If you quit smoking for your New Year’s Resolution, good for you, Quitter! This is one of the single greatest things you can do to improve your health. Dropping a nasty nicotine habit can be tough work, and most people end up replacing the oral fixation of smoking with something else oral- chewing and swallowing junk food.
On an average, people tend to gain 5 pounds during their quitting process. The action of lighting up, bringing the cig to and from your mouth and inhaling and exhaling the smoke is one that many people become addicted to just as much as the chemical addiction to harmful nicotine. In addition, when you smoke a cigarette, a chemical reaction occurs in the body and sugars are released into the blood stream. This is why many people consider cigarettes as an appetite suppressant. When cigarettes are removed, a former smoker may fiercely crave sweets.
The oral and chemical addiction can make quitting smoking a tough process, but there are things you can do to keep the cigarettes away and weight gain at bay.
If you don’t eat extra calories, you can’t gain weight. Dedicate yourself to working out a minimum of 3 times a week. This will also help reduce stress that can be a trigger to light up. Eat smaller meals every 3 – 4 hours to keep your metabolism revved.
Find something to replace the action of smoking. Bringing along celery or carrots with you wherever you go to munch on whenever a cravings hits that won’t put a dent into your caloric intake. If raw fruits and veggies aren’t your thing, many people find that chewing gum or sipping water flavored with a little bit of fruit juice is a great substitute.
Don’t let the fear of gaining weight deter you from quitting smoking. While weight gain is a typical side effect you can control it. Smoking kills millions of people every year, and while you can work hard to remove a few added pounds of weight, undoing the damage smoking causes is next to impossible.
Also Read:
Weightlifting May Help Smokers Quit
Cigarette Packs to Get More Aggressive Warning Labels