoker." Semantics, I know, but it worked for me. Those smoke-free todays piled up end-to-end and I was finally *real* a non-smoker. ;)