Fear of weight gain makes many people hesitant to quit smoking. The truth is that most smokers do gain weight after quitting. In order to avoid or minimize weight gain, smokers should concentrate on eating a healthful diet and exercising regularly. Smokers should not let the fear of temporary weight gain deter them from trying to quit.
explanation
Fear of weight gain makes many people hesitant to quit smoking. The truth is that most smokers do gain weight after quitting. The average weight gain is 5 to 10 pounds, but as many as 10% of people trying to quit will gain more than 30 pounds. This usually occurs because smokers snack or eat more to compensate for the lack of cigarettes and withdrawal symptoms. Also, many quitters experience an enhanced sense of taste and smell, which may increase the desire to eat. Others need to replace the behavioral aspect of smoking with eating.
Women, especially, are concerned with weight gain, and because nicotine suppresses appetite and increases metabolism, many women begin smoking or continue to smoke at least in part as a weight control measure. And the tobacco industry even uses weight as an advertising strategy. Women who quit smoking do tend to gain slightly more weight than men do.
In order to avoid or minimize weight gain, quitters should concentrate on eating a healthful diet and exercising regularly. They should not attempt to diet in the first few days or weeks after quitting because it would be difficult to concentrate on smoking cessation and dieting at the same time. In fact, dieting while attempting to quit may cause relapse. Exercise, however, has been shown to be effective in prolonging abstinence for women and delays weight gain when incorporated into a smoking cessation program.
Smokers must remember that a slight weight gain is not as nearly harmful to health as the hazards from continued smoking. They should not let the fear of temporary weight gain deter them from trying to quit.
