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Myth or Fact? - Smoking and Weight Gain


13 years ago 0 168 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I was at 200 lbs even when I quit. I went down to 198.5 lbs early in the week because I was extra careful. Now I'm up to 201.5 but I'll be walking home from work, watching what I eat, etc. I'm not worried - especially not now that I know what's going on.
 
This is the first place I found was was honest. "Yeah, you'll probably gain a few pounds... but it'll peak." - I've consciously decided to start smoking in the past, during previous quit attempts, because I noticed a gain of a few pounds and thought it would just continue indefinitely. So, this time, I'm not worried. 
13 years ago 0 1904 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
You're right, Freedom. You can lose it and then some. Quitting smoking energizes you to take on the world. Anyway, smoking is more harmful than being a few pounds overweight. There is no safe level at which to smoke, but you can be slightly overweight (not obese) and be relatively healthy.
13 years ago 0 23 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi everyone,
 
I weigh 81 kgs when i quit smoking (99 days back).. about a month back i weighed 85 kgs. so i had gained around 4 kgs after quitting. and now, after 30 days of jogging and diet control my weight is exactly 80 kgs i.e. 1 kg less than my weight at the time of quit....so everyone out there dont feel down coz of a little weight gain. it is temperary. you can loose it at later stage. Also walking and jogging will become easier. trust me. i have added 2 extra miles in my jogging routine and still i can add more. 
 
Cheers
Freedom Yayy 
13 years ago 0 653 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thank you all for sharing your stories and successes. As was said so wisely, you can deal with any weight gain after you focus on your number one and all-consuming goal of the quit!
 
Tiana, Health Educator
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13 years ago 0 97 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
About a month after I quit I joined a gym that was on the way home from work.  I would stop in at least three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), and sometimes more if I was in the mood.  My routine was a half hour on the treadmill, bike, or elliptical, then a half hour on the various machines.  I was quite surprised to discover that the monthly gym membership was about a fourth of what I had been spending on smoking.
 
Along with the exercising, I changed my diet.  No more Pepsi.  I cut way back on everything sweet.  No "sugar-free" stuff, either.  I have less trust of the sugar substitutes that come from a chemistry lab than I have of natural sugar that comes from plants.
 
When I quit I weighed 220 lbs.  Around my six month anniversary I weighed 238.  I have been told that the added weight was probably due to muscle replacing fat. That may have been part of it, but I had to let my belt out a notch, so there was some gain.  I continued my exercising and eating healthy, and over the next six months the "quit weight" came off, plus a little extra.  On my one year anniversary I weighed 216.
 
I try to impress upon new quitters to not get concerned about any weight they may put on.  There are a lot of changes going on in the body during the first few months of a quit, and gaining weight is typical although the amount varies drastically from person to person.  Be patient with yourself, eat healthy and get as much exercise as you can.  Quitting smoking is your number 1 priority.  The rest can be dealt with later.
13 years ago 0 312 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Very good point, Brenda and very true.
 
Thank you for saying this "out loud" for all to hear.
 
Charm
 
13 years ago 0 1904 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I would never smoke again, regardless of the weight gain. Smoking will kill you faster. It is possible to be overweight, but relatively healthy, if you eat right and exercise. There is no safe level at which to smoke. Plus, I was told by my doctor that I would have to gain about 70 lbs to be in the same shape that I was in while smoking.
13 years ago 0 230 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I gained 20lbs  plus when i stopped smoking and im having an extremely hard time getting it off. (never had a weight problem before) I gained all this weight in about 6-7 months after i quit. I don't have the urge to smoke anymore, but when i get on the scales and see what i gained, it makes me wanna smoke. So its been a struggle.    I'm trying to eat right and exercise.
 
13 years ago 0 12 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I quit 75 days ago and am doing splendidly. I initially gained about 7 or 8 pounds, but have since taken off 4 of those. I exercise a lot (running, biking, and some light weight lifting), but I think my body just needed to adjust to the metabolic differences. When I smoked, I often used cigarettes to fend off the nibblies, and it worked. I ate three times a day and that was it. Now, I'm a little more prone to snacking and have had to get a grip on it. I think smoking also revs the metabolism a good bit, so one is burning more calories. This adds up over the long term.
 
When I first quit, I was eating quite a few spearmint Lifesavers, and it helped a lot. After the first week, I didn't need them anymore. Now I try to drink at least four bottles of water a day, and my snacks are apples, celery, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, and raisins.
 
Some people might disagree with this tip, as it's rather like a vegetarian mashing her tofu into the shape of a turkey, but I'll give it anyway. I have a wooden dowel that is the same size as a cigarette. I keep it in my top desk drawer, and occasionally I take it out and play with it. It seems to satisfy my urge to roll something around in my fingers. 
 
Best of luck, all. Smoke free and loving it!
 
 
 
13 years ago 0 11226 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Members,
 
Myth: If I quit smoking I will gain weight.
Fact: 20% of quitters don’t gain any weight at all – for the rest of us, the average is 5-7 pounds… not much considering all of the other health benefits. In fact, you would have to gain 50% of your body weight before it would actually be more beneficial to quit.  

Some tips to help control your weight gain: chew sugar-free gum, drink water, eat healthy snacks and exercise. Members, what else have you found helpful in controlling your weight gain?
 
Ashley, Health Educator
 

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