Quit Smoking and Stay Slim (Part 1)




Studies show that while quitting cigarettes smokers are afraid to gain weight most of all. Especially this concerns women. Although some people tend to put on a few pounds, there is no need to worry. The wonderful fact is that quitting smoking helps to restore health and reduce risks of bad diseases, so weight gain is a minor secondary thing that can be avoided if approached right.

The worries about additional weight are understandable: four out of five people who give up cigarettes gain pounds. However, not many smokers know that after six months many of them lose all or some of this weight. With effort quitting smoking can be done without weight gain. The main thing to remember is that quitting smoking is the primary goal and it should not be forgotten even if the extra weight comes.

Some ex-smokers return to cigarettes, so that they could just lose those pounds. But smoking is not the way out of the situation. There are easier and healthier ways to go with.

Here are the main reasons why ex-smokers gain weight:

1.    Metabolism. Nicotine raises metabolism rate, so the smokers usually burn more calories than non-smokers. Although somebody might consider it an advantage of smoking, they are wrong. Cigarettes are a very unhealthy way to increase metabolism: after smoking the heart beats 10-20 times faster. This wears it out increasing the risk of different heart diseases.

When the smoker quits, the metabolism restores to normal, healthy level, the same as he or she had before starting the habit. If the normal level is not enough to burn the existing calories, there are dozens of ways to increase metabolism in a healthy way: the best one is to start physical exercises.

2.    Appetite. As a rule ex-smokers eat more than they used to when they had cigarettes. The reason for it is a withdrawal symptom which appears after quitting. Unfortunately it lasts longer than other symptoms, but with the time it fades away.

After quitting the senses of taste and smell restore to normal and the ex-smokers start enjoying food more than they used to with the cigarettes. This is another reason for better appetite: people start eating more food or bigger meals because of their better taste.

3.    Oral gratification. In other words it is a need to have something in the mouth to substitute the cigarette. Since the ex-smokers do not know a good way to go away from the problem, they start eating or snacking every time they feel an urge to take a cigarette. Toothpicks, straws and matches will make both hands and mouth busy. Another good way to calm down the oral gratification is to chew carrots, celery sticks or sugar-free chewing gums. With time this withdrawal symptom goes away too.

4.    There are a number of other reasons, but they are more personal to individuals. Various withdrawal symptoms and situations connected to smoking make the ex-smokers eat more and therefore gain weight.

Although there are a lot of temptations, smoking is not a reason to keep the weight low. It can be done in many healthy ways: good diet, exercises, healthy snacking, etc. Studies on different people show that with strict rules ex-smokers do not gain weight. For example, heart patients who are advised to quit smoking and keep a specific diet and certain lifestyle do not gain weight at all. Military men, who are made to quit, but stay on a base or camp and do a lot of exercises, have no extra food or snacks, and follow the schedule, do not have weight gain problem either.

Lena Jackson

Related Posts

Posted on July 20, 2009 
Filed Under How to Quit Smoking, Smoking and Diet, Smoking and Health, Stop Smoking

Comments

Leave a Reply