How not to gain weight when quitting smoking ?

Stephen PaulHealth & Diseases
The most common fear when quitting smoking is weight gain. You immediately think that you will compensate for your urge to smoke with a need to snack and that you will gain weight. Many widespread beliefs can frighten, without really having reliable and solid bases.  It is possible not to gain weight by quitting smoking by adapting good habits. 

Why do we think quitting smoking makes you gain weight?

The widespread belief is that you gain weight by quitting smoking. One of the substances responsible for this legend is nicotine , which is also addictive. Nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant in the body. Therefore, when quitting smoking, the feeling of hunger may return. It is therefore possible to gain a little weight, but this inconvenience can quickly be treated and eliminated.

The body must relearn how to do without nicotine . This substance contained in cigarettes prevented the body from storing certain macro-nutrients: carbohydrates and lipids. It also helps to limit negative emotions, such as stress or anger.

Quitting smoking will therefore lead to certain changes in both your body and your mind.
To limit the risk of compensation that the body and mind may need, such as food, it is necessary to adopt a healthy lifestyle . This will help keep you from gaining weight when you quit smoking.

Good practices for not gaining weight while quitting smoking

Contrary to what you may think, quitting smoking does not necessarily make you fat. It is entirely possible to avoid weight gain if you follow a healthy diet. It is also necessary that you practice physical activity and that you limit the consumption of products that increase the urge to smoke. Here are some tips for not gaining weight by quitting smoking:

Take nicotine substitutes

Nicotine substitutes , such as inhalers or chewing gum, can help you do without the craving for tobacco. In addition, they will keep you from being hungry and will have the same actions as nicotine. They can be a palliative to cigarette smoking. There is a wide choice, with different devices to adapt to all needs and expectations.
A heavy smoker will not have the same needs as a person who smoked occasionally. So you have to find the method that suits you.

Have a balanced diet

A balanced diet, based on starches, will also be the best way to fight against hunger , cravings and snacking. Never go on a diet to avoid weight gain, because any diet brings stress as well as frustration, all feelings that will make you want to smoke. Never skip meals, eat three times a day with foods and products that will make you feel fuller .
The role of this balanced diet is to avoid gaining weight when you stop smoking, but also to give you back access to tastes that you may have forgotten. Cigarettes, in fact, alter certain foods.

Drink tea

Choose tea over coffee. The coffee/cigarette combo is not famous for nothing: when drinking coffee, you will instinctively want to smoke.
To avoid finding yourself having to fight against this craving, take green tea, which drains the body , eliminates toxins and fights against weight. It is the perfect ally!

Practice a physical activity

Practice a physical activity to promote the elimination of toxins, but also to avoid gaining weight by quitting smoking. Playing sports and moving makes you less craving to smoke, so it will facilitate your weaning while preventing you from gaining weight. Your body will spend itself and make less storage.
Of course, everyone can choose the sport that suits them: water aerobics, running, walking, gymnastics… The main thing is to move. A study has shown that 16% of smokers have lost weight. By means of a healthy lifestyle, you too can learn to do without cigarettes without gaining weight.
Stephen
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Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.