I quit smoking 1/1/08 and gaining at a rapid pace!! My surgery date is 4/16 and i can't seem to get my cravings under control and stick to some kind of pre-op diet!! Anyone go though this?? If I can't control myself now, what will happen once surgery date comes? Seems like everyone on here has lost weight pre-op... and I'm gaining... :cheers2: Any suggestions??

I too am a smoker. I said once I got my approval, I would quit. I still haven't. I know I have to, but I am afraid I will start eating. I was going to quit when I started my liquid phase, but it was Friday and I told myself I would quit on Monday when I am not home all weekend. I know I have to quit.

Jerseygril & Cheercoach08...I understand what you are going through...I gave up my two best friends Cigarettes & Pepsi Feb 29, 2008.

However I have been lucky enough that by giving them both up I have not gained...I tried to cut back but that didn't work for me and I always came up with an excuse not to quit "Today"

So I woke up Feb 29 and said this is the day :cheers2:

After all I am having this surgery...To get healthy...I know it is early but to tell you the truth...I don't miss them as much as I thought I would...

I have my surgery April 7th and I can't wait.

Good Luck to both of you...:smile:

~ LadyJewels

Smoking will be my biggest issue. I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't worry about quiting until UNTIL i had my surgery date. Then these nifty patch's have on my desk were going to get some use. My surgeon agree's that for some smokers it has to be a thought out plan of when/how/why etc. I will have to take the patch off the day before my surgery and can't use it for two days after (I think he said) but then it goes back on if I feel the need.

This time when I quit, it will be fore good. I need to, I know it, I have needed to for a long time but I have this stubborn gene that hasn't cooperated until now. I think I finally got its cooperation. LOL:lol:

I have decided that since I will be back at work tomorrow, that is my day!!!!! I have tried the Chantix and it does work. It just makes me sick. I know I have to quit though. I sure don't want to cough and mess up my band!!!!! Good luck to everyone!

After thirty years of smoking, I quit one year ago. I used Chantx. It was the only way I would have quit. I can't reccomend it highly enough.

The big thing for me when I quit smoking was that I could never get that "ahhhhhhhh" relaxed feeling when I took the first puff. I searched for a while for an alternative. Then I finally had to realize that there is NO alternative. You learn to no need it.

It's worth quitting. It truly is.

I was told at my preop appointments that I had to be off nicotine 2 months before my doctor would operate . . . AND cafine and carbonation . . . so I quit all 3 cold turkey on that day . . . because I WANTED this surgery .. . and I had it exactly 2 months later . . . I won't say it wasn't hard . . . but I wanted the surgery more than I wanted those things . . . it is something I had to do for me . . .and I white knuckled through it . . . I didn't even go to the patches because that would still have nicotine in my system . . . and I was told they would test for the nicotine before surgery . . .so . . . it's a matter of do it or else for me. Good luck . . . and oh . . . that was October 3rd I quit . . . and haven't gone back :wub:

Hey Jerseygirl, I quit smoking a year ago this month as a matter of fact and this Tuesday I'm getting banded, thank goodness someone came up with the scrip Chantix, cause as many times as I tried I could not quit, the patch I couldn't do cause I can't do tape, and it would leave burn marks on my skin everywhere I had a patch. I gained 30#'s during that year, and it wasn't nice, the scrip is kind of pricey but well worth it, if I had to do it again, I certainly would. The only side affect that I had were the dreams, it was hard to tell dreaming from reality, but.... you are doing the right thing, the cravings will stop, you just have to keep your hands busy, smoking was my valium, I would get upset and light up, had a customer yelling at me, light up, it was such a relief and it calmed me down, but you can quit and you will, but you also need help in doing so, get the prescription for the Chantix, you will be glad that you did, if it could trick this dizzy blonde into not wanting a smoke it can help everyone, but you must let it do its job, don't give up on it after 2-3 weeks, take the full scrip and you will be surprised, you will not want one, or crave one, and the distance between one to the next gets further and further apart till you realize, OMG its been hours and hours since I last had a smoke. If you can do it cold turkey, your are one strong woman. good luck....

Yeah I'm still trying to quit, my bariatric doc gave me a script for Chantix and I finally dropped it off at walmart pharmacy and asked them how much it would be if my insurance didnt cover it and I was shocked to learn it was $140.00. I said "EXCUSE ME, IT'S HOW MUCH!!??":ohmy: So that was Friday and now I'm still waiting to hear if my insurance covers it or not.:frown: If it doesnt then I'll have to do the cold turkey or the patches. It's a helluva lot cheaper to do it that way then losing 140.00 I might need to help pay for my 20% of my surgery. I figure if I can beat my crazy addiction to cigs I can do the lapband with no problem.:wub::thumbup: Hell it might even help wake up my slow metabolism and make me not as stressed. Well good luck to all of us smokers that want to quit. May we find the strength some how SOME WAY!!

Hey THinDolpin,

I figured a way to hurry the insurance approval. Call them daily LOL. I was told it would take up to 15 business days. I talked to several who said that was ridiculous. After a week, I called them every day. After about 3 days, I had an approval!!!!

Thank you everyone for all your support and suggestions!! I'm hoping once my band is in place, that it will curb my appetite!!! I know quiting smoking is one of the best things I ever did!! I just wish there was something else that I can take, or have that will replace that relaxed feeling that I had w/ smoking! I'm very tensed & have alot of anxiety!! (it comes in waves) I guess if you are an ex-smoker, you'll know what I'm talkin about!! LOL I'm not going back, thats for sure!! I just gotta find something to replace my bad habit!!! (and it cant be another bad habit!!) Thanks again everyone.

This is such a good web site to go to for so many things and nobody knows you on a everyday basis!!!! The sad thing about me is that I have several additions, Food, cigarettes, alcohol. I had my band Feb. 18,2008 and lost 20 lbs., I am so excited about that (could not have done that without the band.) I'm doing okay with that I know it will be slow for awhile, but very excited that I will have sucess, as for alcohol and cigs., I have to stop or slow down on alcohol first because when you drink your cravings for cigs are very high. I quit cig for about 5 years and raising teanagers I started again.(dumb I know, just a fact that additions never go away.) I am going to stop alcohol next when I get my sweet spot and then cig after that. I am one that has to do one thing at a time. Thanks for listening to all of my venting.

Good luck to everyone with quitting "whatever" needs to be gotten rid of . . . since we're on a new life path . . . we're making lots of changes for the better! We CAN do it!

I have to say that so far quitting smoking has to be one of the hardest things I have done... I quit 2/07 so it's been a year. I would still like to have one but realize that it's just another vice that I have to keep out of my life. I did gain about 30 pounds within the first year that I quit... I am working on getting that off now that I am waiting on preauth from insurance :wub:

Congrats to all that quit!