Weight Gain After Quit Smoking
Many people experience a weight gain after they quit smoking. This is normal and has several different causes.
Weight Gain After Quit Smoking
The fact that a weight gain is common after smoking has been used by some people as an excuse to continue the unhealthy practice. They cite the medical reports of the health dangers of obesity and claim that they do not wish to trade one danger for another. This is not a very valid argument. Although weight gain will most likely occur immediately after quitting smoking, it is not a serious problem and can be easily controlled. There is no doubt that continuing to smoke poses the greater health risk.
The nicotine that you ingest from smoking has a tendency to increase metabolism. Your body becomes used to this increased metabolic rate. When the nicotine level in your body begins to drop, the metabolism slows down. This slow down might simply be a return to your bodies normal rate, but the short term effect is that the slower metabolism will lead to a bit more fat storage. This will usually result in a gain of between five and ten pounds. This is usually the limit caused by the slower metabolism.
This small amount of weight gain can be easily lost again once the body is cleaned out of it nicotine content. If your weight continues to increase, it is most likely due to something else. One factor is an oral fixation. We have become so used to putting something in our mouth during smoking that it is natural to keep sticking things in our mouths after we quit. Usually, this is increased eating. The nicotine has also reduced normal appetite and dulled the taste buds. We are hungry, and food is tasting better and better. It is only natural to eat more.
There is an increased amount of stress in the period right after quitting. The body is going through withdrawal. Eating is a good way to deal with this stress. In most cases, it is simply overeating after you quit smoking that causes continued weight gain. The way to combat this is to control your diet and increase your level of exercise as part of the quit smoking plan. Raw vegetables like carrot sticks and celery stalks can replace the oral fixation problem without causing weight gain. Drinking water is good, not only because it contains no calories, but because it helps flush the nicotine out of your system.
The weight gain associated with the very wise decision to quit smoking is a minor and easily controlled side effect. It may take a little time for your body to adjust and return to normal, but it will do so eventually. A decision to quit smoking is a decision in favor of good health. It makes sense to make this healthy decision just one part of an overall health plan that includes a healthy diet and exercise. If you do this, the weight gain will be negligible and quickly brought under control.