Medical Weight Loss Plan

Weight gain after quitting cigarette smoking is a common phenomenon as ex-smokers shift their addictive tendencies from nicotine to food. Whether it is to derive the ‘feel good’ effect of mood enhancing foods like chocolates or sugars or the need to snack continuously to distract one from thinking of cigarettes, many ex-smokers weigh out the benefit of giving up cigarette smoking to the health and aesthetic impact of gaining those extra pounds.

It is possible to lose weight and keep it off after smoking, but just as with quitting cigarette smoking, the key is discipline when it comes to snacking as well as knowledge about what foods you are eating. You would rather prevent the weight gain than have to undertake the task of losing the weight.

There are two activities that contribute to weight gain after quitting cigarettes. The first involves snacking throughout the day. This is done for a number of reasons – to distract you from the thought of cigarettes and to keep your mouth and hands and busy. The other tendency is to consume high calorie and high fat foods, especially those high in sugar. This gives a person small bursts of energy which may not match the effect of nicotine as a stimulant but may avoid the ‘downer’ periods that one would experience when they would usually have a smoker. Combining both these activities will mean even quicker weight gain.

Tips to Avoid Weight Gain When Quitting Smoking

• Use a nicotine replacement (NRT) product if necessary. This will help you overcome your nicotine addiction without shifting it to food.
• If you are feeling the withdrawal symptoms of quitting cigarettes, try to take a walk or drink a non-caffeinated low calorie drink. Both these activities will help to distract you without poling on the pounds.
• While you should stay away from the smokers, you should also keep your distance from the snackers, especially at the office. Don’t get into the habit of joining the crowd at the coffee pot or for a snack every hour.
• Don’t respond to your body’s every whim. Nicotine suppresses your appetite. Now that you have quit, you will find that you will feel hungry more often. Use common sense to decide when you need to eat or not.
• Start on a low GI (glycemic index) eating plan. This will give you sustained energy throughout the day rather than blood sugar peaks and dips which you may mistaken for the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine.

Remember quitting smoking is not easy. But trying to lose weight at a later stage can be just as difficult.

Comments are closed.