I know there is "kick the habit" area in this forum but I also know that posting here will get more attention. Im quitting....giving up the nasty habit! Im excited but dammmmn Im scared that my weight will go up. Is the weight gain due more to excess eating or just plain metabolism? There was a thread awhile ago about foods/things that cause weight stalls...one of them was nicotine. Im wondering if I will be one of the lucky ones and not have a problem gaining. I would appreciate any replies

I am a smoker, but I have not had cigarette for 17 years 6 months and four days. It was a Tuesday.

It is a bit like alcohol and carbs, the addiction is always there but it just gets easier over time. But you do have to quit cold turkey. cutting down does not work.



Consider this; even though some LC expects believe that smoking negatively affects the bodies ability to metabolise carbs and may contribute to insulin resistance, you would have to put on over 100 lbs to equal the risk of still smoking.

More or less a no brainer. LC should help you to snack, if that helps, in a non fattening way.

Good luck with both and take it a day at a time.

You will always be a smoker like me but you will not have had a cigarette.

Hi.

Quitting smoking is the absolute best thing that you can do. The health benefits are inumerable. No sense to lose weight just to get sick!! AND possibly die!!

I will tell you that I am by NO MEANS an expert, I have just read different articles on the subject.

Most people experience weight gain, but many gain only 5 or 10 lbs. This may be for two reasons:

1. smoking does add to your metabolism, but only so that you would burn maybe an extra 200 calories a day (i hope this stat is accurate, it has been a while since i read the article..i'll see if i can find it to quote it for sure, and I will try to get that posted for you.)

2. people tend to substitute food for cigarettes, especially quick and easy craving-killing junk foods.

There ARE ways to avoid it!!

1. keep ready-made snacks that you are able to eat on your plan. These may be a couple slices of cheese, grilled chicken strips, deviled eggs, celery with cream cheese, broccoli with some LC dip, etc...

2. get busy!! Burn some extra calories. Clean house for an hour and 15 mins and that is 200 calories. Take a walk around the neighborhood for an hour or so, the weather is getting nicer. An hour or so of walking at a light to moderate pace will burn 200 calories. Do the laundry, do an extra exercise at the gym or at home in your spare time.

Just to let you know, I had a friend that actually LOST 10lbs after quitting smoking. She was so worried about gaining weight that she started adding just little things into her daily routine. Even in increments of 5-10 minutes at a time. She got a lot of extra wind power that she never had before and found that she enjoyed exercising more. She lost it and never put it back on.

Good luck, and there is no time like the present to kick those cancer sticks!!

KC

U both are right of course and I know it. I know for sure I CANT go cold turkey, I will go on the patch for a few weeks. That may help with the shock to my system there by eleviated a big weight gain. I do exercise a lot right now but will make sure I keep it up and I will be ever so careful of what I eat for the next month. Thanks for your help.

Quitting smoking is the number 1 best thing that you could do for your health and since you have lost so much weight, you know that staying LC is going to help you keep your weight stable.

You can do this! Using the patch is a great step to quiting and it will take away the nicotine cravings, just watch your hand to mouth fixation that's where lc will be great. Exercise and water is what I used when quiting and I admit I yelled some too

As of April 1, 2002 it will be two years for me (It was a Sunday) and I did use the patch for a couple days but I had nightmares, awful ones so I stopped using it and keeped drinking my water.

Congratulations! Just take it slow and remember you kicked sugar so you can kick nicotine too!

If you use the patch, G, be sure to use it as directed - it's a 10 week program depending on how much you smoked. If it was more than 10 cigs a day then be sure to start out at the high level (step 1) and do that for the required 6 weeks. Step it down to level 2 for a few weeks - it is important to do the whole program and wean your body off the nicotine slowly. Breaking the habit tends to be toughest for a lot of us - that unconscious reaching for a smoke even if you don't crave one. Make sure you throw away all smoke paraphanalia - don't keep a secret stash! By using the patch and letting your body have some nicoteine the metabolism drop should be lessend (it's usually about 10%).

Make sure you take it off at bedtime - it can cause nightmares, and when you think about it, you didnt used to smoke while sleeping

I live with someone who was a one pack + a day smoker - the patch has done wonders for him. He's actually more mellow and better tempered now. I think this has to do with the constant supply of nicoteine rather than the bursts from the cigarettes. I can tell you that for me, the patch has made all the difference in the world. I don't crave them anymore. I don't get edgy. I don't get moody. And I don't smell like an ashtray either

And keep telling yourself this "I am not a smoker" it helps.
Nat

You both have wonderful words of wisdom. Nat did U exercise while on the patch? See this is a concern for me. It says to take it off 2 hrs before exercise..doesnt state how long after wards to put it back on. I had been working out 5 days a week. Now, I would like to actually do something physical twice a day. So I wonder if I can reuse the patch. My druggest said to wear it at night to avoid the early morning cravings because once U put it on it still takes a couple hrs to take effect. LOL and to make matters worse...TOM is due. I wanted to wait until after that but thought why? Im gonna go thru hell for a few days anyway. So I stupidly weighed myself this morning and of course up 3 pounds. Normally no big deal because it would disapear after TOM but maybe Im stuck with it and unfortunately likely a few more. Oh well I do realized the benefits of being a non-smoker out weigh smoking...so heres to day one!!!

G, I workout first thing in the morning (cardio or weights) and I take the one from the day before and stick it on, no problem. Whether it's working or whether it's purely psychological I don't know - but it works. I used to crave that first smoke before a workout! We've found the non transparent ones stick better, though. I wouldnt put a fresh one on and workout though! Were you a heavy smoker? John was and he's found that he can do just about anything with one on - this includes sleeping w/o nightmares now (he's on step 2, at step 1 he had a few if he forgot to take it off)

I've heard a lot of stories about nightmares when worn at night - a lot of people we know have quit recently.

I wouldnt worry about the 3 lbs - water and TOM (as I'm sure you know). You might want to try eating more frequent smaller meals throughout the day - this helps raise metabolism. By working out and eating more frequently you should be able to counter act any metabolism decrease brought on by quitting smoking.

One other bonus to quitting that many don't realize is that smoking decreases insulin sensitivity, quitting will help increase that making LC work even better.

Nat

By the way feel free to call me Gale..LOL all tho G is just fine too. Yes I was a heavy smoker ..about a pack a day..BUT I would waste more than I would smoke....I smoked king size and rarely did I smoke more than half...course I would just toss it. I too will reuse the patch cause I intend to become even more active at least for the next couple weeks. I think for now I will eat exactly how I have been...3 bigger meals a day and a small snack at night. After 2 weeks I will change things as neccessary. Thanks so much for your help.....how long has it been since U quit?

I'm on my 3rd week with the level 2 patch. I cant say 'quit' because I've had the odd smoke - but I haven't bought any. I don't much like the word 'quit' - "I stopped smoking" sounds better, even though it's just semantics. I'm amazed at the amount of a) money I've saved and b) the amount of extra free time I have in the mornings now.

I'll probably keep using it until mid April. I'm going away for about a week the first week of April and I think that will help - being away from habitual environments and living in a non-smoking hotel room will be just what I need. (crossing fingers)

Nat