Quit smoking and not get better
Many of us promise ourselves to quit smoking. And, as a rule, the date is supposed to come tomorrow, on Monday, from New Year … What is stopping us? For many, quitting smoking is hampered by the fear of getting fat. There is a deal of truth in it…
There are several reasons for gaining weight after breaking up with this bad habit:
- Nicotine hunger is similar to normal hunger. After quitting smoking, the ex-smoker begins to eat a lot, trying to drown out the desire to smoke. Smoking usually reduces hunger. The smoker is not so tormented by the feeling of an empty stomach before eating. Nutritionists say that smoking alters the instinctive need for food. In other words, smokers prefer dishes with a more pronounced taste, lean on fatty foods, and reduce their intake of sweets.
- A person who quit smoking improves their metabolism and requires less food than before. Usually, a person continues to eat as before, thereby exceeding the required amount of calories. Nicotine increases energy expenditure: one pack of cigarettes a day burns 200 calories.
- A former smoker is trying to replace his psychological addiction to cigarettes with candy and hard candy. If each time instead of a cigarette you eat a candy, then you can eat an order of sweets per day, from which weight can also be added.
- By stimulating the production of the neurohormone serotonin, nicotine gives a burst of energy, which former smokers regretfully remember for so long. If you quit smoking without changing your diet, extra pounds are almost guaranteed.
According to statistics, in the first two years after quitting smoking, women gain on average 3.8 kg (for men, this figure is lower - 2.8 kg). At the same time, some former smokers will weigh 13 kg (10% of the total), and some - less than 3 kg (50%). Usually people begin to gain weight two months after getting rid of the addiction. The risk of gaining weight after quitting smoking remains for 2 years.
However, you should not simultaneously quit smoking and severely limit yourself in food, go on a diet. Quitting smoking is already stressful for the body. And double stress is much more difficult to survive. The risk of falling out doubles. It is advisable to just slightly change your unhealthy eating habits so as not to dramatically gain weight.
The easiest way is to try not to eat junk food for 3 hours before bedtime, eat natural products instead of preservatives, not overeat and try to move more, play sports. Experiments have shown that vitamin C helps fight nicotine addiction. Therefore, when quitting smoking, take vitamin C. And mineral water with a high content of magnesium or magnesium tablets helps to relieve stress and good sleep.
Smoking certainly contributes to weight loss, however, at the cost of the health of your lungs, heart, teeth and skin. But do not start smoking to lose weight. The harm caused to health by a pack of cigarettes smoked per day can be compared with 40-50 kilograms of excess weight.
It is possible that by including cigarettes in your diet, you will consume fewer calories, replacing "smoke breaks" with tea and sweet rolls for real men's smoke breaks with mountains of cigarette butts and thick clouds of smoke. But if you, noticing that your teeth have suddenly turned yellow, your mouth smells unpleasant, your hair has become brittle and dull, your face looks more like a dried lemon, your voice has become hoarse, your eyes are constantly red and watery, something pranks your heart, and even, making sure that the extra pounds sticking out from under the blouse have not gone anywhere, decide to quit smoking, and then you will be overtaken by a terrible disappointment - you are drawn in.
If you do start smoking, hoping to get rid of those extra pounds, quit unconditionally. Plump ruddy cheeks and an appetizing figure are much more pleasant than a shriveled yellowed face and a body covered with diseases.
For a woman, smoking is especially harmful, because at the first puff it hurts in the throat, the heart rate increases, a nasty taste in the mouth appears, coughing, dizziness, nausea and vomiting are possible. A young girl cannot help but notice that she has a cough (especially in the morning), hoarseness of voice, bad breath, skin becomes flabby, teeth turn yellow and, in general, the girl looks older than her peers. Because of the harm caused by smoking, women have an increased incidence of inflammatory diseases, which leads to infertility.
The German gynecologist Bernhard, having examined about 6 thousand women, found that infertility was observed in women who smoke in 42%, and in non-smokers - only 4%. Tobacco gives 96% of miscarriages, 1/3 of premature babies. Tobacco destroys both those who smoke and those who are born to smokers and those who are around smokers. Women who smoke tend to age early and experience premature wilting.
So, if you decide to get rid of this bad habit, first eliminate the main danger threatening your health - quit smoking! And then fight the extra pounds as much as you like.
