Weight Gain and Quitting Smoking

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Weight Gain and Quitting Smoking

Weight Gain and Quitting Smoking

Many people believe that it is inevitable to gain weight when you quit smoking, but this is not necessarily true. A surprising number of people, particularly young girls, will actually take up the habit of smoking because they believe it will help them lose weight. Again, this reasoning is skewed.

There are several things to do to prevent weight gain when you quit smoking, and even if you do gain five or 10 pounds, it can easily be taken off again once you have kicked the smoking habit.

There are several reasons why we have a tendency to gain weight when we try to quit smoking. Nicotine acts as a stimulant and appetite suppressor, so one of the effects of quitting smoking can be an increased appetite. There are other factors involved as well. Smokers have a tendency to skip meals. They may also eat quickly so they can light up a cigarette afterwards. After quitting smoking, skipped meals become less frequent and unless you eat more slowly you may end up eating more.

Some people may crave an oral substitute for cigarettes and use food to keep their mouth busy. This in itself would not be so bad if healthy low-calorie foods are chosen, but usually cigarettes are replaced by sweets and candies. Also, certain social situations which you associate with smoking (like parties) may cause you to compensate by eating more food.

It is important to remember that quitting smoking is a difficult undertaking in itself. Some people may be tempted to reform all their bad habits at once, but this is a recipe for failure. Focus on the task of quitting smoking and don't worry too much if you are gaining a few extra pounds. Eating healthy food and avoiding sweets will help to minimize the weight gain. Whatever you do, don't attempt to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time.

If you skipped meals when you were smoking, you will probably find your appetite has increased after quitting. Many smokers get by with a coffee and a cigarette in the morning rather than eating a full breakfast. If you find you want to eat a regular breakfast after quitting smoking, make it a healthy one of fruits, eggs, and cereal. This is good for your overall health and will allow you to start your day on the right foot.

If you are one of the many smokers who has developed the habit of eating quickly so that you could finish your meal with a cigarette, you will probably find that you finish your meals before everyone else. This may tempt you to take second helpings. Try to lengthen the time of your meal by chewing more slowly, cutting your food into smaller pieces, or pausing between mouthfuls. Resist the urge to go for that second helping. Drink another glass of water while you're waiting for everyone else to finish their meal if you've still eaten yours too fast.

If you had the habit of smoking while watching TV, substitute cigarettes with healthy tidbits like celery sticks, carrots, broccoli or tomatoes. Using sweets or candies as a cigarette substitute is a sure way to gain excess pounds.

Keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand to help you combat the smoking urge. Things to keep stored on your cupboard or refrigerator include yogurt, herbal teas, fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. If you can control what's in your cupboard and refrigerator, don't buy any high calorie snacks. If other members of your family like to have them and you can't convince them to take up healthy snacking with you, keep all of the high calorie snacks out of sight at the back of the cupboard or refrigerator so you are less tempted to overeat when looking for a cigarette substitute.

Getting plenty of exercise is always a great idea. But don't go overboard. A gentle walk may be all you can cope with if you're not used to doing any exercise at all. As mentioned above, making too many changes to your routine at the same time may cause all of them to fail. It may be better to wait a few months before instituting a new exercise routine. Exercise will make you feel better, reinforce your commitment to stay smoke free, and shed those few extra pounds you may have gained.

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