Smoking and weight loss

I've been in my lifestyle change for a while now, but only counting calories under a month. My question is: Do I try to stop smoking now? I sometime use smoking when I feel like I want to munch. I do not want to hinder my steady weight loss. I know sooner or later, when my body is healthier, I'm going to want to quit.... but should it be later.. instead of sooner.

What do you all think? Have any of you stopped smoking at the beginning of a lifestyle change?

Original Post by thesnarf:

I've been in my lifestyle change for a while now, but only counting calories under a month. My question is: Do I try to stop smoking now? I sometime use smoking when I feel like I want to munch. I do not want to hinder my steady weight loss. I know sooner or later, when my body is healthier, I'm going to want to quit.... but should it be later.. instead of sooner.

What do you all think? Have any of you stopped smoking at the beginning of a lifestyle change?

As you've phrased it a "lifestyle change" rather than a "diet" my assumption is that you're goal is to be healthier, not thinner.  My recommendation would be to work on getting healthier.   Toss the pack, take the gain on the chin, or better yet, exercise enough to counter the added calories from your fixes. 

As you're on this site, I assume you're logging food/counting calories, in which case, you should be able to keep an eye on it. 

Recommendations:  keep some carrots or celery around, they've helped some of my friends quit smoking.  Gum is also helpful (and I don't mean the quit smoking gum, just something to keep the mouth occupied). during one of my smoking stints, I found that really strong cinnamon helped with urges...

If you've had issues with overeating, quitting smoking might actually be easier than losing weight.  You don't need cigarettes to live :D 

Best of luck to you.

Actually, I used "lifestyle change" in favor of "Diet" because I DO need to lose weight, I just don't want to make it a temporary weighloss, therefore I am changing my eating habits to be healthier AND thinner. I am currently5'10 ans 290, so I have a long way to go to reach a healthy weight.

I'm trying to control the uges to snack, when I want to smoke. I know a carrot or two is not going to lead me to go over my calories, I just don't want the carrots to turn into carrot cake, or chips or anything else that will suck me back in to my old eating habits.

"You don't need cigarettes to live" That is a great way of looking at it. I have tried "cutting back" many times, but I always end up back at what I was smoking. I'm pretty sure it will have to be a "cold turkey" thing.

Thanks for your advice ;O)

Anyone else have any quitting smoking while trying to lose weight stories?

well, here's my latest story, since its just the two of us so far.

I quit smoking again on dec. 31, I was pretty clear that it wasn't going to be a "new years resolution" mostly b/c I hate those things, but a coworker was quitting that day, we had a day off after (for the holiday), and the moral support was nice. quit cold turkey. The only time I even think about smoking anymore is when I'm hanging out with friends that smoke and we're drinking. (booze, its not just bad for weight loss!).

After quitting, I put on 10 lbs. Perhaps not all that much.. but I wasn't eating right and I wasn't exercising. By mid feb, the lbs were starting to show (more) and when I tried to have fun with some friends, I realized how bad I'd let my health get in the way (surfing wasn't the same as it was 5-6 months prior). Mid feb, I started an exercise routine, no actual change in diet. The weight stopped going up. March, I started logging my food, i figured if I were going to adjust my diet (diet meaning daily intake of food/type of food, not fad dieting to lose 15 lbs in a hurry) I should have a good idea of where I'm starting so I'd know what changes needed to be made to get to the end. Mid march, I started tweaking things a bit (more than just the cutting back that happened b/c I was writing things down.. I was amazed how much I thought about something just b/c I knew I had to write it down). I started logging food on this site only last week, things are still going well for me. I'm now 18 lbs lighter than my max in Feb. (8lbs less than before I quit smoking).

Both can be done at once. If you're going to prioritize... I would recommend smoking. One of the best things you can do for weight loss/good health is exercise. And that's much easier without the cigarettes. I hope that helps and isn't too forceful. Its been my observation that ex-smokers are worse to be around than non-smokers when all you want is a cigarette :D.

I too quite smoking again, in Oct. 07.

I had gained about 43lbs over the past two years (prior to quitting smoking), so I was really making sure i didn't put any extra food (more then I already was) in my mouth when I quite smoking.

I started feeling better after a month. I could breath easier with out getting winded and felt a little healthier (even though i was the biggest i have ever been weight wise). That's really what got me wanting to change my life style and become healthy again. I started working out regularly, very slow at first in November, then at the beginning of December I found this website and decided it was time to be more aware of what I was eating so i could truly become healthier and loose some much needed weight.

I have lost 24lbs since December (thats when i started weighing myself), and plan to continue eating healthier and exercising regularly.

I too still miss smoking when I am with friends who smoke and beer or wine is involved. I think I always will crave it to some extent. But I'm in control of it now. It's really a lot like alcoholism to the point that, most smokers can't ever have just one ever again. It's zero or you have to start over again. At least that was my down fall a couple years ago when i had quit for 3 months.

Anyways, my point is. Yes, both can be done at practically the same time.

If you are ready to quit smoking. If you are really ready, cause you have to be ready to really do it. Then don't use loosing weight first as your crutch, do it now!

I hope this helps. 

Funny this should come up today.   I have been smoke free for 14 days today. 

My journey started in January, I wanted to have a healthier lifestyle.   I never quit smoking before but everytime I would start to think about it I would have all these excuses,  can't drink,  gain weight...   So I decided to take away all the excuses before I quit.   Lose wieght and quit drinking. So on January 2nd,  I cut out all  the fast food and started counting the calories.   I progressed to cutting alcohol (after the superbowl of course).  I started liking the way I felt and wanted to improve so in February I joined and gym and started running on the treadmill.  Things just progressed from there.  I couldn't be totally healthy with that cigarette sticking out of my mouth.  So at the end of February I gave myself a quit date of 4/1/08.  I didn't try and talk myself out of it, it is just something that I wanted to do.   Now mind you it was not easy.  The hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I started with the patch on 3/28/08 (didn't think starting April Fools day was the brightest thing to do)  The first 2 days Sat/Sun were a breeze,  I could keep myself busy.  Monday went to "hell in a handbasket"  The next 7 days were the worst.    I chewed on a  box of straws, toothpicks and anything else I could get my hands on.   I did eat but I got a lot of encouragement from Quitnet.com.  Others going through the exact same thing.   I stopped the patch this monday.   I don't want to have to give up another habit in 3 months.   So I am going for the gum theory.  I just chew a  piece of gum when I want a cigarette.   Right now is right after I eat.  I have snacked more and go over my calories sometimes but  I lost the weight (25 lbs) just for this reason.  So if I gain 10,15,20  I know I can lose it again.  Can not be harder than what I am going through now.

Here would be my recomendations:

Pick a good time of the month for you to quit.  See if you have anything coming up that can be changed or cancelled.   Sometimes I felt a little out there mentally so know what you have coming up.

Find something to replace you smoking times,  in the morning with coffee I now log all my calories from the day before on CC,  after my meals I clean something, anything.  I cleaned my chair legs after lunch today.  Just keep busy when you can and when can't just realize this is the best thing you can do for yourself and it will get better.

Good luck.

Schell

Hey, I am actually in a similar situation as you.  I think that everyones different though.. I have heard stories of people quitting cold turkey, but i just knew that i couldnt do that.  there was no way.  Before I started watching what I ate or excersizing there was a point that I was almost literally at a pack a day just sitting on the couch, talkin on the phone, etc. i dont know how i smoked so much but somehow i did, then i slowly started cutting down over a year and all of 2007 i was at about 3-4 a day.  Then i started working out and eating right in January 2008, and I am at 1 a day.  Sometimes I can even go a day without a smoke, but usually i would smoke more during the evenings, but now, i go to the gym during the evenings and i cant smoke before b/c then i cant workout, i would be too tired, and i just dont smoke after the gym b/c i feel so good from the gym.  So see how your life is.. eventually I do plan on quitting, but i know i'm not ready as yet.  But i know i dont need as much as i did.  and by keeping myself busy at times that i would normally smoke helped too.  But I understand its hard right now b/c you just started to lose weight so it would be too much to start both at the same time (counting cals and quit smoking), but i think you should just try to cut down, and evenutally you will be able to just not need a smoke.  Another thing my b/f does to help him quit smoking, is he bought a bag of carrots, and everytime he craves a smoke he would munch on a carrot.  and by the time he's done, he doesn't even feel like a smoke.  I think distracting yourself, and trying to help the other goal (eating right/counting cals) may work.  so at lunch time at work i crave a cigarette, i just go for a walk, or i go talk to someone at work and see if anyone wants to come with me.  Generally i think that you should cut down and concentrate on eating right, especially if you have alot to lose.. but your health in both ways (lungs and weight) are both important.  B/c you have the drive right now to lose weight i would say concentrate on that.  You also may find that when you lose 10 or 15 plus pounds that you will feel better about yourself and may not even want to smoke.  I used to spend alot of time doing nothing watching tv etc. now that i have come very close to my goal, i notice now i dont sit around as much as i did before, so i just dont smoke as much.  i dont know your whole story, but try to find ways in your life where you can distract yourself from cigarettes, just like you can distract yourself from unhealthy foods that are too high in calories.   Sorry i wrote alot!  i hope that helped even a little :) take care!

First off, thank you ALL for your responses, I've been able to take something out of each one.

Long story short... I am 5'10 290lbs. I started out at 325 so my weight loss progress is going really well. I'm trying not to sabotage it, this is why I'm wary of stopping smoking right now. I've been a stay at home dad now for about 5 years, and just recently I've taken a job 2 days a week to get out of the house. After 5 years and now going back to work... I'm a little frightened to add stopping smoking to my list of things I've accomplished. I'm at the point where I eat in one day (1500-1700 cal) what I might have eaten before in one sitting. I've cut out alcohol for not wanting to add empty calories to my diet and now I'm heading back to work.

I have cut back a lot over the past few years. My wife and I started not smoking in the house, which cuts back drastically. I'd say I'm at about a half pack a day now.

My first weight goal is 275 pounds, that will take me back like 7 years in my weight. I see this milestone approaching quickly, maybe too quickly to aim for stopping smoking. My First BIG weight loss goal is 225 which will take me back to my freshman year in High School. I thinking of aiming for that as my quit time. I should reach it either by the end of this year, or early next year. Perhaps I can start cutting down now with ideas you have all given. Who knows... maybe by not concentrating on it too much,I can quit sooner. If not then defiatly when I hit 225 as a way of rewarding my body for putting up with all my eating habits all these years lol.

One thing I know for sure is, I have to make sure the wife is ready to quit too. She has quit before, but because I continued to smoke.. it was only a matter of time before she started up again. Not having them at all in the house, and having a quitting buddy will surely make it easier.

i was just thinking about this on the way home from work as i munched on my apples...and then lit a cigarette :(

i keep telling myself that i'll quit once i lose x amount of pounds to reward myself, but i know that if i quite now, i will be able to lose those 20 pounds faster because i will be healthier and will be able to work out better/longer (i'm also an idiot and have asthma and my grandfather died of emphazema, yes boo me)

i'm just having the hardest time. i smoke when i drive to keep me occupied. i smoke when i drink coffee because it relaxes me. i smoke after i eat because the regular breathing patterns help me relax my stomach (i have retarded intestines, and i didn't start smoking because i heard it could help, but it was just something i found out along the way, smoking after i eat helps me go to the bathroom haha sorry TMI) and i smoke when i drink, and i think the worst is i smoke when i go to the tattoo shop to either get tattooed or to see my best friend who works there, which is a lot.

those are all excuses that i need to get over. driving-get some gum. coffee-i'll read more, i hate reading and smoking. eating-i'll eat better foods with more fiber that will help my digestive track. dirnking- hell i'm not even 21 i shouldn't be drinking anyway haha. tattoos-well, that one will be hard, but i guess i could be getting more tattoos so i can't actually be smoking.

so maybe if i keep reading this thread i will quit in the next few days if someone else does it with me haha.

I stopped smoking on January 4th. That is also the day I started watching what I ate and changed my life style. It was easier then I thought. The only down fall I had was when I went back to school. I was craving that ciggy so bad (even after 3 mounths without) but my will was greater then my want. Then I was challanged when I went out to drink with my brother...and yet again I was the battle.

It is easier then most think, if you really want to stop. It has been 4 months for me...

Well on a positive note, as you lose weight... you'll have less body to get tattooed! You'll run out of skin sooner or later ;O)

I'm the same freakin way... I could sit here n list excuses alll day why I need a smoke but my health is the only reason I don't!

Maybe we can attract a few more smokers that want to quit in here and decide on a quit date. I know this is a diet site, but what the hell.. If we can go to ONE place and get diet and smoking support.. more power to us!

One of my big ones is.. it really doesn't affect my exercise. I usually do an hour an evening on my treadmill (if my calorie deficit allows me to burn more calories) And since I have bad arthritis in my knees.. I really can't take it too hard anyway (I stick to a steady 3.5 mph) and then I usually do 5 sets of 20 reps on a curl bar for my upper body (lower weigh, more reps)

Congrats to all the people here that were actually able to quit.. and not go back. I find these stories every bit as inspiring as the weight loss stories here. Smokes n food were always my "fall back" items when I was feeling down and out.. I'm a big time emotional eater.

Everyone feel free to add me to their buddys so we can keep posted even when this post falls by the wayside!

QUIT SMOKING!! I have done it and I know it SUCKS!! And, I did gain weight too.   I did it long ago before they had the patch but maybe if you try something like that you won't gain weight.  But seriously, the smoking is worse for you.  Every time you take a puff the chemicals in the smoke basically attach themselves to the oxygen receptors on your blood cells. So, basically you are depriving yourself of OXYGEN.  Think about how much harder you could exercise if you were getting all the oxygen you needed!!  I know losing the weight is important too, but if it were me I would choose to drop the smokes.

Welcome kash,

STOP YELLING AT ME! lol! kidding... maybe thats exactly what I need. I keep thinking .. here I am busting my hump to lose weight, eat right... yet I still put the biggest poison I can in my body daily.. SMOKE!

First let me congratulate you on wanting to be healthier!! I am in the same boat-wanting to loose weight and a smoker. I have discussed this with my doctor and I will share her opinion-for me. She told me that she has seen too many patients trying to do both at once and finds that most of them give up because its hard to give up two pleasures and stick with it. She told me to loose the weight first-I have about 35 pounds to loose-then quit smoking. She said I will gain weight when I quit smoking and if I try and diet and quit-it is self sabotage. So, based on the fact that I really like my doctor and value her expertise in this, that is what I am doing. I have already started walking on my treadmill 6 days a week and have lost a bit of weight-been doing this a month now. I use to be very sedentary, so getting off my big butt and actually exercizing is a bit step for me. Already I find I have more energy and am starting to "almost" look forward to my workout! I am also smoking less. I'm not saying this is for everyone, but it seems to make sense for me-last week I put on a half a pound and I can't believe how down I got about it. I know its normal to fluctuate but I've been working so hard with calories/exercise, so I know if I tried to quit smoking also-I will put on weight=getting overwelmed with not being able to loose weight with all the effort. As soon as I get to my goal weight I WILL QUIT!! remember this is only my opinion.

Just try to visualize that lovely oxygen tank you will be dragging around with you in another 15 years!!!   Maybe you can buy coordinating jackets for it to match your attire!

I smoked for 25 years and then I had a major health scare.  After xrays, it turned out that my connective tissue had separated from my ribs.  Pretty painful. 

I honestly thought it was smoking related and that I'd finally damaged myself beyond the point of no return.  I think we all believe we will quit sooner or later, but later might be past that point of no return.  I had this vision of lugging around oxygen in a bottle for the rest of my life and knew it was time to quit.  

After that episode I never picked up another pack and I was in the middle of dieting, so it can be done.  My will power is no better than anyone else's believe me.

You can lose weight if you gain it, but you can't buy new lungs.  Now is always a good time to quit.  Good luck!

Hi

I am new to this site but had to jump into this! I too am a smoker and want to quit! I started a new healthier "lifestyle" on Jan 2 So far down 16lbs! yeah! I started a morning workout 2 days a week! Well let me call it what it is "Sunrise BootCamp" !!!!!!  A couple of girls I work with talked me into doing this! Of course they are not overweight or smokers. Lets just say after the first class I thought i was going to throw up from all the cardio and i couldn't walk for 2 days! Was scared to death but went back and now i am 12 weeks into the program and love it!

However the first thing we do is run! My lung capacity is not what it should be and I can't keep up! I am always the last one making it back to the group! I am sure they are all very happy with me cuz while they wait for me they have to do jumping jacks! LOL  I am one of those smokers that lights up just out of bed even before coffee! horrible I know! I wake up at 5 am on the days of bootcamp Monday and wed. class is at 6. I don't smoke before the class which was hard at first. I did smoke before the 1st 2 classes and realized that wasn't working but that doesn't seem to be enough and I know its time. I am just scared to death to quit now!

My doctor also put me antidepressants the same day I started eating better. I asked him about quitting and he felt i should try to conquer one thing at a time. He felt I would be setting myself up for failure by changing too many things at once! I agree thats all i need is to fail at both!

the weight loss has been slow so maybe it wouldn't hurt too much to try!

Hi everyone- congrats to those of you who have quit smoking, and to those of you who are ready to try, go for it!!   I quit in August 07 (third time I've quit) because I was trying to exercise more and eat healthier, and noticed how much it hurt to try to breathe during and after aerobics.   I quit and used the commit lozenges to taper off- worked for me!   I probably gained about 5 lbs initially but started walking, eating healthier and slowly added more exercise and have lost 20 lbs since January.    I think the horror stories we've all heard about those who pack on the lbs were likely due to not exercising- I do know that I want to munch more often since I quit, I just make sure that I have healthy snacks around.    The BEST part is that after eight months without cigarettes, I am finally building endurance and no longer have trouble breathing when I exercise.     You guys can do it!!

Original Post by thesnarf:

Welcome kash,

STOP YELLING AT ME! lol! kidding... maybe thats exactly what I need. I keep thinking .. here I am busting my hump to lose weight, eat right... yet I still put the biggest poison I can in my body daily.. SMOKE!

Sorry, Snarf didn't mean to yell. Can you tell I am passionate about this subject?  You will quit when you are ready.  Good for you though for making a commitment to get healthy through weight loss. It's hard to give up all of our vices at once.  It took me years to quit smoking and then several more years to lose weight and then several more to make a commitment to exercising regularly and now I have finally just given up sugar and all processed food (for the past 3 weeks anyway).  At this point I'm just hoping there is nothing left to give up....lol.  Anyway, keep up all of your good work and when you are ready drop the smokes. :)

Hi all,

Story. Lost over 60lbs last year, been maintaining since summer 07. Then I gave up smoking 1.5 month ago. I lost weight!!! The thing is I was hungrier all the time (not anxiety, just real physical hunger), so I ate more, and decided to do a bit more exercise to compensate.

I am now at my healthiest ever, having lost the weight and not smoking. I used to eat like 5000 cals daily, and smoke over a pack and a half. My willpower is nothing extraordinary, trust me, you just need to want to do it. I would say you should wait a bit before you quit though, because as easy as it can be, choosing a stressful time is not a good idea. Focus on your diet, get back to work, enjoy meeting new people, get used to it again after 5 years at home, then tackle the cigarettes. Yes, they are killing you, but you need to really be ready to quit, so the easiest the time, the easiest it is to succeed.

I strongly recommend EASYWAY TO STOP SMOKING, by Allen Carr. Amazing book, really helps you stop smoking without using willpower, honestly.

Don't be afraid if you put a bit of weight after quitting, you'll still be way healthier, and don't be afraid of failling. When we learn to walk, we fall, then get up, try again, fall again, etc, until we finally manage to do it properly (and still, as adults, sometimes we fall again). Well, same goes for healthy eating patterns, exercise, cigarettes, alcohol... That doesn't mean you can use this as an excuse to actually fail, but if it does happen, and it will, remember it's just a natural part of the process.

Good luck, and keep us posted. :)

I quit smoking about a year and a half ago, I cheated a few times in that time period when I was out drinking, but I have been absolutely smoke free since August of last year. I know that I will never touch a ciggarette again.

Heres my story: I went to the doctor only to find out that my gall bladder was inflamed and needed to be removed, they set me up for surgery within a few days. For anyone who has ever had surgery, you know that they run a battery of tests on you to make sure that you are healthy enough to get through the surgery. Well all was well, the surgery went off without a hitch, unfortunately about a week later I got a call from my doctor that suggested that there was something wrong with my chest x-ray. All I could think about was the smoking (15 years). To make a long story short, I was scheduled for a CT Scan and over the next week and a half (right at Christmas) I would cry and pray every day just waiting for those test results to come back. When they came back, the first thing the doctor told me was that it was not CANCER. I could have cried I was so relieved and although I still have an issue, it's something I can live with and it is largly responsible for why I am here and trying to get healthy.

I now that quitting is hard, but it only takes one ciggarette to cause cancer and I just can't take that chance, I have too much to live for, besides, I plan on being drop dead sexy, and there is nothing sexy about a woman with a ciggarette hanging out of her mouth, trust me it's not pretty and on top of that it smells disgusting. Just quit and see, when your sense of smell begins to recover you'll notice and just like I did think to yourself OMG I smelled like that gross!

Hope that helps!!