Hunger pangs and nicotine cravings

[Fanny Adams 7]

I have always had a very hard time telling hunger pangs from nicotine cravings. In pre-banding days, I would feel "an urge for something" and try having a cigarette - if the feeling went away, I had picked correctly, if it stayed, it meant I had been feeling hungry, not hanging for a cig, so I would try eating instead. Alternatively, I might try eating something the first time and again, if the urge went away, I had picked correctly, if not, I tried having a cig...

My doctor asked me to try to give up smoking for the operation, so I did 4 weeks on the Patches - 2 pre-op and 2 post-op. I posted at the time about how easy it seemed to be. The patches really seemed to control my appetite - better than any "diet" pill I had ever tried, and I've tried a few!!

Anyway, I went back to smoking after the 2 week post-op period but have since discovered that the band seems to be working to control my cigarette cravings!! I have smoked ALL my life (since a very young child - you don't want to know how young!!) but I have never been a very heavy smoker. In the past, I would buy a carton of cigs a fortnight - 8 pkts @ 25 per pack = 200 cigs, making an average of 100 cigs a week or 15 per day. Occasionally, I wouldn't quite make it to the end of the fortnight and would buy a top up packet on the last day, before buying a new carton.

Just recently, I bought my carton as usual on Thursday, the day I fly up to work for my 8 day shift. Two weeks later, I have been home and am flying back up again and went to buy another carton. Before I did, I checked my cig stash and was amazed to discover that I still had 2.5 packs left! Instead of 8-9 packs, I had only consumed 5 & half! I had made no conscious effort to cut down, just thought I was smoking as usual, ie have one when I felt like it. I obviously just hadn't felt like it quite as often!

Whoohoo - what a great side effect! I'm even contemplating MAKING the effort to cut down further, possibly even quit, which no longer seems the impossibility I've always viewed it as...

Any other smokers out there had similar experiences?

[IndioGirl55 32]

I have always had a very hard time telling hunger pangs from nicotine cravings. In pre-banding days, I would feel "an urge for something" and try having a cigarette - if the feeling went away, I had picked correctly, if it stayed, it meant I had been feeling hungry, not hanging for a cig, so I would try eating instead. Alternatively, I might try eating something the first time and again, if the urge went away, I had picked correctly, if not, I tried having a cig...

My doctor asked me to try to give up smoking for the operation, so I did 4 weeks on the Patches - 2 pre-op and 2 post-op. I posted at the time about how easy it seemed to be. The Patches really seemed to control my appetite - better than any "diet" pill I had ever tried, and I've tried a few!!

Anyway, I went back to smoking after the 2 week post-op period but have since discovered that the band seems to be working to control my cigarette cravings!! I have smoked ALL my life (since a very young child - you don't want to know how young!!) but I have never been a very heavy smoker. In the past, I would buy a carton of cigs a fortnight - 8 pkts @ 25 per pack = 200 cigs, making an average of 100 cigs a week or 15 per day. Occasionally, I wouldn't quite make it to the end of the fortnight and would buy a top up packet on the last day, before buying a new carton.

Just recently, I bought my carton as usual on Thursday, the day I fly up to work for my 8 day shift. Two weeks later, I have been home and am flying back up again and went to buy another carton. Before I did, I checked my cig stash and was amazed to discover that I still had 2.5 packs left! Instead of 8-9 packs, I had only consumed 5 & half! I had made no conscious effort to cut down, just thought I was smoking as usual, ie have one when I felt like it. I obviously just hadn't felt like it quite as often!

Whoohoo - what a great side effect! I'm even contemplating MAKING the effort to cut down further, possibly even quit, which no longer seems the impossibility I've always viewed it as...

Any other smokers out there had similar experiences?

We do have a few smokers - not too many though - Nope I don't find the band changed my smoking - you did better than me - I only quit for 10 days..

It' something I need to quit but one thing at a time - that's my excuse and I am sticking to it :thumbup:

[Hastings 3]

I was surprised when I used Chantx to quit smoking how it killed my apetite.

[Daisalana 33]

Wow great job!!

I didn't stop smoking for surgery.. and since surgery, I smoke waaaay too much. Like 1.5 packs a day!! Eek, it's emberassing. I was smoking 1 pack a day pre-banding. Now I can sometimes even go 2 packs depending on how late I stay up.

But eating is such a chore now, and when I'm hungry I'd rather just smoke and 'shut it up'.

I did try Chantix in February, and I swear it WORKS! It REALLY works!! I didn't want to smoke, when I lit one up (DH still was smoking), I literally put it out after one NASTY half-ass puff.

Down fall.. I was losing 2lbs a week regularly, and the 2nd week on chantix I GAINED 5lb. So that's really like a 7lb gain. I freaked out, and decided I'm going to do chantix again when I'm at goal and can offset with exercise.

[Fanny Adams 7]

Update! That carton lasted the whole swing away - 22 days in total, to average 9 a day! Whoohoo!

[justpeachytexas 0]

Congrats Fanny. On top of starting the required 6 month wieght loss I am going to try and quit the cigs. Say a prayer for my DH

[ReadySteadyGo 8]

I quit smoking before my surgery. I didn't gain to much weight thanks to the patch, and because if I had an intense urge to smoke I would drink Water through a straw, or if it was really bad sometimes I would cut the straw into the shape of a ciggerette and suck through it like I was smoking. That helped. I only smoked for seven years though. I never heard of a prescription or maybe I would have tried that.

Congrats on cutting back.