[Cooper-RI]

So, I quit smoking about 3 months ago. I had always assumed I'd gain a little fat, but WTF!! I'm following the same diet I used last year to lean out (same as everyone else). But now, I'm struggling to just keep my overall weight from going up! I can't seem to get a handle on this at all. I have tried adjusting my diet accordingly, but it's getting pretty difficult to live with. It feels way beyond normal dieting at this point. So, my question is: Should I let my metabolism sort itself out in the hopes that eventually it will come back to some shadow of it former self...OR...should I take some type of supp to bring me back to where I used to be. Any thoughts/recommendations?

[Smoky]

Hard to be of much help without knowing more about you and your diet. Cortisol is a nasty bugger and running rampant I am sure during your sessation. Address it if you haven't yet.

[DmitryWI]

Get nicotine gum or patch, it'll help you with metabolism and with cravings for cigarettes if you still have them.
I smoked for 6 years, after I quit I had no problem keeping my weigh, but I used nicotine gum. I still use it everytime I cut and I love it.

[Cooper-RI]

Sorry, I should have been more specific about my diet, etc. Let's see..been lifting for about 4 years. I'm 6ft..started off at 180 (after a 30 lbs weight loss). As of 6months ago I was 210. About 12% body fat. Current weight is about 230. Just had body fat rechecked and it was 17%..but it was with one of the wand things on your bicep so probably not very accurate. My diet is about 2200 calories a day with a 40/40/20 split.

I hadn't thought about cortisol, to be honest. Does that go haywire when you quit smoking? As far as using a gum or patch..no thanks. It's taken me this long to get rid of the desire for nicotine. It's not worth it to me to become re-addicted to lose the fat.

[rocketscientist]

Apparently nicotine increases the metabolic rate, so if you stop you'll gain weight even when keeping the same diet.

So, I'd either try to adjust my diet or better add some cardio (or both). I guess you could also use something else to increase you metabolic rate like an EC stack. But you probably want to find a new baseline for your diet so using supplements to enhance your metabolism may just give you the wrong impression of your diet.

[Smoky]

Are you watching sugars? Eliminate them if you can. I also beleive in eliminating simple carbs as well to become a fat burning machine. Once you calculate your maintenance level start shaving 500 calories a week to create a deficit. Don't shave again till progress stops. Then repeat while watching the ratios. Reevaluate if you feel that muscle mass is increasing. Add cardio in the AM to add to the deficit wihtout reducing calories. I usualy drop no lower than 1500 cals, then I ramp back up to maintenance levels and start again. Proceed slowly so the body can adjust as needed. 2-3 pounds a week of loss is good. Stress and cortisol come together. Stopping smoking one might say is stressfull no? hence you may be dealing with more than normal as well. With the diet in place first, I may suggest a cortisol blocker and anti-E. If you are lifting regular I may also suggest carb cycling to help you stay strong and achieve your goals. Complex carbs are the best! They help keep the mood even as well.

Press ON...

[Apowerz6]

Get a nicotine patch, and 100 mgs of Caffiene, it will work wonders, as Nicotine regulates Leptin levels:
http://arbl.cvmbs.colostate.edu/hboo...ht/leptin.html
http://www.hbns.org/news/leptin12-12-02.cfm
It is debated here, but based on the fact of keeping nicotine in your system via the patch, people I have known do not gain weight, as those who quit cold turkey, so go figure...

[DmitryWI]

Originally Posted by Cooper-RI

As far as using a gum or patch..no thanks. It's taken me this long to get rid of the desire for nicotine. It's not worth it to me to become re-addicted to lose the fat.

You need to read up some more on nicotine. You have some very wrong ideas about it. You are not addicted to cigarettes because of nicotine, but because of other ingredients. Don't remember what they are.
I have never had problems stopping nicotine gum after I'm done cutting and there is no way you'll ever get cravings for cigarettes because you use gum.

[Cooper-RI]

Originally Posted by DmitryWI

You need to read up some more on nicotine. You have some very wrong ideas about it. You are not addicted to cigarettes because of nicotine, but because of other ingredients. Don't remember what they are.
I have never had problems stopping nicotine gum after I'm done cutting and there is no way you'll ever get cravings for cigarettes because you use gum.

Nicotine is known to be one of the most addictive substances out there! Ask the Mayo Clinic or the American Heart Association. I'd put links in, but I can't as a new user.

As far as using gum. That's great that you can chew the gum and you're comfortable doing so. I would not be able to.

[anabolicrhino]

I have never been a smoker. I do appreciate the highly addictive nature of nicotine. It is an unusual speed in that it promotes relaxation in the user.
I believe that as negative a health factor that cigarettes present, it may be necessary to remain on some form of nicotine until you can get your diet under control. Dieting and cold turkey are a tough combo! You may consider another form of speed if you want to avoid the rebound effect from nicotine. Good luck!

[DmitryWI]

Effect of chewing gum containing nicotine and caffeine on energy expenditure and substrate utilization in men.

Jessen AB, Toubro S, Astrup A.

Department of Human Nutrition, Centre for Advanced Food Studies, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine replacement therapy limits weight gain after smoking cessation. This finding is partly attributable to the thermogenic effect of nicotine, which may be enhanced by caffeine. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the acute thermogenic effects of chewing gum containing different doses of nicotine and caffeine. DESIGN: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study included 12 healthy, normal-weight men (aged 18-45 y). Energy expenditure was measured with indirect calorimetry before and 2.5 h after subjects chewed each of 7 different types of gum containing the following doses of nicotine/caffeine: 0/0, 1/0, 2/0, 1/50, 2/50, 1/100, and 2/100 mg/mg. RESULTS: The thermogenic responses (increases over the response to placebo) were 3.7%, 4.9%, 7.9%, 6.3%, 8.5%, and 9.8%, respectively, for the gums containing 1/0, 2/0, 1/50, 2/50, 1/100, and 2/100 mg nicotine/mg caffeine (P < 0.05 for all). Adding caffeine to 1 and 2 mg nicotine significantly enhanced the thermogenic response, but changing the caffeine dose (from 50 to 100 mg) did not change the thermogenic effect. None of the combinations changed the respiratory quotient compared with placebo, which indicates that glucose and fat oxidation rates were increased to a similar extent. Side effects occurred only with 2 mg nicotine. CONCLUSIONS: One milligram of nicotine has a pronounced thermogenic effect, which can be increased by approximately 100% by adding 100 mg caffeine. Increasing the nicotine dose to 2 mg does not increase the thermogenic effect but produces side effects in most subjects. Caffeine may be useful in preventing weight gain after smoking cessation if its thermogenic effect can be used to enhance nicotine's effect on long-term energy balance.

[DmitryWI]

One more thing...
Cigerette has 6-8 mg of nicotine, all you need is 1-2 mg a day.
I'm using up to 10mg a day and never had problems stopping using it or get cravings for cigarettes.

[akp2004]

While I respect the power of nicotine in cutting regimins and have used it for that, I have to disagree with the responses advocating nicotine use.

Why screw with it, if you're an ex-smoker? I dont think gaining 20lbs warrants going back on nicotine, when there's plenty of other strategies and substances out there to assist fat metabolism, leptin levels or sensitivity, appetite reduction, etc

it's too high risk to reward.

Bro, congrats on quitting smoking.. the fat is temporary, the health is lifetime!

[BigVrunga]

Ive never been a smoker and like mentioned above we havent seen your diet or training regimen yet so its hard to make suggestions, but to bump up that metabolism I would:

-Make sure you are eating a meal composed lean protien, complex carb, and green fibrous vegetable every 3-4 hours, and 6 meals a day to meet your caloric requirements. Lean protiens are very thermogenic, and keeping your body digesting food all day promotes your metabolic rate as well.

-Try to get your cardio and training done in the AM. Being a nightowl, I still havent been able to pull this off but Ive read AM cardio is up to 300% more effective at burning fat than when done in the evening.

-A good fat burner will help. I suggest Camphobolic from USPLabs and a low dose Ephedrine/Caffiene stack - seems to be working very well for me. Rather than straight caffeine try one of the new nootropic-based fat burners like C2, Stimulant-X, or Venom.

-The new wave of 'herbal anabolics' seem to be working wonders for a lot of people to help retain muscle while cutting. More muscle = faster metabolic rate.

-Finally, HIIT cardio seems to be very effective at increasing the metabolism. I wasnt a believe until I tried it for myself, its very effective.

BV