Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t only about reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Quitting smoking is one of the most important things that you can do for your health. It is unquestionably the best thing that I ever did for my health and one of the hardest things I have ever done. But why is quitting so hard?
The two most common reasons smokers keep smoking are withdrawal and triggers.
Withdrawal
Cigarettes contain a chemical called nicotine that makes you addicted. Over time your body gets used to having nicotine and the more you smoke, the more nicotine you need to feel normal; a concept called tolerance. When your body doesn’t get nicotine, you may feel uncomfortable and crave cigarettes. This is called withdrawal. These cravings and urges are what lead you right back to the pack.
It takes time to get over withdrawal. Most physical symptoms go away after a few days to a week; however cravings and urges to smoke may stick around much longer.
Triggers
When you smoke, certain activities, feelings, people, places, and other experiences become linked with your smoking. The classic example is having a smoke with your morning coffee. When you come across these things, they may “trigger” your urges and cravings to smoke. Try to anticipate these triggers and develop ways to deal with them. Here are a few tips:
- Go to places that don’t allow smoking; e.g. shops, movie theaters, restaurants.
- Spend more time with non-smokers and less time with smokers.
- Keep your hands busy. Play a game on your phone, eat a healthy snack (like the new Medifast Popcorn or Veggie Chips), or squeeze a stress ball.
- Take a deep breath. Remind yourself that cravings are normal but they aren’t really you because you are not your habit. Cravings and urges are just chemicals in your brain trying to maintain a habit. See? Not so scary!
Smoking and Weight
It is a well-known fact that people frequently gain weight after quitting smoking. This is because in the short term, nicotine increases energy expenditure and can reduce your appetite. However, heavy smokers tend to have greater body weight than do light smokers or non-smokers, which is likely due to a clustering of unhealthy behaviors such as a low degree of physical activity, poor diet, and smoking.
This is why it is even more important to not just focus on losing weight but instead to create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and no smoking. I did it and you can too!
Resource: http://smokefree.gov/why-quitting-is-hard