The question of how to avoid weight gain when quitting smoking is one that isn't so easy to answer. There are definitely things you can do to keep your weight under control so packing on pounds should never be an excuse to continue being a smoker. What follows are a few things you should know about smoking and what you can do to not gain a lot of weight when you quit.

First thing first. The single best thing you can do for your health is quit smoking. You would have to gain a lot of weight for it to even come close to having the same negative impact on your health as smoking does. Furthermore, while obesity can have an impact on many parts of your body, smoking seems to negatively impact nearly every part of your body in one way or another.

Quitting is going to be hard to do, and maybe you have tried it before, but why is it that people so often gain weight after they do quit? There are several reasons, but the biggest seems to be related to having an oral fixation (using the common understanding of the term). When you smoke you are putting something in your mouth constantly, and your brain gets used to it. Once you quit smoking, your brain, which is now used to having something in your mouth, keeps sending you a signal to take care of the oral fixation. Since you aren't smoking, you automatically switch over to food to satiate your desire.

A good start for how to avoid weight gain when quitting smoking is to satisfy your oral fixation in a way that doesn't pack on a lot of calories. Many people have found that chewing gum or sucking on lollipops takes the edge off of the urge to smoke. Gum and lollipops contain a few calories, but the amount is quite low, especially when compared to things like potato chips and doughnuts, which brings us to the next point.

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Apart from quelling the oral fixation, keeping your weight under control after you quit smoking is about making healthier choices. What we're referring to here is diet and exercise. Don't run away yet, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds! You simply need to eat more whole foods, and compare labels on packaged foods. For exercise, just get up and get moving. At first you may notice you get winded easily, but this will pass in a week or two after you quit smoking; so much so that you may be surprised by how good you feel.

If you happen to gain a little bit of weight, don't worry about it, it's still better than smoking. However, now that you have some idea of how to avoid weight gain when quitting smoking, it shouldn't be a problem. Either way, quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health, so quit now!

Keywords: Weight Gain, Quitting Smoking, Oral Fixation, Healthier Choices, Calories, Gum, Lollipops, Whole Foods, Exercise, Quit Smoking, Health Benefits

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