Brought to you by NiQuitin.
Are you feeling the hunger?
If you’ve been following along, well done! This is a big win for you and hopefully you’re starting to feel some of the more positive changes that come with quitting smoking.
Smell should have improved a lot, clothes should be starting to lose that constant cigarette smell (finally!), and some of you might even find yourselves breathing a bit easier. Those positive changes will keep happening as you go on and the feelings will only get better over the next few weeks (we can’t wait!).
However, we can’t ignore some of the more difficult changes that come with quitting, and one obstacle that a lot of people encounter is a rise in appetite. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant so people might find that they get much hungrier once they stop those daily smokes.
The main problem with this is that sometimes people find themselves putting on a few pounds and then switch back to cigarettes to shift the weight. We want to help you avoid that.
Quit To Fit addiction expert and life coach, Raul Aparici, has some advice for anyone facing the food struggle.
“It’s easy to vilify food,” he says, “and turn eating into a negative and give ourselves a hard time for it. A much healthier approach would be to re-energise our relationship with food.”
He encourages everyone to take advantage of their newly-recovered taste buds and explore the wide world of food options out there. Forget about diets and restrictions – find foods that make you feel good, that fill you up and keep you feeling energised.
It’s helpful to focus your efforts on creating delicious meals for yourself. If you’re not experienced with food, take a cooking class. Shift all that extra energy and time into learning and honing new skills.
“Walk down the supermarket aisles with a newfound sense of amazement at the endless possibilities ahead of you. Strike a conversation at the fish counter, swap produce tips with other shoppers and reach out to people in your life who are good at cooking. Start a revolution in your eating: it will keep you engaged, healthy and the creative possibilities are endless. Eat local, seasonal products where possible.
“By becoming actively engaged in the food choices that you make you will feel more in control not just of your food choices, but of your entire life.”
So if you’re feeling that tummy rumble more now that you’ve thrown away the smokes, don’t get discouraged. Use it as a sign to take up a new hobby or delve even further into an existing hobby. Very soon you’ll start to feel even better than you already do.
After all, food is the best.
Keep up to date with how our teams are doing on Instagram. Follow along with the campaign on Facebook and Instagram and let us know how you’re getting on with the #QuitToFit hashtag.
Brought to you by NiQuitin.
Combining nicotine patches and nicotine lozenges is clinically proven to be an unbeatable way of quitting.* Try the NiQuitin 14mg patch for 24-hour craving control and NiQuitin 1.5mg mini lozenges for craving relief.
NiQuitin Clear 21mg, 14mg & 7mg 24 hrs transdermal patches and NiQuitin 1.5mg & 4mg Mini Lozenges are stop smoking aids that contain nicotine but you still require willpower. Always read the label.
*Provides significant improvements in quit rates compared to the patch alone.
No purchase or use of NiQuitin is required.
In partnership with NiQuitin.
