Up in smoke

Two of the most common New Year’s resolutions are to stop smoking and to lose weight. While both are good ways to become healthier, together they pose a different challenges. Smoking is a difficult habit to break because nicotine acts to give energy, soothe nerves and increase calories burned. When someone stops smoking, the base problems stay, such as needing more pep and trying to remain calm. Weight GAIN is common because your body is no longer burning the extra 500 calories that it did when you smoked. Also, like any other addiction, in order to deal with anxiety, fatigue and stress, people tend to eat more sugar, usually a lot more sugar, which adds even more weight.

Best suggestion is to start eating more healthfully and watch your sugar intake. Healthy eating starts with making balanced meals. You really do remember these:

1) “Protein at every meal” makes you fuller and will help you lose extra water weight. Protein can be eggs, cheese, nuts, LEAN meats (no use adding more calories than you need.) As long as your doctor agrees, you can turn to protein whenever you get the munchies;

2) “At least one hand-sized serving of fruit at every meal” gives that controlled taste of sweet, along with fiber, vitamins and minerals. No juices, please, which is nature’s soda: tastes good, but not as good as the chewable version;

3) At least ½ cup of cooked non-starchy vegetables or 1 cup of raw vegetables at lunch and dinner; they are filling, low calorie and high fiber;

4) Yes, you need to eat three balanced meals per day; otherwise you will become hungry and all bets are off;

5) Try to eat non-meat items that are chewier (think raw apple instead of baked apple, whole nuts instead of nut butter). The harder your body works to breakdown the food, the more calories it will burn;

6) Give regular soda to someone you don’t like or someone who needs to gain weight. Most of my clients who give up just soda will lose at least ten pounds the first month without doing anything else. Because you might be craving the high that sugar gives, this won’t be easy. Try adding a little regular soda to the diet version or to Diet Coke; it will give you the same taste, a little of the desired buzz, but not the added calories and all the problems that sugar will give you. Regardless of what professionals have said forever, that sugar is not addictive, it really is addictive. Fall off the wagon to have “just one bite” and you will find it easier to forget the wagon altogether.

Remember it takes at least twenty-eight days to change a habit. Doing all of this should help you quit smoking and lose weight over at least SIX months. Sorry, but there is no fun way to do this overnight. It will be worth it in the end.

Promise.