You already know that, if you smoke, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health. It’s also true that maintaining a healthy weight is important. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to do one without impacting the other.
“Most people do gain some weight when they quit smoking,” says Erin Suprunuk, M.P.H., a tobacco treatment counselor at Henry Ford Health. “On average, people gain about 10 pounds in the year after they quit.”
But you don’t need to trade the vice of smoking for overeating. There are ways to manage your weight while also successfully quitting tobacco.
The Connection Between Smoking And Weight
Tobacco Treatment Services At Henry Ford
There are several reasons why smoking can help control weight gain—and why quitting can accelerate it. One factor is the effect that the nicotine in cigarettes has on your metabolism. Nicotine speeds up your metabolism, leading you to burn between 7% and 15% more calories than nonsmokers.
The stimulant effect of nicotine can also act as an appetite suppressant. That means that when you’re smoking you might not feel as hungry—and when you quit, you might suddenly feel hungrier.
On top of that, smoking can affect your tastebuds too. “The chemicals in the smoke you’re inhaling can change your senses of taste and smell, so that food doesn’t taste as good,” says Suprunuk.
The most obvious way that smoking affects your weight is that smoking a cigarette keeps both your hands and mouth busy. And when you quit, you may suddenly find yourself reaching for a snack during those times you otherwise would have reached for a cigarette.
Smart Strategies To Avoid Weight Gain When You Stop Smoking
Quitting smoking and gaining weight don’t have to go hand in hand. You can take steps to prevent extra pounds while successfully giving up cigarettes.
- Drink lots of water: Staying hydrated can curb cravings as well as help your body flush out harmful chemicals leftover from smoking. Focus on water and other non-sugar-sweetened drinks.
- Eat a healthy diet: Feed your body a well-balanced array of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Limit your intake of fast foods, fried foods and those high in added sugars.
- Get regular exercise: Being active not only burns calories, but also helps balance your blood sugar, eases stress and is good for your overall mental well-being.
- Keep your hands busy: Try out new ways to occupy yourself during those times you would normally smoke. Knitting, coloring, taking a walk, gardening—anything that can at least temporarily distract you from a craving.
- Manage stress: Smokers often use a cigarette break to destress. Look for healthier options to achieve that same feeling. Suprunuk suggests trying deep breathing techniques or meditation.
- Plan ahead for meals and snacks: Don’t wait until you’re starving or cravings hit to think about what you’ll eat. Shop and prep healthy meals and snacks so it’s easier to make healthy choices.
- Seek out support: People who use nicotine-replacement medications and work with a tobacco treatment counselor have an almost 50% higher rate of quitting success.
Stay Focused On Your Overall Health And Well-Being
Don’t let fear of gaining a few pounds keep you from making the healthiest choice possible: quitting smoking. “Within 24 hours of your last cigarette, your body starts to repair the damage smoking has done,” says Suprunuk. “And with every month you don’t smoke, your heart, lungs and immune system function continue to bounce back to health.”
Even if quitting does lead to some weight gain, it’s still the healthiest option. “Gaining ten pounds but living the rest of your life with healthier lungs and heart is worth the trade-off,” she says. “And once you’ve successfully quit, you can focus on dropping those few extra pounds.”
Reviewed by Erin Suprunuk, a tobacco treatment counselor at Henry Ford Health.
