Stop smoking and weight gain are both important issues that can be difficult to deal with. The weight gain caused by the withdrawal from giving up smoking is sometimes enough to break a person’s will and cause a relapse. It is possible to combat these effects, however, and recovering from nicotine addictions can be an easier process when you know you won’t have too severe weight gain issues. As with many things, it is important to understand why weight is gained afterwards.
Why Do I Gain Weight After Stopping Smoking?
Heavy smokers can burn up to 200 calories a day, boosting their metabolism slightly, which increases the fat burning process. Furthermore, nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant and when you quit smoking, it’s normal to expect some weight gain in the first few months, due to increased eating habits. However, if you do not change how much you eat, then some light, thirty-minute exercise should be enough to bring your weight back down. The normal increase in appetite is a result of smoking cessation, which shocks your body. The following information will expand on some of these points.
An addiction, smoking causes intense cravings once quit. It can become easy for you to replace the cigarettes with other things and it might become a comfort. Often, people turn to food as a comfort and to ease their withdrawal, but this comfort eating will only increase weight gain and create a vicious circle.
Nicotine suppresses the appetite by interfering with the hormone insulin that controls sugar levels in the body and in turn causes slight hyperglycemia. This will in turn slow down other signals and hormones that relate to the appetite. Frequently, smoker may have a cigarette between meals, thus preventing them from wishing to have any in-between snacks, increasing weight loss.
How To Avoid Weight Gain
Exercise is and always will be the best form of weight loss. Five days a week, thirty-minutes a day of light exercise will beat weight gain for most people, so a simple walk around the block will satisfy this requirement. If cravings do set in, perhaps using exercise can satisfy them as well and hopefully improve your mood. Healthy meals and plenty of water should also be used in combination with exercise for maximum efficiency. Snacks such as chocolate and biscuits should be avoided. Vegetable snacks though are a good replacement, such as celery and carrots. Noting your calorie count in relation to the recommended daily intake can also aid you in seeing if you’re over or under the recommended amount.
Alcohol does not aid in weight loss as it is high in calorie content and causes relapses and many people think drinking and smoking should go together. This is a bad idea from the onset, so don’t risk falling back just for a drink.
Last Words
Be good to yourself, this is very important. Keep in mind why you are giving up smoking and congratulate yourself. Not only is giving up smoking an amazing accomplishment, but beating weight gain is too. Don’t risk overdoing it, however, take one step at a time.
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