Quitting Smoking and not gaining weight
 

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, i'm not trying to lose weight, just maintain. I want to quit smoking but I am afraid I'm going to gain weight.

Does anyone have an tips/tricks on quitting smoking and not gaining weight?

Hello there,
I can tell you that it's quite possible to quit smoking and maintain your weight; in fact, I quit smoking (pack a day habit for roughly 10 years) and lost weight at the same time. So, don't let the "I'd quit but I'll gain weight" be an excuse (I say that because I've been there)!

It helps to know why many people gain weight when they quit. In short, smoking burns calories. It's not only because the act itself of smoking burns some calories, but also because smoking raises your blood pressure and essentially raises your metabolism. Smoking increases your daily calorie burn anywhere from 100-200 cal/day (don't let that be a reason to start or to keep going, lol). Couple that reduction of daily calories burned with a potential "oral fixation," crankiness and other withdrawal symptoms that may lead one to overeat, and you have yourself a 10# weight gain over a few months. So, you need to account for that calorie reduction - if you're looking to maintain, then you still need to cut 100-200cal daily in order to do so. Do keep in mind that even if you do gain 10#, it's a heck of a lot better than smoking for the rest of your life. 10# or so is a whole lot easier to get rid of than lung cancer.

Anyway, with all that said, here's how I did it: I very strictly monitored every single thing I ate and drank. During withdrawal, it will be tough to know what your body is telling you (i.e., hunger cues or what-have-you) because you're so out of whack, so it's really important to monitor what you consume. Gum and hard candy helped me a bit, but remember to track those as well. Those are really about all the tips I have; like most things, it's a matter of focus and desire, and how much you have of each. I quit cold turkey one year ago next month.

You can do it (and you can do it without gaining weight)! I wish you much encouragement.

I have a couple of friends with this problem. They quit smoking and both of them gained a significant amount of weight. One of them has threatened to start back smoking. I hope he does not do that.

I know it must be a difficult thing to do. Just stopping smoking is a huge task. I wish you the best!