As you contemplate quitting smoking, you may worry about the weight gain. Former smokers may gain less than 10 pounds once they quit smoking, according to the American Cancer Society. This risk is far less than the benefits gained from quitting smoking. You can take some proactive steps to help avoid putting on additional pounds. These steps are healthy ones because they require you to begin good health habits. Take these activities and make them your New Year's resolution so you can begin living a healthier, smoke-free lifestyle.
Additional Exercise
After you've quit smoking cigarettes as your New Year's resolution, increase your physical activity so you don't gain weight. Find a fun form of exercise that gives you a moderate level of physical activity. Exercise at least three times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session. According to the National Institutes of Health Weight-control Information Network, cigarette smoking caused your body to burn calories faster when you smoked--substituting cigarette smoking with exercise will help you to combat the cravings and become more physically fit and healthier. Smoking increases the body's metabolism rate, which means the smoker burns more calories for the period of time he smokes. When he stops smoking, his metabolism slows down, according to HealthCare4Me. Use physical exercise as a way of handling the cravings to smoke and do some exercises during these times.
Limit Snacks and Alcohol
Some former smokers replace cigarettes with snacking. You can still enjoy snacks but instead of high-calorie, high-fat foods, put crunchy vegetables and low-calorie dips in the front of your refrigerator so when you are truly hungry for a snack, you'll pull these foods out. Hide the sweets and high-calorie snacks or put them in a spot where it is hard for you to get to them. Buy foods like tortilla chips or rice cakes, lowfat yogurt, bread sticks or unbuttered popcorn. Make sure you're truly hungry before you start to eat a snack. Delay getting a snack when you feel like eating and do something else.
Avoid alcohol, which is a high-calorie beverage.
Portion Control
Divide your snacks into single-serving portions and put the remaining portions away. Eat only one serving at a time. Move your dinner time to a later time so you can possibly reduce your urge to have a snack in the late evening. Save a portion of your meal and refrigerate it as a snack for later in the evening.
Make yourself aware of your eating so that you don't have a snack without thinking about what you're doing.
Avoid Tempting Situations
Figure out which situations could possibly tempt you to smoke or eat and avoid them. Those who previously stopped at a pub for a meal, beer and a cigarette with co-workers or friends, should ask friends to help you out by finding another pleasurable activity that won't give you difficulty as you are quitting smoking. Visit LiveSTRONG's website and register as a new member of the Quit Smoking Dare (see Resources below). You can ask for emotional support from other forum members who are quitting smoking and give them emotional support when they need it from you.
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