Evon - Depression can also be a problem in and of itself. You might want to discuss it with your doctor before giving up on quitting smoking. As far as the weight gain, generally you should only gain ten to fifteen pounds when you quit smoking (according to statistics I've read). It might be different for someone with Lupus. I don't really know anything about the disease. I know a lot about depression having suffered with it my whole life. Right now I'm on Chantix for the third time and 36 days without a cigarette (not that I don't still want one, specially if I'm around someone smoking). I'm determined not to start again this time. I find deep breathing helps a lot when I feel like I can't go another minute without a cigarette. I also spend time each day meditating and doing creative visualization (seeing myself completely smoke free and not needing or wanting a cigarette). These things help. You also don't have to live on lettuce and tofu if you quit smoking. You can still eat the foods you like, just the days you can't walk or get some sort of exercise, eat smaller portions. Find a website that has a calorie burn calculator and try to keep the calories you take in balanced with the calories you burn and you'll find you'll maintain you're weight. If you want to lose weight, eat 500 less calories per day than you burn and you'll lose one pound a week.
