Hope this works

[lovemy2dogs]

I'm a 55 yr old 5' 3'' woman and I've stopped smoking, yes great, but the weight gain is not great, I've never been on a diet, not even after the birth of my kids. I walk my dogs every day. I have a bike but the weather is rubbish at the moment to get the thing out, can't mow the lawn as the garden is muddy. Any tips out there PLEASE

[TheEditor]

Hi lovemy2dogs,

Are you starting on the Strength and Flex plan? It's a five week workout programme.

You can find it here:

nhs.uk/Livewell/strength-an...

If you want weight loss advice, there's a dedicated Weight loss community here:

nhsweightloss.healthunlocke...

[con-brio]

It works, never fear. I suggest you look at the "sister" programme C25K for additional motivation to get active.

I, too, stopped smoking recently (Christmas Eve 2012) and was concerned about the weight issue. I quit cold turkey and found this website ( whyquit.com/joel/#video ) particularly helpful the first few weeks. One thing that I would strongly advise you about: DO NOT PUT EXTRA PRESSURE ON YOURSELF by worrying about a few extra pounds until you've well and truly kicked the habit (40 days at least). To be free of nicotine is far more important long-term than an inch or two in the short-term.

I started C25K in early Feb, then S&F a week ago. While I might not have lost much weight, there's definitely been a change in my eating habits, energy levels, desire to take more exercise and... body shape. I caught a glimpse of a waistline in the mirror yesterday!!!

[lovemy2dogs]

thanks for the reply , will check those out, I gave up the cigs October 2012 and I've put on two and a half stone, and its more than an inch or two!! from a size 8-10 to size 12-14!!!!! my husband says the same as you about the extra pressure and to deal with one thing at a time, haven't told him he's right though!!!!!!!!

[con-brio in reply to lovemy2dogs]

Wow... that's 6 months of no smoking! Well done. Habit well and truly dead then! Tell your husband he's right... sounds like a very supportive, understanding guy.

So, what are you going to do with all that cash you've saved?

One of my motivation tools was to calculate how much I would save between my stop date and this coming August (= summer holiday spending money). Came to about £2,000, which I'm going to enjoy spending on a walking holiday along either the Great Glen Way or Offa's Dyke with my big sis.