As the holiday season approaches, many people are gearing up for another attempt at quitting smoking. But you’re not imagining things if you’ve noticed a few extra pounds after kicking the habit. Weight gain is a common side effect of quitting smoking. However, you can keep those unwanted pounds at bay with a few lifestyle tweaks.
A study from the University of Tasmania in Australia tracked 388,432 smokers and 63,403 ex-smokers over five years. The results? Former smokers packed an average of 5.7 pounds after quitting.
Here’s the science behind it: Your metabolism revs up while smoking. Why? Your body is working overtime to flush out those nasty toxins. When you quit, your metabolism slows down, meaning you could gain weight even if you’re eating the same amount.
In addition to that, nicotine is a sneaky appetite suppressant, dulling your taste buds and making you eat less. Once you quit, your taste buds revive, and food tastes amazing again. Plus, many people turn to snacks to cope with cravings, reaching for candy, chips, and chocolate to satisfy that oral fixation.
Don’t let the fear of gaining a few pounds keep you from quitting, though. With some smart strategies, you can keep your weight in check while kicking the habit. When cravings hit, reach for healthy snacks and get moving to boost those feel-good dopamine levels.
In the early days of quitting, it’s easy to confuse nicotine cravings with hunger. If you constantly snacking, swap out the chips and milk chocolate for dark chocolate (the higher the cocoa content, the better), nuts, or dried berries.
Getting active is another great way to fight cravings. Research from the University of Exeter in the UK shows that exercise can help curb the urge to light up. When you smoke, your brain gets a hit of dopamine—the “feel-good” hormone that makes smoking so addictive—which leads to those nasty withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to quit.
But here’s the good news: Exercise is a natural dopamine booster. By increasing your heart rate, you can help your brain produce more dopamine, easing withdrawal symptoms and making quitting a little easier.
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