What are some things I can do to avoid gaining weight if I quit smoking?

Question

I want to quit smoking, and I know this may sound petty, but I don't want to gain a lot of weight. What can I do to prevent this and also, for those of you who have quit smoking, can you offer any suggestions on how to get started? What worked for you?
Thanks a lot!
Peace.

Answer 1

I have quit smoking but after 6 months started again. Stupid, I know. Anyway, you will want to eat more to satisfy your lack of cigarettes, but that should stabilize in a week or two. The good thing is that you will be more active. You will want to do anything to get your mind off having a cigarette, so I think that in the long run you will actually be more fit and not gain weight because you will be more active, even though you will enjoy food more. Ride a bike, jog, hike, just be active. It will help you get over cigarettes and it will help you burn off the extra calories you're consuming.

Hope you make it. I will try again soon. Not looking forward to it, though.

Answer 2

Two ways to succeed in quiting. First how serious are you about stopping? Can you just plain out cease the habit? Understand that it is ONLY a habit and stop. Version two slow down the amount of smokes you smoke by half daily, or weekly. When you get to under five a day stop.
Benefits to enhance your odds:
1 The amount of money you will save
2 Find something else to occupy the Time that you would have been smoking, read, write, study, swim, bike, shop, whatever
3 The less you think about it the easier it will be

After the dreaded three days (all 72 hours) you have broken the spell and it will become less and less concern or thought
Yes, I have quit for several years....but found myself weak to old habits and decided that I wasn't a quit-er. With the price getting so high I will have to reconsider this.
Good luck and keep me posted when you start your program.

Answer 3

Congratulations on deciding to quit smoking. I quit on Aug 30, 2005. You will gain a little weight but what helps me is I focus my attentions on working out instead of smoking. I would also walk when I had a craving. I heard some where a craving last about 10 mins. so if you can out last it you will be fine. I do step classes and weight training 3X a week. Find something that works for you and focus on that instead of smoking. Good Luck!!

Answer 4

If you really want to quit smoking, concentrate on that. It's hard enough quitting smoking without thinking about losing weight also.

Smoking burns approximately 200 calories per day, so look for ways to eliminate those calories (it's a couple pops, a candy bar, those extra fries, etc...). Grab something healthy to chew on instead of sweets or junk food. Carrots, cucumbers, and celery help.

Lastly, start exercising. It's a great way to get rid of the stress from quitting smoking and it's a good way to burn those extra calories.

Again, if you concentrate on both, you're likely going to fail quitting smoking. Tackle that first.

Answer 5

My husband nibbled on toothpicks.

My best friend nibbled on ice. She was careful to let it sit in a glass of water first so it softened a bit and was careful how she bit into it because of the possible damage to teeth. She actually lost weight!

When my sister quit every time she craved a cig she did a house project. She was a lousy housekeeper before but by the time she quit smoking her house was (and still is) immaculate. Our best friend's daughter got pregnant. The baby is 8 mo. old and she never went back to smoking. That may be a bit drastic though!

I've never smoked but I've got other bad habits I am trying to quit. I know that smoking is THE worst to quit, though. Good luck! It's for your health!

Answer 6

The reason why people gain weight after smoking is because of the whole hand to mouth thing. Instead of reaching for a ciggy to put into their mouth they put food instead. So they are eating more food than they were.

My stepfather quit cold turkey. Everytime he got a craving he just pop in a cinnamon jolly rancher. He carried a bunch with him at all times. So find a hard candy that you enjoy that is not high in fat, sugar, or carbs. Anytime you get that craving just pop the candy in and suck on that.

Answer 7

Stay away from the food. Not everyone gains weight but those who do tend to overeat after they stop smoking. The foods to avoid are any candy, pastry or or gum with alot of sugar. Smoking is a habit and eating takes its place. Everytime you want to nibble, ask youself if you would have eaten this when you were smoking. If not, don't eat it.

Answer 8

when i quit cold turkey, i felt no desire to replace my cigarettes with food. i didnt start eating more,and i didnt gain any weight.

it's different from person to person. see, i never had problems fighting my cravings, though i smoked a pack a day for years. i'm pretty good with self control, so i just told myself, "there is no such thing as 'quitting.' either you already quit, or you didn't. you have quit smoking. you are a non-smoker. you dont smoke." and that worked.

if you're the kind of person who takes frequent cigarette breaks, or needs something to replace smoking, then do your best to carry HEALTHY snacks, like carrot sticks, or low-calorie gum. also consider carrying a large bottle of water, as this will help keep you feeling full, and not hungry.

Answer 9

Don't dilude yourself. Quit cold turkey. The whole "I'll only smoke one....." never works. If you don't have any, you have none to fall back on when you get stressed. Also, chew gum or go for a walk, make pottery, anything you want. You just have to exchange your bad habit for a healthy one! Good luck and good for you taking a positive step in your health!

Answer 10

The health effects of gaining 5-6 lbs are no where near as dangerous as smoking! Think about it.