Digestion problems after I quit smoking

I've managed to quit smoking for 3 months. And I smoked for 15 years.

Ii've turned into a big fat bloated beast. My stomach constantly feels like i'm 9 months pregnant. My entire digestive system has been messed up since about my first week of not smoking. And doesn't seem to be letting up at all. I've tried experimenting with my diet. You name it. And nothing works.

Does anyone know what I can do to sort out my belly? It's enough to make me want to light back up. I only gained 5 pounds and I feel like i've gained 50. It's soooo uncomfortable!!! HELP!!

Any help would be great!

Hi! Congrats on quitting!! I myself am on day 11 of being an ex-smoker. I bloat but not from quitting smoking. I found 'Super Enzymes' manufactured by a company called "Now" that work very well for me. You can find them online if you google it. Keep up the great work! You can do it, many thousands have before us!!! Gwen

chrisnyc wrote:

I've managed to quit smoking for 3 months. And I smoked for 15 years. Ii've turned into a big fat bloated beast. My stomach constantly feels like i'm 9 months pregnant. My entire digestive system has been messed up since about my first week of not smoking. And doesn't seem to be letting up at all. I've tried experimenting with my diet. You name it. And nothing works. Does anyone know what I can do to sort out my belly? It's enough to make me want to light back up. I only gained 5 pounds and I feel like i've gained 50. It's soooo uncomfortable!!! HELP!! Any help would be great!

Hey I have the same exact problem!
I used to be scary thin. People used to give me advice on how I can gain some weight and look healthy.

I quit smoking some 3.5 years ago and I am now 215 pounds heavy! I am around 6 feet tall so that is still alot of weight..


And my belly is swollen like I am pregnant and when i press my belly it seems hard. I also suffer severe indigestion.

I just bought the super enzyme from GNC...I feel a little better already.

If any body else has a better idea please do let me know.

Try Probiotics, they help your digestion...and eats lots of sugar free yogurt, it'll help too.

I'm 37 years old, began smoking in my early teens; a fairly consistent full pack a day habit. I'm into my fourth week of smoking cessation. I am using a nicotine patch, 8 week program, to help. I quit because I had a bout of acute bronchitis, and felt if I didn't quit it would take forever to get over it. The bronchitis is gone. I am VERY seldom sick. I chew through flu's and colds like candy, and always have. My wife will get a flu that lasts 5 days. I feel it come on and am over it in a few hours. I'm not exaggerating. I've been married for 18 years, and my wife tells me she can only remember me being ill twice, one of them being this bout of bronchitis. I think this is because I grew up 1 of 10 children and quite simply have been exposed to so many viruses etc. Nearly everyone in my family smoked, it is how I grew up. I am the only one in my immediate family (wife and kids) who smokes, so I've never smoked in the house and never in enclosed places around them.

Once I quit I decided it made no sense to go back. After about a week I began with the stomach cramping, acid reflux, and near constant heavy belching. It is much worse after I eat, but always there. This too is very unusual for me. I've always had an iron stomach and could eat anything I want at any time of day without repercussion. When the reflux occurs, I get short of breath. I've learned to deal with this by simply breathing slow and steady (in through the nose, pause, out through the mouth) and the feeling passes. I came to the realization that I wasn't really having issues breathing, it is just a side effect of the reflux.

It has been reassuring to hear that these symptoms, and others like periods of dizziness, are not unusual for us quitters. I thank all of the posters for their input, it helps.

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, because I've always been a rock and the one everyone else relies on, but the fact is I really don't know how to deal with stress without smoking. I've smoked since adolescence, so I never learned to deal with the every day stresses of life as an adult without that soothing nicotine fix. If anything gets me to start smoking again, it will be this. I've put my focus here, looking for ways to 1) avoid stress and 2) deal with stress that can't be avoided. Any suggestions to this end will be greatly appreciated. I've begun exercising 5 days a week (swimming at the gym), eating regular meals without snacking and including two to three servings of plain yogurt (1/2 cup each) every day.

My guess is many of the symptoms quitters feel are brought on by anxiety, a direct result of not knowing how to deal with every day stress without smoking. Anxiety is sneaky; you may not even know you are experiencing it until you are feeling physical symptoms. I've learned to focus on what is important (family, friends) when I begin to feel this way. I'm also learning not to focus on my physical ailments as this does seem to make them worse.

So far so good. My fear is once I'm off the patch I'll fail due to this inability to deal with the stress without the nicotine. Any other suggestions will be most welcome.