5 tips to avoid weight gain while you quit smoking
Gaining weight after you quit smoking is common for several reasons:
- The nicotine from a cigarette can reduce your appetite. (However, over time nicotine can actually increase your appetite and decrease your metabolic rate.)1
- Eating is a hand-to-mouth behavioral alternative to smoking.
- Nicotine also slightly increases your natural metabolism.
If you stop smoking cigarettes, your appetite and natural metabolism return. Quitting smoking can also improve your sense of smell and taste, making food more appealing than it was when you smoked. In addition, eating creates feelings of comfort, similar to the chemical feelings of comfort brought on by nicotine.
For most former smokers, weight gain (usually 5–20 lbs.) is greatest in the first few months after quitting, and weight gain can continue for six months. However, there are things you can do to minimize weight gain while you quit or after you quit smoking. Try these tips:
1. Get and stay active. Adding in light activity like yoga, riding a bike or even a brisk walk with family members is a great place to start. With the body's blood vessels less affected by smoking, it is important to get the blood pumping to speed up the body's healing process, improve the transport of oxygen and nutrients and enhance your overall health. In addition, exercise releases plenty of long-lasting and good-feeling endorphins that can easily take the place of the temporary comfort of a cigarette or cupcake. Remember to start slow and talk to your health care provider before beginning an exercise routine.
2. Drink water. Water helps replenish the body and get rid of waste. Drinking water helps energize muscles and burn calories.
3. Trade up. It's not unusual for people who smoke to replace cigarettes with food after they quit. This is a great time to lean towards other things you're interested in, or have wanted to try. Trade a cigarette break for a quick stair climb. Is there a place at work where you can stretch out instead of lighting up? Use the money you would have spent on cigarettes on a non-food treat instead, like a pedicure or a new book. Think about it, and get creative. What else could you do, read or try instead of spending your hard-earned money on cigarettes?
4. Watch what you eat. You've probably heard that not all calories are the same. This is true. Nutrient-dense whole foods are better choices than calorie-dense processed foods. Stay away from prepackaged foods and eat more fruits and vegetables. Eating healthy also has a positive impact on mood.
5. Smart-size your meals. Overdoing it at an all-you-can eat buffet is not a sensible alternative to smoking a cigarette. It's OK to indulge in dessert every now and again, but be mindful to opt for sensible portions. The salad plate in restaurants is often large enough to hold the proper portion size for a meal. Remember to load half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
If you have decided to quit smoking, it means you've decided to make a positive change in your life; for you, for your family, or for any reason you have. Without a doubt, quitting smoking is a healthy choice, and you can be proud of yourself for making the attempt. Note that healthy choices often run in packs. Use these tips to remain conscious about your transition from a smoker to a non-smoker, and you'll reduce the stresses on your body, the food cravings that can result, and the weight gain that can come from both. And if you do gain a bit of weight after quitting smoking, remember it's common and may only be a return to your body's healthy weight, which you can maintain through diet, exercise and healthy choices.
If you or someone you care about wants to quit smoking, health care providers at the In-Store Clinics and MDLive are on hand to support you in your plans to be tobacco-free from cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. There are additional educational materials available in the Walgreens Answer Centers on walgreens.com to support you as well.
Updated on September 9, 2019
Sources:
1. News.sciencemag.org, (2014). Why Smokers Are Skinny. [online] Available at:https://news.sciencemag.org/health/2011/06/why-smokers-are-skinny [Retrieved 6/20/2019].
2. Martin, T. (2014). What Smoking Does to Your Metabolism. [online] About.com Smoking Cessation. Available at: https://quitsmoking.about.com/od/weightgain/a/metabolism.htm [Retrieved 6/20/2019].
3. Cancer.org, (2014). What are the immediate rewards of quitting smoking? | American Cancer Society. [online] Available at: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-rewards [Retrieved 6/20/2019].
4. J Audrain-McGovern, N. (2011). Cigarette Smoking, Nicotine, and Body Weight. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, [online] 90(1), p.164. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195407/[ Retrieved 6/20/2019].