Are you desperate because you stopped smoking and are now gaining weight exponentially?
Many ex-smokers feel like this. They feel despondent because they have done something very positive for their overall health and longevity, but because they are gaining weight, they feel as if they are being punished. Many even consider resuming their addictive habit of smoking just to halt or reverse weight gain.
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This is, of course, a fatal attitude to solving the problem.
Why weight increases
It is important to note that many people give up smoking and do not gain any weight.
However, there is a potential for weight gain when you stop smoking because of two factors:
a) More efficient energy conversion
People who smoke are less efficient in converting food energy for physical activity or storage in the form of fat. The harmful compounds in cigarette and other smoke can 'uncouple' many of the oxidative processes in the body.
So, if you stop smoking, your energy conversion processes will improve and you may store more fat.
In many people this is a temporary phase that will balance out as increased physical activity, which follows from a more efficient energy supply and improved respiratory performance, will prevent excess fat storage.
Such individuals gain a few kilos initially when they stop smoking, but will lose this weight after a few months without any interventions.
b) Increased food intake
Probably the most important reason why ex-smokers gain weight is the fact that they increase their food intake significantly.
This urge to eat also has a variety of causes, namely the need for oral satisfaction because cigarettes are no longer satisfying this need, seeking comfort in food because of feelings of deprivation, and increased appetite.
Steps to prevent weight gain
1) Watch your diet
If you decide to stop smoking, you need to be aware that you may potentially gain weight.
So, from the very first day of your quitting programme, start watching your diet. To reduce your total energy intake, it's a good idea to cut down on fatty and sugary foods and alcohol.
Just by cutting out 10 g of fat a day you will save 370 kJ, which over time will combat possible weight gain associated with smoking. Having one less drink a day will also make a difference.
If you have a tendency to gain weight, go on a balanced, energy-reduced diet which is high in protective nutrients (fruit and vegetables) and low in fat, right from the start.
Drink 4-6 glasses of water a day (not more, otherwise you may develop water intoxication), to improve excretion of pollutant substances and stave off some hunger pangs.
2) Do more exercise
Physical exercise is the best way of stimulating your metabolism so that you burn up energy instead of storing it as fat. There are many ways in which you can increase your physical activity, most of which do not involve extra expenses.
You can go for brisk walks in the fresh air (which you will now enjoy fully for the first time if you have stopped smoking!) for 30 minutes or more a day, increasing how far and how fast you walk over time.
Buy a skipping rope and skip for 30 minutes a day, starting gradually with a 10-minute session (you may still get rather breathless), and increasing your skipping till you are doing a full 30 minutes a day. If you have access to a swimming pool, go swimming or join a water-aerobics class.
Joining a gym, so that you can do aerobic workouts such as treadmill running, spinning and rowing, is also an excellent idea as these exercises will help burn fat. If you've stopped smoking the money you save each day will be more than enough to pay for your gym membership! The same goes for joining Walk for Life (pay with your cigarette money). You'll never regret it.
How to combat the urge to nibble all day
The urge to nibble all day to provide the oral satisfaction which previously was supplied by cigarettes, can also be cleverly re-channelled.
Don't think that you don't need to wean yourself of this urge to nibble. Be aware that it may well emerge and make plans to cheat the urge by nibbling foods that are very low in energy, such as celery sticks, carrots sticks, baby tomatoes, gherkins and unbuttered popcorn.
However, you need to be careful with popcorn as it does contain 1908 kJ per 100g or 572 g per 30 g portion. Eat popcorn kernels one by one so that you stretch out the chewing period and obtain maximum oral satisfaction, without loading your kilojoule intake.
Then there is artificially sweetened chewing gum – the salvation of many a person who kicks the smoking habit.
Research indicates that if you chew something that tastes sweet, even if it contains no energy, you can fool your body into thinking that you have eaten something sweet and keep hunger pangs at bay.
Use artificially sweetened chewing gum whenever you feel the urge to nibble. It does not contain any energy and can save you hundreds of kilojoules a day.
Encouraging research
There are certain pharmaceutical products presently being researched which have the potential to help people not only to give up smoking, but also control their urge to eat after cessation.
Researchers have discovered that the human body has a variety of so-called cannabinoid receptors, which make us susceptible to certain drugs like cannabis (hence the name), smoking and overeating. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to perfect and test drugs which will stop dependence on these drugs and also prevent weight gain in general, and after kicking the habit.
At a conference on obesity that I attended in 2004, researchers reported that one variation of these drugs, called Rimobabant, was successful in reducing body weight and waist circumference. The plan is to produce drugs which will stop humans from craving cannabis and cigarettes, and assist in weight loss. This is wonderful news, but keep in mind that this research is in the early stages and that it may take some time before these wonder drugs are available.
Until these drugs come onto the market, those readers who have stopped smoking can prevent weight gain by being aware of the possibility of gaining weight, and doing proactive things to prevent it.
Use low-energy snacks and sugar-free chewing gum to combat the urge to nibble, reduce your energy intake with a sensible diet and get as active as possible on a daily basis. Just imagine how healthy you will feel – it's so worth it. – (Dr Ingrid van Heerden, DietDoc)
References:
(Finer N (2004) Weight Reducing & Metabolic Effects of Rimobabant in Overweight/Obese Patient. Poster presented at the IASO Regional Congress, Oct 2004 )
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