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13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1853

Hi Lux,

First of all, congratulations on quitting smoking! Is this your first attempt at quitting? What is most challenging for you? What are your triggers?

It is common to gain some weight in the process of quitting smoking, but stay focused on your goals. If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, take a moment and do some deep breathing techniques to calm yourself down and regain control. You can also use some of the tips on the Emergency Coping Plan to coping with food cravings:

AVOID the situation.	Identify the situations when you normally smoke or feel cravings. For most, high-risk situations include work breaks, finishing meals, having coffee or being in a bar. Plan how you will avoid these situations for a few weeks. Plan for alternate activities.
LEAVE the situation.	If you find yourself in one of these high risk situations, leave if you can. And, leave before you get a craving.
DISTRACT yourself from the craving.	If you find yourself in a situation you can't leave and you get a craving, distract yourself from the craving by: Thinking about something else, like your Benefits of Quitting (or how much money you’re saving every week, how your body is healing itself). Doing something else to distract yourself like drinking water or deep breathing exercises. Thinking about an upcoming event in your life, such as a vacation.
DELAY acting on the craving	If you can't keep your mind off it, then make a deal with yourself that you will wait 5 minutes before you give into the craving. The craving will usually pass in a couple of minutes anyway. If you delay, the craving will go away.
Use SELF TALK	A craving may be accompanied by negative thoughts about your ability to resist it. Use positive self talk statements to combat your negative thoughts.

Vincenza, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1

I think that gaining weight is my biggest fear in the quitting process. I'm only on day 4 and I'm totally freaked-out to the point that I'm worried I will start again. I'm not sure what to do as I eat healthy and do live an active lifestyle, but I don't have the same stamina as I did before I smoked and yeah. I'm just feeling stressed-out! Anyone have some advice?

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1853

Hi Caro,

Congratulations on 11 months smoke-free! A fantastic gift to yourself and to your well-being

Losing weight is very much about lifestyle changes and it is great that you are preparing and thinking about your meals ahead of time.

I suggest you also visit our sister-site: Healthy Weight Center! There is a lot of great information and

tips on how to manage your weight.

All the best!

Vincenza, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 9

Hi all!! I'm almost a year off the smokes and so proud of myself. Over the course of the first 6 months I put on 2 stone. I didn't eat junk food. I ate what I ate before I gave up. My metabolism slowed down to a near stop and because when I gave up smoking I also gave up coffee which slowed it down even more. I've tried walking, running, yoga, and now as a last resort I've bought a bicycle for myself. I do believe I am a much healthier person now that I'm off the smokes. For one thing I can climb the stairs in work without an asthma attack. I've read in so many places that your metabolism goes back to normal after 6-12 months but I'm now in the middle of month 11 and I've not managed to drop a pound. This week I'm starting a new health food kick. Musli and zero fat milk for breakfast, salads at lunch and a decent dinner. No snacks at any cost. So heres to the new skinny me. Keep the fingers crossed for me and best of luck to all you new non smokers out there. The flabs not fun but either is having yellow teeth, smelly fingers and black lungs.

Adios amigos!!

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 87

Good Stuff All. Think Thin. Heavy smoking and Junk food play havoc with blood pressure, glucose levels, circulation and mood swings. I have had to cut down on all that or die! Seriously! As we age things aren't as simple or easy as they once were,-or so we thought but things and habits accumulate over time and they do tend to catch us up. I never thought I could live without my muffins, pizza, chips, etc. Imagine my amazement when I found that I really do like salads, broiled fish, fruit and my homemade veggie burgers. I now hate the sight of red meat and sugary stuff. As for weight, well, I keep two sets of clothes; can't stand tight, constricting clothes. I love to walk lots and better to be a bit 'fat' than dead, imho.

Keep on Keepin' On. When I feel tempted I tell my mind to 'go to a higher plane.' It works.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1853

Brenda & Ready2Quit,

Thank you both for the good advice. Exercise is so important for both mental and physical wellness - and every workout counts! Even a brisk walk, 20 minutes a day, has been shown to improve circulation, manage blood sugar levels, control weight, improve the immune system and combat depression!

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 168

I Choose Life: I'm using the free Lose it! app for the iPhone. I enter everything I eat during the day, any physical activity I do, and track it. I can see my daily progress and my weekly progress (which prevents me from allowing too many "treat" days).

I think doing something like this could help you tremendously. If you prefer to use a computer rather than a smartphone, there are lots of websites that allow you to track calories in and out. It'll give your mind something else to obsess over, rather than smoking, and you can watch your weight.

And don't forget - the amount of weight most people gain is limited. It doesn't keep piling on indefinitely. You will reach a plateau and then you will either maintain it or lose it.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1904

I agree with Sophia. Exercise not only helps prevent the weight, but also helps with the stress. Just walking a hour a day right now could do a world of good.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1

If you start eating for timepass so that you should not remember smoking..Its really nice thing but you have to control on yourself..You may tried out other resources like watch TV or playing game..I would like to suggest you best thing that exercise is best option for you...You may tried out without any risk..

Regards,

Sophia

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4

I put on some weight in the first month, primarily because I did not know what to do with the extra time I gained after I quit smoking. I started eating too many potato chips and drank too much coke. I will advice to wait for 3 weeks, everything starts getting back to normal, that's my experience. Keep urself active.

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