Quit smoking gain weight

When you are trying to decide whether you want to quit smoking or not, probably one of the things that has crossed your mind is the issue of weight gain. How many times have you heard smokers say ”I don’t want to quit, because I’ll gain weight and get too fat to fit in all my clothes.”

Ex-smokers admit they gained weight after they stopped smoking. Usually a weight gain of five to 10 pounds occurs within the first few months after that last cigarette. While it is true that some weight gain is typical when someone gives up cigarettes, there is no reason to keep smoking and use it as a diet plan. Unless one becomes morbidly obese after the end of nicotine, there is no reason to let a slight weight gain be a deterrent to cessation.

Why do people gain weight when they quit smoking? The two main reasons are that smoking speeds up a person’s metabolism and smoking burns up calories. One additional reason is that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. A heavy smoker will use about 200 calories each day just in the act of smoking. Because the calories are used, the body naturally slightly increases the metabolism rate to compensate.

How can a person who is determined to quit smoking proceed without a weight gain? The answer lies in some lifestyle changes. If you are committed to reaching or maintaining your ideal weight even though you are no longer a smoker, think about utilizing one or more of these easy calorie-control techniques.

* Take an arm pumping 30 minute walk each day. That will utilize at least 200 calories per day.
* If you feel you must eat, keep a container of cleaned and trimmed low-calorie snacks on hand at all times.
* It may be wise to only attempt one self-improvement project at a time. While both weight management and smoking cessation are good healthy lifestyle choices, to attempt a serious weight loss program and to refrain from smoking at the same time may daunt even the most dedicated person. Look at it not as a sudden deprivation of everything at once, but as a matter of replacing one bad habit at a time in an effort to have a healthier rest of your life.
* Be kind to yourself; after all, you are an intelligent person who is making a conscious decision to do a wise thing for your own health and the health of those closest to you..