quit smoking? Gain weight?

im a smoker...and i want to quit....but will i gain weight??? what should i do?

Eat sun flower seeds.  They keep your mouth busy and are lower in calories...plus the protein will make you feel full.

My husband wishes he would have tried them when he quit because he is sure it would have made it easier.

You may gain weight depending on how you choose to deal with cravings.  If you allow snacking to replace cigarettes then you will probably gain weight, however if you chew gum (which is what I did) you should be ok.  I also found that its easier to not smoke on days I work out.  Just a thought :)

Congrats on making the decision to quit...the first three days kinda suck (I developed the "smoker's cough" I'd never had during those three days) but then it went away and i have found I feel better in the morning and already don't get as winded.  It really is worth it.  I will admit I do screw up occasionally and end up either taking a drag off someone elses or just bumming a cigarette...but just like with any other challenge you can't decide that one mistake (or even two) means failure.  Keep at it and it will happen!  Good luck!

I quit smoking 3 years ago and I have still kicked the habit.  The easiest way for me to stop was to wear a nicotine patch for the same amount of cigs that I smoked.  I instantly started going to the swimming pool.  I could only do 2 lengths max to begin with but I pushed myself to do an extra 2 lengths every day.  I now do 128 lengths (2 miles) a day.  I feel so proud of myself thinking that I was the first one to quit in my family and now none of us smoke. Cutting down the patches was easier once I started managing the swimming.  Rveryone says that they can't swim but I think that is lies.  I said that myself and I can do 2 miles in the pool!  You should try it.

I quit smoking nearly nearly 3 years ago and am still a quitter.

I gained weight because I chose to eat versus smoke.   Gain or keep good eating habits and you should be fine. 

I will always have an urge to smoke, I think, but I sure enjoy breathing more!  Good luck.

I love to swim. love love love love and did I mention love. Anyway i dont know how possible this is for others. But I find I like to have one cigarrette a day a clove if at al possible with my chia green tea at dusk. I think the thing is moderation just like everything else. You wouldnt eat 20 cookies in a day so why smoke 20 cigs one will do ya.

I've been quit 1 year, 4 months. Apparently smoking is the equivalent of metabolizing an extra 200 calories per day. So even if you don't replace cigs with food, you may find you gain some weight. But it's far healthier to be a few pounds heavier and a non-smoker, than an underweight non-smoker.

Also every time you smoke a cig, your body releases insulin. This is what curbs your hunger. But do that enough times - repeatedly, 20 times a day over years - and you can develop insulin resistance. In other words, smokers have an increased risk of diabetes. Even if they are thin.

To offset the weight gain, incorporate exercise into your day. Exercise will also help give you a nice endorphin boost, which you will miss when you quit, because smoking floods the brain with endorphins. So much so, your brain starts eliminating receptors so it doesn't become overwhelmed. Exercise will help grow these receptors back over time, and guard against the inevitable "quitter's depression." (As will taking something like Wellbutrin, otherwise known as Zyban).

As for diet, as others suggested, don't replace one oral fixation with another. If you are going to snack - if you just absolutely need something to help you through your quit - one of the best things is fruit. Fruit acids will help your body utilize calcium and iron in the other foods you are eating, and your body is going to need the vitamin C and other vits & mins to help repair all the damage smoking has wrought on your body.

For the first 6 months after I quit, I could not get enough fruit!!! I was constantly eating it... after years of never touching the stuff (I had always love vegs, just not fruit). If you find yourself craving fruit, then indulge freely... it's good for you.

Good luck!! You can do it!

Hi

I have quit for over five years, but i needed to be healthy on the inside.

(by the way I would eat 20 cookies in a day!) I gained weight but I don't smell

like cigerettes and I have saved 20,000 dollars!

I quit smoking 6 weeks ago. I use nicotine patches. High strength for the first 4 weeks, now on medium for 4 weeks, and then 4 weeks of low strength. I haven't noticed too many cravings to smoke, but Initially I noticed appetite increase for the first 2-3 days, until I got used to the lower nicotine levels, then again for 2-3 days when I reduced to the medium strength. I started dieting 2 1/2 weeks after I quit. I allowed my calorie allowance to go up slightly for those 2-3 days. I didn't lose weight that week, but I didn't gain any either. I found sucking sugar-free sweets helped, but not peppermint as it made the cravings worse.

Congrats on deciding to quit.

That does not have to be how it works.  I quite about 3 months ago, but started exercising to help deal with the weight.  I also stopped drinking soda at about the same time.  I've actually lost about 14-15 pounds in that time frame due to exercise and watching what I eat (count calories).  I didn't even use the patch for long and just went cold turkey.

You have to do what works for you though.  Everyone is different.

I quit smoking in March of this year when I was hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy.  I had to have two separate operations for it and I couldn't exercise.  I ate everything in sight - never have done that before in my life but then I'd always been a heavy smoker.  Now, 6 months later, I'm no longer trying to stem cravings with food but the pounds are hanging on. 

My doc seems to think it may be due to insulin resistance since I smoked for so many years. 

I eat healthy, live on fewer calories than normal (1700 as opposed to (1900)) and exercise lightly but consistently.  I'm sure my calorie intake and proportions are correct as I measure and journal everything.  I also run a farm which keeps me on the move. 

Still, the pounds won't budge.  

 I've only been working toward a weight loss for 4 weeks now and that may not be long enough.  But I had really expected some small loss by now.  Very discouraging.

I've read that increased exercise is the only real cure for insulin resistance - if, in fact, this is part of the problem.  Has anyone experienced this?  And what did you do tho combat it?

 

Thanks everyone! 

Honestly, you should allow yourself to gain 10 lbs.  Just plan on it.  How hard could it be to lose those 10 as a non smoker?  You'll be able to exercise harder and be more active in general.  It's only been about 4 months since I quit, but I am a LOT healthier already.

 It's hard, but it's worth it.  GOOD LUCK!!!

I quit (sort of) in APril. I had a fall back a few weeks ago, but have put them down again. I gained 25 lbs!!!! But, I didn't have a backup plan. Every doctor I have seen told me that I should have thought it through a little bit better than quitting cold turkey. It's a good thing to do, don't get me or the doctors wrong, but you may not even notice how often you snack to replace that physical addiction of putting something up to your mouth.

Something I started doing recently was the walk at home workout by Leslie Sansone. You would think that walking 35 minutes in place would be a blast.....yeah, right. I have only been donig it for a week, and have noticed a difference already.

When you get a craving, find something healthy to do to replace that nicotine. Go for a walk, chew gum, as someone suggested, do some chores, do some yard work. Anything that will be beneficial to you.