Weight Loss and Smoking

The fear of weight gain discourages many smokers to attempt giving up smoking. They rather avoid weight gain than quit smoking. Studies show that at least 25 percent of ex-former smokers with weight-gain phobia lose weight after quitting smoking.

Do all smokers gain weight after they stop smoking? Fortunately, not everybody puts on weight. If you gain weight, the average increase will be as much as 10 pounds. Only smokers who smoke between 10 to 20 years or have more than one pack of cigarettes a day are more likely to experience weight gain.

Why do some smokers put on weight when they quit smoking? The outcomes of quitting smoking cause your body to experience physical changes. Your taste bud begins to improve which leads you to eat more. Smoking increases your metabolism. When you stop smoking, your metabolic rate begins to fall. Your weight goes up because your body now burns less calories. The absence of nicotine causes your insulin level to rise. This gives you the feeling of hunger. If smoking at the end of a meal used to be your habit, you now use food to replace the vacuum left by smoking.