I am feeling more than a little depressed and upset about the amount of weight gained in the last 7 months.
The first 5 lbs, I understood, since smoking burns 150-250 calories a day and increases metabolism. My clothes got a little tighter, not such a big deal. I cut 200 calories from my daily food intake to account for this and still gained.
Now I am up 15 lbs from my stop date and am almost out of clothes that fit. I should not have stepped on the scale today. Doing what I used to do to maintain my weight has not helped at all, and I have made particular effort not to eat my cravings. I eat a healthy diet and have been active since childhood and have had a very healthy body weight/muscle mass (athletic) for most of my life. Smoking was my only "bad habit".
The last 10 lbs are "boyfriend pounds" from eating what he ate. Normally I would have only gained a few and they have come off by now. My new slower metabolism is apparently the culprit.
This sounds a tad petty considering the life threatening effects of smoking, but I am developing a body complex about the added weight and physical condition, especially since I have been making an effort to keep this from happening.
From what I've read online, it can take up to year for the metabolism to heal itself from the effects of smoking.
So my 7 month marker is feeling less like an accomplishment and more like another hurdle. 😞
My daughter said being 15 lbs heavier or dying?
