One of the big reasons people, especially women, start smoking is to lose weight or keep their weight down. One of the biggest reasons people fail when they try to quit smoking is because they start to gain weight and pick the ciggies back up again. Here are some tips and suggestions to keep you off the cigarette and keep your weight down.
Food and smoking seem to go hand in hand. That smoke after a good meal is usually the hardest one to give up, right after the first one in the morning. The first thing you need to deal with is food being a trigger for a cigarette. If this is the case for you, realize that it's going to happen and think of ways to circumvent it. Try eating slower, chewing your food longer than usual to try to satisfy the oral fixation. This is also a good way to keep your weight down. Try having a nice big glass of water on hand to sip after a meal to give yourself something to do. Alcohol and smoking also seem to go hand in hand, so cut out the drinks before during and after dinner and stick to water or low calorie beverages. This will also help you keep your weight down, because some types of alcohol can be high in carbs, especially beer.
Another way to keep from gaining weight and fight that after-meal urge is to exercise. If you like to have a smoke after dinner, just go ahead and take a nice long walk instead. If the weather is bad, spring for a gym membership and work out, swim if they have a pool or do some cardio. You could even go to a mall and walk around it a few times. Exercise will not only help you keep your weight down, it can help your lungs start to recover sooner and just improve your health in general.
During the day, it can be easy to snack a lot while trying to kick the habit. That's not a bad thing if you plan for it in advance. Try to think of healthy snacks you can munch on when you get the urge. Those things would be carrots, celery, nuts, fresh slices of fruit like apples and oranges. The things you want to stay away from are chips and candy. Some forms of candy aren't too bad - like sugarless gum or sugar free hard candies. Both can help satisfy the urge to have something in your mouth and with a lot less calories than chocolates or candies with sugar in them. Also stay away from cookies and crackers.
It can be hard to maintain your weight while trying to kick the habit, but if you follow some of these tips and suggestions, your weight gain should be kept to a minimum and you may even find yourself losing weight! Of course, maintaining these new healthy habits will only benefit you in the long run.
Food and smoking seem to go hand in hand. That smoke after a good meal is usually the hardest one to give up, right after the first one in the morning. The first thing you need to deal with is food being a trigger for a cigarette. If this is the case for you, realize that it's going to happen and think of ways to circumvent it. Try eating slower, chewing your food longer than usual to try to satisfy the oral fixation. This is also a good way to keep your weight down. Try having a nice big glass of water on hand to sip after a meal to give yourself something to do. Alcohol and smoking also seem to go hand in hand, so cut out the drinks before during and after dinner and stick to water or low calorie beverages. This will also help you keep your weight down, because some types of alcohol can be high in carbs, especially beer.
Another way to keep from gaining weight and fight that after-meal urge is to exercise. If you like to have a smoke after dinner, just go ahead and take a nice long walk instead. If the weather is bad, spring for a gym membership and work out, swim if they have a pool or do some cardio. You could even go to a mall and walk around it a few times. Exercise will not only help you keep your weight down, it can help your lungs start to recover sooner and just improve your health in general.
During the day, it can be easy to snack a lot while trying to kick the habit. That's not a bad thing if you plan for it in advance. Try to think of healthy snacks you can munch on when you get the urge. Those things would be carrots, celery, nuts, fresh slices of fruit like apples and oranges. The things you want to stay away from are chips and candy. Some forms of candy aren't too bad - like sugarless gum or sugar free hard candies. Both can help satisfy the urge to have something in your mouth and with a lot less calories than chocolates or candies with sugar in them. Also stay away from cookies and crackers.
It can be hard to maintain your weight while trying to kick the habit, but if you follow some of these tips and suggestions, your weight gain should be kept to a minimum and you may even find yourself losing weight! Of course, maintaining these new healthy habits will only benefit you in the long run.
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