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Tips to quit smoking without gaining weight

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Does quitting smoking make you fat? There is a belief that when a person begins to quit smoking, they considerably gain weight. Although this side effect does not happen to all people who leave, many have become overweight when stopping this habit. Why? When the anxiety caused by the absence of tobacco is not controlled correctly, the person usually calms the urge to smoke by eating, substituting cigarettes for sweets, snacks, and food, and increasing the number of daily calories it offers to the body. Likewise, an ex-smoker regains the full ability to perceive aromas and flavors, inviting him to overeat due to a sensory stimulus.

Yes, quitting smoking makes you fat, but that is not enough of an excuse to put aside all the health benefits that quitting tobacco brings. Abandoning this horrible habit can offer you a few extra kilos, but it is also possible to control the anxiety we may feel to prevent that. So if you have already made such a complex and vital decision for your quality of life, you should move on, don’t stop, and learn about the best tips to quit smoking without gaining weight in this FastlyHealarticle.

Watch your diet

When you quit smoking, you are expected to notice an alteration in your appetite and that you feel hungry or want to snack much more often than average. This, in general, is one of the main symptoms of quitting tobacco. For this reason, you must watch your diet and keep strict control of it, eating healthily at least five times a day, which will allow you to counteract this decrease in the rate of your metabolism due to the inhibition of nicotine.

Ideally, your diet is healthy to avoid weight gain, so a great advice to quit smoking without gaining weight is to increase the consumption of green vegetables, which calm the appetite, fruits, and foods rich in fiber that help burn fat and make you feel more satiated. If you don’t know how to eat healthily, we recommend visiting a nutrition specialist to prepare a regimen that reduces anxiety about eating when you quit smoking.

Control anxiety

Quitting smoking causes a lot of anxiety, to the point that we find ourselves opening the refrigerator several times a day in search of a snack that helps us somehow quench the urge to smoke. Likewise, when we quit tobacco, our senses perceive the aroma and flavor of food in a better way, which is why we increase the intake of sweet and salty foods that we did not enjoy in the same way before, which, if we do not control ourselves, it can affect weight gain.

To control anxiety when quitting smoking, eliminate from your kitchen, for at least the first two months, all kinds of very sweet or very caloric food so that you do not consume it in the moments of greatest crisis. Instead, fill your fridge with healthy foods such as fruits, sugar-free gelatin, herbal teas, or low-fat, low-sugar snacks that allow you to quit smoking without getting fat. Likewise, you can take some of these healthy foods with you when you go out, so you will avoid succumbing to temptation when you are away from home. If you consider that your anxiety about smoking is uncontrollable, we advise you to go to a psychologist to help you control these symptoms and not lose the urge to get rid of this bad habit.

You can also seek help in the natural world, so in our article medicinal plants for anxiety, we give you some good allies that can help you.

Full mouth syndrome

Some ex-smokers experienced an urgent need to have something in their mouth to substitute for tobacco. In these cases, a tip for quitting smoking without gaining weight is not to replace cigarettes with cakes, sugar candies, or pastries. The best thing you can do is buy a box of sugar-free gum and eat one every time you feel a desire to smoke or anxiety.

When the urge to put a cigarette in your mouth is very intense, it is best to resort to nicotine gum, which will help you reduce anxiety almost instantly. Cinnamon is also potent to calm the urge to smoke. Having cinnamon sticks on hand and sucking on them for a while will help reduce the crisis naturally and keep you on your goal of quitting tobacco.

Occupy your mind

To quit smoking without gaining weight, you must stay busy because being distracted helps you forget that you are quitting tobacco and allows you to keep your mind focused on anything other than food. Using your free time to discover new hobbies can be of great help to achieve your goal successfully. For example, instead of staying home all weekend doing housework, go for a walk around your neighborhood to avoid opening and closing the refrigerator in search of food to quench anxiety.

Suppose you want to see a movie for a long time or have yet to organize your closet and get rid of old clothes. In that case, this is a perfect time since any task that grabs all your attention and suggests concentration will help you to be focused without being thought about the urge to smoke or eat.

Exercise to the rescue

If there is an ideal time to start any physical activity, it is when we stop smoking. Exercise helps us oxygenate our body to the point that the least we want is to light a cigarette once we do it. On the contrary, we feel happy thanks to an increase in the production of endorphins. We think actively, Thanks to the acceleration of our blood flow, and, above all, we feel healthy, which gives us the necessary enthusiasm not to ruin the training with a high-fat meal.

Other tips for quitting smoking without gaining weight

  • Have a glass of water every time you feel like eating because of the urge to smoke.
  • Do not think. Sometimes our mind is our worst enemy. Avoid thinking that you are in the process of change. Act as if nothing is happening.
  • Always have healthy snacks like sugar-free candy on hand.
  • If you are one of those who smoke for stress, it is good that you control your blood sugar level or the amount of candy you eat since this ingredient increases glucose levels and triggers anxiety.
  • To increase the effect of satiety, snack and include enough protein in all your meals.
  • Plan your meals for a whole week, so you don’t have a chance to get cravings.
  • An excellent snack to reduce appetite is dark chocolate. It does not contain sugar and causes a satiety effect.
  • Seek support! Like you, many people have dealt with the battle of quitting this vice. Quitting smoking without gaining weight is possible, so when you feel like losing the fight, do not hesitate to look to your closest ones for a bit of motivation.

This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor if you present any condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Tips to quit smoking without gaining weight, we recommend that you enter our Well-being category.

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