Quit Smoking Guide

Ordinarily you would think that quitting smoking is the same for both sexes. Whether you are a man or woman there can be a variety of common reasons for starting smoking in the first place and another range of common reasons for quitting smoking across the sexes. Whilst on the surface this may appear true, there are important differences to understand which can definately aid quitting smoking for women.

According to research women start smoking and quit smoking for different reasons to men. For instance weight control is seen as a perceived benefit of smoking. Although smoking can help with weight control it does not help as much as it is perceived to help. As a clinical hypnotherapist I invariably ask my female clients who want to stop smoking this question “What would you rather deal with, a few extra pounds of weight or cancer?”. Often the response will be that they fear the extra weight. Of course this can be because the weight gain can seem more immediate and possible, whereas cancer seems more distant and less likely to happen.

Another reason why women may smoke is because of their closer emotional bonding to other women. Women are natural empathisers and in empathising with a close friend, if that friend is a smoker, by also smoking themselves they may perceive or feel that they understand their friend’s issue. To a lesser degree this response is true during a work break when a number of female colleague’s will smoke together and is another way of keeping strong bonds intact.

Stopping smoking, when female friends are continuing to smoke, can make the new quitter feel isolated and distant from formerly close friends and colleagues.

Yet a third influence on women quitting smoking is their cycle. For those women who suffer irritability or worse during their cycle, it would not be a good idea to add to this by quitting smoking at the same time.

In order to make your chances of success in quitting smoking increase following these tips to deal with the above issues can help tremendously :-

Weight Fears

If you worry that you may put on weight when you stop smoking, make a plan to deal with this possibility before it happens such as :-
1) Increase the exercise you currently undertake such as

a) If you go to the gym, do a few more repititions or push yourself a bit harder

b) Introduce a form or exercise that is fun and social such as line dancing, salsa dancing or even a social game of barminton, table tennis etc

c) Instead of riding up escalators, get into the habit of walking up them

d) Instead of taling the lift, walk up those flights of stairs

2) Reduce the amount you eat. Cut out something like an unncessary snack. May be that biscuit with a cup of coffee

3) Substitute ehealthier foods for fattening ones. Instead of that bag ofd crisps have an apple or better still a citrus fruit such as an orange

4) Introduce more water into your daily lifestyle even if it is just a couple of glasses of water a day. A glass of water that is taken 10 minutes before a meal will take the edge of your appetite.

Empathising With Friends

1) Find a more supportive way of helpibng your friend other that jointly poisoning yourselves. This can be by :-

a) Making yourself available at anytime on the telephone to give your friend support

b) Being a non-judgemental and solution orientated listener

c) Letting them know you are there for them

d) Suggesting forms of help or available support

Timing

Choose a time in the month when you know you are at your peak physically, emotionally and mentally and not when you are about to enter your cycle. Quitting smoking just after your menstrual cycle and when you are feeling good and on the up can be great timing.

We are all different whether men or women and ultimately knowing yourself, what makes you tick and when the best time is here for you to stop smoking, is the biggest asset to your success.

Steven A. Harold
Stopping Smoking Hypnosis

Tags: hypnosis, hypnotherapist, hypnotherapy, London, quit, quitting, smoking, stop, stoppinghypnosis, hypnotherapist, hypnotherapy, London, quit, quitting, smoking, stop, stopping

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If there is one habit that is difficult to break it is smoking. Most smokers give up smoking for only two or three days; some give it up for a week; a few can stay off cigarettes for a month; but most return to cigarettes eventually. Very few stop smoking altogether.

One has to plan to stop smoking. The first step is to list the reasons on a paper as to why you want to stop smoking. Is it because your smoking is adding to the health problems of your loved ones? Is it because you are spending more money on smoking than you can afford? Or is it that your health has been declining? This will give you a reason to stop smoking.

You also need to make a chart of the benefits that can follow once you stop smoking. Your fitness levels will go up. The chances of your suffering from lung cancer or other grave illness will lessen. You will be able to spend more money on your family. Also, your family will not suffer the ills of passive smoking. Hang this chart in a prominent place. It will remind you every day of the need to stop smoking.

Decide on a date on which you would like to stop smoking. You can choose a day that holds a special meaning to you like a birthday or an anniversary. If you want you can choose the “No Smoking Day”. Inform your friends and family members about the quit date. Emotional support and guidance from them can make things easier for you.

Just making the decision is not enough. You need to be psychologically prepared to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. The first few days may be especially taxing and difficult. Avoid situations where the urge for a smoke is almost irresistible.

There are several ways by which you can manage the withdrawal symptoms. You can enlist the help of stop smoking support programs or opt for medication. Emotional and behavioral therapy forms the basis of these support programs. Most of the programs are built to cater to your needs especially. They are extremely effective and boast of a high success rate.

Nicotine replacement therapy is another method which can make quitting easier. It is available in the form of gums, patches and sprays. Every time you feel the urge to smoke you need to slowly chew the gum. On chewing a small amount of nicotine is released into the body and that will calm you.

You can also use Zyban to stop smoking. It is a prescription drug and creates a feeling of false well being similar to the one obtained while smoking. There are few side effects like nausea, insomnia and dry mouth associated with the medicine.

You also need to change your diet. Switch to fresh fruits and green vegetables on a daily basis. Most citrus fruits contain flavonoids that reduce your cravings naturally. Avoid alcohol and coffee. Drink lots of water. It cleanses your system. Join a fitness program if you fear weight gain.

Do not get carried away by emotional outbursts or other frustrations. It may lead to a relapse, something you definitely do not want.

Vincent Rudnick is a leading authority on effective methods to quit smoking. For more information and stop smoking resources visit: http://quitsmokingforevermore.com

Tags: best way to quit smoking, quit smoking, quit smoking support, smoking cessation, stop smokingbest way to quit smoking, quit smoking, quit smoking support, smoking cessation, stop smoking

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Ask a hundred people, ‘Will you gain weight when you stop smoking?’, and virtually all will say, ‘Yes’.

And yet…..virtually all ARE wrong. If I asked you the question now, what would you say?

But before you answer, please read this article…….AND find out the real truth about smoking and weight gain……..and THEN answer.

The Old Willpower Method

This is important. Get this clear in your mind.

When you stop smoking, it does not mean that you HAVE TO gain weight.

There are two parts to this problem and it is important that you understand BOTH of them.

First, I need to be honest with you……

Yes, in the past, people DID tend to gain weight when they gave up smoking.

But this was BECAUSE most people tried to give up smoking using the old Will-Power Method alone.

These people believed that when they gave up, they would feel terrible.

They were then told that the ONLY way to deal with these cravings was to endure them………and hope that, with time and persistence, they would go away.

They were advised above all…… to use their Willpower and FORCE themselves not to smoke.

And……finally, they were told…. to eat snacks or nibble this or that - ANYTHING, in fact to keep them busy and their minds OFF smoking.

Why eat?

Because the feeling or the ‘hunger’ for a cigarette is very similar to the feeling you get when you are hungry.

And so, in the past, people ate in the terrible mistaken belief that by eating, they could satisfy their craving for a cigarette and that it would help them keep their minds off smoking.

But of course it didn’t work…..

….And the MORE the feeling came back….. the MORE they ate in the belief it could help them.

‘Your present is NOT dependent on your past’

So we all have to accept that there was some validity for people gaining weight in the past when they tried to quit.

But that need not be the cause today.

Remember the CAUSE was not giving up smoking but HOW these people went about the process of giving up smoking.

If you look closely at how they went about it, you’ll see that….People ate TO NUMB their cravings.

Remember, when you give up smoking, you too will get these selfsame feeling/craving - ‘I want a cigarette.’

And you will experience similar feelings when you realize that you cannot have one.

But unlike the old Willpower Method, you will not eat extra in order to ESCAPE or NUMB these feelings.

Why?

Because, as we explain in Our Course you will want to WELCOME and ACCEPT these feelings. You will WANT to transmute them.

These FEELINGS/CRAVINGS are NOW the KEY to your success.

Please underline this: The Old Way (Willpower method) was to hate and fear these cravings to smoke.

You were told you had a big fight on your hands, that these feelings would be unpleasant and overpowering.

And because the feeling you get when you want a cigarette is similar to how you feel when you are hungry, of course, you believed that by eating, you could satisfy these feelings or at least alleviate them.

But all you did was to temporarily block off these feelings.

By eating, you give yourself an excuse not to have to deal with and really feel these feelings.

You put off the evil day……..and started to put on the pounds!

Never forget that when you give up smoking, you will CONTINUE to have these empty, restless, insecure cravings for the first two or three weeks…..

But now, for the first time in your life, LET yourself have these feelings, these empty sensations in your body. Actually feel them, moment-by-moment in your body.

CALL THEIR BLUFF!.

Sure, you will get the temptation to eat extra - to compensate - to ‘fill’ in the feelings you believe you are now lacking.

These desires are natural, normal.

They are not bad in themselves. And they are ONLY TEMPORARY.

Just feel them! Yes, it takes courage not to run away and try to escape by eating extra.

If you will just have patience and stay with these feelings, you will discover your moment of truth - that these cravings are no big deal and that you can easily handle them.

You don’t have to eat to escape from them. (to find out more about this process, go to our free course at (http://www.quitsmokingonline.com/ )

Please underline:

The belief that you will automatically gain weight if you stop smoking is a myth.

However, there is one other issue we must deal with in regard to weight gain before we proceed.

This is the second part of the problem we mentioned earlier……..

Increased metabolism?

Again and again, get this clear in your mind: Giving up smoking does not automatically have to lead to weight gain. And even the latest studies seem to confirm this.

In a large study in the UK involving over a thousand women quitting up smoking - no clear picture emerged.

Some women gained weight, others experienced no change whatsoever while other women actually LOST weight!

However, in regard to the women who gained weight - the average gain of between 5 to 10 pounds over a number of months was generally attributed to metabolic alterations i.e. the change in their metabolic rate.

Let’s look at this carefully as a lot of people, especially women STILL use this as an excuse not to give up smoking.

The effects of smoking

To help us, let’s try to understand the effects of smoking on your weight……..

First of all, smoking DOES burn calories. Up to 200 a day if you are a heavy smoker. Thus smoking can increase your energy expenditure or metabolism.

What does this mean?

It means that when you quit smoking it can cause slight weight gain for certain individuals (unless we take appropriate action!) because their body begins to work more efficiently and their body’s metabolism slows and food is digested more efficiently.

Is this bad news if it applies to you? No. it’s not.

Please consider this…..

An average candy bar contains 300 calories. If you were to stick to your regular eating habits but eat just six fewer candy bars (or equivalent calories found in some other food item) per month, you could easily prevent yourself from gaining even a single pound.
It’s that easy!

All it means is that you’ll have to learn how to , as Kristy Farley points out ……..outsmart the pounds!

But first, get this clear in your mind again and again.

When you give up smoking and do not RUN AWAY FROM or try to NUMB your cravings by EATING, YOU WILL NOT GAIN WEIGHT when you stop smoking.

The only weight gain some of our readers should be aware of is a slight weight gain of up to 5 pounds due to the change in their metabolic rate.

However, you can EASILY even avoid that by taking the FOLLOWING SIMPLE ACTION…….

……Outsmart the Pounds!

To ward off gaining ANY extra pounds when you quit, follow these simple steps and improve your general health at the same time.

Remember, if you are a heavy smoker, smoking will burn up 200 calories a day so……

To burn an estimated 200 calories used by smoking, for example, walk briskly for 45 minutes or swim laps for 30 minutes each day.

Or eliminate 200 calories of food intake, and you’ve used up the extra calories from not smoking. What does that translate to?

2 lite beers (220 calories)
20 regular potato chips (220 calories)
4 chocolate sandwich cookies (213 calories)
2 tablespoon of butter (200 calories)

2 oz. of cheddar cheese (220 calories)
1 small order of McDonalds fries (210 calories)

1 hot dog and roll (250 calories)

2 frozen waffles (240 calories)
1/2 cup macaroni and cheese (205 calories)

One benefit of quitting, however is that as your body realizes the benefits of not smoking, your energy levels will increase, and you will begin to feel better physically.

A moderate increase in physical activity can keep weight gain to a minimum so…..Exercise daily.

A daily moderate workout not only distracts you from smoking, but also helps reduce tension and stress. Endorphins released in the brain during exercise actually make you feel better. Exercise also increases metabolism, helping you burn more calories.

And …..here’s a great fact from the New York Times:

‘The good news is that the very fear of gaining weight is also the #1 deterrent to avoiding weight gain.

The great news is that studies show that at least 25% of all former smokers so fear weight-gain they actually LOSE weight once they’ve quit!’

Essential Summary

If you do not RUN AWAY FROM or try to NUMB your cravings to smoke by EATING, YOU WILL NOT GAIN WEIGHT when you quit smoking. FACT.

And even if you are one of those who may experience a slight weight gain of up to 5 pounds, due to metabolic changes- that is the easiest thing to remedy! FACT

Follow our simple advice - and you will not gain even an extra pound!

But the important thing to remember here is this:

It was the Old Way of giving up smoking that caused people to gain weight in the past.

It was the terrible idea that you must use Willpower to FORCE yourself not to smoke.

And the idea that you could use substitutes like food to BLOCK or to ESCAPE from these cravings.

But our approach to giving up smoking is the exact opposite.

We want you to FACE and WELCOME ALL the cravings you get when you stop.

We want you to TRANSFORM them. You now know that by allowing and opening to every feeling and desire WITHOUT judgment or resistance you can MAGICALLY transform how these feelings FEEL, moment-by-moment in your body.

They can actually be experienced as enjoyable sensations - and thus you will feel no compulsion to use food to escape from these cravings.

So why continue EVERY DAY to….CONGEST your lungs with cancerous tars. To CLUTTER up and POISON your blood vessels. And to SENTENCE yourself to a lifetime of…..

* Filth* Bad breath* Stained teeth* Burnt clothes* Filthy ashtrays* And the foul smell of stale tobacco….

……all because of the mistaken BELIEF that if you stop smoking, you must gain weight.

Go on….show the world by your own PERSONAL EXAMPLE that it is a LIE!

Because it is!

And as you show them, ENJOY fully all the great immediate benefits you’ll experience when you stop…..

You’ll feel stronger, younger, healthier

Your complexion will be better.

Your teeth and fingers will no longer be yellow.

Your eyes will look healthier, more alive and vibrant.

And your clothes and breath will no longer stink of stale smoke.

You’ll feel f-r-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c !!

Now……what is your answer to that Question, ‘Will you gain weight when you stop smoking?’

Is it possible to enjoy, yes ENJOY quitting smoking - and not gain ANY weight?

Follow the famous 10-day Free online Quit Smoking Course by Sean O’Riain at http://www.quitsmokingonline.com and prove it for yourself.

Sean O ‘Riain is also the author of the Bliss of meditation

Tags: quit smoking, stop smoking, ways to quit smokingquit smoking, stop smoking, ways to quit smoking

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