When People Quit Smoking, Is Weight Gain Unavoidable?

There are many smokers who, among other reasons, are afraid to try to quit smoking for fear of what they think is the inevitable weight gain. Almost everyone they know who has successfully quit smoking weighed pounds and does not want this to happen to them. So, is the link between quitting smoking and weight gain directly related to smoking itself, or are there other, out-of-date reasons why this often happens to people who “kick the habit”? Let's take a look at all the factors that contribute to obesity in people who have quit smoking and look at whether this weight gain can be controlled when it does not need to be a factor if you decide to quit smoking. The fact is, you do not have to become obese when you stop smoking. There are many people who quit smoking who never give up. On average, people who quit smoking gain only 50 pounds [10 kg]. Studies have shown that people who smoke 10 to 20 years or more, or who smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day are more obese than those who smoke shorter ones and those who smoke less than one pack a day. Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, acts in small amounts to keep your weight down. If you stop and nicotine starts to leak out of your body, you may notice a small amount of short weight loss, but it will usually not exceed 3 to 5 pounds [3 to 5 kg], mainly due to water retention. The main reason why so many people gain weight is closely related to eliminating the habit of smoking excessively. Many will substitute whole-day sweets instead of cigarettes. Some will begin to eat a variety of foods throughout the day as a substitute for the old habit. A cigarette break at work becomes a snack for food. Lunch after lunch becomes a light snack. It is a new habit, one that is performed almost unknowingly, that is the cause of obesity when people quit smoking. When you stop smoking, being careful about what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat and exercise will keep those weight gain down and may prevent you from gaining weight at all. You should also consider that even if you gain 5 to 10 pounds by quitting smoking, the risks of smoking are much higher than those of 5 to 10 pounds [5 to 10 kg]. Smoking causes more than 400,000 deaths each year in the United States. Weighing over 100 pounds [100 kg] may be necessary to counteract the health risks of smoking. Smoking causes your heart rate to increase, and you are twice as likely to have a heart attack as a non-smoker. It inhales about 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke and 40 of these chemicals cause cancer. Men are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers, and women are 12 times more likely. With a little effort on your part to maintain your eating habits and include some exercise in your daily routine, weight gain can be maintained and at least will be kept to a minimum when you stop smoking. You will have better health, feel better, and have a more positive outlook on life when you decide to quit smoking permanently.