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I am just wondering if anyone may have any suggestions about preventing weight gain. Last year, I quit in January. By April, I had gained 40 pounds and felt worse at that point than I did when I was smoking. So, I have decided to try again but at a warmer time of the year so I can be more active. But it still seems like I am craving food a lot, and mostly the wrong foods at that (chocolate, sugar, etc.) Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do so I don't transfer my smoking addiction to a food addiction? And what can I do to keep my level of weight gain to a minimum?
Gosh, John, i wish i could tell you the answer. It is really hard not to replace the cigarettes with food. Hopefully other members can answer that for the both of us.....Crystal
Dear John,
I am not much better than you. I have jumped two sizes since stopping smoking. But trying hard to get the weight off me but it is not easy. I have stopped all candy, chocolate and concentrating on lighter stuff like vegetables. I think it is better to fight weight than smoking.
Take long walks if you need to eat and it will also help your lungs. Good luck!
I know this is going to sound very girly, but for the first two weeks I could not be found without a baggie of almonds and baby carrots and a knitting needle. To help with the oral fixations and keeping my hands busy. I've gained about 15 pounds since february, but I'm pretty sure it's because I stopped making sure that I prepared and just started eating whatever was handy. (Usually junk...)
Hey Kayla! Thanks for the tips...and right now, I don't care if it's girly or not. I don't want weight to become my excuse for lighting up again. If I can keep the gains to 15 pounds, I would be happy with that. I just can't afford to put on another 40 pounds like I did last year. So, I am trying to be smarter and more prepared. It's amazing how many ways we are affected by this addiction.
Hi John, I think it is almost impossible not to gain some weight during your quit. Like you said in your post- you are willing to deal with some weight gain. That is my attitude too. At some point in your quit- you need to stop eating too much! It is really that simple. I am now adding in activity -and not just food. Brief walks, parking my car farther away and walking, after dinner activity instead of chocolate! That is really helping so I don't have to buy new pants next week!!!! I love to cook and now am really starting to focus on low calorie healthier foods to snack on. I am still very food centered....but I am making a real effort to spend more time in thinking about and creating better (nonfattening) food choices. Hey- I have more time now- I am not smoking it away!!!!!!!
Keep on trying. I used to smoke crack but now I only smoke meth and I am trying to quit smoking cigarettes. What should I do so that I don't smoke crack again?
What has worked for me is I find anything to do to keep busy (sew, word search, type on here or on myspace). Drinking juice has helped me too. I do use peppermints and gummy o's too tho. I have been quit for 5 days now and I haven't gained any. The last time with it the first 2 days I gained 5 pounds.Then I used that excuse to start back.
Hey, I'm in my 3rd week - and I have gained a couple of pounds, but not much. One thing I made sure I do is I walk every day and do yoga (it's not TOO girly) and some sort of activity every single day. Sometimes, after lunch I take a quick walk around the parking lot twice - then go for at least a 30 minute walk after work. The first week, I snacked on veggies and carrot sticks and fruit, instead of reaching for junk - and drink lots and lots and lots of water. I think you'll gain weight no matter what, because smoking changes your metabolism - but you can keep it down and then loose it all together by making sure your choices are smart. It takes a lot of will power to quit smoking - use that same will power to eat right. The good news about weight loss - you can cheat with that, and have a cheeseburger or chocolate once or twice a week, and it doesn't matter. As long as your doing something active.
I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 1 Day, 14 hours, 7 minutes and 22 seconds (22 days). I have saved $90.43 by not smoking 496 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 17 hours and 20 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 5/5/2008 8:30 PM
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