The Stop Smoking Spread… Gaining Weight After Tossing the Butts…
RE: Weight Gain when Quitting Smoking
Here it is… the beginning of the year and you’ve kicked the habit. Now, do you have to worry about gaining weight??
Many people substitute mindless munching for a drag on the cigarette, especially right after they have stopped smoking. This can lead to a dramatic weight gain over time, even if you only add 100 calories a day to your diet.
All is not lost, though. There are simple things you can do to curb your appetite, or to munch without the waistline consequence.
- Try distracting yourself first. If you can read a book, call a friend, play with your children or your pet, go for a drive… do it instead.
- Exercise… go for a walk, jazzercise, use those exercise machines collecting dust and clothing in your bedroom, go to the gym.
- Have healthy snacks around. Fruit… apples, dates, raisins, even bananas and oranges will not pack on the pounds. Veggies… but hold the dip! Have carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower cut up and ready in baggies for those weak moments.
- If you don’t like exercise or healthy snacks… and don’t have anything at hand to distract yourself with… try dividing your regular meals into smaller portions so you can snack on a second portion between meals without adding to your daily caloric intake.
The key is to not increase the calories… even a small increase of around 100 calories a day (one soda) can add 10 pounds a year to your body.
The idea is to get rid of the cigarettes that are harming you, without harming yourself in another way.
Tags: gain weight, gaining weight when not smoking, getting fat, non smoking weight gain, quit smoking weight gain