Bobbi,
Every quitter is different. Some gain, some do not. Weight gain is usually due to the following:
* Your metabolism does experience a slow down but it does regain its balance in time.
* Nicotine is no longer making your gut move faster. The food is staying in your gut longer and your body is better able to absorb nutrients.
* Some quitters compensate for quitting with eating.
* Nicotine suppresses appetite. Now that you've quit, you're hungry.
That's the bad news. The good news is that there is much you can do to
counteract this and many benefits that will come as a result of your quit that will also help.
* Because of your quit you will have more energy & endurance. This will help you tolerate physical activity. You can slowly increase the amount of physical activity you engage in temporarily or permanently to off-set some of the reasons mentionned above.
* Make healthy choices, watch your portion sizes, drink lots of water and again increase your level of physical activity. If you hate the gym, find a fun activity like skating, a sport, walking, a dance class...
* Eat breakfast. This helps jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
Above all, remember, weight gain is temporary and you can always tackle this issue when you are more comfortable in your quit.
Danielle
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The SSC Support Team
