It takes a lot of will power to finally quit smoking.
There's a lot of information available on how to do this.
And scary information on the health issues to help you kick the habit.
You deserve a lot of credit and a big pat on the back for doing it.
But did I hear you say that now you have another problem? Weight Gain! How did this happen? And more importantly, how do you tackle this Weight Gain? Did you just exchange one unhealthy habit for another? Let's take a look at why weight gain is often the next problem for smokers who quit.

• Reaching for a cigarette, cigar or pipe was often a distraction technique.
  It showed up when you're bored, or when you needed to temporarily put your mind into a 'hold pattern'.
  If you were taking a smoke break, you didn't have to tackle the next problem on your desk or you could delay just about anything from doing the dishes, fixing the car, mowing the lawn.
  Are you now just using food to as the next distraction technique?
• Smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe kept your hands busy.
  You had to hold on to the thing most of the time.
  So what do you do with your hands now? Some people feel they don't know what to do with their hands when they quit smoking.
  So your new answer or habit has been to busy your hands by bringing food to your mouth instead of a cigarette, cigar or pipe.
  
• ·And those taste buds in your mouth.
  They have started to really get active again, haven't they? And you like re-experiencing taste - those Incredible Edibles.
  

Okay, so what do you do now? If you've had the willpower and strength to quit smoking, to eliminate nicotine from your life, you can overcome these new weight-gaining habits too.
Time to start getting rid of these newly acquired weight-gaining habits you've developed, allowing you to lose the extra weight they've packed on you.
Time to show this new weight-gaining habit that you can get control over it too.
Time to tackle this weight gain!

• Look in your kitchen cupboards, refrigerator and freezer and get rid of finger food and anything that is high in calories and is not the best health choice for you.
  Many times we eat for the same reason that we smoked; i.
  e.
  , boredom, hand to mouth pattern, to feel calm and relaxed.
  Sound familiar? So, get rid of anything that you eat with your hands.
  Many high calorie snack foods are finger foods.
  You can still eat fresh fruit with your hands but eliminate chips, ice cream bars, and candy.
  
• Practice some relaxing, stretching exercises.
  Nervous energy sometimes caused you to smoke and is now causing you to eat.
  Take some meditation classes.
  Play some relaxing music.
  Put on your headphones, close your eyes, and imagine you are some place else.
  Imagine you are any place that would be uplifting to your spirits and allow you to relax.
  
• To find out why you are eating and what time of day, get tablet or writing journal and start keeping a food journal.
  Not a journal for counting calories but a journal to see why you need to eat every time you eat.
  Record your regular meal times too.
  Record how hungry you were and use a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being starving to death to show how hungry you were.
  If it was a regular meal, just say that.
  It was mealtime.
  If it was because you were jumpy and passing the floor, looking for something to do and you just settled on eating to calm you down, say that.
  Write down whatever you were feeling.
  When you go back and start reading your written words about why you're eating, you can address the nervousness, boredom, or whatever it is that is causing you to take in more calories than you need.
  

Of course, weight loss tips, exercising, creating balanced meals are also important.
Choose the diet and exercise plan that is right for you.
But looking for the why's is important too to break the habit.
Soon a new, slim you will be back in balance emotionally and physically.