A common fear among smokers looking to quit is the almost inevitable weight gain that follows. This is especially true for women, who face bigger psychological pressure with weight on a daily basis. Some will even use it as an excuse not to quit, while we believe that all smokers would rather quit, it’s fair to say some really think that way. If you stop yourself from gaining all the health benefits that come with a smoke free life because of gaining a few pounds, there’s much better ways to deal with the post-eating habits that will allow you to get through that phase rather quickly and at your normal weight. Even if you do gain some weight, you can certainly lose it and the health risks a far worse than adding on a few measly pounds.
Cigarettes have an effect on your appetite and metabolism, gaining an energy boost from nicotine, increasing your calorie burn count throughout the day. The simple act of smoking a single cigarette, immediately raises blood sugar and pressure levels, cutting appetite at times that your body would favorably eat. But the rise of blood pressure and speeding up your metabolism is a huge risk factor for developing various heart diseases that tobacco smoking is known for.
Physical Act of Smoking
One of the challenges of quitting is not only the nicotine cravings, the acts of puffing and holding a cigarette to your mouth also come into play. Having to repeatedly hold and smoke a cigarette many times a day will be something lacking once you quit, and often causes people to look for other things to keep them busy. One of those common and obvious things is eating. Chewing on food helps lower those various missing factors the body and mind was so used to doing. If trying e-cigarettes is not the right choice and you want to quit nicotine all together, we suggest using a toothpick or something soft but hygienic you could chew or hold with your lips to soothe the craving created by the act of smoking.
Eat Healthy
Another known effect on the body of someone who just quit, is an increase in taste as well as being more prone to having a sweet tooth. Eating fatty and sweet foods are not suggested, as your intake will be higher than normal and undoubtedly cause you to gain weight. Sugar free gum as well as chewing on lots of vegetables goes a long way. Picking up a celery stick or carrot will not only be beneficial to your health but will help avoid the body getting addicted to high carb foods full of unwanted calories.
Do Not Go On a Crazy Diet
Too many folks who end up gaining weight attempt these crazy dieting techniques that have proven time again to be not only ineffective but down right bad for you. A small diet is fine but avoid all crash dieting like the plague. The body has enough to deal with in the following weeks after quitting. Stress levels are high and in consequence, appetite increases to cope. If you go on a heavy diet, the body will be too deprived to function properly and ends up having two heavily impacting changes to deal with. It ends up being too much to handle and cause you to end up smoking again.
Think Healthy
If weight gain brings you to contemplate smoking again, keep your mind on all the negatives that you can possibly face, especially in your elderly years. The fact that you made it this far is enough to keep you going, but you have to have your mind and heart at the right place. Keep reminding yourself of how well you will gradually be feeling for the upcoming weeks, months and eventually smoke-free years to come.
Distract Yourself – Find Things to Keep You Busy
Distracting yourself comes into play to avoid the urge to eat. Doing things such as running errands, chores and other productive activities will help to keep your eating hours strict. Enjoy some time off at the movies or go visit friend and family. The issue is usually picking up snacks in between your full meals, but if you’re too busy to think of heading back in the kitchen, or out of the house completely, it will help tremendously for those first couple of weeks.
Exercise a Bit More
Ok, we’re not suggesting you sign up to the gym, we know life is hard as it is and free time is hard to come by, but if you do have the time and will, go for it as it will be a prime time to build up cardio, clean up your lungs and get in shape. We advise that if you do start working out, to include some weight training as bodybuilding exercises are usually most effective for burning fat. Allowing you to either loose the weight you gained after quitting, or helping you maintain a healthy number while still indulging a little more often in food.
Chances are you hate exercise and would dread going to a gym. That’s ok, but try to do small things like taking a daily walk, or walking longer distances with your dog. Taking the kids to the park or a swimming pool more often. Simply doing activities you enjoy is the way to go. Go back to your former glory days of being a college swimmer or play some more casual sports and games like golf, Frisbee, badminton or ping pong, whatever rocks your boat, the possibilities are endless. As long as you find something extra to do daily that you would not have done otherwise, it all helps.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember is that all of this is temporary. Unlike smoking for many years, you will not have to keep finding ways to keep your body and mind occupied for so long. The average time it takes to completely detach yourself from smoking is about 3 weeks. Just think about it for a moment and you will realize how relatively short of a time it is to put extra effort needed for daily exercise or picking the right foods and eating at the right times. If you have your own experiences and tips to share, please post them below to share and help others now facing the same struggle.