When you stop smoking, you gain weight. Of course there are a few people out there who go against the flow and do not put on an ounce, or incredibly even lose weight. But there’s always an exception to every rule. That is what makes us humans fascinating as a species!

So you’ve taken the leap, after much fretting and worrying about being able to quit smoking, you finally do so and the pounds pile on. Now you reach the deciding point – where many people go back to smoking to lose their weight again! This is definitely a ‘one step forward, two steps back’ scenario. Why do we gain weight when we stop smoking though? Even without the cravings, your whole body’s digestion seems to go mad. I was pleased to find, after a little research, that I wasn’t the only one and that there are medical reasons behind the weight gain, not just swapping one emotional crutch (smoking) for another (eating)!

The important thing to remember is that nicotine is one of the easiest drugs in the world to get addicted to and one of the hardest to stop smoking. There are populations far and wide around the world in obscure places who are addicted to it. So, give yourself a break about putting on a little weight when you give it up. The mantra “I’ve put on five pounds, but I’ve given up smoking!” has been used obsessively in my household!

Some of the main reasons why you suffer weight gain when you stop smoking are that nicotine is an appetite suppressant; smoking burns up to two hundred calories a day in a heavy smoker and with the burning of calories, your metabolic rate is slightly increased. Metabolism is how your body burns up food calories to create energy in your body. Apparently, when you first give up smoking you can gain between five and ten pounds in the first few months. This can easily be burnt off by adding thirty minutes of exercise to your daily routine, for instance a brisk walk.

However, many people as I already stated, use food as a replacement for smoking. So, our body’s normal desire for more food when you first stop smoking can become uncontrollable weight gain if you let yourself follow this route. You would then be putting yourself at risk from diabetes, heart disease, etc. Personally the best recommendation I can give (as an untrained non-professional) is to get to the gym, or take up a hobby that involves using your body healthily and releasing all the endorphins your body has to offer as a natural high. Another way to avoid weight gain when you stop smoking is to have healthy snacks to hand in the house, your desk at work, your laptop bag. Naturally you need to build up stamina and be careful not to strain yourself; otherwise you’ll be sitting on a coach eating your boredom away and back to square one!

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Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: stop smoking