Quitting smoking is essential to improving your health and well-being, but unfortunately, it often comes with an unwelcome side effect—weight gain. If you recently quit smoking, you won’t gain weight! Keeping a smoke-free lifestyle doesn’t mean that you have to gain weight. In this blog post, we’ll share four ways to avoid weight gain after quitting smoking. Keep reading to learn more!
1. Exercise
Exercising regularly is one of the most important things you can do to avoid gaining weight after you quit smoking. Exercise helps reduce cravings and can help to prevent you from turning to food for comfort when the urge to smoke hits. Your metabolism can also be boosted by exercising regularly.
When you’re exercising regularly, make sure to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five days a week. This can include anything from walking, jogging, or swimming to a more intense workout such as kickboxing or spinning. It’s also essential to mix in strength training two or three days a week to build muscle, which will help you to burn even more calories. Recovery is equally important to exercise as exercise is to rest!
2. Change Your Eating Habits
When you quit smoking, it’s easy to replace the habit with an unhealthy one, like snacking on junk food. If you want to avoid Weight Gain after quitting smoking, you must be careful about what you eat.
If you’re used to having a cigarette after meals, try replacing that habit with something healthier. Try eating fruits or nuts instead of cigarettes. Eating regular meals and snacks is also beneficial to keep your weight in check and manage cravings.
Watching portion sizes is also important. You can gain weight if you eat more than you need. Make sure to fill up on vegetables and lean proteins to feel full and satisfied without overeating.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
One of the most important things you can do to help prevent weight increase after quitting smoking is to drink plenty of water. You can flush out toxins from your body with water, improve digestion and metabolism, and control your appetite with water. Additionally, it prevents overeating by keeping you feeling full.
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily if you have recently quit smoking. Additionally, water helps to combat the common side effect of dehydration caused by smoking cessation. It’s also necessary to avoid sugary drinks, as they contain empty calories and lead to weight increase. For more information about stop smoking visit bothfeetontheground.co.uk.
A great way to ensure you stay hydrated is to carry a reusable water bottle throughout the day. Filling your bottle several times daily will help you track how much water you’re drinking and remind you to take frequent sips.
4. Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine
When you quit smoking, you must ensure you don’t turn to other unhealthy habits for comfort. Your weight-loss journey can be adversely affected by alcohol and caffeine. When you drink alcohol, it can lead to overeating, dehydration, and more unhealthy choices. Caffeine is also a stimulant that can lead to an increase in appetite, as well as increased cravings for sugary foods.
It’s best to avoid both of these substances when you quit smoking. If you do choose to drink alcohol or consume caffeine, make sure to do so in moderation. If you’re struggling with cravings for either substance, try replacing them with a healthy alternative such as water, tea, or fruit juice.
Final Thoughts
Quitting smoking can be difficult, but it can also have positive health benefits, such as reducing your risk of cancer and other diseases. The common side effect of quitting smoking is gaining weight. To help avoid this weight gain, try to make small lifestyle changes. Exercise regularly, eat healthier foods, drink plenty of water, and eliminate or reduce alcohol and caffeine from your diet. With these four strategies, you will be well on your way to staying healthy and keeping the weight off.
