Chapter 20

Dealing with Weight Gain

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Getting priorities straight

Bullet Writing down everything you eat

Bullet Challenging unhealthy food thoughts

Bullet Figuring out what to eat

Lots of smokers say they smoke to keep off weight. Nicotine increases metabolism and helps burn more calories. In fact, for most people, the increased metabolism due to nicotine burns about 200 extra calories a day. That’s the equivalent of a glazed donut every day. Smoking also decreases appetite and provides something to do with your hands and mouth that doesn’t involve eating food. Thus, current smokers weigh about ten pounds less than nonsmokers.

Those who quit smoking generally gain up to ten pounds, mostly in the first six months. This gain varies, and smokers who start out either underweight or overweight tend to gain the most. People who quit smoking often reward themselves with a bit of extra food. We endorse that. Go for it, that is, for the first couple of months after quitting. After that, it’s time to turn your attention to healthy eating.

Remember Don’t lose sight of the fact that smoking is absolutely more harmful to your health than carrying around some extra weight. At the same time, in the interest of honesty, you should know that weight gain following smoking cessation does erode some of the health benefits of quitting.

In this chapter, we help you consider your priorities and set realistic goals regarding weight gain associated with smoking cessation. We stress the importance of monitoring what you eat. Then we lay out a plan for how to rethink your relationship with food and food cravings. Next, we give you some basic tips on nutrition. Finally, we discuss how to boost your metabolism and maintain your motivation.

Prioritizing Health First and Setting Realistic Goals

This book’s priority is to help you quit smoking first and foremost. Hopefully, you’re reading this chapter because you’ve accomplished that goal. Now, you’re appropriately concerned about putting on too many pounds. We’re glad you’re here.

You probably already know how to lose weight: Eat less and exercise more. If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be a multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry, and everyone would fit into their skinny jeans.

Start by making a commitment to lose weight. Decide how much you want to lose, but don’t get excessively ambitious here. Don’t consult a chart of your “ideal” weight and make that your goal if you’ve never been close to that your entire life. Consider changes as small as 5 percent of your body weight — losing that amount can improve your health significantly.

After you’ve decided on your goal, give it plenty of time and go slow. Don’t go on a starvation diet — they sometimes work for a short spurt, but rarely over the long haul. That’s because starvation diets actually slow down your metabolism so you burn less calories. Most people should not attempt to lose more than a pound or two a week, and a little less can be a reasonable goal as well.

Remember If your new eating plan stalls, vow to stay away from smoking or vaping. You’ve already proven that you’ve got what it takes to do something quite difficult. But just as quitting smoking often takes people multiple attempts, the same goes for adjusting entrenched eating patterns. Keep at it, try new things, and don’t give up.

Keeping Track of What You Eat

Monitoring your intake of the foods you eat and your weight doubles your chances of successful weight loss. That means that you create a food journal and write down what and how much you eat of everything. We mean everything. If you cheat and don’t write down a few items, you’re only cheating yourself.

Keeping track of food intake alone helps you lose weight — without even trying to reduce calories. But it helps only if you’re totally honest. That means every piece of chocolate, every drop of soda, and every stick of gum. The reason that monitoring works is that people do less mindless eating when they realize that they must write down every bite.

Tip You probably want to monitor a few other things like body measurements, weight, and amount of exercise. Weigh yourself every day at the same time. Remember that a few fluctuations will occur due to water retention and other variables, but it’s the trend that matters over time.

Tip Start monitoring before you change your eating habits. You can take your time before implementing a calorie-cutting plan. But there’s every reason to start monitoring right away. Tracking sets the stage for everything else, and it subtly starts changes in eating all by itself.

Tip If you also choose to calculate your caloric intake, there are apps for helping you make that task less of a chore than it used to be. Those apps also include strategies for keeping a food diary.

Warning If you engage in what’s known as binge eating, you’ll have a lower chance of success with quitting smoking, as well as managing your weight. If you frequently eat especially large quantities of food to the point of distress and shame, this problem may apply to you. We suggest you consult with your primary care physician or a mental health professional about the possibility of a binge-eating disorder.

Rethinking Food and Dieting

The change strategies throughout this book are based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). That holds for our approach to food and eating as well. An especially important component of CBT involves helping people understand that the way they think about things greatly affects how they feel and react.

In this case, the way you think about triggers for food cravings affects how you’ll respond to them. You have many choices for the ways you respond; this approach nudges you to consider alternative thoughts and behaviors. Distorted thinking about food quickly leads to making poor, self-defeating choices.

Tip Distorted thinking is the mind’s way of trying to get what it wants by convincing you to take a path that’s based on emotions, inaccurate perceptions, and short-term desires over reason, logic, and what’s best for you. Most people have a long habit of basing their responses and actions on such distorted thinking. When you’re aware that many of your thoughts are distorted, you have the option of changing your thoughts, and your actions will follow.

Table 20-1 displays ten particularly common distorted thoughts about food and weight management followed by more rational, logical, and evidence-based thoughts. Consider writing down any of these distorted thoughts that resonate with you along with their more rational responses on a 3-x-5 card to carry around with you. Read them over whenever you hear them in your head.

TABLE 20-1 Ten Distorted Tempting Thoughts and Rational Alternatives

Distorted Tempting Food Thought

Rational Alternative Thought

I ate a donut, so I’ve blown it and I might as well eat whatever I want today.

I ate a donut, that’s all. That doesn’t mean I have to double down and blow the whole day.

I’ve never succeeded at dieting. Why would this be any different now?

I never succeeded at quitting smoking until now. So, I guess you’re never too late to learn something new.

I’m overwhelmed. I’ll eat now and deal with the consequences later.

Yes, I’m feeling overwhelmed, and I’ll feel even worse if I eat. I’ll try a walk instead.

It’s my birthday, and I can eat whatever I want to.

Sure, it’s my birthday. My gift to myself will be to have a small slice of cake and stick to my plan for the rest of the day.

I can’t go on a vacation. I always gain weight because I always overeat.

Yes, I usually overeat on vacations. On this vacation, I’m going to keep my exercise up so I can eat just a bit more. It’s not all or nothing.

I’m so lonely/angry/stressed/bored that I need something comforting to eat.

I’ll feel even worse if I always cave into difficult feelings. It’s time to try something different, like reading that great book I have.

I’ll get back to my plan when I feel like it, probably in a couple of days.

It won’t be easier in a couple of days. I’m just making excuses for eating what I want.

I can’t turn down a food sample at the grocery store. It’s free for gosh sake!

Free doesn’t mean calorie-free. Every little bit counts.

If I don’t eat these cookies, my friend will feel insulted.

How about I take these cookies down to the local fire department? They always want food. I can let my friend know how much they enjoyed them, and why I didn’t eat them.

I can’t stand the cravings. I have no self-control. It’s horrible.

I thought I couldn’t stand smoking cravings, but I’ve learned to. I can do the same with food and gradually improve my tolerance.

We’re guessing you found several (or more) distorted thoughts that feel familiar to you. And you probably have various other distorted thoughts that get in the way of sticking with your eating plan. For dealing with those, we have a list of questions to consider subjecting your distorted thoughts to:

  • Can I think of evidence that would contradict this thought?
  • If my friend told me this thought, what advice would I give?
  • Has this thought ever not been true in the past?
  • Are there any more balanced alternatives to this thought?
  • How will I feel if I act on this thought as opposed to a different thought?
  • Am I just kidding myself with this thought?
  • Is this a temporary, fleeting thought that may go away if I just wait it out?
  • Would I think about this thought differently if I were in a better mood?
  • Is there a way to test out this thought with an experiment?

Tip You don’t have to provide full answers to all these questions — two or three is usually enough. Just use them to confront your distorted thinking. Consider writing a new, more rational alternative thought based on this confrontation. You can also write your distorted thoughts on one side of a 3-x-5 card with your rational, alternative thought on the other side for easy reference.

In order to show you how to do this, follow the process with Stan (see the nearby sidebar).

Remember Thoughts are just thoughts. They can be accurate or not. Just because you think something, doesn’t mean it’s true. Start a brand-new habit of questioning your thoughts and developing rational, alternative thoughts to guide your behavior.

Figuring Out What to Put on the Table

After years of putting a cigarette in your mouth, it’s understandable that you’ve been putting a bit too much food in your mouth to replace the cigarette. We didn’t try to dissuade you; in fact, we gave you permission to indulge in a bit of ice cream during the early stages. So, now you have a few extra pounds to deal with. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Read what we have to say next, and then slowly implement changes in your eating habits. At least it’s not cold turkey — you can still eat!

Tip The good news is, we don’t want you to start cutting calories right away. First, focus on making your food healthy. Sometimes, that alone starts a slow, easy weight loss. If not, we recommend a variety of simple, small cuts for you to choose from. It won’t be as bad as you think.

Starting with nutrient-dense food

Managing weight starts with improving the quality of what you eat more than the quantity. The goal is not to deprive yourself and walk around hungry all day! Healthy eating will give you more energy, improve your looks, and keep your weight under better control. A healthy diet is rich in nutrient-dense food. Nutrient-dense foods have these characteristics:

  • Lots of vitamins and minerals
  • Little or no added sugar
  • Little or no added salt
  • Relatively few calories

It’s important to prepare nutrient-dense foods with minimal use of extra salt, sugar, and fats. You can phase in these changes slowly over a period of weeks or months. Examples of nutrient-dense foods include the following:

  • Vegetables of all different colors
  • Fruits, especially berries
  • Whole grains
  • Unsalted nuts and seeds
  • Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
  • Seafood
  • Eggs
  • Beans and peas
  • Lean meat (minimal red meat) and poultry

In addition, pay attention to seeking unprocessed foods whenever possible. Many experts strongly suspect that a heavy reliance on processed foods has contributed to rising obesity rates in countries all over the world. That means cutting back on chips, packaged crackers, processed cheese, lunch meats, white bread, soft drinks, packaged bake goods — you get the idea. Look at the labels — just the sheer number of ingredients gives you some idea of how processed the food is that you’re buying.

Filling up on fiber

Fiber is the part of food that the body does not digest. Fiber passes through your system and leads to better digestive health. A diet high in fiber supports weight loss by creating feelings of fullness. Fiber also reduces cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, and lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases. Most Americans fail to get much more than half the fiber that’s generally called for. The American Heart Association recommends women consume about 21 to 25 grams of fiber daily and men 30 to 38 grams.

Tip To add more fiber to your diet, eat whole fruits instead of drinking juice, eat whole grains instead of white breads and pasta, and try to eat some of the following high-fiber foods:

  • Apples
  • Artichokes
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Chia seeds
  • Flaxseeds
  • Oatmeal (steel-cut is especially good)
  • Pears
  • Quinoa
  • Raspberries
  • Spinach
  • Strawberries

Tip Get in the habit of looking at food labels for the amount of fiber per serving. Whole foods are almost always higher in fiber than processed foods.

Cutting out calories

Here’s where going slow matters. Cutting out 500 calories a day amounts to about 1 pound per week if your weight is currently stable. One way to get there is to make swaps of current high-calorie foods you eat for lower-calorie alternatives. Examples include the following:

Instead of this …

Try this …

Latte

Black coffee

Whole milk

Skim milk

Soda

Sparkling water

Ice cream

A bowl of berries with 1 tablespoon of whipped cream

Potato chips and dip

Vegetable sticks with hummus

Tip You can also get there by looking for easy 100-calorie cuts to make from your usual diet. Some good examples include the following:

  • Using cooking spray instead of a tablespoon of oil
  • Cutting out one glass of wine or a beer
  • Leaving one slice of cheese off your burger
  • Cutting out one slice of bread
  • Dropping the bacon from your sandwich
  • Having some fruit instead of cookies
  • Ordering veggie pizza instead of pepperoni

Still, 500 calories less per day may feel like a lot. You can cut a little less if you elongate the time for reaching your goal. You can also cut a little less if you increase the amount of exercise you’re getting (see the “Boosting Metabolism” section, later in this chapter).

Remember Make your cuts tolerable. Going too fast likely won’t work even though it can be more rewarding in the short run to see pounds drop off. Slower is better when it comes to weight loss.

Tip Additional tips for cutting calories include the following:

  • Use small plates and servings. You can always go back for more if you’re truly hungry.
  • Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Your brain needs about 20 minutes to detect and send out signals for fullness.
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV or while reading. Distractions allow you to eat too much mindlessly.
  • Put all food on your plate. Never eat out of a box or a bag where you can’t see how much you’ve consumed.
  • Avoid buying junk food. If it’s in your kitchen, you’ll end up eating it!

Remember There is no such thing as a totally forbidden food. Making something forbidden merely increases its desirability. You can still eat chocolate, pie, or ice cream. Just have it less often and in smaller portions.

Planning for holidays and eating out

Unfortunately (from a weight management perspective), holidays and eating out at restaurants are still likely to occur in your life. Let’s consider dining out first. In order to manage your eating at restaurants, consider the following:

  • Choose what you’re going to eat before you arrive from the restaurant’s online menu. Most places have them!
  • Order one or two appetizers instead of an entrée.
  • Consider ordering entrées that are baked or broiled instead of fried.
  • Drink lots of water during your meal.
  • Be the first to order so as not to be influenced by what others order.
  • Have a cup of tea or coffee instead of dessert.
  • Switch out vegetables instead of fries or pasta.
  • Ask for salad dressing on the side.
  • Consider having a small, modest dessert that you share with the table.

Tip A particularly good idea is to ask for a to-go box at the beginning of your meal. Box up about half of your meal when it arrives, and have it the next day.

Holidays are often stressful. Adding a strict diet regimen may only add to the stress. Our advice: Try to maintain your weight during the holidays instead of sticking with austerity. That means keeping portions small, avoiding drinking too much, staying away from too much sugar, and remaining focused on healthy food choices as much as possible. Get through the season without a major setback.

A couple of the best diets to follow

Surf the Internet a while, and you can find every sort of diet imaginable. New ones pop up regularly. But even the term diet is problematic because it sounds so restrictive to most people. The best diet is one you can use as a guide to lifelong, healthy eating.

But if you want to use a particular diet for guidance, we have two to recommend:

  • Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH): This diet includes six to eight servings of grains daily, along with four to five servings of vegetables, four to five servings of fruit, two to three servings of low-fat dairy, and one serving of lean meat, poultry, or fish. In addition, the plan calls for four to five servings of nuts or beans weekly, two to three servings of fats per day (a serving of fat can be as little as a teaspoon of oil), and five or fewer servings of sweets weekly. Check out DASH Diet For Dummies, by Sarah Samaan, Rosanne Rust, and Cynthia Kleckner (Wiley), for more information about this food plan. Numerous studies have shown it’s effective for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular disease.
  • Mediterranean Diet: The core message of the Mediterranean Diet emphasizes eating plants more than meat. It includes seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day, combined with whole grains and healthy fats from olive oil. Small portions of fish, poultry, eggs, and beans provide protein. A bit of dairy is included, as well as modest intake of red wine, if desired. Occasional red meat is allowable. Processed foods (such as, hot dogs, sausages, lunch meats, packaged baked goods, and white breads) are to be avoided as much as possible. Check out Mediterranean Diet For Dummies, by Rachel Berman (Wiley), and Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Meri Raffetto and Wendy Jo Peterson (Wiley), for more information about the Mediterranean Diet approach.

Boosting Metabolism

You have to deal with the fact that nicotine previously revved your metabolism, and now you’ll have to adjust to that change by increasing your metabolism in other ways. You can find lots of reputed ways of revving up your metabolism on the Internet, and these suggestions may help a little. Here are a few of them:

  • Eat more protein.
  • Drink cold water.
  • Drink green tea.
  • Eat more spicy foods.
  • Drink coffee.

Tip But the real key to boosting your metabolism is found in three words: move, move, move. We don’t need to tell you again that exercise is healthy. But you don’t have to become a gym rat to benefit from exercise. The federal government recommends the following guidelines for adults:

  • Sit less.
  • Exercise at least 150 minutes a week with moderate intensity. Even more exercise is better; more intense is good too.
  • Engage in strength training twice a week with weightlifting involving all major muscle groups.

Additionally, older adults should include activities that improve balance. If you’re unable to engage in moderate intensity exercise, you should do as much as you’re able to.

If these exercise guidelines sound overwhelming to you, figure out what you do right now and find a way to do more. For example, if you haven’t seen the inside of a gym or even exercised moderately in years, you’re not hopeless! Start with where you’re at right now.

Tip Invest in a fitness tracker. Don’t try to do anything except track how many steps you take in a day. If you’re averaging as little as 1,500 steps per day, that’s where you are. Start by making a goal of 1,750. Stay there for a week and move up to 2,000. Slowly increase your goal week by week. You can also gradually pick up your pace.

Some fitness trackers also nudge you with a vibration to remind you to walk a certain minimum number of steps each hour in addition to your daily goal. All your walking doesn’t have to occur in a single, long walk; you can break it into segments. Keep your metabolism revved with frequent walks.

You can add more steps by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from where you’re headed, walking instead of driving, and taking walk breaks at work rather than planting yourself in a break room. Walking after meals may offer even more benefit.

Remember The human body is meant to move. The farther you go and the more frequently you do it, the better. Plus, walking is a great way to quell cravings to smoke, chew, or vape. Other than nicotine, exercise (including walking) is the only thing we know of that also stimulates and relaxes at the same time.

Tip Your fitness tracker also stands ready to monitor your more intense exercise if and when you decide to include it in your regular life routine. It’s rewarding to see the exercise numbers pile up throughout the day and week.

Tip You can add more bits of exercise daily by standing at work, on the bus, or on the train rather than sitting. In addition, you can make a plan to do simple exercise during TV commercials. You don’t have to exhaust yourself — just move!

Tip There are lots of good, short exercise routines on the Internet. Try a few and see if they work for you. No fancy equipment is needed for most of them. We’ve both benefitted from these in-home, short routines to break up hours of sitting during writing days.

Staying Motivated

The less concern you have over controlling your weight, the easier time you’ll have in controlling your weight. Paradoxical, but true. In other words, stress less and don’t sweat about some extra pounds. You’ve done the hardest work — quitting smoking or vaping. You can lose a few pounds slowly but surely. There’s no rush.

That’s because the more you absolutely, positively, must do something (like lose weight), the less likely you are to find yourself able to do it. The pressure builds, and your resolve collapses. See Chapter 22 for more information about developing self-compassion and how you can benefit from lightening up on yourself.

Tip If quitting smoking or vaping has depleted you, back off for a while on your attempt to control your weight. Take a look through Chapter 14 and see what stage of change you’re in specifically regarding weight management. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Accept where you are, and move ahead when you’re ready.

Remember Smoking, vaping, or chewing was likely a very rewarding companion for you. You probably turned to food as your new rewarding chum. That’s understandable. Now it’s time to find another buddy or two — ones that aren’t deadly or unhealthy for you.

For starters, you may want to connect with a quit-smoking support group in person or online. You could also check out local or online support groups for weight issues. Check out Chapter 21 for information about developing a more rewarding lifestyle.