It is easierto quit smoking than to loose weight!

I never thought I would say those words!! In fact, I've heard them said before and thought the person saying them must be from another planet because no one sane or in  the know could ever use easy and quit smoking in the same sentence!!! Not ever!!! But here I am saying it. I am not saying that quitting smoking is easy - never in a million years would I say something that ridiculous, but I am saying that loosing weight is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. 

Okay the real missing link is determination, commitment and a visual.  I haven't visualized me slim in a very long time.  When i quit smoking I thought I'm not going to worry about my weight in the quit.  I have gained and lost as a smoker and now I will as a  non smoker.  Stupid.  I could have been smarter about the quit.  so now that I am smoke free for over 2 years - those new eating habits are ingrained.  Instead of smoking - eat something when tense or stressed.  Eat when board, eat when sad, eat when lonely eat when happy eat as a celebration eat - eat - eat.  It used to be smoke - smoke - smoke- smoke!!!

Well, this is doable.  Nothing worth having comes totally free.  I am goign to have to work at this and I am going to have to get that vision and go for it.  I mean if I can quit smoking - and I did - then loosing weight can't be that hard!

Hm mm - I wonder.

Good luck!  If you had the stamina to quit smoking, you can make any other positive changes in your life that you set out to do.  So you substituted cigarettes with food - so what!  That is in the past now, and you're looking forward, which is the most important thing.  Using food to quit was what you had to do at the time, and trust me, your body will thank you.  You can only go up from here!  At least, that's what I tell myself, too.  Quitting smoking is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself, and you've already started re-wiring your brain to do the best things possible for you! Weight loss will definitely follow suit. I've found that when I'm in the mindset to change and stay committed, it extends into every part of my life. It's all about new habits. You can do it :)

Thank you for the encouragement.  You are right - I did what I felt I had to do and I probably wouldn't do it any different - even knowing what I know now.  So no sense in dwelling in the past.  currently i use food for every emotion - maybe I should try mints or gum!!

Thanks again and yeah I can do this. 

Substituting eating for smoking is a great way to quit, and well worth it. I was going to suggest you try something less caloric like gum or mints too, but it looks like you know what you're doing. Good luck!

gosh i hear you!!! Ive quit  4 times in my life,once for over a year and now it's  3 months nicotine free,and i know this time is for good,but  now i have 50 extra lbs to lose,so i tell myself every day if i can live without cigarettes i can also live without junk food( it worked for me)not so much for my husband( i pack a day).i was very sedentary,no wonder  why i ate my feelings,not any more, i work out every day,started out with walking 30 minutes a day for 3 weeks and then lifting weight, now i just started p90x and its kicking my butt,and  the best off all,no  more cigarettes...as for my  husband,i don't thing  he is strong enough,he tried a few times and after the second day he gives up!!!( he smells so bad!LOL) i keep telling him he stinks and making him shower before  bed time ,maybe that will help him quit.good luck to you.

lol I'm finding the same thing.

What's even more fun is to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time. I find that quitting is easier if I say "How will you keep up your jogging routine if you keep smoking? And if you don't jog, how will you fit into that little bikini this summer?".

Congrats on being smoke free for so long! That really is like, an inspiration to me. I've tried to quit so many times, its good to know that it can be done!

Hi i had a problem seeing myself as the thin person i was too so went on mvw.com and did a weightloss simulator and dressed it in clothes ,it really helped me remember how i was and get a picture in my head how different i wil look again it may not help you but thought id say xx

I smoked for 15 years (I'm almost 33 now) and I managed to quit by eating instead of smoking too.  Now that I've been stopped for 4 months I've decided to get my weight down with diet and excercise.  I'm 5'9" and 13.5 stone, want to get back down to 12 stone starting this week!

I'm using the same mindset as I did to quit smoking, so every time I feel the urge to snack or eat bad stuff I will talk myself out of it.

I think smoking is easier to give up, only because smoking these days makes you a social cast out, whereas over eating is not viewed in the same way (yet!).

Good luck and remember that we're all behind you!

Good morning.  What website is it that you can go to and get a visual of yourself with the weight off?  I tried the MVW.com and that was wrong.   

Thanks!!

ops sorry about that ..lol

its..www.myvirtualmodel.com

I gave up smoking 7 years ago. Same problem occured, food started to taste much better and I put on more weight. It takes a lot of will power to give up smoking and I thought that if I could do that then I could lose weight.

I wasn't in the right mindset to tackle the weight though. I wanted to lose it fast and quick. Of course these methods don't work long term. However now that I'm counting calories and exercising I have lost most of the weight and kept it off.

I personally think the way to tackle both problems is the same. First you really have to want it. Then you can find the resolve to tackle it.

Just take a day at a time, make all the right changes in your life. Its not just about losing weight but establishing a healthier lifestyle and the goal should be long term and not short term.

Good luck!