There are a lot of people who smoke out there who, among other reasons, are afraid to try to quit smoking cigarettes for the fear of what they think is inevitable weight gain. Almost everyone they know who has successfully quit smoking really packed on the pounds and they don’t want this to happen to them. So, does the connection between quitting cigarettes and weight gain have to do directly with the cigarettes themselves, or are there other, outside reasons why this happens so often to people who “kick the habit”?

Lets take a look at what all of the factors are that cause such weight gain in people who quit smoking and see if maybe this weight gain may be able to be controlled to where it does not have to be a factor when you decide to put the cigarettes down for good.

The fact is you do not have to gain weight when you quit smoking. There are a lot of people who quit smoking who don’t gain any weight at all. On average, people who quit smoking gain only up to 10 pounds. Studies have shown that people who have smoked for 10 to 20 years or more, or who smoked one or more packs of cigarettes a day have a higher tendency to gain weight than short time smokers and those who smoked less than one pack a day.

Nicotine, which is a chemical found in cigarettes, does to a small degree keep your body weight down. When you quit and the nicotine begins to leave your body, you may see a marginal amount of short term weight gain, but usually it will be no more than 3 to 5 pounds, mostly due to water retention.

The major reason why so many people will gain a significant amount of weight however, has more to do with replacing the smoking habit with excessive eating habits. Many will substitute sucking on hard candies all day to replace the cigarettes. Others will begin to simply snack on various foods throughout the day as a replacement for the old habit. The cigarette break at work becomes a snack break. The after lunch cigarette becomes the after lunch snack. It is this new habit, which is done almost unconsciously, that is mostly responsible for excessive weight gain when people quit smoking.

When you quit smoking, keeping aware of what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat along with some physical activity will keep that weight gain to a minimum and may keep you from gaining any weight at all. You also must consider that even if you do gain 5 to 10 pounds from quitting smoking, the risks of smoking cigarettes are far greater than a 5 to 10 pound gain in weight.

Smoking is the cause of more than 400,000 deaths every year in the United States. It would take a weight gain of over 100 pounds to equal the health risks of smoking cigarettes. Smoking causes your heart rate to increase, and you have twice the likeliness to suffer a heart attack than that of a nonsmoker.

You inhale around 4000 chemicals from cigarette smoke and 40 of these chemicals are cancer causing. Men are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers, and women are 12 times more likely.

With a little effort on your part to keep your eating habits in check and incorporate some exercise into your daily routine, weight gain can and will be at least kept down to a minimum when you quit smoking. You will be in better health, feel better, and have a more positive outlook on life when you make the decision to put those cigarettes down for once and for all.

Smoking is probably the most addictive habit out there today. There are many people who believe it is easier to kick the cocaine habit than it is to kick the nicotine habit. When trying to quit people go through withdrawals which include nervousness, insomnia, headache, weight gain, and irritability. For most people the strong urge to smoke sets them up for failure. There are a number of products available for smoking cessation. Some of these products act as a nicotine replacement which helps with withdrawal symptoms. The newest kid on the block offers a two-fold concept. Chantix has recently been approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation drug. Chantix is unique because it offers withdrawal relief along with blocking the pleasure nicotine delivers to the brain without being a nicotine replacement.

Smoking Hazards For people who are attempting to quit smoking there are three events which lead to failure; the strong desire for nicotine, the withdrawal symptoms, and the habit of lighting up and having something in your hands. Chantix is designed to help alleviate two of these events. It helps relieve withdrawal symptoms and if you smoke it prevents the pleasure you receive from the nicotine by the blocking the effect the nicotine has on the brain. There are a whole host of reasons why people should not smoke. Smoking has been linked to lung cancer, COPD, increased cholesterol levels, and even osteoporosis. The dangers not only exist for the smoker but for the people who are around the smoker as well. Second hand smoke has come to the forefront of society as a serious medical concern. Experts warn that pregnant women who smoke have an increased chance of birth defects and stunted fetal growth.

Society today will no longer accept smoking. More and more states are adopting smoking bans in public buildings and restaurants. Many employers prohibit smoking on their property and some will even terminate your employment if they discover you are a smoker. Smoking contributes to increased work days lost due to illness and there are many employers who simply will not accept it.

The introduction of Chantix offers help to those who have struggled to quit. By taking away the pleasure experienced when smoking if offers a real advantage over other smoking cessation products. It comes in a pill form which is taken either once or twice a day. Heavier smokers who have smoked for several years would probably do best on two pills a day. It is available only by prescription and can be taken for up to twenty four weeks. If you have a desire to quit and are willing to give Chantix a try you might find the solution you have been looking for. Talk to your doctor today and begin your smoke-free life tomorrow.

Over the past three decades more and more adults are quitting smoking. This is a great revolution which hopefully will continue. While we are celebrating our success we are often overlooking a major smoking factor; our teens are beginning to pick up the habit. Since they are not going to smoke in front of you they may already be addicted to nicotine before you find out they smoke. Studies show that many under-age smokers light up as early as the eighth grade. This means they could very well be addicted to nicotine before they graduate. Many teenagers start smoking because they see their parents smoke at home. Teenagers look at their parents as being adult and they aspire to be more like them. Others light up because one of their friends encourages them. It is much harder to say no to friends than it is to parents. They might not enjoy that first cigarette but because their friends sat it is cool they will try again. It doesn’t take long for addiction to take hold.

Stop Smoking – A Worthy Battle

Everyday we hear somebody say “just stop smoking”. This is an easy statement to make for someone who has never smoked. People who have never smoked do not understand the powerful addiction caused by nicotine. Also, how can we tell our teens to stop smoking if we smoke ourselves? The best deterrent for teens is simply education and support. Parents need to take a realistic look at their teen’s lives. Who are their friends, what do they do for entertainment? Get to know their friends and accept them. Offer education on the dangers of smoking; get graphic with pictures if you have to. Encourage them to talk to you about the pressure they are under. Let them know you don’t intend to punish them. The fear of punishment will only discourage them from being honest with you.

There are some alarming factors associated with teenage smoking. Many of them start as early as the eight grade and over half of high school students have at least tried cigarettes. The chance of premature death due to smoking is about five times higher than any other cause of death. Many smokers will die from smoking related causes as early as their twenties. If you find out your teen is addicted to nicotine help them get the tools they need to stop smoking. There are many programs and smoking cessation aids available for you to choose from. If you smoke, it is important that you also put forth the effort to stop. The greatest success comes with a good support system. Exercise and good nutrition help to teach a healthy lifestyle.

If you want to help your teen to stop smoking you have to help them understand the dangers and risks. If they fall off the wagon, be there to help them get up and start again. By helping them through the stop smoking process you will be helping them to add many years to their lives.

There may be a fundamental flaw in the idea that smokers can solve their chemical dependency by ingesting a pharmacological concoction. Stop smoking aids and medications have enjoyed a tremendous rise in popularity over the past few years. Perhaps this is an indication of a more health-conscious society; or perhaps it’s simple commercialism. According to studies conducted by the CDC, up to one million Americans stop smoking each year. Other independent surveys suggest that as many as 80% of all smokers express a desire to quit. These numbers represent a clearly profitable market segment for pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, the makers of Zyban. Annual sales of Zyban exceeded $1 billion dollars in 1998 alone. The FDA recently approved a new Pfizer product; a pill called Chantix. The active ingredient in this medication is varenicline, a novel alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor partial agonist that inhibits nicotine binding but stimulates receptor activity. In simpler terms, this alleged ‘wonder pill’ potentially decreases some of the pleasure derived from smoking; specifically eliminating the relaxation and mild euphoria experienced shortly after finishing a cigarette. Chantix is also reported to significantly ease withdrawal symptoms. Side effects experienced by initial test subjects include severe nausea, vomiting, and headaches. While this doesn’t sound too bad, we should remember that side effects listed for Zyban were also mild after the initial testing, and yet numerous adverse effects such as seizures and severe depression were reported by users once the drug hit the open market. But negative side effects are not the main problem with stop smoking medications like Chantix and Zyban. The real issue is the fact that these products serve as a crutch, and do not actually cure anything. In addition to physical dependency, most smokers also suffer from deeply rooted emotional and psychological addiction. While applying a medication to ease the process of physical withdrawal is certainly helpful, it simply is not possible to take a pill and be suddenly free of your intellectual desire to fire up a cigarette. There really is no miracle cure for the malady of nicotine addiction. Ultimately, a lasting abstinence from smoking is the responsibility of the individual. Bottom line: It’s up to the smoker to come to terms with his/her addiction, and take productive action on the desire to remain smoke free. While this suggestion is not particularly appealing to a society that demands an instant solution to every discomfort, it is an honest assessment of the logistics at hand. Whether or not a smoker decides to take medication during the initial cessation period, the goal to stop smoking must be viewed as a long-term objective that warrants considerable dedication and emotional fortitude.

Tip 1: Rise above the cravings

Imagine the cigarettes as crutches. You’ve always had these crutches to lean on and soon, it becomes impossible to walk without them. The important thing to learn is that as soon as you walk on your feet again, they’ll quickly regain strength. It may be a little known fact, but about half of what a smoker inhales from his cigarette is pure air. The next time you’re hit with a craving, take some deep breaths and relax. You will soon be able to rise above the craving, feel refreshed, and move on.

Tip 2: All the reasons to quit

Why do you want to quit? Do you have children? Do you want to live to see your grandchildren? Are you sick of the smell? Whatever your reasons are, write them down. Keep a daily journal of how you feel and in the very first entry list in bold letters every reason you have for quitting. List things like health reasons, expense, inconvenience, bad breath, or other reasons and make the list as long as possible. Also be sure to list how you WILL feel when you’ve kicked the habit.

Tip 3: The good, the bad and the ugly

After you complete your lists of reasons you want to quit and how you’ll feel after you’ve quit, make a list of the consequences of not quitting. Have other smokers in your family gotten cancer? Have they died? Do they have to speak through a hole in their neck? Will you be unable to pay off debt because you’re always buying cigarettes? Whatever you consequences, be sure to list all of them. As above, be sure to list the consequences (good consequences, of course) of quitting. Keep them to look forward to.

Tip 4: Break time!

Most smokers agree: a cigarette is a break. When quitting, give yourself breaks, but do something. Go for walk, eat a piece of fruit or drink some juice. This is critical because the body will be going through changes expelling all the accumulated poisons. The fruit will aid this process in many ways.

Good luck!