I gave up smoking - now putting on heaps of weight - help!?
820463
When I stopped smoking, I put on 24 pounds in 3 months because what the smoking was doing for me I allowed the food to do.  Keep in mind the following about emotional eating which is no different in relation to smoking:\n\nDiets and changing your eating to healthy food choices can work but because we know so little about ourselves and our relationship with food, it makes it difficult to win the battle. A lot of us have problems with dieting because we have a problem called "emotional eating" we eat to comfort ourselves during difficult, stressful, sad, etc times in our lives.\n\nYou may experience all those emotions during dieting as we continuously get on the scale hoping to see a big difference in numbers after dieting only for a day or two. Also what is stressful when dieting is that we try to lose a large number of weight in such a short period of time which in most cases is unreasonable. \n\nThis all brings about stress, discomfort and sadness. When we feel this way, we turn to our best friend for help and support which for many of us is food. The diet is now broken and we feel that we can't stick to diets. We then try fad diet after fad diet hoping to lose the original 20 pounds and now we may have as much as 30 pounds to lose because we continue to put on weight as we continue to break these fad diets by binging before starting our next diet. \n\nPlease learn about your relationship with food before your next diet so that you may achieve your goals. To help a little, keep in mind the following:\n\nYou already know how to lose weight. You know that if you eat less and exercise more eventually you’ll see the pounds come off. What’s getting in your way? Why do you usually regain the weight you lost? The answer to all these questions is the same “Emotional Eating.” Simply defined, emotional eating means you eat to satisfy emotional hunger; it means you use food for comfort or as a way to cope with life; and it means you eat for reasons other than what your body needs. Whenever you reach for a boredom-breaking snack despite your commitment, or whenever you eat to quell anxiety, that’s emotional eating. Whenever you binge after a fight, or double up on portions because your day turned sour, that’s emotional eating. Whenever you feel that sharp craving for your favorite food, that’s emotional eating. When we eat during these times while on a diet, we believe the diet doesn’t work or that we lack self control and then look for the quickest way to lose weight (fasting/diet pills, ect) after eating all we can since we already messed the diet day up. Read the information below but remember that emotional eating plays a big part in why we don’t continue dieting and why we regain lost weight and why we binge today and start a new diet tomorrow. Best of Luck.\n\nP.S. After learning about my relationship with food, I was able to drop my weight from 263 pounds down to 151 pounds which is a 112 pound weight lost.
435033
All are good things to try to accomplish: stopping smoking, eating well and exercising more... but, if you try to make too many changes all at once, you may find yourself very frustrated and failing at all.  Pick 2-3 small objectives/goals that you can work on for the next couple weeks.  Things like, reducing the number of cigarettes, walking 10 minutes a day, eating more veggies... these are 3 small things that you can easily incorporate that will help you toward all your goals... and you will find that the more you increase healthy behaviour, the more you will want to reduce/quit the unhealthy ones.\n\nYou might also want to consider a support group.  Having your friend help you is a great idea!  Support groups (online, telephonic, in person) add to accountability--which it sounds like you are wanting.\n\nGood luck to you!!
192128
Loosing weight and stop smoking.  I can't do either one so I didn't make any this year.
621681
I gave up 2 months ago and it took nothing except my own will power.  It was hard but not as hard as I thought it would be.  I have managed to go for 2 months without a smoke at all, my boyfriend smokes as do most of my friends but this has not tempted me at all, I have even been to the pub and not smoked at all.  Set yourself a date to give up and mentally prepare yourself.  get rid of any cigarettes, lighters, tobacco, ashtrays or rolling papers you may have in your house.  If you really do not think you can give up on your own, try smoking replacement gum or patches and go to help groups, there is a lot of help out there, if you need it, then go find it and take advantage of it.  Good luck, giving up is the best thing I have done for a long time.
544935
Maybe, but youll die sooner if you dont stop. I know ppl who have quit smoking and they are still thin. You can lose weight, if you begin to gain. So dont let being worried about getting fat be your only priority. Stop smoking for you, life, and family. I hope you do. Take care and good luck.
1110050
well you need to start by eating more calories...stuffing yourself won't exactly help. i would say try to take in more protein and carbs. \nalso increase the amount of meals you have. so instead of eating 3 meals try eating 6 little meals...again..high in protein and carbs.\n\nyou need to quit smoking now!!! no more cigarettes do you know what they are doing to your body??? \n\ni think that it is nice that someone is trying to get up to their ideal weight in this world of people who are trying to be as thin as possible. \ngood luck!
799599
First of all, You have to be ready to quit. It doesn't matter if everyone wants you to, but you aren't ready.\n\nWhat worked for me was to set a target date. Cut back on daily intake until that day, then get rid of all items related to smoking. I found a hypnotherapy and meditation system about quitting and used it as I approached my target date. I found some tea tree oil chewing sticks to chew on to give my mouth something to do besides eat. I also made sure I had plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available so I did not gain tons of weight.\n\nAnother highly effective thing was that I did not smoke inside the house, so I did not have the lingering smell to contend with. If you have been smoking inside, you will want to wash your walls and floors and possibly even paint to remove the odor, which will help reduce the cravings.\n\nFinally be patient with yourself. It often takes more than one attempt to sucessfully quit.
420726
quit smoking now.. you won't be allowed during Basic anyway.  Might as well get a jump on it.  As long as you can meet the minimum standards on the first day, you'll BE in shape by the time you are done.
41019
What I have been trying to do (which so far is helping a great deal) is when I have a craving for a cigarette, I have a glass of water or a piece of fruit.  Then I walk around my house and look for things to do.  Breaking the habit of putting something in my mouth has been the most difficult, but I honestly think that the water is helping.  I haven't quit yet, but I've gone from a pack a day to between 4 and 7 cigarettes a day in about two weeks.  Good luck to you : ) (and to me, too).
394801
Take it one step at a time. Today you can go 1km .....try going a little further tomorrow and do that or a while....then maybe a week after you can go 2km.....\n\nIt takes time and your body needs to break out of an old trend and get used to a new one where it is called upon to work harder. \n\nIf you are a smoker - QUIT SMOKING!!
919145
Don't think about it too much. You need a bit of determination & you obviously have that to ask about it.\nQuit on the spur of the moment - try & frighten yourself & until you cope without one, steer clear of the pub & people who smoke. I gave up in June like that & have stuck to it where previous attempts failed. I did at first allow myself to have one with a drink but then went so long without going out that I sickened myself & haven't touched one since. Be careful of that though because it can become an excuse for a cigarette. If you've been smoking 20/30 a day you may want to have patches to help you & as well as giving you nicotine it can also act as a deterrent because it is dangerous to smoke with one on. But like I said once you've quit, forget about it. The more you say to yourself I've given up the more you'll be thinking about smoking. Keep busy with a hobby. Good Luck x
606167
I lost 143 lbs over 7 years ago and have kept it off-and I did it all naturally-no medical intervention! Since I was so overweight all I could do was walk. Forget about hardcore exercise! You need to take a 30min walk every night. Walk as fast as you can handle and move those arms! As far as food, all I did was cut out all fast food, junk food (snacks), soda and juice. Drink only water and unsweetened tea but mainly water!ALOT OF IT! Eat 5-6 times per day but very small meals. For instance here is a typical day back then for me: 6am-1 pack oatmeal and cup hot green tea. 9am- fat free cottage cheese and diced apple 12pm-chicken breast with salsa on top and piece whole grain bread 3pm-very small handful of almonds and raisins 6pm-chicken breast and small side salad with only lettuce tomatoes carrots and a fat free italian dressing. DRINK WATER THRU OUT THE DAY. If your anything like me I used to HATE water but as I made myself drink it- my body craved it! Still does! I am very proud of you for wanting to do this! As you begin to lose weight and fell better you will naturally start to change up your exercise routine as well-you will want the challenge as you begin to feel healthy and strong! At 31 years old now I feel healthier, sexier, and happier than I have ever felt in my whole life and let me tell you... I LOOK GREAT! GOOD LUCK- YOU CAN DO IT!
557115
stop smoking without it \nyou don't need that  ,just be strong
1004651
I was able to quit and didn't gain much weight. About five pounds and after three months I lost it.\n\nThe biggest weight gain I got from stopping smoking was the extra weight in my wallet because I am not giving up all my cash for cigarettes.\n\nThis sounds stupid but the thing I read that helped me the most was - "The urge for a cigarette only lasts a few seconds". I kept thinking about that and every time I wanted a cigarette and I would start thinking - a few seconds, a few seconds, a few seconds over & over. I would get distracted & forget to keep thinking it but I also forgot about the cigarette. The problem is when you first start quitting the urge comes often but gradually it dissapeared. I no longer miss them.
917090
Here are some facts from personal experience as well as other family/firends who have given up or tried to give up:\n\n1. your metabolism slows down, you can even feel your pulse slowing down when you give up. Temporarily, smoking a cig can accelerate your heart just a tiny-tiny bit.\n2. Food smells and tastes just the same, you just have a craving because you  are not smoking, so you want to substitute that craving with eating. Chewing gum doesn't work.\n3. You can retain more water when not smoking so you may appear 'fuller' too.\n4. Some friends of mine (including my mum) have put on upto 3 stones when giving up smoking (not by eating so much, it's just how their bodies reacted).\n5. Most supermodels smoke (as well as other drugs) to stay thinner. In the modeling world putting on even half a stone could wreck their career.\n6. Some people can actually manage to get back to their pre-quitting weight but not many.\n7. I managed to lose all the weight I put on after quitting but once I reached my pre-quitting weight I had to re-start smoking because the lowered intake of food was driving me nuts and the only way I could keep it down is by lighting up again. \nSometimes I stop for a year, sometimes for 10 months, sometimes for 4 years sometimes just 6 months but I always end up smoking again. Horrible!
1058697
Start running or training in any other way suitable for you. And you will quit smoking painlessly in 2 or 3 months.\nThere is a kind of side effect: you will become more healthy :-)
630155
Congratulations on quitting!! As a former smoker I know exactly how you feel. For me quitting was one of the toughest things I have ever done. It is very common for people to start up again after quitting, especially when confronted by stress in life. The best things you can do are the following: throw away all smoking related things(ashtrays,lighters etc.)Try to avoid places where people smoke. What helped me alot was chewing on plastic straws,gum etc. I tried the patches and the nicotine gum and they really did not do anything for me. You just have to set your mind on this goal and tell yourself you can do it. Reward yourself somehow for every day you go without. Good luck!!