Don’t Gain Weight After Quitting Smoking: A Guide
One of the major reasons people use to not stop smoking is that they are afraid they are going to gain weight. This article exists to help you get past that fear. If you prepare and follow the following steps, weight gain is no longer going to be a reason you will not quit smoking.
Get real about weight gain. Let’s be serious. You are not going to balloon up like a heffalump if you stop smoking! That simply isn’t going to happen. That’s why you need to stop using this as an excuse. You may gain a few pounds, and you can either be okay with that or prepare to battle that when you quit.
The first thing you need to do, when you want to avoid gaining weight after you stop smoking, is to increase the amount of physical activity you engage in. You can no longer lead a sedentary lifestyle and puff your way through it. You need to seriously consider moving your body much more than you do. This will help you feel better about stopping smoking, and it will help your body look better. There really is no reason to not exercise. You simply need to find something you enjoy.
Think carefully about what you are eating. When you quit smoking, you are going to have a better sense of taste, so you may want to eat everything. Just keep in mind that you are trying to keep pounds down, so try everything in small portions, and stick with smart, delicious snacks such as cheese and cut fruit instead of a cinnamon bun from the company vending machine.
Join a support group. However, you may not need to join a support group for nicotine, just a regular weight loss group or fitness group. That way, you are able to surround yourself with people who are really serious about doing what you need to do to keep your body looking good. They can pass on cooking tips, exercise tips, what they like, which fitness videos they like, all kinds of information that can be useful to you. Other people can also cheer you on as you go, so that you always feel good about where you are going and you always feel good about what you have decided to do for yourself.
Allow yourself a slip or two. Once of the best lessons to learn is that it’s okay to fail here and there. If you have a cigarette, or if you sleep in instead of doing your workout, it is okay. You just have to do better next time.
Think about the future and how you’re going to look. Think positively about what your body looks like, and your subconscious will guide you to it.
After reading this article, hopefully you are no longer willing to use weight gain as an excuse not to quit smoking. Use the tips laid out in this article and you will maintain your weight and possibly lose some!
