Can You Stop Smoking WITHOUT Gaining Weight?

People that quit smoking may find weight gain is their next biggest threat! An article on Men's Health discussed a study done in Penn State, in which 300 frequent smokers were examined to see how they packed on the pounds after they tried to quit smoking. The average former smoker gained as many as 22 pounds in their efforts to quit! How is this possible?

• Nicotine suppresses your appetite, so you'll eat more when you stop smoking.
• Nicotine speeds up your metabolism, so without it your body burns fewer calories.
• Nicotine is addictive, so you use food and chewing gum to distract yourself from the desire to smoke.

It can be rough to start gaining weight just when you're doing the healthy thing and quitting smoking. It's important that you focus on one monumental challenge at a time, and the one to go first is the smoking! [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Source: hartford.edu[/caption] Here's how to try quitting without packing on the pounds:

• Drink more water
• Snack on LOTS of veggie sticks
• Go for nuts and seeds
• Have snacks handy when the cravings hit
• Use exercise to work off the nerves

Once you quit smoking, then you can worry about losing weight. For now, bend your mind and will towards getting rid of your nasty smoking habit.    

Featured Image Source: seriousfacts.com

Resources:

http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/quit-smoking-without-gaining-weight

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/quit-smoking-without-gaining-weight