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When you quit smoking cigarettes, your brain thinks that you are missing [b:a7a08f2a7c]serotonin[/b:a7a08f2a7c] which causes you to want starchy foods. (pasta, bread, etc.)
Nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant and raises your metabalism, so that explains why a lot of people gain weight after quitting the smokes. :twisted:
Smoking is verrrrrry bad. I never started, but I've heard a lot of stories from my friends about how hard it was to quit! A couple of them used the patch. Technology has made it a lot easier for people who are "addicted" to quit!
I've smoked on and off for 6 or 7 years, and I finally quit last Tuesday. It's still proving to be a challenge, because in order to be sucessful, you have to change EVERYTHING about your life. The patch and the gum have helped me beat cravings so far. Also, if the gum doesn't work, I eat carrot sticks, apples, or chew on a straw. I haven't been particularly craving starches yet----just cigarettes :roll: . OH---lots of water and herbal tea have helped me so far. The key is to do something else that's soothing or distracting if you have a craving.
Anyone besides me trying to quit???
Jo
congrats to you on your decision to quit. that is a big step in changing your life.. cigarettes just don't fit in with anyone being a winner. i have heard that in some places a pack is almost 10 bucks!! :twisted:
no thanks for me!!
pixie~ :D
I quit in April and found that whenever I had a craving that was too much, I could go for a quick walk and that would help.
I have been told that one of the things that your body is experiencing when you have a craving is the need for glucose in the blood stream. Nicotine assists in the realease of glucose and that is why you feel hungrier while trying to quit. In addition, Nicotine is naturally present in all bodies in trace amounts and when you smoke, your body stops producing it and it takes a while for everything to get back on line. Add all of this to oral fixations and the psychological aspects of the addiction and it's no wonder that it's so hard.
Another thing that worked for me was to fill my free time with activities that didn't accomodate smoking. I also allowed myself to slack in other areas of my life for a while-like diet.
Good luck!
i have been trying to quit for about a month now somedays go well and others well i end up bumming smokes from anyone i can. i hate it. i just wish i could quit once and for all. i quit for almost a year once and it was really hard and i gained alot of weight and i think thats part of my problem i rather kill my lungs than gain any more weight looking at what i typed makes it seem even more stupid. :( quitting is obviously the heathier chaice.
I used the patch to quit. I didn't have the will power!
Never knew that. That must be why they always tell you not to quit smoking and try to lose weight at the same time!
I quit smoking three years ago, and I find myself craving sweets after meals, or when I first wake up in the mornings. So I usually chew a piece of sugar free gum now. That usually helps my craving. 8)
that's interesting. now that I think about it, my sweet tooth did get a lot worse after i quit smoking two years ago. maybe it is related.
I quit smoking when I got pregnant with my son and now that I think about it, I too developed a sweet tooth after quiting. I used to hate sweets. I would not eat any chocolate and now I love it!
Quitting is not easy, but it is better in the long run. When I smoked I thought it was normal to have a cold/cough year around!
yeah i agree totally moogli. the coughing and cold problem goes right away. and a couple years later you end up feeling so good it is definitely worth it.
Four years ago on New Years Eve, I decided to quit smoking.....and I haven't picked up a cigarette since then. I put my pack of cigaretts on top of my refrigerator, where I would know where they were. It's one thing to NOT have them and crave them, but it's another to have them and not crave them because you know they're available if you really want to break down like a complete idiot and have one. I did better knowing they were there than if I didn't have them at all. Was sort of comforting to know...and that it was ALL up to ME to STOP MYSELF from having one.
Did you know....that if you can go for 3 days (72 hours) without smoking a cigarette your body will be cleansed of all nicotine in your system? If you can go for 3 days, you can go for 3 months. And....suprise: if you can go for 3 months, you can go for 3 years. This is a medically proven fact.
So, give them up for three days....and you know you can do it - it's all up to you and your willpower!
Nicotine gum and patches only make the longing worse.....they both contain nicotine, which is the addicting substance in cigarettes. This only makes the "quitting" a longer process, because your body still craves the nicotine that the gum and patches supply. To quit "cold-turkey" is of course the hardest way to do it, but it's the best way to get the nicotine out of your system. After 3 days of no smoking/no patches/no gum, your body will be cleansed of all the nicotine in your system and the nicotine cravings will be over....what continues is that need to have something between your fingers and between your lips: that "habit" of smoking. replace it by chewing regular gum or eating veggies or peppermints.
Congrats to you Anndoodle on quitting. If you can change that aspect of yourself, you can most certainly lose weight :)
A great friend of mine quit smoking using the patch. He smoked 3 packs a day when he quit, and had been smoking since his early teens. He used the patch to finally quit for good.
Nicotine is what the body misses. Nicotine in and of itself isn't deadly, the "delivery" system of a cigarette is. Even if you can't break the craving for nicotine, you could be 'hooked' on a patch for the rest of your life (if you wanted to pay for it) and it wouldn't cause cancer.. it's the smoking!
oh no thats not good, i just started smoking again (due to all the stress) but i have only smoked for a week i think if i quit now i should be in the clear
I just celebrated 8 years of being smoke free! :D But I did it in an unconventional way. I was hypnotized. Doesn't work for everyone, but it did for me. Best $120.00 I ever spent. No cravings for cigs or food.
Thought I would share this with you. The benefits of quitting smoking from the American Lung Association:
When smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.
At 20 minutes after quitting:
blood pressure decreases
pulse rate drops
body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
nerve endings start regrowing
ability to smell and taste is enhanced
The first year after quitting:
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
circulation improves
walking becomes easier
lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits of Quitting
At 5 years:
from 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
congrats on 8 years of being smoke free!
glad to hear that hypnotism was your way out :)
as long as worked out for you, that is really all that matters.
thanks for all of the other info on smoking.. just another reason to put down cigs forever.
I wanna quit smoking but I also wanna lose weight and my fiance smokes so its really hard for me to actually quit,I really dont know what to do,can does anyone have any advice???
i quit once before it takes alot of will power it took me many times to quit, but what finally did it i decided not to smoke in my car or in my home and i had a 1/2 commute to work everyday and its cold here and i knowing i would have to bundle up just so i could smoke made me quit, however i did start up again due to stress but i am quitting asap once again no smoking in the house or car wich is the 2 places i smoke the most
i am currently a smoker.. i have been for going on 7 years. (i started incredibley young) i quit for about 6 months when i was pregnant and started back up due to lots and lots of stress, i thought i needed it.. and again i was stuck with it.. i have been thinking about quitting a lot lately, especially today when i took a walk and my chest hurt sooo bad during..
but i want to lose weight more than i want to quit smoking.. anyone have any suggestions?
p.s. is there anyone with aim willing to put me on their list, i do really good during the day w/ my eating.. but nights are a different story, i tend to crave more after 9.. and i know it's bad to eat so late, so anyone who is willing to try to help me deture my attentions elsewhere would be greatly appreciated.
As of New Years Eve, I was 3 years smoke free....will be 4 years this year, and I've never felt better! I can taste, and smell, and breathe so much better. Haven't had the chronic cough/colds or sinus problems that plagued me years ago. I quit cold-turkey, just put them up on top of the refrigerator and left them there. It was easier having them around, it seemed, than not having them available if I decided I actually wanted one. Sort of like a safety-measure....when I had the urge, I looked up and there they were - [b:a5a8716039][u:a5a8716039]IF[/b:a5a8716039][/u:a5a8716039] I really wanted one. I still have the same old pack up there with 6 cigarettes in it, left over from that New Years Eve party. Was a spur of the moment thing, but it worked for me!
:? I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO QUIT SMOKING FOR A VERY LONG TIME NOW...THIS IS NOT EASY WHEN YOU ARE AROUND IT 24/7...I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND ON A DATE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN BUT REALLY DO NOT WANT TO BROADCAST THE DATE...I FEEL IT WILL MAKE THINGS HARDER IF I TELL THE FAMILY AND DO NOT EXCEED :cry: ...HAS ANYONE TRIED THE 'SMOKE AWAY' HERB? DOES IT REALLY WORK? I'VE HEARD IT HELPS CLEANSE YOUR BODY OF THE NICT DRUG MORE QUICKLY AND AIDS IN THE WITHDRAWLS FASTER...I AM VERY READY FOR THIS CHANGE IN MY LIFE...AFTER ABOUT 20 YEARS, I WANT TO FEEL BETTER!!! I FEEL I CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT AND THE SMOKE TOGETHER AND STAY WITH A PROGRAM...ANY ONE OUT THERE WITH SUPPORT? IDEAS? ANYTHING?
LEMME KNOW :!:
Dragon if you want to quit believe in yourself enough to do it.
I smoked over 15 years am now age 30, woke up one day and said "thats enough".
everytime I want a smoke I do pull ups or crunch till my stomach is so tight you can bounce quarters off it.
The craving really does only last 2-3 seconds, eventhough those cravings come at you like trees running through the forest lol.
Be strong, and believe in yourself.
The best advice is believe in yourself.
You can do it.
And better that you decide to quit, than a doctor telling you that you have to. The smoking patch has helped a few people that I know kick the habit. It costs about the same (or maybe even less than) a carton of cigarettes.