Stop smoking and weight gain are both important issues that can be difficult to deal with. The weight gain caused by the withdrawal from giving up smoking is sometimes enough to break a person’s will and cause a relapse. It is possible to combat these effects, however, and recovering from nicotine addictions can be an easier process when you know you won’t have too severe weight gain issues. As with many things, it is important to understand why weight is gained afterwards.

Why Does Weight Increase After Smoking Ceases?

For smokers, their metabolism can increase slightly, improving the fat burning process and burning up to two-hundred calories a day. Also, nicotine is an appetite suppressant and come off that unleashes all sorts of once-stunted hormones in the body, increasing food habits. By maintaining the same amount of food a day from before smoking to after smoking, it is possible to shave off that weight gain with some light, thirty-minute exercise. The weight gain is a result of smoking cessation, which itself puts the body into a state of shock. Below is some more information the effects.

An addiction, smoking causes intense cravings once quit. It can become easy for you to replace the cigarettes with other things and it might become a comfort. Often, people turn to food as a comfort and to ease their withdrawal, but this comfort eating will only increase weight gain and create a vicious circle.

Nicotine suppresses the appetite by interfering with the hormone insulin that controls sugar levels in the body and in turn causes slight hyperglycemia. This will in turn slow down other signals and hormones that relate to the appetite. Frequently, smoker may have a cigarette between meals, thus preventing them from wishing to have any in-between snacks, increasing weight loss.

How To Avoid Weight Gain

First and foremost, exercise is still the best form of weight loss. Thirty minutes a day, five days a week will easily combat weight gain for most people; a simple walk around the block or or light form of exercise will fulfill this requirement. If any cravings ever set in, a bit of exercise will relieve them as well as improving your attitude. In combination with exercise, you should always eat and drink healthily. Avoid the snacks such as crisps, chocolate and biscuits. Instead, have vegetable sticks, like celery or carrots, and drink lots of water. When eating a meal, carefully weigh the calorie count against your recommended daily intake.

Alcohol is bad in many ways, as it is high in calorie content and lowers inhibitions, making the person ever more likely to relapse to smoking. It should be avoided as much as possible, as temptations will be harder to battle when the person is not sober.

Final Thoughts

While all these steps are important, it is the self-esteem which can make the most difference. The person must feel good about themselves for improving and combating their addiction. However, sometimes an individual may seek to improve themselves too much and run the risk of failing. Patience and being good to themselves is integral to success.

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