Hi Leslie. My situation was a little different, because I was 47, almost 48, when I quit smoking, and I was in surgical menopause, however, I did not know it. (Long story: I was told back in 1987 that my ovaries were not taken. I asked that they not be. The medical report I received last year also does not mention that they were. However, when I was sent to ultrasound last summer, I was told that I have no ovaries.) Within a few months of my "going" into menopause I began to put on lots of weight and began to have bad mood swings. I did associate some of it with the hysterectomy (estrogen levels drop a little just from losing your uterus), but still believed I was not in menopause. I went on psych medication, gained major weight, and then quit smoking. Now I have taken off 40 pounds over the last 4-5 months. I did feel that I needed to quit smoking first before losing weight. Because it seemed silly to worry about my weight when I was killing myself with cigarettes and also because I expected to gain weight during the quit. (On the sister site this month, the doctor addresses the issue of menopause and weight gain.) What I'm learning is that when I entered menopause, I needed to cut about 200 calories per day from my diet immediately, and I need to cut 50-100 per day every few years. You might want to keep a food log for a while just to see what you eat and how many calories you consume, so that you can prepare to cut. I've also stepped up the exercise and am willing to make a commitment to exercise 7-9 hours a week for as long as my body allows.
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 5/1/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 496
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 13,888
Amount Saved: $5,902.40
Life Gained:
Days: 55 Hrs: 20 Mins: 46 Seconds: 17
My metabolism has gone caput and so the weight gain has started. I really don't want to frighten anyone because no matter if you smoke or not when you hit that "age" it's gonna "hit" you. 
