Quit smoking 10 lb gain...help

Four years out and doing well, perfect weight for me is 132-135. I have been maintaining within this range but quit smoking 4 weeks ago and have gained 10 pounds.  This is really freaking me out...please help with motivation.  I started my journey at 326 pounds and have been so diligent in my plan, but this snacking really has me concerned.  My dress pants are snug and with the 10 pound gain it is almost a size....SCARED and CONCERNED

I have not had the quitting smoking problem - but I understand the snacking.  For me - I realize the snaking problem starts when I buy the %^$$ things at the grocery store.  That is where I am focusing on stopping the behavior.  If anyone else wants junk food - they can go out at 10 pm and get what they want. 

Since quitting smoking is a big change - and one that YOU NEED TO DO - are you getting help quitting? - a program, patches, wellbuterin, etc.  They is an App called Craving to Quit (lifetime for $40 I think) that has shown good result - it's from a data-based group of researchers at Yale.  My friends who have quit in the recent past have NOT DONE IT ON THEIR OWN - the cigs are more addictive now than 20 years ago, so don't be afraid to ask for help from your PCP or even surgeon.

Sharon I feel and say the same thing about cigs...if they aren't in the house and I don't buy them then I can't smoke them.... No doing this cold turkey and it is my 1 month anniversary today smoke free! 

I quit smoking 3.5 years before my surgery and had a 35lb gain.  I understand the fear. I don't have any answers  but just wanted to post my support.  Good luck.

Thank you for the support 

You'll be tons healthier with a 10lbs gain than smoking.   Don't use this as an excuse to start again.  

Honestly, most people start to regain somewhere between 2 and 5 years, so it may not be the smoking cessation.

At this stage, it's eat less, move more

My weight was very stable between 132-135..I won't make an excuse because I know every time I put something in my mouth it's wrong and unnecessary.  Last weekend I thought about going to buy 1 pack and then came to my senses that would be the worst thing I could do.  Gained 10 pounds for absolutely nothing!  Reality came to me!  Thankfully.  

I quit smoking several years ago and gained 40 lbs... that was pre-surgery.

The fact of the matter is (as you know) it's an awful addiction, and putting things in your mouth while you get through this is what is necessary to get through this!!

What are you using as an aid? Suckers/gum/beef jerky?? Find something you can have in your mouth that is low carb... sugar free suckers or gum... beef jerky... a toothbrush to chew on when you're sitting if need be (LOL)

This is HARD. You are doing a fantastic job!!! You can lose 10 lbs, or even 20 lbs if you gain that much... 

And by the way... after gaining that weight, 2 years later, I started smoking again... and guess what??? I DIDN'T LOSE A POUND! (I quit again, ftr)... so even if you do go and by that pack of cigarettes... they WILL NOT help you lose what you've gained.

Hang in there!

I was a 3-pack a day smoker.  I quit 11 years ago and man, it was tough.  

I was obviously pre-op -- but I had quit smoking after having lost 70 pounds.  I put on 10 in the first month of quitting and seriously considered starting again.

In my mind it was the NicoDemon trying to lure me back to my addiction.  Seriously.  That's how I viewed it -- and still do, because sometimes, even now, I will get a sudden urge to smoke. 

When my father died suddenly, one of my first thoughts was to smoke.  That was another time the NicoDemon came out to play.  

I have no great advice -- you already seem to know what you need to do and why you've put on a little weight.  I just want you to know that there are others who've been there and know just how hard what you've done is.  

As an aside, on my second month of quit, my husband bought me these dummy cigarettes.  They are basically all filter -- and I would hold them in my hand and in my mouth while driving, while talking on the phone, while drinking coffee -- well, pretty much while doing ANYTHING because as I said, I was a 3 pack a day smoker... you get the idea.  They helped me greatly.  It helped me to stop eating because my hands and mouth were occupied with something familiar.  Indeed, it was years before I stopped carrying one of these in my wallet for emergencies.  Dummy Cigarettes  -- here's an Amazon link -- you may find them cheaper, but just to give you an idea.  

Good luck -- you should be so proud of your quit~!!