There is common misconception among the smokers that quitting smoking causes weight gain. This is also one of the many reasons why many smokers fear to quit this deadly habit. In this blog today, I’ll try to clear the misunderstanding and talk about what actually happens when you quit smoking.
It is not known to many individuals that tobacco consumption either in smoke or smokeless form, curbs the hunger without the person even realizing it. Researchers from Yale University have found that nicotine in tobacco excites certain brain cells that causes them to either fight back or give away a flight response. They do not produce pleasurable feeling and fight by curbing hunger in the person. This is why a person who consumes tobacco feels less hungry as compared to a non tobacco consumer and is thinner as compared to the non tobacco users.
As soon as one quits smoking or chewing, the nicotine from the body is flushed out and these cells do not get activated to fight back for anything. This results in restoring of hunger and the appetite starts getting back to normal shape. Since one had been eating lesser because of tobacco, they tend to feel comparatively hungrier and more number of times, than before quitting.
This results in people eating more frequently and munching on their favorite cuisines and dishes. This frequent intake of food is the root cause of sudden weight gain. If not controlled and managed properly, results in substantial weight gain and becomes a habit leading to the person getting back to smoking to again control their weight or eating uncontrollably causing obesity.
If proper diet and exercise is introduced and followed during the quit cycle, then there will not be any substantial weight gain and the person will also be able to maintain their fitness. There might be a temporary gain. But with exercise and ayurvedic foods, weight can be managed and maintained properly.
We at ICanCaRe follow a very systematic approach in helping the people manage their weight while they are quitting smoking with us. Appropriate diet and exercise plan is introduced to help the patients. Care is taken to introduce tasty food items so that the person does not feel bored out and follows the plan properly without any considerable weight gain.
I hope this blog was helpful. Do comment and let me know your experiences and thoughts. Share ahead to also help others bust the misconception about weight gain from quitting smoking.
Call 011-430-77695 for assistance in quitting tobacco or visit Quit Tobacco page to know more details about our online tobacco cessation and wellness program and register for the same.