Fortunately, I have quit smoking many years ago, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. However, the weight gain when you quit smoking is not a myth, it is real, and it has happened to me in a way that I never imagined possible. You see, I used to be a rather skinny man while I was smoking (and before staring) and I was one of those constantly laughing at my friends that were struggling with diets and were barely eating anything just to lose a couple of pounds more. I simply could not understand the difficulties they had to go thorough, and because I was a person than could usually eat everything he wanted and not gain a pound, I simply thought they were imagining things, and that things can not go that bad… Until they did… The day I decided to quit smoking was a glorious day, but with all the stress and problems that were on my head at that point I never thought, not only for a moment, about the fact that I will be experiencing weight problems if I am not careful.

To be frank, even if someone would’ve told me that I couldn’t have cared less, because I was overwhelmed by the idea of not touching cigarettes again. But my struggle with nicotine addition is a completely different story…

Weight gain when you quit smoking is going to happen no matter what you do mostly because most smokers are usually malnourished already. Even if this is not visible in the pounds they weight, they surely lack plenty vitamins and minerals and the protein metabolism in they bodies in all messed up. Also, smokers tend to forget about sports, because if they smoke long enough they will feel unable to do some basic exercises. If I tried to run for only a couple of feet, I would feel a burning pain in my chest and the shorted breath stopped me every time. Also, when I was smoking I was consuming a lot less water than normal. Mainly because with every cigarette I lighted I needed something to go along with it and that was usually a cup of coffee. Drinking all that coffee disallowed by body to feel thirsty…or hungry. After quitting, all the thirst and hunger sensation were back and stronger than ever. I was like being born again, and I was happy to see the food tasting better, but never thought about weight gain when you quit smoking issues. Not at that point.

And the months passed, and everyone was congratulating me and the pounds continued to add until it was obvious that I was beginning to fell tired and unwell again. This time it wasn’t the nicotine and coffee that made me feel like that, this time was all that extra fat that was a new addition to by body. Maybe if you are a bit overweighed by nature you feel differently when you gain a bit of weight, but for me this was like a true torture: each pound seemed to weight as much as ten. I was really tired and I went to see my doctor. All my eating, all the fats and sweets caused me to almost double my weight is less than a year. That was huge and the doctor said that I was almost obese. Me, obese!

At this point I had to turn to those friends I used to laugh at back when I had no weight problems. Now it was their turn to laugh, but they didn’t. Instead they helped me lose the weight I’ve gained. You see, having to deal with weight problems their entire lives changed the way they treat others with the same issues, because they understand. I couldn’t understand before, so I was mean to them. We decided that I needed a diet to return me to normal weight. It took me almost another year to do this, and the weight gain when you quit smoking effects are still visible sometimes, because I didn’t know how to stop in time. The frequent eating I did affected my metabolism in so many ways that it is very hard to speed it up efficiently. Anyway, with lost of efforts, I managed to regain a rather normal weight, but I’m on a regular diet plan. Not really a diet but more like a healthy eating plan: I eat cereals, raw foods and foods that are not very processed and fish or chicken, and also seeds. But the main thing that turned my life around was exercising. Without my daily running hour I would still be overweighed.

If I were to quit smoking again now, with all my knowledge against weight gain when you quit smoking I would do everything quite differently. Maybe a minimal weight gain would still occur, but I wouldn’t double my weight for sure. When you quit smoking you can go for a simple detox diet. That should keep you off eating unhealthy stuff because you are stress at least for one or two weeks. The best choice is a meat free diet or a raw food diet. Then, I would try do exercise the very first day I quit. Since the nicotine is gone, why worry I will get tired? I might be hard at first but things will only get better in time. In a word, I would do everything in my power not to let smoking further ruin my life even after I’ve decided to quit.

Research during the last three years implicates small inflammation of the arterioles as a major reason for weight gain, trouble losing weight, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The individuals do not feel this inflammation yet it gradually damages the ability to gain energy from food consumed. Over time, the inflammation promotes diseases regarding the circulatory system and type 2 diabetes.

The inflammation makes people fat by eating creating wear on the cells causing the cells to become inflamed. When the cells are inflamed, they do not use insulin correctly resulting in weight gain and fat.

All food promotes the damage on the cellular level. Food wears down the cells leading to the inflammation resulting in weight gain and issues for many people. There are some foods, which create greater amounts of wear on the cells. The majority of foods that are processed are the contributors to the inflammation of the arterioles. Processed foods are the main food substance for many people so it is actually a hidden culprit to this disease.

The inflammation is evident within the cells and arteries since the is the wear. When people consume certain foods, they are ingesting foods with free radical that are converted to damaging substances called Advanced Glycation End products. The AGEs damage the fats making up the cells and the delicate DNA within the mitochondria of the cells. These cells line the arteries perform a major function of removing the sugar in the blood system to the cells.

The body has natural enzymes that neutralize the free radicals, AGE’s, as well as other damaging substances in the body. The diet rich with processed food damages the body’s natural abilities to remove the hazardous substances leading to the inflammation of the cells and arterioles.

This makes the enzymes fight harder to remove the substances reducing the resistance levels of the body. The body becomes overwhelmed causing people to experience oxidative stress thus leading to the inflammation and weight gain. The inflammation is a leading contributor to type 2 diabetes due to the lack of insulin flowing properly in the system. The body needs the correct flow of the insulin to process sugar in the body or the individual will experience weight gain as well as other health related issues.

To help reduce the possibilities of inflammation reduce the amounts of processed foods consumed. Increase the natural foods of vegetables, lean meats, and fruits. A healthy diet will reduce the changes of the inflammation and excessive weight gain. Diets rich in natural whole grains, fruits, and vegetables also helps to promote weight loss by removing the processed foods that lead the body to storing additional fat and other damaging substances.

Body fat makes you fatter as well as inhibits your ability to lose weight and have higher levels of energy. When you are overweight, your metabolism is low so you do not have the energy you should have. The body fat functions as an endocrine organ that influences your ability to metabolize the fat.

Fat cells are storage tanks for the hormone related to the body’s weight and any possible weight loss of individuals. The fat stored within the body affects glucose metabolism including cortisol and leptins. They are also closely related to the levels of energy and how the body metabolizes the fat consumed and stored.

Recent studies have proven the fat cells are far more important in the role of weight gain and energy levels of individuals with the hormones related to the weight levels. Based on the studies, the fat cells not only store the hormones they secrete them into the body and blood stream. This process is an endless negative cycle for people wanting to lose weight since they need to control the secretion of the harmful levels in order to effectively lose weight.

In simple terms, the more body fat a person has the higher their levels of the levels of the hormones within the body adding to the weight issues. To fight the battle of the weight gain and hormone levels stored in the body, reduce the body fat levels.

To truly understand the roles of the hormones that are affecting the weight issues will help realize the importance the hormones play in the weight related problems.

Cortisol is stored in the fat. When your body fat increases the enzymes increases converting the cortisol to become active and released from the fat into the blood system. Cortisol increases the levels of energy and metabolism. It inhibits levels of glucose metabolism that make you store fat. In respect to using cortisol as a means of weight loss, a very effective natural hormone helps to increase the levels of energy and metabolism resulting in weight loss.

Leptin is a key hormone secreted by fat cells helping to regulate the eating tendencies. Leptin enters the blood signing the brain you are full. The excessive body fat stores the leptin hormones elevating the levels causing leptin resistance similar to diabetics with insulin resistance. The leptin resistance results in over eating since the person’s body does not signal they are full.

Both elements are easily combated by reducing the body fat levels. Exercise and a healthy diet help to reduce the amounts of body fat limiting the negative effects of storing the hormones in the body fat. Reducing the storage of the hormones results in weight loss.

Contrary to popular beliefs, alcohol does not convert to fat, it converts to acetate, which is metabolized and it increases hunger. It also impairs carbohydrate metabolism resulting is the carbs not becoming fat within the body.

Alcohol and weight loss are associated together in studies where the person that drinks alcohol replaces the carbohydrates with the alcohol in their diets. To fully understand how the body uses the consumed alcohol helps to better understand the affects within the body.

Alcohol is not ingested in the small intestines such as carbohydrates and fats since it is absorbed in the stomach lining going directly to the blood stream where it then goes to the liver to be converted to acetate. The end result is acetate not sugar, as many believe.

Alcohol then leads to the weight loss by decreases sensitivity to insulin. The individuals with insulin resistance tend to gain weight in the abdomen areas of the body due to processed carbohydrates. This increases the chances of type 2 diabetes. Drinking alcohol reduces the insulin resistance for many individuals leading to weight loss.

Alcohol also reduces the hunger of individuals. European studies have proven alcohol has major influence on the hormone ghrelin that regulates the hunger control in the body. Alcohol does make people hunger, often at nighttime when it is most hazardous to eat the fattening foods.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported in 2004 that the conversion of alcohol to acetate inhibits liplysis, which is the fat burning system in the body. They state that any fats consumed will become stored as fat when drinking alcohol.

Yet with the many different, there are common agreements that alcohol is metabolized into acetate. When alcohol is substituted for carbohydrates, there is weight loss. The continued consumption of alcohol does lead to weight gain. Alcohol increases insulin sensitivity disposing of carbohydrates consumed and stored as fat.

Realize when eating food with the consumption of alcohol decreases the absorption of the alcohol into the blood stream leading to increased weight gain. To have weight loss, studies have shown alcohol is best digested with little to no food on the stomach.
To reduce the factors of possible weight gain from consuming alcohol, take alpha Lipoic acid to help move the carbohydrates into glycogen instead of storing them as fat reducing the insulin response to the carbohydrates.

Limit the amounts of carbohydrate ingested to reduce the possibilities of fat storage. Do not combine fats and carbohydrates when you consume alcohol. Eliminate the fats and increase the benefits of weight loss with alcohol consumption.
Realize this is in no way promoting drinking alcohol as a method of weight loss, simply stating factual research based on two different country’s finding on their research.

Leptin resistance is being recognized as a leading cause of age related weight gain, obesity, and weight management. The prolonged high levels of leptin create a chronic weight problem with the foods high in carbs and cholesterol. The leptin resistance causes weight gain, premature aging, and obesity.

Leptin is a key hormone related to hunger, metabolism, and energy from fats and carbohydrates that are stored in the body. The word is derived from the Greek word leptos that means thin. Leptons are the body’s natural hormone to produce higher levels of energy, reducing hunger, and increasing the metabolism.

Leptin circulates the hormones in the blood system that tells you have consumed enough food. It signals the brain to start burning fat consumed and stored. It is the center of the brain to signal you are full so you will not eat more food. It also signals the fat cells with the hypothalamus if you need more fat cells.

Women have higher circulating levels of leptin than men do. This why women tend to suffer from more weight related issues. Leptin is the hormone responsible for weight loss and weight gain.
Leptin resistance is much the same as insulin resistance in diabetics. For the diabetic, the insulin resistance continuing elevated levels of insulin in the body makes the muscles and fat cells resistant to the natural action of insulin. With leptin resistance, the body has continued elevated levels of leptin decreasing the hypothalamus’s sensitivity to leptin leading to weight gain.

Leptin resistance leads to weight gain and issues since the body does not know to reduce the food intake due to the lack of communication about the levels of hunger. Without the body knowing it is full, the individuals continue to eat increasing their carbohydrates and calories leading to the excessive weight gain.

Several diet pills have found this hormone deficiency and included a hormone activator helping to increase the functions of the natural hormone and promoting weight loss. The results of the diet pill do cause weight loss for many people, especially the suffers of leptin resistance.

Many doctors are currently recognizing the importance of leptin in their patients with excess weight complications. Studies are being done currently to help clinically with the weight issues related to leptin levels. It has become a major health factor the medical field is starting to take seriously such as diabetes since both cause negative health issues in many people.

Dealing with leptin resistance can be dealt with properly with a change of the diet as well as adding natural vitamins and minerals in addition to changing the current diet and exercise levels. For the suffers of leptin resistance it is important to consult your doctor for possible medication to help promote leptin within the body similar to the diabetics taking insulin.