Quitting smoking does lots of funny things to the body, and you might not even realize some of them are happening. Like, if you feel kind of weird 8 hours after your last cigarette, you’re probably not going to say to yourself, “Oh, that must be the carbon monoxide in my blood returning to normal levels.” Or, the next day, you’re probably not going to say, “This strange feeling in my chest must be my bronchial tubes relaxing!” No, these are stop smoking side effects that you have to deal with.
So what to expect when you quit smoking? Most of these things happen without your knowledge. And there are tons of them—mood changes, changes in your sleep patterns, adjustments to your circulation, and on and on. And then there are the changes to your appetite, taste buds, and nerve endings, which are what makes it so hard to quit smoking without gaining weight.
Sure, you might say, “I can quit smoking without gaining weight. I just won’t eat much, and I’ll exercise a lot.” But I’m afraid it’s a bit harder than that. Lots of people say the same thing as you, and they still end up gaining weight.
It’s because the weight gain sneaks up on you. One day, you think everything’s going just peachy, and the next day you bathroom scale’s saying you’ve gained 7 pounds. The changes to your body are that profound.
But, if you understand the effects of cigarettes on the body and mind, you can take real action to prevent weight gain. So here are quit smoking tips that you will find useful.
Smoking increases metabolism. Smoking causes you to burn around 100 or more extra calories per day. When you quit, these calories stick around. So, until your metabolism recovers, which can take a few weeks, watch your eating, and try to make sure you eat 100 calories fewer than you normally would. That’s not that much to cut out.
Cigarettes suppress appetite. Because smoking elevates your blood sugar, it also reduces your appetite. For the first few weeks after quitting, having a lower blood sugar level than your used to might cause you to crave food all the time. But be careful. As a rule, only eat when your stomach is growling. That’s when you know you’re really hungry, and not just having empty cravings.
Cigarettes stimulate dopamine. When you quit, you miss out on that regular dopamine fix. This might make you tempted to turn to other things, like sweets, greasy food, or alcohol, all of which do the dopamine thing.
Cigarettes occupy your hands and mouth. After quitting, you’ll get those little spells where you’re not quite sure what to do with your hands and your mouth. There are plenty of things you can do instead of eating. Drink water. Apply chapstick. Brush your teeth. Just don’t use food or anything else that could be unhealthy in excess.
Smoking dulls your senses of taste and smell. Starting a couple of weeks after you quit, you may find that food tastes unbelievably delicious. But instead of eating more, take the time to savor your food, and eat things that taste really good.
Smoking is an activity. Most smokers habitually pick up a cigarette when they don’t know what else to do. Now, to keep yourself busy, become active. Take up exercise. And not just one kind of exercise—do cardio, strength training, and flexibility training. If you exercise enough, no matter how long does it take to quit smoking, it won’t be hard to balance out your swings in metabolism and appetite.
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"Green Smoke" E-Cigarettes
"Green Smoke" Electric Cigarette
In case you haven’t heard of e-cigarettes, they’re these ingenious little battery-operated devices that allow you to “smoke” without actually smoking. In place of traditional tobacco, e-cigarettes use a nicotine solution made of propylene glycol or glycerin, both perfectly harmless substances that happen to contain nicotine.
For as long as we’ve known about the harmful effects of cigarettes, smokers have dreamed of the possibility of a safe and clean type of cigarette without the carcinogenic effects, the noxious smoke, or the lingering odor. But we knew that this was just an unrealistic fantasy. After all, without these negative things, smoking wouldn’t be smoking.
If you are reading this post, you are probably one of many people for whom question ‘how to quit smoking’ has not been answered yet. I used to be in your shoes, and as a former chain smoker I know what you are going through. You know that stopping smoking is very easy…you’ve been probably doing it 20 times a day.
When we acquired distribution rights for this Stop Smoking Hypnosis CD, we were thinking of ways to make it available to everybody. We also wanted people who really need it to use it without spending a penny. A friend of mine suggested a compromise that allows you to access these full length Free Quit Smoking Hypnosis sessions after completing one short survey of your choice, which unlocks content for 48 hours. I understand that for some even this is a burden, but I believe it’s a win-win situation because it strengthens your commitment to Stop Smoking For Good.
After decades of decline, the U.S. teen-smoking rate has stayed level over the last few years, even increasing in some states. This is probably due to several factors, including the down economy, the leveling off of cigarette prices, and the simple fact that, as long as cigarettes are around, some rebellious teens will always be drawn to them.
Start early: Once kids start developing minds of their own, there’s no telling what they will be drawn to. But if you instill anti-smoking views at an early age, you’ll get your child off on the right foot.
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