Smoking and Weight Loss

Hi all, I just joined this morning and have started to finally take my health and wellbeing under control.

The question I have is currently I smoke about 20 a day, I intend on quitting but am worried by quittting I will find it much harder to control my intake as having quit before you tend to replace cigarettes with food.

I am wondering if anyone else has had success with the weight loss (via Calorie control) and remained smoking at the time. I know all the health benefits of quitting smoking, and fully intend to, but wondered if the best advice was to tackle the weight first and then the smoking later.

thanks for any advice you may all have.

My fiance took welbutrin and tapered his cigs down gradually. The welbutrin kept him from being too cranky, and it made him have no appetite. He quit smoking and lost weight.

When I quit smoking, after a year I gained 50 pounds. But I also turned 25 and got a better job etc. Everybody is different though. You can quit smoking and not gain weight. It's just a matter of control. I had so much going on when I quit, that I lost control and put on the weight. If I had to do it again, I would replace smoking with some form of exercise or something. It's true you end up eating more because your so used to having something in your hand that is going to your mouth. A lot of it is psycholigical. I have known people who try chewing on straws or chewing gum. Anything to keep their mouth busy that did not involve stuffing themselves. Something else you I would try is drinking water when you feel that urge. It may help. But like I said. We are all different. You have to find out what works for you and run with it and know that it may take a few tries to find out what works best.

I had alot of weight to lose 50 lbs then once I lost that I quit smoking- its been 2 years now that I quit and yes I gained some of those lbs back - but I am so much healthier now being smoke free.

 

I took Welbutrin also to help with the emotional aspects of quitting - I quit cold turkey and was smoking over a pack a day.  I think I gained the weight because I quit eating right when I quit- hind sight is 20/20 as they say.  I am now here to lose those "quit lbs" but at least its not 50 lbs again- its only about 15 that I need / want to lose.

I have a friend who started that Chantax I dont know what side effets that has.  Try Webmd.  Welbutrin causes weight gain in some losses for others.  

I recommend chekcing out http:www.quitnet.com ;

Its a great online support group and really helped me.  I also think if you have alot of weight to lose do that first - then concentrate on the quitting.  Maybe decrease your smoking while in weight loss mode so quitting will be easier. 

thanks for all the advice. I guess I was wondering whether the myths that if you smoke its really hard to loose weight were true (something about smoking suppressing your metabolism).

If they were, then loosing the weight (69lbs) would be hard if I kept smoking at the sametime.

Let me preface this by saying that you should absolutely quit smoking.  Any reputable doctor would rather you quit smoking than lose weight if they had to pick one over the other.  It is possible to lose weight and quit smoking at the same time--eventually--but you have to be patient with your body and allow time for your metabolism to stabalize.

It is a myth that people gain weight when they quit smoking solely because they replace the cigarette habit with a food habit.  This is a large reason that people gain weight, but it is not the ONLY reason.  Cigarettes do increase your metabolism.  In fact, I have read that smoking 20 cigarettes a day (1 pack) can increase your total metabolic burn for the day anywhere from 150-400 calories, depending on your size.  This is because cigarettes increase heart rate.  Thus, if a person were to quit smoking and not change anything else about their lifestyle, they will likely gain SOME weight.

Thus, you need to account for the decrease in your metabolism.  Perhaps, for the first few weeks, you should concentrate on simply not gaining.  After that, start decreasing your calories, at a healthy level, to see a slow loss.  Give your body time to adjust to the changes.  Within 6 weeks to 2 months, you will be able to start losing more significantly.  Plus, you'll be smoke free!

 Message me if you need any support or have questions :)

Thanks RG, and all other posters.

I have conjured up a plan as follows;

Week 1 - Just log my normal daily intake of calories using CC. Get an idea of whether I am going way over the recommendations made by CC for me to loose my weight.

Week 2 - Assess after week 1 and see where I can start to replace some of the junk type food that I consume as snacks and if possible increase my exercise to burn off more than the recommended (my recommended is 1.5lb per week based on being a Sedentary)

Week 3 and onwards -  See if I have lost any weight, hopefully will be in a better eating routine and can then look to quit smoking and maintain my new good habits of increased exercise and better eating.

Looks like a great plan mgdew!  We're all here to support you--let us know how it's going!

I had to quit smoking first.  I did gain 30 pounds, but I got to a place where I felt healthy and developed a new pride in my health.  When I was ready, I turned up the volume on calorie control and exercise and now I am close to my original weight and feel much better than I did as a skinny smoker.

I never got the increased appetiite from quitting smoking.  But you do burn more calories as a smoker due to the increased heart rate as well as the need for the body to purge more toxins.

I think another reason people gain weight after quitting is because they actually finish their meals. As a smoker, there were many times when I would quit eating so that I could smoke a cigarette. When I quit, I would actually finish all my meals, therefore eating more, which made me gain more weight. Even through all that though, I am still very glad I quit. When it's all said and done, you will be happy without the cigarettes, you just have to be patient for that day.

My profile provides lengthy detail how dieting brought out unbearable nicotine addiction though I was not currently smoking.  I was clean 6 years. August 06 through January 07 I smoked ona and off.  Six month clean, I started a diet and the nicotine dependancy kicked in full swing like Ive never known it.  No food to suppress it but Im on the patch and its allowed me to survive it.

My weight has gone up and down, depending on whether I'm quit or un-quit. I stuff my face! I don't think it has anything to do with the hand-to-mouth action of eating and smoking: the pleasure center of the brain cannot be denied, and both evils fulfill it. Quitting is hard, but try to find a quit-smoking and exercise buddy: the best would be one and the same. I did enjoy one book on quitting, which addresses the dieting aspects: The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. The author's writing is very simplistic in it's analysis, but reading it made me feel empowered. His attitude is that quitting is no big deal - you're gaining so much more from life, and not losing anything by quitting. I like his positive attitude throughout. Plus, he doesn't make the smoker feel guilty for being a smoker - shame does not work when it comes to quitting.

Is there a quitting smoking/diet club? If not, we should start one!

Sun123, your story is so moving! Thank you for putting it up here. I feel the same way with withdrawals - I am manic, unpredictable, completely depressed. I am absolutely jealous of people who can just quit with no complications.

nods

some amazing and very inspiring replies, thanks guys n galz.

I am going to try and stick to my plan I mentioned earlier in the thread, it then gives me some structure to work to and hopefully some better habits in place to help with that nicotine craving I will get.

I have quite twice before, once for 1 yr 6 mnths and the second time for 9 months. Each time I went cold turkey and found sugar free chuppa chupp lollies to be an ideal replacement for the most important 'ciggies' of the day.

Each time I started again because someone came to mine for a meal or party, offered me a cigar or something in some form of celebration and I said go on then, thinking that one cigar would not start me off again, next thing you know you are back to the shops to buy a pack of 20 the next morning.

Better get on and order myself some bulk discount chuppa chupps from ebay.

http://www.chocolatebuttons.co.uk/erol.html#1 7086X82263

So, how many calaries in one them do you think ?? CC does not seem to have Chuppa Chups in its food database... :(

i'd use this calorie-count link for See's lollypop.... (assumes there's no center like a tootsie roll or bubblegume)

here's the link to mfg See's lollypop with a pic

chantix!!! Works great

csthomas - youve someone who can relate here.  Also jealous of those who just 'miss' smoking at certain times.  I miss smoking when it locks into my brain and makes me cry.  Not to downplay anyones suffering but I agree - there are serious differences in addiction and withdrawl.

The hand to mouth is nothing for me either.  Yes, inhaling gives strong quick relief but I dont have to smoke it, just gimme my drug!  One of my favorite things when I adjusted to the patch was the constant steady flow and how I didnt jones for a cigarettes.  I didnt even have to think about it.

Im on the patch but Im splitting them so it just keeps things manageable.  Its my compromise and  my intent is to taper down.  I unfortunately couldnt be in a diet/smoker club - too much discussion, too much temptation  :D.  And doesnt it kill you when someone lights up in a movie, always with that long first drag - heartless!

My husband and I knew we both had to quit at the same time, so we set a target date to quit together, several months away so we'd have time to get used to the idea of the commitment. It really helps if those you live with don't smoke either.  However my plan to lose weight before we quit failed miserably. But that doesn't mean others can't do it.

We both had been smoking about a pack a day for about 30 years. I think it was hitting that 30-year mark that made me realize I was pushing my luck way beyond it's limits. I cut back by half for a couple of months before, but my husband just went cold turkey.

The first three days were really rough, but Nicorette helped alot.  We also didn't want to let each other down on the deal. So you might try quitting with a friend.  The main thing that kept me from giving in was NOT wanting to go thru those first three hellacious days again! One trick is to figure out when you want one the most, then change those routines before you quit.

 It's been 12 weeks and I've gained 10 lbs. very slowly. That's why I joined here, because I was already 20 lbs. overweight to begin with.

 I've found it was harder to break eating habits than it was smoking habits, but smoking was doing way more damage than the weight was. So we quit smoking first, got thru the first weeks of that, and now we're changing our eating habits.  I still think I want one about three times a day now, but the Nicorette saves me every time. Of course, I have a rather sore jaw...................so now I'm cutting back on the gum before my jaw muscles begin to bulk up!!

I had heard that your metabolism drops about 10% when you quit.  My husband tried the patch, but it gave him VERY vivid dreams. Wierd. So that didn't work for him.  He also tried the inhaler, but wasn't too impressed with it. I think you have to find out what's going to work for you because everyone's different.

And whenever we told people we were quitting, it was downright shocking to find out how many acquaintances had quit and succeeded and were extremely supportive of the decision!! (and sympathetic) One lady told me she quit with Nicorette, however she's been chewing THAT for six years now!! Yikes!

I think if I hadn't indulged with food (aka: sweets) those first weeks to "reward" myself for not smoking, and knew I was getting "dosed" with Nicorette whenever I wanted one,  I couldn't have done it. So I'd say quit smoking first, then once you're well on your way, get really serious about your nutrition and exercise routines. If you're counting caloric intake and burn now, at least you'll be educated about what you're treating yourself with if you go that route. I wasn't!!

 I told my husband just now I was responding to a thread about dieting and quitting smoking all at once. He just laughed and said, "Welcome to Hell."