I quit cold turkey after about 20 years of a pack a day. Didn't have any problem with it at all-- guess I was just ready to quit. Losing weight is a LOT more difficult than that was.
Cold Turkey. One day I swapped my habit of Smoking every so often to Not Smoking at the same frequency. I took No-Smoking Breaks at the times I had gone out to smoke.
It was a long, hard first year... before the nicotine gum or patches. By creating substitute behavior... declaring 'time for a no-smoking break', I eased haunting cravings. Good luck!
although, i'm not that helpful if you were looking for tips...