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About Gaining Weight
Many people who are considering quitting are very concerned about gaining weight. If you are concerned about weight gain, keep these points in mind:
* Quitting doesn't mean you'll automatically gain weight. When people gain, it's because they often eat more once they quit.
* The benefits of giving up cigarettes far outweigh the drawbacks of adding a few pounds. You'd have to gain a very large amount of weight to offset the many substantial health benefits that a normal smoker gains by quitting. Watch what you eat, and if you are concerned about gaining weight, consider the tips that follow.
Tips To Help You Avoid Weight Gain
* Make sure you have a well balanced diet, with the proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
* Don't set a target date for a holiday, when the temptation of high-calorie food and drinks may be too hard to resist.
* Drink a glass of water before your meals.
* Weigh yourself weekly.
* Chew sugarless gum when you want sweet foods.
* Plan menus carefully and count calories. Don't try to lose weight; just try to maintain your pre-quitting weight.
* Have low-calorie foods on hand for nibbling. Use the Snack Calorie Chart to choose foods that are both nutritious and low in calories. Some good choices are fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetables juices, low-fat cottage cheese, and air-popped popcorn without butter.
* Take time for daily exercise or join an organized exercise group.
Snack Calorie Chart Snacks Calories* BEVERAGES Carbonated (per 8-ounce glass) Cola-type 95 Fruit flavors (10-13% sugar) 115 Ginger ale 75 Fruit drinks (per 1/2 cup) Apricot nectar 70 Cranberry juice 80 Grape drink 70 Lemonade (frozen) 55 Fruit juices (per 1/2 cup) Apple juice, canned 60 Grape juice, bottled 80 Grapefruit juice, canned, unsweetened 50 Orange juice, canned, unsweetened 55 Pineapple juice, canned, unsweetened 70 Prune juice, canned 100 Vegetable juices (per 1/2 cup) Tomato juice 25 Vegetable juice cocktail 20 Coffee and tea Coffee, black 3-5 with 1 tsp. sugar 18-20 with 1 tsp. cream 13-15 Tea, plain 0-1 with 1 tsp. sugar 15-16 CANDY, CHIPS AND PRETZELS Candy (per ounce) Hard candy 110 Jelly beans 105 Marshmallows 90 Gumdrops 100 Chips (per cup) Corn chips 230 Potato chips 115 Popcorn (air-popped, without butter) 25 Pretzels Dutch, 1 twisted 60 Stick, 5 regular 10 CHEESE American, processed (per ounce) 105 Cottage, creamed 30 Cottage, low-fat (2%) 25 Swiss, natural 105 CRACKERS Butter, 2-inch diameter 15 Graham, 2 1/2 inches square, 2 55 Matzoh, 6-inch diameter 80 Rye 45 Saltine 50 Fruits (raw) Apple, 1 medium 80 Apricots, fresh, 3 medium 50 Apricots, dried, 5 halves 40 Banana, 1 medium 105 Blackberries, 1/2 cup 35 Blueberries, 1/2 cup 40 Cantaloupe, 1/4 melon 50 Cherries, 10 50 Dates, dried, 3 70 Fig, dried, 1 medium 50 Grapefruit, 1/2 40 Grapes, 20 30 Orange, 1 medium 60 Peach, 1 medium 35 Pear, 1 medium 100 Pineapple, 1/2 cup 40 Prunes, dried, 3 60 Raisins, 1/4 cup 110 Strawberries, 1 cup 45 Watermelon, 1 cup 50 Nuts (per 2 tablespoons) Almonds 105 Brazil nuts 115 Cashews 100 Peanuts 105 Pecans, halves 95 Vegetables Carrots, 1/2 cup grated (raw) 35 Celery, 5-inch stalks, 3 10 Pickle, 1 15-20
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