This is a valid fear, because it does seem like many people who quit smoking put on a few pounds (and some put on a lot more than a few!).  Why is that?  And does it have to happen to everyone who quits smoking?

First, understand that nicotine is a stimulant, and as such it does increase your metabolism a wee bit.  Naturally, when you quit smoking and no longer ingest nicotine on a regular basis, your metabolism will slow down slightly.  However, when I say “slightly,” I really mean SLIGHTLY.  Not enough to make you balloon up to the size of a blimp.

Even better, the effect is temporary and there are simple steps you can take to help keep your weight in balance.

- Drink plenty of water.
Smokers are often dehydrated as it is, which makes your body hold tighter to the water it does have.  One good way to get your body to release excess water is to drink plenty of water!  As contradictory as it may sound, your body will easily let go of retained water when you keep yourself well-hydrated.  The general recommendation is 64 ounces per day, and more if you are overweight already.

- Clean up your diet.
The temptation to snack on sweet and salty foods when you quit smoking may be strong, but try to avoid doing so.  Instead lean more toward plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats.  Instead of chips, try snacking on small amounts of nuts and seeds (because they are so packed with protein and fat, you don’t need more than an ounce or two at a time – way less than the entire bag of chips you would have gobbled).  Rather than candy, try some fresh or dried fruit.  Also avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugary soda pops.

- Start an exercise regimen.
Check with your doctor first to be sure you can safely withstand physical activity, and then get moving!  You’ll probably want to keep it moderate to begin with, like brisk walking or swimming.  Don’t be surprised if your lung capacity has greatly diminished if you’ve been smoking for a long time – but it will usually come back the longer you remain a non-smoker and continue to exercise regularly.  As you get stronger, gravitate toward more strenuous forms of exercise, like weight training, dancing, or running.  The better you feel physically, the less tempted you’ll be to abuse your body with junk food or cigarettes.

- Don’t replace one addiction with another.
Sometimes when people quit smoking they pick up another bad habit to replace it, like eating pounds of chocolate or gulping down those mega-double-whipped-chocolate-caramel-1000-calorie lattes.  Your primary objective in quitting smoking is to look and feel better while adopting more healthful habits.  Replace cigarettes with carrot or celery sticks, salads, fresh water, and deep breathing.  You’ll feel much better than you would by giving in to the temporary buzz lattes and chocolate provide.

- Don’t sweat a few pounds.
If you DO see the scale go up a few notches, don’t let it get you down!  Remember that it’s temporary.  The more you focus on getting your body healthy and strong, the more quickly those pounds are going to drop back off again.  Better yet, don’t even step on the scale while you’re working through the withdrawal from quitting smoking.  Who needs the pressure?  Instead, keep affirming that you are doing something wonderful for yourself, and you’ll be in much better health in the long run.

How To Quit Smoking And Not Gain Weight is a post from: Stop Smoking Now

But one of the most powerful techniques is already in your possession, whether you know it or not!  This technique is one that you already use every single day of your life.  You use it when you’re sick, when you’re feeling great, and when you’re working through challenges.  It can make all the difference between success and failure, no matter what you’re doing at the time.

What is this technique?  Self-talk.

Don’t dismiss it – when you really think about it, self-talk is truly powerful.

Have you ever accidentally talked yourself into being sick?  Perhaps you woke up with a slight headache, then spent the morning telling everyone that you didn’t feel good and by the end of the day you were not only suffering from a much worse headache but also body aches and other symptoms?  On the other hand, perhaps you can remember experiences where you talked yourself into being well too.

Using self-talk to help yourself through the stages of quitting smoking is not only simple, it works!  Your thoughts have immense power to shape your perception of everything that happens to you.

What do you think would happen if you quit smoking and then complained mentally about it the whole time?  “This sucks.  I want to smoke, but I can’t.  It’s not fair that other people can smoke but I can’t.  I’m so sick of these cravings already, how am I going to make it through a few more weeks like this?  I can’t do this.  Maybe I should wait until I’m less stressed…”  On and on it goes – and before you know it, you’ve talked yourself into smoking again!

On the other hand, you can use this same type of self-talk to HELP yourself through your quit.

Here’s how to do it:
When you wake up on your first day as a non-smoker, you’re likely to experience some feelings of anxiety.  You might have thoughts like, “Oh, that’s right, I’ve quit smoking.  Man, I really want to smoke.  Maybe I should quit tomorrow instead…”  As soon as you become aware that you are thinking thoughts like this, immediately turn it around.  Say with confidence, “Today is going to be a GREAT day!  I have officially quit smoking and I feel better already.  (take a deep breath)  It’s so good to be able to breathe again, and it’s going to get even better as I go along!”

Throughout the day, periodically say things like this to yourself:  “I’m doing really GOOD at this!  Not smoking is actually easier than I thought it was going to be.  I’ve had a few cravings, but nothing that I can’t handle.  I can handle anything if I really set my mind to it.  I’m so proud of myself.”

When you do experience cravings, simply talk yourself through them.  “Okay, I’m having a craving.  It’s just a feeling and it will pass.  Having a craving doesn’t mean I have to do anything about it.  If I just ignore it, it will go away on its own.  I’m okay.  This is manageable, I can handle it.”

These are just examples of some positive self-talk that you can use, but feel free to improvise.  You could also be a little more aggressive, like this:  “I refuse to give in to your call, nicotine!  You will not beat me.  I’m stronger than you are, and I’m proving it every time I refuse to smoke.”

The important thing is to avoid using negative self-talk because it will simply push you back toward the desire to smoke again.  If you catch yourself thinking or speaking negatively, turn it right around and affirm how great you feel, how strong you are, and so on.  In no time at all, you’ll really start to believe it.

As the old saying goes, “You are what you think.”

How to Quit Smoking Easily! is a post from: Stop Smoking Now

Despite these well-known risk factors, however, many smokers find themselves needing a more personal reason to want to kick the habit; possibly because the threat of “maybe” contracting a deadly disease just doesn’t seem likely (the old, “it will never happen to me” syndrome).

This article is going to share some easy steps to help you come up with your own powerful, compelling reason(s) to quit smoking once and for all.
1)  First, take a few moments to jot down on a sheet of paper the negative aspects of how smoking makes you feel.  You can include actual physical problems like shortness of breath and fatigue; as well as feelings like embarrassment that your clothing and hair may stink; feeling like an outcast stepping outside to smoke while everyone else stays inside socializing and having a good time; or even your fears, like dying young and leaving your children before your time.
Write down as many reasons as you can, and try to make them reasons that really matter to YOU – not just what other people have said to you or you’ve heard others say before.
2)  When you’re done with your list, look it over carefully.  Read each item on the list, and really think about how it feels to experience that situation in your daily life.  Now choose the top three reasons that are most repulsive to you and circle them.

Take another sheet of paper and write a longer description of each of those three items.  For example, if one of your top reasons was “to not die young and abandon my children”, write a paragraph or two about why that is important to you.  How would it affect your children if you died before your time?  How will your smoking impact them, now and in the future?  Will your smoking addiction encourage them to smoke later in life?  Continue writing until you feel you have identified your core reason for wanting to quit smoking.  This may seem like a morbid exercise, but it can be incredibly powerful.  Being a smoker for a long time desensitizes you to the true long-term effects of smoking.  This exercise jars you out of the haze of denial.

Now go through this same process for the other two important reasons on your list.
3)  When you’ve got your three descriptions written, read them over again.  Now take a final sheet of paper and write a description of the opposite outcome.  When you do quit smoking, what will happen instead of those other experiences?  For example, you might write that you will be around to love your children and grandchildren for many years to come, your kids will be really proud of you for quitting, they’ll be blessed with a healthy, strong parent that has the energy and stamina to play with them, and so on.

Do this for all three reasons you described earlier.

Carry these lists with you and read them slowly each day, really paying attention to how they make you feel.  With enough repetition, you will actually begin training your brain to view smoking as an unpleasant, dangerous activity – which will make quitting easier when you decide it’s time.

While this may not remove the discomfort that comes along with nicotine withdrawal, it will certainly help you to stop seeing smoking as a harmless activity and instead see it for what it is:  a true threat to your health, happiness and longevity.

If that isn’t enough reason to quit, what is?

Stop Smoking Now? Why? is a post from: Stop Smoking Now

For those who find both equally hard to overcome we suggested taking a look at BluCig (http://www.letseatcakefundraiser.com/blog/blucigs)

While, the most dangerous aspect of smoking is the actual smoke, for those who are more concerned with the addiction then the habit, there are some NICOTINE FREE solutions.

The best part about the nicotine free solutions are they allow you to kill both the habit and the addiction at one time.

The way nicotine solutions work is that they let your brain know that you are still getting the nicotine that it craves.

With nicotine free solutions, it’s more like telling your brain “don’t worry buddy, not getting your nicotine is not that bad.”

Another benefit of nicotine free solutions is that once your brain and body are free of nicotine you are done.

So what are some nicotine free solutions. Well your doctor can recommend the right prescription drug for you. If your more into the natural solutions then there is Smoke Deter

Using natural products Smoke Deter sends signals to your brain that alleviate the  symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, all the while keeping you nicotine free.

So take a look and decide if it’s the right solution for you.

Smoke Deter | Nixing the Need for Nicotine is a post from: Stop Smoking Now

Now more than ever there are plenty of natural methods to help you quit smoking – without harmful chemicals and the side effects that often come along with them.
Below you’ll find information on some of the most common natural methods to quit smoking:

- Herbal supplements
Unfortunately, there are no definitive studies that confirm the effectiveness of herbal supplements in reducing the effects of nicotine withdrawal.  Personal feedback also varies; some people say it helps, others say not.  But if you’re interested in exploring the possibilities, start with these herbs commonly used for smoking cessation:  St. John’s Wort, lobelia, ginseng, valerian, skullcap.
Some of these herbs are actually smoked in a pipe or hand-rolled cigarette, while others are taken orally as supplements.  Note also that herbal supplements can be dangerous for some individuals.  They are not regulated by like prescription drugs, so knowing the proper dosage and safe usage guidelines can often be hit and miss.  Another concern is that some herbal supplements can interfere with prescription medications or aggravate existing medical conditions.  If you are unsure whether herbal supplements are right for you, consult your healthcare practitioner.
- Alternative treatments
Many people report success in quitting smoking with the use of alternative treatments like acupuncture, acupressure, hypnotherapy, EFT (emotional freedom techniques), meditation and visualization, massage and reiki.  Some of these treatments focus on clearing the thoughts and beliefs that lead you to be a smoker, while others claim to clear the human energy field (aura) and promote healing on an energetic level.
It’s interesting to note that these modalities are most often effective when people believe they will be.  If you are not open to these types of treatments, it’s doubtful that they would be effective in reducing your urge to smoke.  Of course, the same could be said for any type of treatment: if you believe it is helping, you will be successful in abstaining from smoking.

- “Cold turkey”
Probably the best known natural method to quit smoking is simply stopping, commonly referred to as “cold turkey.”  There’s no doubt that it’s the most final way to become a non-smoker, but it’s definitely not easy for some people to do.

It is possible to combine the cold turkey method with less intense natural methods, like cutting back gradually for a few weeks or having one or more hypnotherapy sessions before making the final leap.
Are natural methods better than traditional methods to quit smoking?

It depends who you ask.  Manufacturers of nicotine replacement products not surprisingly claim that using gum, patches, lozenges or nicotine inhalers work the best.  Drug manufacturers claim that prescription medications work the best.

Individuals who have successfully quit smoking report that different methods worked best for them – some natural, and some traditional.

In the end, you are the best person to decide which method will work for you.  There’s no shame in using any method, provided it’s safe and helps you meet your ultimate objective: to be a non-smoker.

How to Quit Smoking with Natural Methods is a post from: Stop Smoking Now