Quitting to Smoke? Keep a watch on Your Weight
Nov 06, 2008 1 Comment »
Have you recently given up smoking and are concerned about the weight you gained after you quit? Do not worry as you are among the 80% who have given up smoking cigarettes and have gained weight. There is a very high probability that you gain some weight after you give up smoking. However most of the weight gained after quitting can be shed with in the 6 months of such weight gain. It is equally important to know that post quitting weight gain can be controlled with some amount of time and efforts.
Let us talk about why people gain weight after they quit and how to minimize such weight gain.
- Raised Metabolism BMR of an average smoker is higher than that of a non-smoker resulting is burning of higher calories. The heartbeat of the smoker increases immediately after you smoke a cigarette and the metabolism shoots up simultaneously. Obviously we all know that it is a very unhealthy way of keeping the metabolism up as a high percentage of smokers account for people with some or the other kind of heart disease.
Usually when you quit smoking the metabolic rate slows down to less than a healthy metabolic rate and takes some time to come to the normal levels. This slower BMR in the post quitting period results in burning calories than it is needed in a normal person.
A smoker weighs 4 to 10 pounds less than a non smoker with similar physical activity level. Thus when he quits smoking he comes to the normal weight of an average non smoker with his kind of physical activity. A study reveled that about 50 % of the people who quit gained less than the average 4 to 10 pounds while about 10 % of them even gained between 25 to 50 pounds.
- Eating habit changes It is very usual to notice a change in your daily diet after you quit. Mostly the appetite goes up after quitting and thus increases your calorie intake. This is one withdrawal symptom that stays for a prolonged period in a person.
Is it certain to suffer a weight gain on quitting?
The answer is NO it does not have to happen! There have been studies on heart patients who were advised to change their diet and the lifestyle after giving up on smoking. These people did not experience weight gain as compared to the patients who were not given any advice on diet and lifestyle. Another study involved recruits in the Air force to go through a six week long boot camp where they were forced to quit smoking. They did not gain weight at the camp as there was a very strict control on their diet. This study definitely points to the fact that it is possible to maintain weight even after giving up on smoking.
While we are all aware of the immense health benefits that are associated with quitting smoking, some people still hate to add a few pounds more to their weight. It is important to note here that most of the weight gain occurs in the first six months and this weight can be easily shed once the body metabolism comes to healthy rate. Also note that if you can keep a check on your diet and physical activity level, it is possible for you to not gain weight at all.
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November 6th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
[...] Original post by admin [...]