Is vaping in public Situation: You’re at a meeting, and you’re about to make a speech. You’re nervous, and the voice inside you says, This speech is important, and you don’t get to do this very often. If having one or two e-cigarettes will help, they’re justified. “Have you been hearing that little voice, too?” At these times, it’s important to remember that quitting smoking by the process of vaping is hard and important. For example, one assertive response you could say to yourself in the first situation might be: “this is a tough spot to be in. But I’m not going to waste all my time and trouble look giving up vaping with V2 ecigs just because of one rush job. Besides, six months from now I won remember this assignment, but I will be I’m still not smoking. When the urge for a smoke hits, I’ll get up and move. If that doesn’t work, I’ll turn to sugarless gum.”
In the second situation, you might think to yourself: “I know I can make it through this speech without an electronic cigarette. Even though it’s special, it’s not as special as my getting off cigarettes. Not smoking is making me feel better physically and mentally. And who knows, I may impress those who realize I used to smoke.”
Controlling Your Weight
That inner voice saying “I have to go back to smoking” may sound especially loud when you get on the bathroom scale in the morning. Have you been gaining weight? Many ex-smokers do. Indeed, concern about weight gain is a real hurdle for most people. It’s the reason many smokers are afraid to quit. And when smokers do quit, if they gain weight, they often go back to smoking to lose weight. But that doesn’t have to happen To you! Smoking changes how your body stores fat. When you quit, your body starts to go back to normal for your age, sex, and height. That accounts for the pounds you may gain. It’s simply an effect of the decreased level of nicotine in your body. You can’t control this change in your metabolism. So try not to worry about your weight gain right away. Your first priority is to concentrate on staying off cigarettes. Don’t forget that a few extra pounds are not nearly as bad for you as smoking. After the couple of weeks, you can start focusing on exercising more and eating better. We review some specific tips in the box in the next section, such as eating better.
Some scientists believe that getting off nicotine causes craving for sweet foods. If you’re eating a high-calorie diet, sweet
nicotine withdrawal may be part of the reason. Food also tastes better now that you’re not smoking. Eating gives you something to
do with your hands. And for many people, eating is also an escape from boredom and tension. All of these work together to encourage you to eat more.
STAYING OFF THE WEIGHT AND SMOKING MERRY-GO-ROUND
You may quit smoking, gain five pounds, go back to smoking, lose the five pounds, quit smoking, regain the five pounds…Here’s how to get off the merry-go-round:
Quit smoking for good
Work to recognize that the weight gain is less important than staying off the cigarettes. Consider buying some health books or
magazines that will provide and reinforce healthy choices. Don’t worry about eating less, concentrate on eating more healthily and exercising more. When you can cut back on calories without finding yourself tempted to smoke, you can start planning how to lose the weight, in short, you need to solve the smoking problem first, and then work on the weight when you can do so without triggering strong urges to smoke.
QUICK QUIT TIP:
After you’ve successfully gone without smoking for a month or more, are you still gaining weight? It could bc that you’re reaching for food whenever you get the urge to smoke. Instead of eating, try drinking—that is, non-alcoholic beverages. Keep a glass of water, club soda, juice, or diet soda nearby throughout the day.