QUITTING THOSE CIGARETTES FOR A HEALTHY HEART: WEIGHT CONTROL
It is absolutely not true that everyone who quits smoking automatically gains weight, any more than everyone who has a baby remains heavy for the rest of her life. On the other hand it is true that nicotine has an effect on the metabolism and that one has a tendency to gain weight. But one can very easily counter that tendency by increasing the amount of daily exercise. Since extra walking is one of the best alternative activities to smoking, especially when those cravings hit, you should have no trouble at all.
Moreover, as part of your overall program for complete cardiac recovery you’re already cutting back on the fatty foods that led to the clogging of your arteries. Without that fat in the diet, you can eat lots more of the kinds of foods that you’ll want to snack on during those first weeks without cigarettes.
Stock your cabinets with pretzels, especially the low-salt or saltless kinds. Keep a platter of freshly cut carrots, zucchini, celery, capsicum and so forth in the refrigerator so you have something to nibble on through the day.
Drink lots and lots of water. 1 can’t emphasise it too much. Shoot for at least eight 225 ml glasses of water daily. You can replace some of the water with decaf beverages including club soda, mineral water and diet sodas.
Eat more frequently, rather than having fewer and larger meals. You’ll be more satisfied, and you’ll actually consume fewer kilojoules in total.
Weigh yourself every other day. There will be some normal fluctuation from day to day, with half a kilogram or so gained or lost. But if the weight remains up even by half a kilogram after a few days, cut back on the food and increase the exercise.
Concentrate on alternative oral habits such as using a toothpick, chewing on a swizzle stick, chewing sugarless gum and frequently brushing and flossing your teeth.
Even if after following all this good advice you do gain a few kilograms, remember that it’s far more important to quit smoking. You can always shed those extra kilos when you’ve gotten the cigarette situation under control.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol
