One of the concerns that many people have when quitting smoking is the possibility of gaining weight.
It is actually one of the reasons why many people refuse to quit and why others will start smoking again when they see that they are starting to gain unwanted pounds.
Most people will notice some weight gain when they quit smoking and on average the increase in weight will be approximately five pounds.
There are however many ways to make sure that you won’t put on weight and these are healthy lifestyle choices such as the correct food and good exercise.
Considering the major benefits you will be making to your health both now and in the future by quitting smoking you might as well go all the way and boost your fitness levels too.
The advantages of stopping smoking certainly outweigh any of the disadvantages of adding a few pounds of bodyweight.
Smoking does help people to keep their weight down and some fashion models smoke cigarettes because the nicotine in them speeds up the metabolism and that helps to burn fat due to the increased demand for energy. By burning more calories to supply the energy demands it is easier to remain thinner.
In addition to speeding up the metabolism nicotine acts like a stimulant and that can help to suppress the appetite.
A third way that nicotine helps people to stay thinner is because it causes the food to stay in the stomach longer and reduce the feelings of hunger.
So you will need to make some lifestyle changes to retain your current weight once you stop smoking. The easiest and most obvious step to take is to make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day. This will help you to remain hydrated and it will also give you a fuller feeling in your stomach that will reduce the amount of hunger pangs you get. This will stop you from eating excessively and it will also help to boost your energy levels which will make it easier for you to do some form of exercise that will help to boost your metabolism in much the same manner as the nicotine has done but without the negative effects on your health.
This is not to say that you will gain weight when you quit smoking as a good percentage of people will actually lose weight. Just monitor your weight and no matter which direction it goes in you will always be better off from quitting even if you do gain a few pounds.