I had a question about smoking cigarettes and low carbing? Do the cigarettes interfere w/ this WOE? I know smoking is bad for you but I was wondering if anyone smoked while eating this way?

I'm a smoker and have been lowcarbing for 5 weeks now with about 20lbs gone. I haven't found any problems doing this WOE and smoking too - although smoking is the next thing to go after this body! :0)

Abby
Farmgirl

It doesn't effect me..

Wow farmgirl!! That is impressive. Well like you I am trying to quit along w/ eating right..but I feel like I can only concentrate on one thing at a time

As much as I hate to rationalize it for myself, I've found that it does curb some cravings every now and then (I'll smoke a ciggerette instead of eating those brownies I'm making for my daughter's class). I don't think that it hinders weight loss at all, but it's probably a good idea that we ALL try to quit.

~Angi~

One good thing about quiting, and the reason alot of people gain weight, is food will taste so much better. Smoking tends to deaden your taste buds. I gave up 3-4 years age when I first became pregnent. Now I am still constantly finding foods I used to hate, but now enjoy. Also because your taste buds are more awake you don't need the overly sweet items.

To me that's what this WOE is all about. Food appriciation. It might not stall weight, but it makes the treats not as nummy

I too have not had any problems. When I quit, I did not notice foods tasting better. I hear that all the time, but never happened for me. Yeah, we should probably quit soon, but I can only do so much! LOL

I believe I've read that smoking can tend towards raising insulin levels, which isn't what one wants on the low-carb method, although how strong that tendency is, I don't know.

The last time this came up, I posted links to articles where it said smoking can actually slow weight loss. That being said...I had quit two weeks before starting Atkins (3 1/2 months ago) and stayed quit for three months. Yup...that's right...I started back about two weeks ago or so and have actually lost faster. I do want to quit again though.

L

I've been lowcarbing for about 10 months....and I smoke...so far down 53 lbs...so I don't think age (61) or the cigs slowed the weight loss.

I do want to quit smoking, but rather than believe the propaganda that says smoking slows weight loss, I'm more likely to believe that stopping makes it harder to keep the weight off--I know a lot of people who gained after quitting the cigs.

judy

I gained weight while on this WOE after I quit. It took my body about 3 to 4 weeks to adjust to not having the nicotine and my metabolism returned to normal. But I lost MOST of my weight on this WOE before I quit smoking, so no it didn't stop me from losing.

I am an ex-smoker and i can honestly say i have not noticed any difference except the extra lbs...food is good smoking or not....mind game guys don't let it get ya.
I decided to do this thing the way i am most comfortable with....not going to worry about 1 g carb here 1 g sugar there....i think we can tend to over do it and all it does is make us feel bad when really we are better off then stuffing ourselves to the point of no return.
anyone use SmartBalance in place of butter??

The carcinogenic properties of tobacco will kill you faster than carrying around a few extra pounds. Did you know that cigarette smoke contains arsenic, acetone, carbon monoxide and many other deadly chemicals? How much fun will it be to when you weigh 140 lbs but have to lug around an oxygen tank while you slowly suffocate from emphysema?

The bad news is that smokers quit an average of three times before they quit for good. It's an addiction and there will never be a "good time" to quit.

The good news? 20 million smokers will quit for good this year and you can be one of them!

Sorry to break it to you but the only reason that people gain weight is that they replace cigarettes with food. If you watch what you eat and exercise, there is no reason to gain weight when you quit. So that is not a valid excuse for not quitting. Face it, there are no excuses or rationalizations that hold up to scrutiny!

Former smoker of 20 years, tried to quit unsuccessfully 3 times, last time took - have been tobacco free for 5 years!

I have found that I smoke less unless we are in a smoking environment (ex: bar)

I have found that I smoke less unless we are in a smoking environment (ex: bar)

That's exactly why people with addictions must change their lifestyles, if only for a time, in order to learn to develop coping mechanisms to use when faced with temptation. For example, alcoholics are counseled to avoid bars and situations where alcohol will be used in the early stages of recovery.

I avoided many of my tobacco using friends and situations where smoking would be occuring for several months until I felt confident enough to know that I could resist the urges to bum a smoke.

BTW, if you are trying to quit, it's best to avoid alcohol if you associate smoking with it. Alcohol also reduces your willpower and has tripped up many a quitter.