Weight Gain While Quitting Smoking

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Weight gain while quitting smoking

Weight gain is a concern for many people who want to quit smoking. But many people don't gain weight when they quit smoking. Quitting smoking is more important to your health than weighing a certain amount.

Do not try to diet when you quit smoking. Most people who try to lose weight at the same time they are trying to stop smoking have an even harder time of stopping smoking.

Instead of trying to lose weight before you quit smoking, try to minimize the weight you may gain after you quit. Here are a few steps you can take to lower your chance of gaining weight while you quit smoking. You may want to start these before your quit date. Even though these changes are not as difficult as dieting, making any change is stressful and may be harder to do while you are quitting smoking.

• Consider using nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion (Zyban) or varenicline (Chantix). These delay weight gain in most people. Although they prevent weight gain only while you use them, they can allow you to deal first with the nicotine withdrawal symptoms, then later deal with issues of weight gain when you stop the medicines.
• Become more physically active. Take a short walk or do some stretches at times when you would ordinarily smoke a cigarette. Becoming more active helps prevent weight gain and increases your chances of successfully quitting smoking.
• Substitute fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for high-fat foods.
• Try not to use food to replace the pleasure of handling a cigarette. Rather than eating candy to replace the cigarettes, try chewing on a drinking straw or coffee stirrer.

Remember, looking good is much more important than how much you weigh. Smelling clean and smoke-free, having fresh breath, having fingers and teeth free of yellow tobacco stains, and feeling healthier all make you more attractive.

Credits

Last updated:	July 24, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Michele Cronen