post smoking weight gain

Question
First, thanks for taking my question.  I am a 25 year old very active female who has smoked for 10 years.  I work and train on a horse farm so my job is fairly physical.  I am also a runner, even when I was a smoker.  I quit smoking three months ago and have since gained 8 lbs which is rather substantial on my 5'2" frame.  I initially tried atkins diet to lose the weight and lost a few, then stalled and have since been going back and forth between atkins and strict meat and egg fasts.  I have not lost weight, however have found that this is the only way of eating that does not cause me to GAIN.  I tried to incorporate veggies, and gained three pounds.  Please tell me you have some suggestions!   thanks!

Answer
It certainly sounds like you're on the right track.  However, you might be experiencing a bit of a yo-yo effect by jumping back and forth between Atkins and meat fasts.  You could be confusing your body by doing that.

There are a few options to try.  First, drinking lots of water helps your body in metabolizing stored fat.  Drink at least 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of water every day.  For example, a 160 lb. person needs to drink 80 fl. oz. of water daily.  This also cleanses your tissues, lubricates joints, aids in nutrient transportation, and lots of other bodily processes.  

Add some weight resistance training to your workouts.  Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat so toning your muscle mass helps drop the fat level.

You might also want to try eating smaller amounts at meals and having a 100-calorie snack between breakfast and lunch, then another 100-calorie snack a couple of hours after lunch.  This method keeps your metabolism pumped up and blood sugar at a constant level. A 100-calorie snack can be an apple, banana, piece of cheese or other food.

There are also negative-calorie foods, fruits and veggies, that burn more calories than they contain.  High fiber foods like celery, carrots, and others have been shown to help weight loss even in heart disease patients who can't exercise.

Those are some things that can help.  I teach an 8-week e-class on this type of stuff as well as an ongoing support e-class.  You can check it out at www.JerryRyanPhD.com.

Thank you for your question.  I hope that my answer has given you some help.  

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