Home » Gain Weight Smoking » Do you have any suggestions for someone who wants to start exercising but is in a bad shape and a smoker?

Do you have any suggestions for someone who wants to start exercising but is in a bad shape and a smoker?

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 | Gain Weight Smoking

I want to start exercising to lose weight. However, I have a bit of a problem. I’m a smoker and I don’t see myself quitting any time soon. I know smoking is bad for you and bla, bla, the thing is I don’t want to gain weight by quitting smoking(I also ADORE chocolate, hence my difficulty). I realized I have a hard time even running for the bus because of my smoking, but it’s very hard to quit. Do you have any recommendations on how I can smoke and still manage to exercise? Like I said, I’m in a very bad shape, I haven’t really exercised in a few years. I’m 24, 5’1″ and 118 pounds. Thank you.

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Comments for Do you have any suggestions for someone who wants to start exercising but is in a bad shape and a smoker?
  1. 1
    Suzy | September 8th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    start out walking and build your stamina..do weight training…from ur description u really dont need to lose weight. but for a strong heart…the above will help

  2. 2
    Smoothie | September 8th, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    Start slow -try walking. The key is to stick with it; increasing the amout of exercise as you go.

  3. 3
    emily | September 8th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    I smoke too, just stop smoking an hour or two before working out. I do the eliptical and that workout ball thing and yoga (if that helps).

  4. 4
    Taylor G | September 8th, 2010 at 3:23 pm

    Take that gum stuff it’s supposed to help you stop.

  5. 5
    sexy lady 101 | September 8th, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    get help. do 1 thing at a time

  6. 6
    rctriplefresh5 | September 8th, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    dont smoke

  7. 7
    bubbles | September 8th, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Start slow and with time increase it that’s how I did it and I’m a smoker too

  8. 8
    Hope this helps | September 8th, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    Stop smoking, start slow and take one day at a time, drink plenty of water. Don’t beat your self up if you have one bad day, pick yourself up and start again.

  9. 9
    Tam wam | September 8th, 2010 at 5:57 pm

    tri doin some sit up at first start of with 10 in the morning n 10 at night n then work ur way up

  10. 10
    hamid | September 8th, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    i am fat…u have any suggestion..

  11. 11
    TechnoRat60 | September 8th, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    Start by walking. Walk for 10 minutes, then 20 minute, while you build up your endurance again. Work towards a goal of walking for 30 minutes three to four times a week.

  12. 12
    Juleette | September 8th, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    Well cut smoking down some, I’m not going to tell you to stop, I’m not going to stay your a hippie ro whatever when it comes to somaoking, but if you do quit you can gain weight quickly from it.

    Also just add more water in your diet eat 3 meals a day, if you snack eat negative calorie foods liek clery or carrots, papaya and mangos take mroe to burn then what is in them.

    Drink water before dinner and eat your meat before your vegtables in meals.

  13. 13
    Trayc ♥'s SuPeRmAn | September 8th, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    just start out walking around the neighboorhood or something, and also STOP SMOKING! its really bad for you! you could like die in the next 2 weeks if you’ve been doing it for alot of years. after the walking around neighboorhood try work out videos?

  14. 14
    Sugary Gooodness | September 8th, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    Just start small. Start walking. 10 minutes, adding 5 – 10 minutes every wekk, until you are walking for an hour most days. While watching TV, do things like squats and tricep dips, and do crunches and push ups during commercials.

    Also try doing active, fun things so you don’t even notice you are exercising. Like go ice skating, or your bike with friends.

  15. 15
    you k | September 8th, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    Try pilates it works wonders even in your state of health.

  16. 16
    Lucine H | September 8th, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    Having smoker’s lungs is going to slow you down A LOT
    People who exercise cannot be smokers because they cannot breathe well enough to work out efficiently
    You are no in bad shape
    You are actually of a decent weight

    Try walking- that’s the best form of exercise you ccan get when you can’t do anything else
    Lift weights to get in shape too

  17. 17
    Shana | September 8th, 2010 at 9:03 pm

    Go see your doctor, he can tell you the best things to do. I would suggest starting slowly, perhaps by walking quickly for a certain distance, then walking a little slower back. After a couple weeks of this, maybe start jogging one way, walking quickly back…I think you get my drift. But the BEST thing to do, would be QUIT SMOKING!!!! I’ve heard that new prescription “Chantix” works wonders!!!!

  18. 18
    Ryan's mom | September 8th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    Actually at your height you don’t really need to exercise to lose weight, but if you have a tummy on you Pilates is a good exercise. You lose inches without losing weight because muscle weighs more than fat. Always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program…especially since you smoke.

  19. 19
    ஜº°Chloe°ºஜ | September 8th, 2010 at 10:35 pm

    Start exercising and drinking water NOW! You may find that you do not have to alter your diet at all as long as you are burning calories by exercise. By drinking anywhere from two quarts to a gallon of water a day and cutting back on soft drinks. You can lose up to 25-50 pounds this year!

    - I have proof and living examples –
    The type of exercise you need to start doing is either walking, biking or swimming for 20-30 minutes 4-5 times a week.

    Now you can pick up the physical fitness training a bit by lifting weights or starting a good calisthenics program. Exercises like pushups, pull-ups, crunches, and squats mixed with more walking or occasional running can boost your fitness level to new heights.

    If your fitness program is not working for you at this time, you need to take a look at your diet and what you are consuming daily. If you are not losing weight by walking 4-5 times a week and drinking nearly a gallon of water a day, you need to consume fewer calories. This does not mean starve yourself – it simply means eating foods with fewer calories. More nutrients like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats cooked by methods other than frying would be a good start to changing your diet.

    By this time, you should feel great about your physical progress and have more energy than you have had in years. Running, biking and swimming several times a week should be habit by now and feel refreshing and stress relieving after each workout. If you have not quit smoking cigarettes by now or at least tapered off, it is time to start trying a little more aggressively. Usually, however, if you have maintained a fitness program this long, quitting has already occurred. But if you have not quit, now is the time to try either the “cold turkey” method or some type of patch method.

    So in summary – start exercising now! Do not change your diet too much but with the addition of water and decrease of soda. Try to taper the smoking when you get into the groove of the exercising regularly – do not try all three at once!

  20. 20
    dragonsaphira13 | September 8th, 2010 at 11:27 pm

    Your only 118 pounds? Most highschoolers weigh more than that. I dont think you need to lose weight, but to stay in shape I recommend karate. Also, excersising with a friend really helps you stay motivated. It may be hard to quit smoking, but you really need to, a 24 year old should be running past the bus, not trying to catch up with it.

  21. 21
    thatdeadgirl | September 9th, 2010 at 12:04 am

    Try Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Samsone. I smoke and I had no problem making it through the 2 mile walk and then I moved up to the 3 mile walk. I also did New Yoga by Kathy Smith and Stair Stepping. Even though you are a smoker your endurance will start to go up and you will be able to make it through.

    Even non-smokers huff and puff after a workout, so don’t feel bad. If you’re not breathing hard by the end of any workout than you aren’t working out hard enough!

  22. 22
    Rakiya C | September 9th, 2010 at 12:05 am

    For one if you really want to help your self stop smoking try harder because It seems that your not trying at all then start with simple things like 50 push ups a day and crunches then work your way up

  23. 23
    anna_lynn711 | September 9th, 2010 at 12:10 am

    well, you don’t sound like you need to lose any weight based on your description, you may need to just tone up. Try going to a near by gym and talk to someone there about toning up. It shouldn’t really put you out of breath, since you’ll mostly be lifting weights and what not. Good luck.

  24. 24
    shadow79812002 | September 9th, 2010 at 12:38 am

    just start out slowly ,maybe walking alittle extra every day .i smoke to so i know what you are going through. its going to be hard at first. give your body a chance to get used to all the extra movements. hang in there. good luck.

  25. 25
    bmac | September 9th, 2010 at 1:08 am

    So, you have a choice. You can get into shape OR you can smoke. It’s that simple. I smoked for over 20 years and it wasn’t until I quit that I could really get into better shape. Smoking and exercise makes no sense. Think about it. Now at almost 42, I am in better shape than I was at 25. That’s pretty sad. I wish I had never started. I’m lucky–my lungs are fine and I no longer get bronchitis or pneumonia every winter and I can take a deep breath without breaking into a hacking cough. If that hasn’t happened to you yet…the hacking cough…it will.

  26. 26
    JadedbySuffolk | September 9th, 2010 at 1:31 am

    Just start exercising. You’ll probably want to stop smoking because it makes you feel like crap while you’re exercising. Think that sounds stupid?

    I smoked for 10 years. One day, I decided I wanted to take Kung Fu (which requires a lot of cardiovascular exercise as well as muscle building). I didn’t smoke the day of my first class. In the beginning, and the middle of the class, I felt like I was dying all because I smoked so much. By the end of the class, I felt great. I went every day, and never wanted to smoke. I would try smoking and it would just feel gross.

    So, that’s it. Don’t hesitate, just work out, do whatever and your body will tell you what’s wrong. You just need to listen.

  27. 27
    oldncrabby | September 9th, 2010 at 1:35 am

    Yeah, get up and get moving. You won’t get far the first few times, but if you keep getting out there and moving, you’ll build up more and more stamana. Before long, you’ll be able to go as far as you want to go!

  28. 28
    Shauna | September 9th, 2010 at 2:10 am

    I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but for lord’s sake…

    quit making excuses and QUIT SMOKING.

    “smoking is bad for you and bla, bla” … I’ve lost 3 family members to lung cancer, one of whom never even smoked. (She was a waitress who got the cancer from second-hand smoke) Try to look at this objectively. Don’t think it won’t happen to you….and cutting back doesn’t help. You have to quit entirely. At the very least, you’ll likely end up like my future mother-in-law who is permanently attached to a giant oxygen tank for the rest of her life (and she’s only 55). She is hospitalized at least once a year, usually for a few weeks at a time. Every time she coughs, it sounds like she’s going to die. It is horrific.

    Quitting smoking in itself isn’t going to make you gain weight. Smoking is an oral fixation…giving up smoking is going to make you want to put something else in your mouth. Just make sure it isn’t a bunch of cookies and fried chicken and you’ll be fine. (My mom ate sunflower seeds, and it worked great for her.)

    This is something you really need to do before you’re ever going to feel healthy or be able to exercise correctly. You won’t have the breath to do keep up a regular routine, and you’ll be a lot more likely to quit exercising because it’ll be even harder to stick with.

  29. 29
    Caterina C | September 9th, 2010 at 2:49 am

    You sound like someone who lets their addictions control them. You need to gain some will power for the smoking. A man that lives next door to me (he’s only 48) has to take an oxygen tank with him wherever he goes due to years of smoking. Wouldn’t you rather gain 2 lbs and not have to suffer the consequences later in life? Anyway, I agree with what the others said which is that you don’t need to lose weight, but maybe start off walking slow to build up stamina.

  30. 30
    drjekyllandmrhyde | September 9th, 2010 at 3:29 am

    smoking is bad blah blah blah ;]

    haha. well, i hope you like dark chocolate. dark chocolate is the only type of chocolate thats good for you. this is what ive heard, i dunno for sure. it acts like a laxative or whatever. but you gotta eat it in small quantities. as for smoking, unless you plan on never quitting, you should know that when you do eventually quit, you’ll gain the weight anyway, so losing weight now is dumb if you’re gonna quit smoking later on and gain it all again.

    my advice is to do whatever to quit smoking then lose the weight. if you dont wanna quit smoking, then go to a nearby track or get on a treadmill and walk two miles a day. from experience, walking at a normal pace will take half an hour fer two miles. when you get used to two, bump it up to three miles a day, and then four, and then five, and then finally six. it’s ok if you skip a day though. it doesn’t have to be every single day. maybe 4 out of the 7 days. just spread them out. say you’ll go monday, not tuesday, wednesday, not thursday, etc. but im tellin you, unless you dont plan on quitting smoking, you’re gonna gain this weight back and have to work just as much again.

  31. 31
    rope-a-dope | September 9th, 2010 at 3:30 am

    1. Go on the patch.

    2. Use sports or other heroes as motivation. Realize that if you quit smoking you will feel a sense of accomplishment and a boost in self-confidence. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy.

    3. Understand that the hardest part of quitting smoking is that smoking gives you dopamine, which is a “feel good” feeling, anytime you want or need it. So find something to replace that feel good feeling with while you’re quitting – such as shopping, eating chocolate, cheese, pizza etc. This is for the SHORT TERM, say the first week. Otherwise you will be so bummed out you will go back to the cigs. If you can avoid

    4. start each day with a 20-min. jog around your house before you get dressed and shower. don’t worry about what you look like out there. you have higher goals than most of the lazy people in your neighborhood.

    5. Write a “self-talk” script. The things you tell yourself when you are feeling tempted.

    “I owe it to myself to try living cigarette free”
    “I’m rationalizing smoking again because the addiction has taken over and is talking to me.”
    “I am in control”
    “I know what I want – I want to quit. So therefore I quit. I make the decisions, not the addiction”
    “I will be so much hotter and happier in 3 months”

    hope that helps!
    etc.

  32. 32
    stronger_than_satan1 | September 9th, 2010 at 3:49 am

    go see a swami and have him do some voodoo on you to make you sop smoking and another voodoo spell to make you skinny and in shape then pull out your voodoo doll of him and throw it in a fire and he will go into a comma and you will not have to pay him and you will be in shape and not smoking

  33. 33
    Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes | September 9th, 2010 at 4:00 am

    I began working out long before I quit smoking. I think the best thing to do is start samll and do it every day. Walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes a day, ride a recumbant bike. Try to get your heart-rate up each time. The key is to push yourself a little, but don’t completely exaust yourself. If it starts getting easy, push yourself harder, up the speed and/or time.

    Do it every day, don’t skip more than 2 days in a row or you have to start habit-forming all over again. Also, increase your water intake. Cut out sodas (even diet) and limite coffee and tea to once or twice a day.

    After 3 weeks of regular excercise you should have more stamina, and you will notice a difference. Eventually you may reach the point I did-I felt so good after my workout, until I smoked again. I eventaully quit. I’ve been smoke-free for about seven months now.

  34. 34
    bucsandducks | September 9th, 2010 at 4:17 am

    Try taking walks to start off.

  35. 35
    purple_vgm | September 9th, 2010 at 4:56 am

    If you have no desire to quit, you should at least cut down. You and not overweight so all you need is some cardiac exercise. You should do anything that raises your heart rate to the 130-140 range and sustain it for 15 min. Walking, swimming, sex, squats, dancing. As that gets easier increase the amount of time. There are ways to quit smoking that will not lead to increased weight gain. Anti depressants, nicotine patches, nicotine gums. Support groups can help. I found the strength to quit when my 4 year old said “Mommy, I want to go outside and smoke”

  36. 36
    Darby | September 9th, 2010 at 5:27 am

    Whether you smoke or not, you are still young and I bet you are stronger (have more stamina) than you think. Just start to move more. Bend, stretch, do some crunches, lunges, squats. You can hold on to the back of a chair and dip your butt up and down, lift your legs to the sides and to the back, go for a little walk around the block, walk to the next bus stop (if it’s safe). Do more things yourself, like carrying groceries, etc. You can fill some empty milk bottles with water and lift those a little. But, you can also join a gym and get a personal trainer. Just move more.

  37. 37
    kygal | September 9th, 2010 at 6:01 am

    I have 2 friends who are on a prescribed med for quitting smoking and they havent gained.
    On the fitness side of the question, an eclptic machine is great as is swimming. Biking would be another awsome workout tool.

  38. 38
    alvaro | September 9th, 2010 at 6:20 am

    STOP SMOKING, YOU!! Read “Body Shaping for Women” by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stay away from people who smoke. It’s unhealthy. Change the way you think about your body. Your priority should be a healthy body. Having a thin body is secondary. Go to the library right now. Choose a book about loosing weight. Read it. Read the whole book. Quit smoking. You’ll be able to breathe better and working out will be much more effective.

  39. 39
    tahleeti | September 9th, 2010 at 7:19 am

    I used to be a chain smoker..( I am on the process of quitting because of laryngo tonsilitis.) Such an irony too that i am a health buff at the same time. I am into taebo/aero, taichi, yoga and weights. When i was smoking, the worst part of it is when i have my cardio exercise. i really have to stop in the middle of my class. i had a hard time breathing. and i know smoking is really the big reason why. i think if you really want to be in shape, you have to compromise. dont smoke too much before your gym class or any activities. it hinders the good flow of oxygen. i know how it feels like to quit smoking but i think if you would like to be in shape(thats through exercise)you should make your choice. no pain no gain as what they say. start enrolling yourself now, ull see how good it feels. endorphine really rocks, bigtime.

  40. 40
    Xfactor | September 9th, 2010 at 7:30 am

    I used to smoke too and have been quit for almost a year and a half. Really, quitting is the best thing for you and you should try. I won’t lecture you about it because you know the negatives of smoking and it is something you have to come to terms with yourself when you are ready. I’ve been there. You WILL feel a lot better IN TIME if you quit. It doesn’t happen immediately.

    That being said, try to start exercising slowly. Walking is a great workout and will help you build your wind up to jog, ride a bike, swim, or a ton of other aerobic activities. Also just do simple bodyweight exercises like pushups and situps and squats to build strength.

    A new year is coming, just make a resolution to be more active and healthy. Work towards that goal by cutting back on those things that you crave (cigarettes, chocolate, etc). In time you can either have them under control or eliminate them altogether.

    Best of luck to you!

  41. 41
    De S | September 9th, 2010 at 8:02 am

    I have had great results with an all natural product called Isagenix.

    This product is only available by distributor.

    If you would like to know more please email me at bignlild@msn.com


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