Can Quitting Smoking Cause Weight Gain?
An explanation of how you can stop smoking without getting fat.
It is a known fact that smoking is not good for your health, however many people choose not to quit smoking as they fear that stop smoking will cause weight gain. Ironically getting fat is more dreadful for some people than the deadly effect of nicotine.
What’s really happening when you quit smoking?
Nicotine can suppress hunger and increase metabolism. This is why you no longer feeling hungry after you smoke even if it is already passed your mealtime. When you stop smoking you cannot running away to nicotine again, each time you feel hungry. You will have to eat.
Smoking can make your tongue sour and food that you eat taste sour too. When you quit smoking your tasting senses will be back to normal. You will be able to taste the food as delicious as it is again. This will surely increase your appetite.
In addition to the above, nicotine can also give soothing effect to your nerve as well as causing addiction. The want of nicotine can make you anxious shortly after you quit smoking. Many people try to handle this anxiety by eating more and more. Sugar and carbohydrate and other sweet tasting food can give soothing effect as that given by the nicotine. Therefore, many people go for this kind of food which is just the type of food that can make your weight increase. So, it is true that quit smoking can increase your weight.
What can you do about it?
This is how you can quit smoking without getting fat:
- When you feel anxious and need to keep your mouth busy, go for spicy food instead of sweet tasting food with lots of sugar and carbohydrates. Go for chili or paprika. Chili can also reduce coughing which often occur after you quit smoking.
- Chewing sugar free gums instead of eating something.
- Eat fruits or drink a glass of water whenever you feel like smoking.
- Do not drink coffee, as the caffeine will only make you want to smoke.
- Eat regularly. It is better to eat small portion more frequently. Chew your food slowly. Wait for 15 minutes after you finished your meal before you start to eat another portion of food.
- Do little exercise to keep your mind from eating and to keep your body in shape. Exercise can help your body increase its metabolism, so that food will be better digested and absorbed by your body. You will feel healthy and stay slim.
- Get enough sleep. If your body is tired, it will be easy to start smoking again.
- Try to hold your desire to smoke for 10 minutes. It will usually disappear by then.
- Please note, that weight increase up to 3-5 kilogram at your first month of quit smoking is normal. Do not get panic, just do the above steps and be sure that your choice to stop smoking is the best for your health!
Liked it
Darla Smith | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
An interesting and very helpful article. Thanks for sharing.
AC Hamilton III | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
Interesting, informative and very helpful article.
papaleng | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
Yovita, you never run out of interesting and helpful articles. Thanks for sharing.
Bren Parks | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
And to think I just stop smoking…two months now.
Westbrook | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
I believe most smokers who say they want to quit simply tortue themselves because, though they say they want to quit, they really haven’t made that deep, serious mental commitment, so they agonize and torture themselves for months. Even if they succeed in laying down the cigarette, they torture themselves with eating and more eating. To me, this is a sign that they have not really quit and will continue even if they play this game for a year or two. Eating is just substitution for the cigarette…it is the cigarette, but it’s not the same and the yearning continues. It is my believe that a person who quits “cold turkey” will not need food as a substitution because they will finally want to eliminate this terrible habit once and for all. The problem is most smokers cannot muster uo up enough will power and staying power to truly kick this disgusting habit. Oh by the way, I know what I am talking about. I smoked for 30 years and quit 20 years ago and have looked back.
westbrook | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
Last sentence should end: “have not looked back.”
Betty Carew | Jan 4, 2009 | Reply
oh dear, yes i am a smoker but i love it. it is as simple as that. i never even get the intention to give it up. i applaude anyone that has quit and i respect those that don’t smoke but for me up to now i am and will be a smoker. no hidden secrets and no bull about wanting to drop that nasty habit. your ideas are good ones Yovita especially the comments about not being mentally ready and for anyone that has come to terms with dropping smoking it is very good advice. i have not reached that point yet.
nobert soloria bermosa | Jan 4, 2009 | Reply
i don’t smoke.i am forwarding this to all my friends
Inna Tysoe | Jan 4, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the info.
Inna
M J katz | Jan 5, 2009 | Reply
If a smoker desires to truly quit, then your article can definitely help because it contains a lot of good pointers combined with commonsense! ^-^ You did a very good job on this subject!
I’m a smoker who has no desire to quit since I enjoy it and, as a nurse, have taken care of too many respiratory and cancer patients who never smoked a day in their life…nor lived in a ’smokey’ environment.
However, I do not drink because I’ve seen the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse on the human body and its’ accompanying ruination of lives, family, property, and finances.
Now I’m not saying that smoking is healthy!! But, in my opinion, living in an industrial smog-filled city, breathing in automotive/truck fumes,or drinking more than three alcoholic drinks a day is definitely worse!
So I’ll just remain a polite smoker who watches where I ‘blow’, places my butts in a container instead of on the ground, and obeys the ‘no-smoking’ signs!:)
PR Mace | Jan 5, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for a good article. I have never smoked but my adult daughter does. She is afraid if she stops she will gain weight. I will forward this article to her.
Ruby Hawk | Jan 5, 2009 | Reply
I used to smoke but when an uncle burned the top of my nephews head I quite cold turkey.My uncle dropped his hand with a cigarette in it on the top of my nephews head who was standing right beside him. I had a child the same age and I thought what if I burned my childs head.It scared me badly. Of course it helped that my older children had urged me to quite smoking for sometime and I had tried quiting before but this time it took.
Louie Jerome | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
I stopped 11 years ago. I gained 8kgs during the first year but I was very much under weight before, so it wasn’t so bad. Now I have to be careful that I don’t gain too much weight.
eddiego65 | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
I have tried to smoke a few times when I was younger. It’s a good thing that the habit never stuck with me. This is certainly a very helpful article. I will forward this to my friends who are trying to let go of the habit.
Jenny Heart | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
I used to smoke. I know smoking can sour your stomach. Great work!
Peter Cimino | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
Good work and good advice. Well done.
Parish Loveless | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
Very nice article
JK Kristie | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
Very well said. Every smoker should read this.
Jose Monaca | Jan 7, 2009 | Reply
I’m a smoker, and I really needed an advice like this, thanks for this Yovita!
LC Sanders | Jan 9, 2009 | Reply
Good Advice. I quit some time ago and I wish I knew these interesting facts then because I did increase my weight also.
denus | Jan 10, 2009 | Reply
WOW THANKS A TON!
I am definitely not starting smoking now.
never was and this made me more sure.
cheers as always,
denus
Happy Toes | Jan 14, 2009 | Reply
nice job, i am going to have my smoker husband read this. thanks.
Chelsea A Miller | Jan 15, 2009 | Reply
This was so helpful because when I am trying not to smoke I always subsitute ciggs with food -thanks for the comment btw theres more of that book to come check back soon
rutherfranc | Jan 19, 2009 | Reply
mmmm.. no comment, I don`t smoke
ML Sheldon | Jan 28, 2009 | Reply
I don’t smoke, either, but I think that it was a fantastic article for people who would like to quit.