iTalkBeauty » Smoking

Quit Smoking And Now a Weight Gain?

Carol Clifton — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:53:17 +0000

You can imagine that sometimes a girl needs to keep it real to stay away from the couch in the psychiatrists‘ office.
Today is that day for me.
No, I am not necessarily being funny as quitting smoking and gaining weight is critical stuff. Why you ask? Because last week I came to the realization that I have gained 15lbs. since I quit smoking the last quarter of 2007…Yep! That has been some slow and steady weight gain that is exclusively attributed to giving up up smoking.

My original plan to control my weight was to use hootia lollipops. Those hootia pops worked well athough I couldn’t keep it up and found that in social situations they looked downright silly.

This morning, I had my assessment with my NEW trainer, Michelle. Today, I am smiling and feeling hopeful that these 15 pounds will depart very soon from my being. I will offer up more about that later in this article.

Encouragement for my continued success with not smoking comes daily from those around that don’t smoke, continue to smoke and even strangers that may smoke or not. If anyone of those people would guarantee me that I would not get lung cancer or worse yet emphysema then I would start again ASAP. For me, cigarettes were like a best friend that only listened and a constant and consistent reward system for just about anything I would choose …Um…I woke up this morning! guess I’ll have a cigarette, Um…I just took a long brisk walk so I reward myself with a cigarette. Need I go any further? Those of you that smoke or have smoked (and loved it) in your past will certainly understand that aspect of smoking.

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How To Avoid Weight Gain When You Quit Smoking

Carol Clifton — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:07:42 +0000

Oftentimes when women are considering quitting smoking, they are most concerned about the possibility of weight gain. Interesting enough a small weight gain (about 3-5 pounds) is what you should expect when you quit smoking. The truth is that 25% of women experience a weight gain and actually only 3% gain 15 pounds or more. Usually the larger weight gain is associated with heavy smokers which is a pack or more of cigarettes per day. The weight gain is the largest contributing factor as to “WHY” women resume smoking again after they have successfully quit for several months. It is also true that women generally resume smoking more often than men.

Why do women gain weight when they quit smoking? The reason is fairly simple. You have a slightly increased metabolism associated with smoking. That increase in a heavy smoking can actually burn up to 200 calories a day. That means that you will actually need to take in less calories or step up your exercise program to just maintain your weight.

In many cases you will eat more when you quit smoking. This is a natural response to the hand to mouth cessation that you have developed from years of smoking. Don’t forget that cigarettes are actually a natural weight suppressant. When you quit smoking, your brain will kick in the hunger feeling when you deny your system the nicotine from cigarettes.

This is the point at which food replaces the cigarettes. STOP! The simple replacement should be a glass of water although this will not satisfy the comfort you are looking for from sitting down and having a cigarette. BEWARE! Women are much more likely than men to pick up the smoking habit again. Awareness of what to expect will arm and assist you in achieving your goal. Keep your goal at the forefront of your mind to successfully quit smoking and not gain weight. You can minimize your weight gain by executing a daily plan.

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I Quit Smoking

Carol Clifton — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:56:47 +0000

Let me begin with saying that I never really wanted to quit smoking. UGH!

I LOVED SMOKING! and felt cigarettes were a steady companion in addition to being a very loyal reward system. For me to quit smoking was going to be a KICKING & SCREAMING effort. It is neccessary that you know all of those components to understand that if you feel the same way that you too can quit smoking.

At this point, you are probably wondering the “WHY” behind my quitting if I love smoking as much as you. My cousin, Judy was diagnosed with Lung Cancer after she had quit smoking just months earlier. When I told my oldest son this news he said that he was going to quit smoking after he called the Doc for some sort of medicine to assist him with his “No Smoking” effort. I was overjoyed that he was going to put down his cigarettes. What came next shocked me. My response to him was that if he quit, I would commit to do the same. WHOA!!! What was I thinking??? I love smoking cigarettes.

Enter Chantix Miracle Medicine ! The Doctor prescribed Chantix for my son the very next day along with many words of encouragment. He started taking it immediatly as he told me that he intended to smoke on it for 1 week and then QUIT smoking. Yes! He actually made it sound that simple. He was sincerely committed to become a non smoker. Ricky went on to share that he intended to give my husband and myself his left over Chantix to take when he was finished because he was certain he had plenty for at least 3 - 4 people to quit smoking. You know in the spirit of “Pay It Forward”. Now the funny part here is that it never dawned on me to ask him WHY??? he would have left over medicine. Ricky quit smoking exactly 1 week later and that same day I started taking his left over Chantix. Yes! My husband started taking the Chantix also. I felt sort of desperate as if was preparing for a Funeral. At that point I felt as though I could not find a single person that understood my feelings. Too afraid to share them with the people around me that still smoked for fear I would undermine the effort to quit smoking.

My 1st day on Chantix left me concerned because I did not feel any different and was quite certain my portion of the medicine was a placebo. As the days went on, I never experienced any side effects although I have friends that had some pretty crazy dreams while taking Chantix. We had an unexpected business trip to Mexico come up during the week so I asked my son’s permission to quit smoking 1 day later than was planned. He was somewhat disappointed but understood. (I laugh that I cared at that point…Man! was this medicine turning me into someone that was submissive as I was giving up SMOKING)

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