A common fear of people who quit smoking is that they will gain weight. While some ex-smokers put on a couple pounds, it’s not necessarily true that everyone will do this, and in fact, losing weight and quitting smoking might have a much more important relationship than you think. When you schedule your smoking cessation consultation with Dr. Eric Lane at Lean Healthy Life he’ll explain all the important details, but for now, let’s take a look at smoking and what it does to your body and how weight loss comes into play.
What Smoking Can Do to You and How Quitting Can Help:
Every time you smoke a cigarette, you’re allowing over 7000 deadly chemicals into your lungs that contain over 60 carcinogens known to pose health threats to humans. When you smoke, your lungs take the brunt of the damage—many complications from cigarette smoke directly affect them. For example, smokers have an increased risk of lung cancer and emphysema, both of which can be deadly.
Thankfully, when you quit smoking you’ll begin to see a change in your overall health. In just over a month, your circulation and lung function will begin to improve. Within a year, you’ll find that the notorious “smoker’s cough” has disappeared and that your lungs are better able to stave off infection. If you make it several years without a cigarette, your risk of coronary heart disease will be cut in half. Quitting smoking has even been shown to improve your sense of taste! With all of these fantastic health benefits, what’s keeping you from giving up cigarettes for good?
Smoking Cessation and Weight Loss
Losing weight is actually a great way to prepare for quitting smoking. Since quitting takes such a high level of discipline and self-control, learning these essential skills through managing your diet and exercise can prove invaluable. Plus, once you lose weight and begin to realize that being healthy feels great, you’ll want to eliminate all the negative influences that are keeping you from true wellness.