How to Stop Food Cravings After Quitting Smoking

Food cravings and weight gain are the biggest reasons ex-smokers relapse. Your body cleanses and purges impurities after you quit smoking, and your senses of smell and taste return. You may desire more foods because they are more appealing, and your mouth and hands are not toying with the cigarette anymore. These are physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that eventually disappear, usually within 2 months after you start a quit-smoking program. Meanwhile, you can fight the food cravings, lose weight and kick the habit for the last time.

Things You'll Need

• High-fiber foods
• Finger foods

Show More

Instructions

How to Stop Food Cravings After Quitting Smoking

• 1

  Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber makes your body feel fuller quicker during mealtimes, and keeps you feeling full longer. Replace refined sugars with fruit, and white bread with whole-wheat choices. Add extra vegetables with your meals, replacing potatoes and starchy vegetables with green leafy food. Healthier foods complement your healthier, tobacco-free lifestyle.

• 2

  Sleep at least eight hours each night. Sleeping less may make you crave sugary foods after you stop smoking and drain your energy during the day, making you burn fewer calories. Use natural methods to fall asleep and stay asleep. Avoid getting up in the middle of the night for a snack.

• 3

  Eat several small meals a day, rather than three big meals. Do not skip any meals during the day. Skipping meals may cause to you overeat at your next meal or fill up on calorie-laden side dishes rather than the leaner parts of the meal. Your body compensates for the skipped meal earlier in the day.

• 4

  Snack on finger foods between meals, and avoid foods high in carbohydrates. Sugar causes mood swings and quick changes to your energy level. Your energy level peaks after eating a high-carbohydrate meal, but dips shortly afterward, leaving you hungry before your next mealtime. Try carrot and celery sticks.

• 5

  Avoid eating when you are angry or emotional. Find healthy coping strategies, such as going for a walk or attending a yoga class. Try an anger management class at your local community college, or attend a support group for smokers so you can find creative ways of dealing with emotions that fit your personality or lifestyle.

• 6

  Participate in regular exercise or play a sport. Your body produces endorphins when you exercise, releasing the feel-good hormone into your bloodstream. These hormones also inhibit food cravings and burn extra calories throughout the day, making it easier to compensate for a mistake when you slip into a food craving. Exercise also fits into the healthy regimen you are adopting by quitting smoking.