Rubbish! As you now know, there is never any valid reason to resume smoking. Weight gain may occasionally be an issue, but it is certainly a resolvable issue.
Just because you stop smoking, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you will put on weight. There are two factors to be considered here. First of all your metabolism. It has been reported that a for a minority of individuals, stopping smoking can lead to a small change in their metabolic rate.
What this means in layman’s terms is that a little more of the food you eat is converted into fat and stored on your body. This is obviously not good news for you if you are concerned about weight gain, but it is not as bad as it might at first appear. For a start, this phenomenon only occurs in a minority of individuals, and furthermore the changed metabolic rate is normally quite small. Here is the main reason that some people put on weight when they stop smoking:
NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL PRODUCES FEELINGS SIMILAR TO HUNGER!
Hunger is another of those feelings that is under the control of your little ‘voice’ and it knows, of course, that the solution to the pain of hunger is to eat.
Lets look at another conscious / unconscious dialogue:
U: (having felt the pain of withdrawal) “Have a smoke”
C: “No I have stopped smoking.”
U: “Look, I am absolutely gasping, have a smoke for goodness sake!”
C: “No chance, I am staying stopped”
U: (realizing that for the time being it is not going to win, starts to look for alternative pain relieving strategies.)
“Mmmm… this feels very like being hungry, perhaps food will
take away the discomfort - I’ll have something to eat.”
C: (Not having made any resolutions at all with regards to eating, agrees immediately) “OK.”
Off you go to the fridge, only to find that after stuffing yourself you still have the feeling of withdrawal, which as you know, feels
very similar to hunger. Your unconscious is still not happy of course and so the whole process starts over again:
Pain
Eat
Still pain
Eat again
Still pain
Eat again
And that’s the way it goes, on and on, until you find yourself the size of a baby elephant.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a simple three part formula that determines whether or not you put on weight and it is this:
1 If you consume more calories than you burn off, then you will put on weight.
2 If you consume the same amount of calories that you burn off then your weight will remain constant.
3 If you consume less calories than you burn off you will lose weight.
Now with this knowledge to hand it becomes easy to formulate a plan that will allow you to indulge (if you want to) in filling your stomach when you feel the pain of withdrawal, without having to suffer the end result of putting on more weight.
This strategy can take one of two basic forms:
1 Eat more food but without consuming additional calories, or:
2 Increase the amount of calories that you burn off each day.
Let’s look at strategy 1 first.
You are going to want to eat a lot more, particularly in the early days, so in order to do this without putting on any weight you have to increase the amount of food you eat in terms of volume, yet still maintain roughly the same calorific intake. This is not as difficult to achieve as it sounds. If you agree to modify your diet from the moment you stop smoking, not only will you find it possible to maintain your normal weight, but you are almost certainly going to be benefiting nutritionally.
This is because, (unless you are already particularly fussy about eating healthily) you are going to improve your diet enormously by introducing plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and by cutting down significantly on your fat intake.
Below you will find a list of common foods and their fat and calorific values. All you have to do is to swap foods that you now eat regularly with a high calorific / fat content for those with a low (or at least lower) value.
Before looking at the food lists, bear in mind these few simple rules. Adherence to them will make a significant difference to your overall fat, and subsequently calorie, consumption.
Don’t eat any fried foods. (Deep or shallow fried.) Boil, poach, bake or grill instead.
Don’t eat out for a few weeks. (A typical Indian or Chinese take away for example, can easily contain over 2,000 calories!)
Avoid sweets and sugar based treats. (cakes, buns, soft drinks etc.
Check the nutritional labels on all packaged foods and avoid any that are high in fat (i.e. 10 per cent or more)
Use your favorite fruits and vegetables as comfort foods, as most fruit and vegetables are OK in terms of fat and calories. (Check them against the following lists).
Drink plenty of water. This is important for two reasons - first, it helps to detoxify you by flushing the poisons from your system. This will include the removal of nicotine from your body. Second, drinking plenty of water will take away some of your feelings of hunger and therefore make it easier for you to eat less, and still feel full up.
Study this list of common foods and choose an assortment that you like. Substitute some of your usual higher fat foods for the foods that you have selected from the list below. Check that you are making a significant calorie difference by ensuring that your new choices of food have a lower calorific value than the ones you have swapped them for.
Remember, this food watching business is only necessary if you are one of those people who find themselves constantly at the fridge door when stopping smoking!
The following lists are a rough guide to the amount of calories and fat that you can expect to find in certain foods:
| FRUIT | FAT (gr) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| APPLES | 1 | 0 | 70 |
| AVOCADO | 1 | 36 | 370 |
| BANANA | 1 | TRACE | 85 |
| CANTALOUPE | 1 | TRACE | 80 |
| CHERRIES | 1 CUP | TRACE | 65 |
| DATES | 1 CUP | TRACE | 505 |
| GRAPEFRUIT | 1 | TRACE | 50 |
| GRAPES | 1 CUP | TRACE | 100 |
| ORANGES | 1 | TRACE | 60 |
| PEACHES | 1 | TRACE | 35 |
| PEARS | 1 | TRACE | 30 |
| PLUMS | 1 | TRACE | 25 |
| STRAWBERRIES | 1 CUP | 1 | 55 |
| BREADS AND CEREALS | FAT (g) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHITE BREAD | 1 SLICE | 1 | 70 |
| WHOLE-WHEAT | 1 SLICE | 1 | 65 |
| CORNFLAKES | 1 CUP | TRACE | 110 |
| FLOUR WHITE | 1 CUP | 1 | 400 |
| MACARONI CHEESE | 1 CUP | 25 | 475 |
| MUFFINS | 1 | 5 | 135 |
| NOODLES | 1 CUP | 2 | 200 |
| PIZZA | 1 SLICE | 6 | 180 |
| RICE, BROWN | 1 CUP | 3 | 748 |
| SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE | 1 CUP | 10 | 285 |
| SHREDDED WHEAT | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| WAFFLES | 1 | 9 | 240 |
| MEAT | FAT (gr) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BACON | 1 SLICE, GRILLED | 4 | 47 |
| BEEF | ROAST, 3 0Z | 36 | 390 |
| BEEF | CORNED, 3 OZ | 10 | 185 |
| BEEF | STEAK 3 OZ, GRILLED | 27 | 330 |
| CHICKEN | 3 OZ, ROASTED | 17 | 250 |
| CHILLI CON CARNE | 1 CUP | 15 | 325 |
| LAMB CHOP | GRILLED, 4 OZ | 35 | 480 |
| LIVER | LAMBS, 3 OZ | 12 | 260 |
| PORK CHOP | 1 | 21 | 280 |
| PORK SAUSAGE | 3 OZ | 44 | 475 |
| TURKEY | ROASTED, 3 OZ | 15 | 265 |
| VEAL CUTLET | GRILLED, 3 OZ | 9 | 185 |
| EGGS & DAIRY PRODUCE | FAT (gr) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EGGS BOILED> | 1 | 6 | 75 |
| EGGS SCRAMBLED | 1 | 8 | 110 |
| MILK FULL FAT | 1 CUP | 9 | 160 |
| MILK SEMI SKIMMED | 1 CUP | 5 | 145 |
| CHEESE CHEDDAR | 1 OZ | 9 | 115 |
| CHEESE COTTAGE | 1 CUP | 1 | 170 |
| CREAM, WHIPPING | 1 TB SPOON | 6 | 45 |
| CREAM, LIGHT | 1 TB SPOON | 3 | 30 |
| CUSTARD, BAKED | 1 CUP | 14 | 285 |
| ICE CREAM | 1 CUP | 18 | 300 |
| FISH PRODUCTS | FAT (gr) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| COD, GRILLED | 3 OZ | 5 | 170 |
| FISHCAKES, FRIED | 2 | 8 | 175 |
| FISH FINGERS, FRIED | 5 | 10 | 200 |
| HADDOCK, FRIED | 3 OZ | 5 | 135 |
| LOBSTER, STEAMED | 1 | 2 | 184 |
| OYSTERS | 6 | 2 | 80 |
| PRAWNS | 3 OZ | 1 | 110 |
| SARDINES TINNED | 3 OZ | 9 | 180 |
| TUNA TINNED | 3 OZ | 7 | 170 |
| VEGETABLES | FAT (gr) | CALORIES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEANS, BROAD | 1 CUP | TRACE | 140 |
| KIDNEY | 1 CUP | 1 | 230 |
| BEETROOT, BOILED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 68 |
| BROCCOLI, STEAMED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 45 |
| BRUSSELS SPROUTS | 1 CUP | TRACE | 60 |
| CABBAGE, STEAMED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 40 |
| CARROTS - RAW, GRATED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 45 |
| CAULIFLOWER, STEAMED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 30 |
| CELERY | 1 STICK | TRACE | 5 |
| LENTILS | 1 CUP | TRACE | 212 |
| LETTUCE | 1 | TRACE | 56 |
| MUSHROOMS, TINNED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 12 |
| ONIONS, COOKED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 80 |
| PARSNIPS, STEAMED | 1 CUP | 1 | 95 |
| PEAS, CANNED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 68 |
| PEPPERS, RAW | 1 | TRACE | 25 |
| POTATOES, BAKED | 1 MED. | TRACE | 100 |
| CHIPS | 10 | 7 | 155 |
| CREAMED | 1 CUP | 12 | 230 |
| POTATO CRISPS | 10 | 7 | 110 |
| SPINACH, STEAMED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 26 |
| SWEETCORN, STEAMED | 1 EAR | 1 | 92 |
| TOMATOES, RAW | 1 MED | TRACE | 30 |
| TURNIPS, STEAMED | 1 CUP | TRACE | 40 |
If you have had a good look at the above list you will have discovered how easy it can be to substitute high calorie foods for those foods with a much lower calorie content, If you choose to make this substitution on a daily basis you can easily keep yourself from feeling hunger by increasing the volume of the food you eat whilst maintaining or even reducing your calorie intake.
A second strategy for keeping your weight in check is to simply increase the amount of calories you burn each day. This can be achieved by increasing the amount of exercise you do on a daily basis. Remember, excess calories will be stored on your body as fat, so ideally you will combine both techniques of diet modification and exercise for a doubly effective approach.
Now let’s take a look at strategy 2:
The following table tells you how many calories you can expect to burn by completing certain exercises.
This table relates to an individual who weighs seventy kg. If you are lighter than this you will burn off slightly less calories during each exercise and if you are heavier you will burn off slightly more - about ten percent more or less for each difference of 7 kg.
Please consult your doctor before starting any new form of exercise or before significantly increasing current levels of activity.
CALORIES PER HOUR (APPROXIMATIONS)
| BADMINTON | 500 |
| BASKETBALL | 630 |
| BOXING | 800 |
| BRICKLAYING | 260 |
| CALISTHENICS | 350 - 600 |
| CIRCUIT TRAINING | 600 |
| CYCLING: | |
| SLOW | 275 |
| MEDIUM | 410 |
| FAST | 600 |
| DANCING: | |
| SLOW | 400 |
| FAST | 600 |
| FENCING | 650 |
| FISHING | 300 |
| GARDENING | 450 |
| GOLFING | 350 |
| GYMNASTICS | 300 |
| HORSE RIDING | 330 |
| HOUSEWORK | 300 |
| ICE HOCKEY | 600 |
| MOUNTAIN CLIMBING | 600 |
| MOWING | 400 |
| TABLE TENNIS | 475 |
| SKIPPING (HARD) | 800 |
| RUNNING: | |
| SLOW | 700 |
| MEDIUM | 950 |
| FAST | 1150 |
| SAWING HARDWOOD | 600 |
| SEX | 375 - 600 |
| SKIING | 600 |
| SKATING | 500 - 1000 |
| SCUBA DIVING | 1000 |
| SOCCER | 775 |
| SQUASH | 650 |
| SWIMMING | 350 - 900 |
| TENNIS | 500 |
| WALKING | 200 - 500 |
| WALKING UPSTAIRS | 600 - 1100 |
| WEIGHT TRAINING | 500 |
| WRESTLING | 900 |
These figures in the food and exercise tables give you a rough guide as to what you will be able to eat in addition to or as a substitute for, your normal diet. For example, if you were to have an hours brisk walk in addition to your normal daily routine then you could safely eat extra food to the value of 300-400 calories without putting on any additional weight. Perhaps a portion of chips or a few ounces of roast beef. Alternatively, If you were to substitute one portion of about 30 chips, (465 calories) you could exchange it for say, a cup of creamed potatoes, 2 sticks of celery, 6 oysters and 1 banana and still be eating 60 calories less! There really is no need to go hungry, just modify your diet and increase your daily exercise and you should have little or no problem in maintaining your current weight.
If you choose to put enough thought and effort into this whole process, you could quite easily even lose weight, in addition to stopping smoking!
As with all the techniques you have encountered so far in this blog, the real secret of successful weight management is to make a decision and stick to it. Decide on what way you want your weight to go, work out how to achieve it, monitor your progress by regular weighing, and keep on adjusting your dietary and exercise plan until you achieve the result that you want. It really can, and will, be that easy.
If you have taken on board all the principles and knowledge contained in this blog, you are now ready to begin the process of stopping smoking.
………………………………………………
The next and final entry will contain all the information that you need to be successful, condensed into a simple to use ‘battle plan’
