How to Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight (Mass Market Paperback)

by The American Lung Association (Author) "Congratulations! The fact that you opened this book shows that you have taken an interest in quitting smoking and improving your health-and for that alone..." (more)
Key Phrases: making healthy eating choices, managing your weight, about quitting smoking, Quit Day, American Lung, Human Kinetics (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Do you rely on smoking to keep your weight in check?

Are you afraid to quit smoking because you're worried about gaining weight?

Have you gained weight after quitting smoking...and gone back to smoking with hopes of losing the weight?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, it's time to learn

HOW TO QUIT SMOKING WITHOUT GAINING WEIGHT

Based on the American Lung Association's smoking cessation program, here is expert advice on how to quit smoking in a healthy way that allows you to kick the habit without ruining your waistline. This groundbreaking book will show you:

• How quitting smoking can add years to your life

• Why vegetables and fruits are the most important foods to eat while you're quitting

• How to add more physical activity to your day

• Which foods to turn to during a nicotine craving

• How to stay motivated, even during tough times

...and dozens of other strategies that can help you to work with your cravings -- instead of against them -- to attain a healthy and fit smoke-free life.

Includes meal plan suggestions, recipes, and snack ideas!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One: Facts and Fictions about Quitting Smoking and Managing Your Weight

Congratulations! The fact that you opened this book shows that you have taken an interest in quitting smoking and improving your health -- and for that alone you deserve a pat on the back! Think it's time to kick the habit? You may feel overwhelmed by the idea or aren't sure that you're ready to do it. Maybe you have even tried to quit before but found it to be too hard and decided not to. Whether you're a first-time quitter or a seasoned veteran, quitting smoking is not an easy thing to do. For most people, there are plenty of obstacles that get in the way. But rest assured, 44.8 million ex-smokers have shown that it can be done, and we are here to help!

If you are especially concerned about gaining weight when you quit, this book is for you. Fear of weight gain is a common reason why people, especially women, do not even attempt to quit smoking. Although statistics vary, as many as 60 percent of men and 51 percent of women gain weight when they quit; 25 percent of women gain in excess of 15 pounds.

We present several strategies and helpful tips here for getting past the obstacles to quitting smoking and on to a healthier way of life -- without expanding your waistline. Even if you aren't ready to quit yet, focusing on improving other parts of your life, like becoming more physically active or making healthier food choices, can bring you closer to that goal. If you have tried to quit before, we will help you use your past experience to find ways to quit that better fit your lifestyle -- so that you can stay smoke-free for good.

Many people think that quitting smoking is either something you can or cannot do. This way of thinking makes the thought of quitting smoking, becoming more physically active, and eating healthier seem like a major test of character. But quitting is not an "all-or-nothing" undertaking. It's really about learning how to make healthy choices -- one day and one choice at a time. This book will teach you a variety of skills and specific strategies for dealing with difficult situations that test your commitment to quitting, like the urge to smoke a cigarette with your morning coffee or after a meal. Quitting smoking is the result of many individual choices.

Many of the techniques in this book are based on the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® Program and its comprehensive guide to quitting smoking, 7 Steps to a Smoke-Free Life (1998, LifeTime Media, Inc., Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). We combine the wisdom of American Lung Association programs with our own research on smoking, physical activity, and eating habits, and years of firsthand clinical experience. We have helped thousands of people like you quit smoking and improve their health, and we will provide you with many proven methods for doing the same.

Based on our research and experience, we see quitting smoking, physical activity, and healthy eating as a system of habits that are essential to the overall picture of your health. By working on any one of these elements, it will become easier to make changes in the others. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug, and combined with the habitual nature of smoking, quitting can be a difficult thing to do. Many people use unhealthy foods as a replacement for their smoking habit and as a way of coping with cravings for nicotine. This is part of the reason why smokers tend to gain weight when they quit. We want to help you form new, healthier habits. This means replacing your cigarette addiction with a different kind of "addiction" -- satisfying that feeling of wanting something in your mouth by eating some fresh strawberries or carrot sticks. Or by getting addicted to your new aerobics class or a daily walk around the block. Ever notice that people who exercise regularly say they can't live without it? The key is to find physical activities that fit into your lifestyle and healthy foods that satisfy your hunger and taste good. We'll provide you with a firm plan for eating healthier foods and getting more physically active so you can overcome your addiction to smoking and formulate new habits that will keep you healthy and trim.

Timing is key to this process. This book is organized around the physical and psychological changes you may experience over time when you try to quit smoking and manage your weight. This schedule is not set in stone. It is a structure that can help you more easily track your progress and plan your next steps. For example, if you get stuck at any point, you can go back to an earlier lesson and reinforce what you have learned. This happens to most people, so please don't be hard on yourself if it happens to you. The idea is to create and follow a program that you will stick to -- one that fits with your routines, but also one that will get you to break some of your not-so-healthy habits and adopt healthier new ones.

Before we move into the core of the program, there are some basic facts about smoking and weight management that you should know. Knowing the basics may help to settle your fears about quitting. In the following pages, we will help you better understand the relationship between smoking and weight gain, and how quitting may affect you physically and emotionally. This information can help prepare you to make decisions about ho