Twenty Pounds in three months

[divacas1]

I stopped smoking last year for three months.  I gained twenty pounds in three months and felt miserable. Been gaining weight every since and I'm on the border line of becoming a diabetic.  I have COPD and a lung disease.  This is a terrible addiction that I am really suffering from.  I have to put the smokes down so I can feel better and live longer. I'll change my eating habits. I can't exercise like I use to because of my breathing.  I'm going to really need you alls support to beat this addiction.

[Jeff121]

You have come to the right place. We are here to help. I chewed lots of sugar free gum and fruits and vegies. If your breathing is good enough for short walks that is great. I walk 10x as much as I did before I quit.  Take Care and come back soon, we are waiting!!

[divacas1]

Jeff,

Thanks for the reply.  No can't walk to far before I'm short winded. Even with my oxygen on.  Maybe once I lay these cigarettes down that walk will change for me as well.

[sailez]

I too have that urge of eating frequently but am trying to control. Let temporary weight gain not discourage you from quitting. Together we can and will do.

Start some brething exercises (Check out Yoga videos in Youtube), and I am sure it'll will help you overcome the anxity.

[johio]

Diva

Many of us have the same issues as you.....We have COPD and other smoking related side effects and we know it is time to quit.

Trying to exercise with the complications of smoking can be very difficult. I have had a number of people tell me that going to water aerobics classes, or just walking in the pool at the local YMCA can be a s beneficial as regular exercise without the stress on your lungs or joints. 

Many of us here also have the same problem with weight gain when quitting smoking. I am not an expert at any of this, but I believe that quitting smoking is the most important right now. I will support and help you ny way I can

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Being overweight is not good - but smoking is FAR worse for you!  This time, try keeping a cold bottle of water in hand always.  It gives you something to do, and also helps flush out the toxins accumulated in your body from smoking.  You might also try sugarfree gum or mints, fruit slices and cut up veggies for snacks.  Your #1 goal, though, is to quit smoking.  You should be breathing better after you quit and be better able to exercise to get off any extra weight.  Keeping busy in your early quit days is the best remedy for overeating AND getting past any craves.

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different.

You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around your head alone.  Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

Nancy

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Welcome to EX

 Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking.  You have come to the right place if you are making the decision to commit to quit smoking. This is all about you and what you are willing to do to be a nonsmoker.  Here are few pointers to help you get started on your journey

1.  At EX our resolve is to never smoke again.  NOPE “Not one puff ever

2.  Also check out www.whyquit.com. for additional  information to read and study.  Look for Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101               

 http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html

 http://whyquit.com/ffn/

3.  Stay close to the site, learn, ask questions. Education is the key to success even in quitting smoking.

4.  If you should need something to do for craves, here is another link that will help

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2015/07/09/what-is-your-crave-buster

5. If you take the time to do the work you will have success. Read, Study, Blog, Research Comment, Make friends, Hang Tough, Stay Close and most of all enjoy your commitment to quit smoking.

We are here to support you.

[Barbara145]

Welcome.  Glad you are here.  Use your puffer and walk for as long as you can.  Walking is wonderful for lung disease. A holistic physician said, " If you have COPD you better walk for 30 minutes a day even if you need to be on oxygen."  I have emphysema/COPD and I walk everyday.  It clearly helps me alot.  Most days I breathe much better all day after I walk.  You might be surprised once you quit how much easier walking will be.  You CAN do this.  We are here to support you.

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Welcome!

I too have COPD and yes, I exercise! Exercise is actually very good for Quitting and for COPD! As Barbara said walk! Also yoga has been shown to be very effective for COPD and Quitting!

As for weight, you can have all the crispy fresh vegetables you want! Make up a tray of celery, bell peppers, jicama, radishes, broccoli, carrots, etc....! You can make a very good ranch dressing with greek yogurt if you just have to have dip with them. A good diet low in acids and high in alkaline will help your breathing!

Do the reading! It will make all the difference! There is a ton of good info in my COPD blogs on my page. I hope you visit them!

[GreenThumb3]

Stay strong i cut out breads sweets and pasta has slowly been working every couple weeks have reward food to eat lots of difderent ways to loose weight i dont think any are fast i gained 20 lbs early in quit then another 10 over time dropped about 15 in last 6 months its more important to get past smoking before dropping weight but you can do it 

[Dotgirl_1-28-16]

Welcome

[Sootie]

I will echo Barbara and Thomas.......walk. by God's good grace I do not have COPD but I do know that walking is the best exercise. 

Walk-----start off slowly.

Walk up and down in front of your house for 5 minutes. .

Increase your time by 5 minutes every day or even 1 minute every day. 

You have nothing to lose.....except maybe the weight, maybe the threat of diabetes and maybe at least SOME of the shortness of breath.

Not only that but as you walk you truly become "addicted" to walking. It also releases dopamine (just like smoking). I hate to miss my daily walks. Some good reading for this is "Couch Potato to 5k"-----you can find it online. you never have to get to the running part. It is geared to walking also.

Stay strong

[MarilynH]

Welcome to the site, all great advice so I will just say that you've made the best decision for you and your health, you can and will succeed in this quit, one day at a time or if need be one second at a time. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[TerrieQuit]

Hello, and Welcome to EX! We are so glad you are here! This is a great place to quit smoking. You have been given links to great information and good advice above. Please do the readings and listen to the Elder's (folks with 1 year + quit) They know a lot about this addiction. Education, willingness to do whatever it takes not to smoke, determination and commitment are the keys to a successful quit!

I would like to recommend a group (that is featured on our home page) called The Daily Pledge Group. It's fun and will help reinforce your commitment not to smoke!

Just click on the link below and scroll down and take the person's hand before you and promise not to smoke! You can state your # of days, post a picture or whatever you want! This is your quit be proud of it! Please join us!

http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/forum/topic/8309395/let-the-nicodemon-be-the-april-fool/

Hope to see you there!    Terrie

I Won't Quit on my Quit!