How to Stop Smoking Without Gaining Weight

A weight loss patient came to me venting her frustrations over weight gain after she quit smoking.

She was at her breaking point and ready to start smoking again to get the extra weight off.

Smoking is the last thing you want to do to try to maintain a healthy weight. Even if your weight might be normal, your overall health is suffering.

Here are the ideas that I reviewed with her to get her on track to reaching her weight loss goals, while ridding that extra frustration.

Begin an exercise routine if you haven't already. This is the number one thing that helps most former smokers. Since smoking does burn extra calories, you can replace your previous calorie burn with exercise burn! An added bonus is that exercise helps to relieve stress, tension, and anxiety that you may be dealing with. Focus on eating mindfully. It is important not to become an emotional eater when you quit. Instead of reaching for a cigarette, many will reach for comfort food. Focus on your true physical hunger levels instead. Have snacks for munching readily available. When you do feel the need to put something in your mouth out of habit, grab a piece of sugar free gum or hard candy. Popcorn, fresh fruit, carrots, and other raw vegetables are good for crunching.Remove trigger foods and beverages from the home. This includes alcohol which may make you want to start smoking again, and contributes to empty calories in the day. Keep junk food and other "comfort" foods out of the house so you are not tempted.Eat 3 regular small meals and 2 or 3 healthy snacks in your day. This will help to tame your increased hunger levels. Yes, there are plenty of people out there who still smoke! Even though the rates have drastically dropped, people still need all the support they can get.

Those of you who have struggled with "food addiction" know what addictive behavior feels like. So, next time you meet someone who is struggling, you can share some of these tips.

If you have quit smoking, what strategies worked for you?

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Hemp: Power Food or Just for Smoking?

Is the hemp plant the world's answer to our dietary and sustainable resource woes?

Its fiber is praised as one of the strongest to make textiles with and its seeds are touted for their oil and complete protein.

But, should we be buying stock in hemp farms? Or, are hemp food products just a fad?

First of all, before all of the anti-marijuana people get fired up, I'm talking about the 2 very low THC producing sub-species of Cannabis. One which has fibrous stems and the other which has oil rich seeds.

Hemp is a highly sustainable crop because it grows fast and requires little to no pesticides or herbicides. However, it does require nutrient rich soil, so fertilizers are normally used.

Non-THC crops are used to make clothes, rope, biofuel, paint, and food products. They have been cultivated for 1000's of years.

Hemp Seed Oil: This oil is cold pressed from the hemp seed and is marketed as a better choice than olive oil. The oil has a light nutty taste and can be used on salads or for cooking. It has a smoke point of 330 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than that of olive oil.

It contains less saturated fat than olive oil as well as provides 2.5 grams of omega-3 and 7.5 grams of omega-6. The oil I sampled was "GOOD Original Hemp Seed Oil". They also use this oil to make a line of salad dressings and mayonnaise.

Hemp Protein: This has become a popular choice among vegans as a way to get extra protein their diets. The hemp crop has less environmental impact than the soy crop and I won't even go into the impact the dairy industry places on the environment in oder to produce whey protein.

The downside to hemp protein is that it is more expensive and yields less protein per gram of product. 30g of hemp protein powder yields 15g of protein, while the same amount of whey yields 21g and soy 24g. However, hemp protein powder delivers 8 grams of fiber, while the other two have very little to none. I looked at Nutivia hemp protein for this comparison.

Hemp Milk: This cow's milk alternative is also gaining popularity as yet another way to avoid the cow pus. I recently wrote an article comparing the nutrition of milk alternatives, so I won't repeat that here.

I think any plant that can be grown easily, that's good for the planet, and that has a lot of practical applications should be considered a viable crop. The USA has been reluctant in allowing farmers to grow hemp, so most is imported from China.

Hemp protein is a great option for those that need more protein in their diets, but can't or don't want to use whey or soy. I'm a bit 50/50 on the use of the oil. Although it does have healthy omega-3, it also has quite a bit omega-6. Many nutritionists believe these should be consumed in a balanced ratio.

Perhaps hemp food products will come down in cost as more brands enter the marketplace providing increased competition.

Have you tried hemp protein or oil? What did you think of it?

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