Stop Smoking Tips: How to Stay Smoke-Free without Gaining Weight




Gaining weight can become an issue after smoking cessation, especially for middle-aged women, long-term smokers, and people leading a sedentary lifestyle. However, there are simple steps you can take not to gain weight after kicking the habit. According to the American Heart Association, incorporating a healthy diet into your life, staying active, and embracing a busy lifestyle are simple yet effective measures to help you inhibit weight gain usually associated with smoking cessation.

Using the following tips will prevent you from putting on excess poundage after quitting cigarettes. They will also help you stay fit, healthy, and energetic for many years to come:

•    Select only healthy, whole foods for your meals, snacks, and restaurant treats. Avoid foods that are either high-fat or high-calorie, and especially those containing trans-fatty acids (found in many processed, canned, and pre-packaged products, as well as in most fast-food restaurant meals). Build your diet around healthful whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, soy, skim milk, and small amounts of oily fish and lean meat.

•    Any time you feel an urge to smoke, have a small crunchy snack of a raw veggie stick, fruit, or sugar-free gum. Do not munch on potato chips, candies, or other fatty or sugary snacks.

•    Avoid drinking regular sodas, but choose plain water or green tea instead.

•    Stay active. A regular exercise is not only the best way to cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cessation-induced stress, but also the most effective strategy to prevent gaining excess weight after stopping smoking.

•    Make yourself busy. Simple activities, such as writing letters, cooking, reading an interesting book, knitting, going for long walks, shopping, or socializing with a non-smoking circle of supportive friends, will distract your thoughts from smoking.

•    It is a good idea to keep your hands occupied with objects other than cigarettes, particularly during the first weeks after stopping smoking. Try to fiddle with a pencil, small exercise ball, rock, or any other item you can make your hands busy with.

•    Focus on long-term goals by visualizing yourself staying strong, lean, healthy, and smoke-free well into your old age.

Darlene Marlow

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Posted on May 14, 2008 
Filed Under How to Quit Smoking

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