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How to avoid gaining weight after quitting smoking
(Last Updated On: March 11, 2021)
Smoking can cause chronic health conditions, for example, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and respiratory diseases and also results in reduced life expectancy of a smoker by almost a decade compared to the life expectancy of a non-smoker.
The benefits of quitting smoking are quite evident. There would be fewer chances of stroke, two to five years after quitting, the risk of heart attack and lung cancer decreases considerably. It also has a positive effect on the throat, mouth, bladder, and oesophagus.
But what happens after one quits?
It’s common to gain weight after one quits smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes suppresses hunger, which leads to a reduced appetite. The main reason people put on weight after they quit smoking is because of the effects of nicotine withdrawal. The urge to control smoking is controlled by eating snacks at frequent intervals.
Cigarette chemicals suppress your hunger so when you don’t get your dose of nicotine, the feeling of hunger returns. Not only that, but nicotine also increases your body’s metabolism, which slows down after quitting smoking.
Even though this weight gain is likely, it’s not inevitable. Here are a few tips that can help you manage this.
- Snack on sugar-free gums to avoid consumption of junk food when you crave and reduce the calorie intake. This helps to keep you distracted without any sugar intake. It also reduces the risk of diabetes in the future.
- Keep an active lifestyle, exercise continuously to burn off the calories that your body can’t because of reduced metabolism. The best way to go about it would be to start exercising before you quit smoking to develop a habit and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workout. A quick cardio can do wonders. It can keep your blood pressure, diabetes in control and is also effective in cases of hypertension.
- Yoga has also proven to be super beneficial in this regard. Not only does it help in burning excessive fats but also cures problems of high blood pressure and hypertension. Yoga also boosts your energy and can help in strengthening your immunity which at the end of the day is beneficial during the times of Covid-19. Both Yoga and Cardio or rather any sort of physical exercise is helpful to avoid weight gain after you quit smoking.
- Take a goodnight’s sleep to aid your digestive system.
The risks that come with smoking cigarettes surely outweigh the benefit of weight loss that comes with it. The focus should be on improving your diet and regular exercise habits and not stress about the little spike in your weight after quitting smoking.
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