How to stop smoking without gaining weight

Smoking is a hard habit to kick, but when you do, the health benefits are almost immediate.

When you stop smoking, according to the American Lung Association:

• Your heart rate drops to normal levels in 20 minutes
• Lung function improves in a couple of weeks
• Your risk of heart disease drops by half in a year

But, as your body repairs the damage smoking has done, it also adjusts to life without nicotine. Stopping smoking doesn’t automatically mean you’ll gain weight, but there are some ways that it can affect people’s lifestyles in ways that lead to weight gain.

How smoking can change the ways you eat

Smoking may have…

• Suppressed your appetite or it may have lowered your weight “set point”
• Reduced your ability to smell and taste
• Raised your metabolic rate, causing you to burn calories more quickly

What happens to appetite and digestion after stopping smoking

• Your metabolism slows
• You may gain weight, typically no more than 10 pounds
• Food tastes and smells more appealing
• You may sleep better

Sometimes, people gain weight after stopping smoking because the feelings that often led them to smoke – stress, anxiety or boredom − can also lead to overeating. If you do gain weight, it’s always a good idea to talk to your healthcare professional to discuss ways to prevent weight gain.

So, as you re-invent yourself as a non-smoker, there are three straightforward ways to combat weight gain while coming off that smoking habit. Plus, in the long run, doing these things will help you live a healthier life.

Move more

I often suggest focusing on exercise before food, because most people who smoked weren’t working out because it was hard to get enough oxygen. As you start a new chapter, begin with something positive like getting active. You don’t have to go to the gym. You can use what used to be a smoke-break time to go outside for a walk or take the stairs instead of the elevator. I’ve even seen some people start running because they can move and breathe more easily. The increased activity will help you burn more calories and boost your slowing metabolic rate.

Eat better

Nicotine suppresses appetite, which is one reason people will gain weight when they stop smoking – their hunger increases.

But I’ve also seen former smokers lose weight, since better breathing made their taste buds more attuned, so they don’t eat as many salty and sugary foods.

Try some new foods that you didn’t like before – they may taste different now, and you may learn you like them. Put that money you spent on cigarettes toward purchasing healthier foods. And use your new free time for meal planning and cooking, so you’re not dining on high-calorie fast food.

If you’re used to having something in your mouth, try sipping water from a straw or chewing gum. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, getting as many different colors in your diet as possible. Fruits and veggies require a lot of chewing, which can also help with this.

Get some sleep

One of the things I talk about with all of my patients – smokers and non-smokers – is the importance of getting enough sleep each night. Nicotine is a stimulant and, if you smoked later in the day, it was probably affecting your sleep in the same way as having caffeine too late in the day.

Sleep is important in preventing weight gain and for health at every level. We know people who get enough sleep tend to have more balanced hunger hormones, so they have less hunger during the day. Try to sleep seven to nine hours each night.

Get involved in hobbies

When you stop smoking, you might find you have more time. Why not spend it on a hobby? Think about starting a new hobby or getting back into a pastime that interested you. And if the hobby involves socializing with friends, that could give your mood a boost.