Wellness Articles

Do You Have to Gain Weight if You Quit Smoking?

Wellness Index

There is evidence that those who quite smoking, especially women, tend to gain weight. But such a scenario is not a "cause-and-effect" situation and is certainly not inevitable. Not everyone gains weight after quitting. And a lack of cigarettes certainly does not cause an increase in calories.

Besides, continued smoking is a lot more dangerous than the added pounds quitting might bring. And remember, if you have the will to quit the addiction to nicotine, you certainly have the will to stick to a diet.

The Connection Between Smoking and Eating

When you quit smoking, your body goes through tremendous changes, including heightened senses of taste and smell. This can lead to an increase in the appreciation of food and thus a sharper appetite. Fattening foods may partly suppress your continuing craving for nicotine. Or you may feel that you deserve these high-fat "treats" as just compensation for giving up smoking.

Tips for the Transition

Weight gain after quitting smoking is less likely when you have a plan for coping with the added temptation of high-fat, high-calorie foods. Here are some tips to help you make the transition:

• Drink more fluids, especially water. Six to eight glasses a day are recommended.

• Eat lots of high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains. They're low in calories and keep your mouth busy with something besides holding a cigarette.

• Choose sensible snacks. The best snack foods are ones that are filling without having a lot of calories, such as popcorn (season with herbs and spices, not butter and salt), whole fruit, whole-wheat bagels with apple butter, seasoned rice cakes, and unsweetened cereals with nonfat milk. But don't go overboard, even with sensible snacks.

• Leave the table after a meal but before a dessert, especially if that's when you used to light up.

• Chew sugar-free gum or on a toothpick as a nonfattening cigarette substitute.

• Exercise. Vigorous exercise can help curb both nicotine and food cravings at once. Go for something you really enjoy, be it walking, swimming, bike riding, jogging, tennis, or aerobic dance. Exercise also helps relieve stress and tension.

• Use relaxation, stress reduction, and meditation techniques to rid yourself of the stress you may have tried to mask first with smoking and then with eating. This may help you get to the source of both problems.

Even if you do gain some weight after quitting smoking, if you follow these tips, especially exercise, you'll probably lose those pounds within a few months without smoking again. A smoke-free diet with exercise can be your prescription for a long, healthy, slim life.

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