Thread: Weight Loss and Smoking

I have been a Weight Watcher for a long time, about two years and managed to eek out around 50 pounds. I fight with the last 20 constantly. I get in gear, lose some..get lazy, eat cheesecake and gain some.

Wednesday I quit smoking for good. (I keep thinking about how many bedlah I would have if I didn't spend so much on cigarettes..) I'm afraid of gaining weight. I'm concerned because some people have told me that no matter how you eat you are guaranteed to gain 8 pounds and I don't want that to happen. ..cr.:

I've been taking walks and dancing or lifting weights when I want to smoke, walking after meals..been keeping to my points and stuff so I'm not binge eating or being lazy and loafing on the couch.

Has anybody experienced significant weight gain after smoking?.w.:

Hi there!

And congratulations. What an awesome achievement. I quit 5 years ago, after 25 years of being a heavy smoker, so I understand what you're going through. I'd like to recommend www.quitnet.com if you haven't found it already. If you put in your quit date, it will calculate for you exactly how much money and lifetime you are saving every day that goes by. And the message boards are really helpful!

I did experience weight gain. I exercised like mad, but I also rewarded myself every day for not smoking with a shake at Sonic (which I later discovered was a 17 point treat!) So it's easy enough to see how that happened.

I personally found it almost impossible to deny myself BOTH cigarettes AND food cravings at the same time, so I caved to the food cravings. I gained about 40 pounds in a 6-month period before I got that under control. I had NEVER had much experience with gaining weight before, I'd always been that woman who could eat anything and stay slender. So I was unprepared... I quit smoking the year I turned 40, so there were metabolic changes happening that contributed to the problem as well, plus some things happening in my personal life that made me turn to food.

Anyway....what I'm trying to say is yes, I did experience weight gain, but I don't think it was unavoidable.

I've been told that smoking boosts your metabolism by about 200 calories per day, and I believe it. Knowing that, though, should make it possible to manage the change. After two years of WW you're an expert at managing your intake/expenditure of calories. If you convert that 200 calories into points and adjust accordingly, you'll probably be fine.

I have quit smoking several times! That in itself is bad, but only the first time I gained weight. Any time after that I didn't gain an ounce. In fact, I would substitute tea or coffee to help stay away from smoking.

But drinking - now that is where I always fell off the wagon because drinking always made me weaker to giving in and having a smoke.

I *think* the weight gain is generally bc people eat instead of smoke, whether for physical satiation, boredom or the habit of hand-to-mouth movements. For me, my smoking and eating habits were very similar (and still are to an extent)~ often I didn't do either bc I actually *needed* it, but bc I was bored or emotional. I would hazard to say my body only needed a few cigs a day and yet I managed to down a pack a day. When I quit (a few times), I would often chaw on straws; I found it helped with the hand-to-mouth habit, gave my twitchy fingers something to do and if I was feeling snarly sans nicotine, I destroyed the straw(s) which helped lessen the aggression.

It sounds as though you are on an excellent path~ keep with it! You will find great support here~ you may try to search smoking to find other threads to help you through the inevitable tough periods. Congratulations!!!

Originally Posted by Fotia

I have quit smoking several times! That in itself is bad, but only the first time I gained weight. Any time after that I didn't gain an ounce. In fact, I would substitute tea or coffee to help stay away from smoking.

But drinking - now that is where I always fell off the wagon because drinking always made me weaker to giving in and having a smoke.

Ahhh, yes...even now, it is sometimes difficult to not bum a cig whilst drinking beer. Other alcohol, I'm fine(ish) but beer makes me want to inhale.

I started smoking when i was fourteen and it was crazy at how much weight i lost in the first month. cigarettes really do curb your appetite immensely.

I quit several times for a week or two at a time but started again because the weight would creep back onto me. My husband quit smoking once for two months, gained fifteen pounds and has been unable to lose them ever since. (I blame the Swiss Cake Rolls he chomped on every time he got a craving for cigarettes. That and he doesn't believe in exercise....he equates it with the tooth fairy.)

This time, however, my husband has quit for good because we got pregnant. Instead of reaching for sweets, he now reaches for a baby carrot. It's been four months and he's gained maybe a pound or two, mostly because he's addicted to sandwiches. I quit for the same reason and gained also maybe six pounds more than i was supposed to in my first trimester, so i'm not really sure if that was baby weight or cigarette weight.

all i can say is stay as active as you can. when you feel a snack craving coming on, go for carrots (not as satisfying as that first puff or chocolate cake i know...can you tell i miss smoking?).

My husband swears by altoid mints. he says that they are so disgusting that the only thing more disgusting would be to smoke after chewing one.

Basically, just use your common sense and be sure to exercise.

Good luck!

Tums and Rolaids also make cigarettes taste nasty and Tums offer a tiny bit of calcium.

I didn't gain weight when I quit, so it isn't inevitable.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Hi there!

I did experience weight gain. I exercised like mad, but I also rewarded myself every day for not smoking with a shake at Sonic (which I later discovered was a 17 point treat!) So it's easy enough to see how that happened.

I personally found it almost impossible to deny myself BOTH cigarettes AND food cravings at the same time, so I caved to the food cravings. I gained about 40 pounds in a 6-month period before I got that under control. I had NEVER had much experience with gaining weight before, I'd always been that woman who could eat anything and stay slender. So I was unprepared... I quit smoking the year I turned 40, so there were metabolic changes happening that contributed to the problem as well, plus some things happening in my personal life that made me turn to food..

I'm the opposite. I've always had a hard time getting slender. At a size 16 this is the smallest I've ever been in my life after childhood. Always been fat in a fat family.

I hear you on the ice cream thing though and I caved on that. I had to go to the store to take my mind off of being at home and I bought ice cream. It was fat free but I definitely ate more than the serving size..

Originally Posted by Fotia

But drinking - now that is where I always fell off the wagon because drinking always made me weaker to giving in and having a smoke.

Oh my God yes! I can't drink without smoking. And I smoke ALOT when I drink. I don't drink that much to begin with, but I am staying waaaaaay away from adult beverages whilst taming the beast.

Hi hon, I also have been overweight my entire life, and sound quite similar to you. I have the metabolic rate of a sloth I think! I have tried every diet program going from Atkins to Weight Watchers and struggled with them all. In 2005 and I bit the bullet and hired a personal trainer who I saw once a week and she gave me an exercise program to follow at home, but was also a nutritionalist and advised on diet. The biggest thing was getting out of the "diet" mindset, and into a healthy eating for life mode. I dropped from 224 pounds to 145 pounds in a year, was a lot fitter and felt amazing. So the next thing I decided to do, at the end of 2006 was stop smoking to get even healthier. I am asthmatic so never should have been smoking in the first place! (I was 8 - 12 a day)

Anyway, as soon as I stopped smoking, much like Lauren, I gave into the food cravings. A little at a time initially but then I got a bit depressed and it got harder and I creeped back up to 235 pounds within about 8 months.

Also when I stopped smoking, I got ill - a LOT. Every infection going, I felt rubbish all the time and could not motivate myself to get back into the fitness and nutrition regime.

It's taken me two years since gaining the weight to really start doing something about it again, and I signed up with the same trainer in March of this year and already down to 182 pounds. And feeling amazing. A million times better than the first time around.

Giving up smoking was one of the hardest things I ever did, I DID gain weight, I DID get ill and even was heard on occasion saying "I wish I had never stopped".

However, I can honestly say now that it was the best thing I ever did. And despite the problems I had afterward, I don't regret it because now I am a LOT happier and healthier and back on the road of healthy weight loss, but I also no longer have chest problems or wheezing, or coughing up half a lung every morning, or smell of smoke or having to wash my hair constantly or have nicotine stained fingers and nails.

It won't be easy babe, but really if you WANT to stop then you will. And however hard it is, it will be worth it tenfold in the end. I promise!

The best advice I can give you that really helped me, is when you are doing well with stopping, set yourself little goals and treat yourself. Perhaps a new CD or a book or even a new veil or lipstick, a massage, or give yourself a proper blow dry or manicure - whatever your budget allows. Just something to reward yourself. But don't reward yourself with food. It took me a long time to get out the habit of thinking certain foods were a "treat" and "I've done really well, I'll just treat myself to this chocolate bar". Remember, you are not treating a petulant toddler, you are looking after yourself and being good to your body. So pick a treat that is in line with you looking after yourself.

Good luck lovely. xxxx

Originally Posted by AllyisLuma

Oh my God yes! I can't drink without smoking. And I smoke ALOT when I drink. I don't drink that much to begin with, but I am staying waaaaaay away from adult beverages whilst taming the beast.

I have practically given up all drinking, partly to battle this. It's like as soon as I have a few drinks, I "backslide" and then wake up the next morning hating myself.

And in my case, while smoking helps burn up to 200 calories a day, if I quit drinking, that too is eliminating 200 plus calories as day too!

Wow, Lale you're story is an inspiring one. I'm sitting here chewing gum right now and schmoozing through Bhuz because its Friday and I don't really want to work any more lol.

I'm glad you told me what you told me. I think I'd just die if I got back past 200 pounds because I've worked so hard to keep it off. I do have the habit of "rewarding" myself with food. Yesterday I was staring longingly at a package of cookies and was considering how fantastic they would be with a fresh glass of milk. Usually reading the ingredients and calories make me put the package down. I did end up buying baked cheetos though for the hand-to-mouth problem.

I do have a food problem, like bad..I'm OCD about food and wanting junk all the time. Cake. Cookies. French fries. Chocolate. Fried foods. Donuts..mmmm.

Today seems like its been an easier day. I even rode to Arby's for lunch with one of my smoking buddies. She lit up and the smell didn't bother me at all. I mean, it sure smelled good to me but my mouth wasn't watering or I wasn't clawing my way over her lap to get to her cigarette. She was just smoking and I was not and it felt okay.

She had her huge chedder and beef sammich with her curly fries and I ate a salad (had some bacon on it so I omitted dressing which I hate dressing anyways) with ham, chicken, and lots of tomatoes and red onions. For the first time in my life I wasn't tempted by the greasy goodness of fast food and was quite happy to eat a salad, and I wasn't obsessing over it.

I am attributing this to all the Zyban which I've been taking for three weeks prior to quitting. I remember the last time I tried to quit (made it two days) cold turkey and this time around seems like I am more in control.

One more day to go to get out of the 72 hour period. :Asad:

Hang in there babe, you're doing brilliantly :-)

I had dinner with my sister. Fish, steamed asparagus, and some wild rice (that was salty, yuck) and then like 5 mint chocolate cookies. Afterwords, I went for a long walk and then lifted weights. You know, to counter effect the cookies. ~^