Will You Gain Weight if You Quit Smoking? Well, this question comes to the mind of every smoker. The short answer: Maybe, about 80 percent of people who quit smoking see the scale creep up. It is commonly observed from 5 to 10 percent. The other 20 percent either maintain their weight or lose a small amount of weight. Among ex-smokers who do put on pounds, research suggests, that the weight gain tends to subside. Even start to reverse itself after six months to a year.
While former smokers may not lose all of the weight they initially gained, ultimately they are likely to settle at the weight level of people who never smoked. A lot of smokers are artificially under their ideal body weight, so when they quit they end up back at what a normal body weight would be.
Studies suggest that nicotine gum and bupropion, an antidepressant shown to support smoking cessation, may delay weight gain, but as soon as people quit using these aids. They typically experience the same weight gain as people who don’t use them.
Why do so many people gain weight after kicking the habit?
One reason is that they eat more. When you quit smoking your senses of taste and smell blossom. So those cinnamon rolls and bacon and eggs breakfast platters may suddenly seem more appealing. Women, in particular, may find themselves craving sweets, some research shows. However, common withdrawal symptoms are anxiety, nervousness, and irritability. And may also be because the ex-smokers raided the refrigerator. And some turn to food as a way to keep their hands and mouths busy in the absence of cigarettes.
But increased calorie consumption doesn’t appear to account for all of the weight gains that ex-smokers experience. The absence of nicotine also seems to play a role. Some studies suggest that nicotine lowers the body’s set point, the weight at which it intrinsically wants to settle. This may explain why smokers tend to weigh less than nonsmokers. Even though they don’t eat significantly fewer calories and tend to be more sedentary. As nicotine clears its system, its set point goes back to normal. Their basal metabolism slows down, and their bodies want to store more fat.
Moreover, Will You Gain Weight if You Quit Smoking by doing regular exercise of 30 minutes or so? It can also help in minimizing weight gain after you quit smoking. So can eating more slowly. Many smokers hurry through dinner so they can smoke when they quit. They are still in the habit of speed eating. Hence increasing the odds that they will go back for the seconds. Just don’t go overboard with exercise and cutting calories. People who start strict diet and exercise programs at the same time they try to quit smoking tend to fail at all the changes.
Even if you do gain some weight after kicking the habit. So be remembering that the dangers of continued smoking far outweigh the risks of putting on a few extra pounds. In fact, some experts estimate that it would take a weight gain of nearly 80 pounds to offset the health benefits. That an average smoker gains by quitting smoking. I hope after reading this article you would be clear about the question Will You Gain Weight if You Quit Smoking?
