Some clients who come to me to quit smoking with hypnotherapy admit that the reason they have continued to smoke all these years is because they are terrified they will put on weight once they stop smoking. Does quitting smoking cause you to gain weight? Not necessarily. When you quit smoking you are letting go of a habit you do not want. So it can also be an incentive to adopt some new healthy habits in the process. If you make a conscious choice to eat low fat healthy food and to get regular exercise after you stop smoking, you can avoid what most people think is an inevitable side effect.

It is true that in some rare cases smoking can cause a slight increase in metabolism, and if this is the case quitting smoking will cause metabolism to decrease a little to its normal rate. My client 'Brenda' insisted that this was the case with her. She told me that each time she had quit smoking in the past she had put on weight despite eating the same type of foods in the same portion sizes and keeping her regular exercise routine. So terrified was she of not being able to fit into her favourite jeans, that she took up smoking again before she was able to experience any health benefits. But this time around 'Brenda' was smart; she was determined not to succumb to that old temptation to go back to smoking. As she said: 'I'd rather be a few kilos heavier and live to see my grandchildren grow up.'

So are a couple of pounds on the scale a good reason to continue killing yourself? I don't think so. What's the point of being able to fit into skinny jeans if you have to carry a respirator everywhere? The real reason why most people put on weight after they stop smoking is because they have simply replaced one addiction (smoking) with another (overeating). If you are overeating, you may need to address the reasons why you reach for food in times of stress or loneliness. Perhaps previously, cigarettes served to play the role of your 'special friend' during these times. Whatever the case, you can get through it without having to turn to outside vices.

Also, when you consider that food tastes better when you don't smoke, this can cause some people to say yes once too often to tasty treats that they may have forgone in the past. Many smokers light up after a meal to avoid craving desserts. 'Danielle' came to see me for this reason. She had been a smoker for 20 years and during that time she had literally forgotten how to taste some foods. When she quit she found it very difficult to manage her weight. But after a few sessions we addressed the root cause of her overeating, which was related to her stress and negative belief systems. She is now a slim, healthy, active non-smoker.

If you think about it, you are literally killing yourself each time you light up. Do you really want to be responsible for your own premature death? If you consider that after one year of becoming a non-smoker your risk of coronary heart disease decreases to half that of a smoker, it makes sense to quit. Many people are programmed to believe that stopping smoking automatically leads to weight gain. Don't underestimate the power of your own subconscious beliefs!

Your subconscious mind brings into your awareness all of the 'evidence' that proves your beliefs to be true, to the exclusion of all evidence to the contrary. Therefore, if you believe that you will get fat when you quit smoking, you will automatically manifest this as your reality by choosing the wrong foods, eating when you're not hungry and lying on the couch instead of exercising. At the end of the day, whether you smoke or you don't smoke, weight management is about energy in versus energy out.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Quitting smoking does not have to lead to weight gain. In fact, many people use the decision to quit as an incentive to increase their overall life expectancy by making some additional positive lifestyle changes. When you make the choice to become a non-smoker, you are affirming that you respect life and you respect your body. Here's to self respect.