Quitting smoking is one of the best things anyone can do for his health. The process is anything but easy and can have a negative effect on your weight. Many people who quit smoking gain weight, and some of them put on so much weight that it is unhealthy. However, putting on 70, 80 or even 100 pounds is not inevitable. Taking an organized and rational approach to quitting can help you lose this habit without overeating.
Step 1
Start chewing nicotine gum, a substitute for people who want to quit smoking. The gum provides many of the same characteristics that enhance your metabolism, so chewing it will act as a temporary appetite suppressant as you wean yourself off cigarettes.
Step 2
Live an active lifestyle. This will help prevent you from sitting around and grazing on snacks. Spend at least 30 minutes of your day exercising. Working out, running and lifting weights will burn calories and decrease your cravings for nicotine. People who don't get into an exercise program after quitting smoking tend to gain weight.
Step 3
Eat fruits and vegetables when you are hungry, and you can also have some sugarless candy from time to time. The ex-smoker wants to keep his mouth busy after putting a cigarette in his mouth 10 to 40 times per day.
Step 4
Talk to a counselor or a friend or family member. Kicking the smoking habit is not just dealing with a physical addiction, it is a psychological one as well. Depression is often a byproduct of quitting smoking, and many people deal with depression by eating. Some counselors specialize in helping ex-smokers.
Step 5
Keep a log of everything you eat. If you see you have been eating too much red meat or too many snack foods, make a conscious decision to make that change the next day.
Tips and Warnings
- Tell your friends and family members what you are trying to do so they can help support your decision.
- Giving up an addiction to nicotine is difficult. While you have to make the final decision not to smoke, you can get help from a support group.
