Quit Smoking Lead to Weight Gain
A recent study investigated regular smokers and ex-smokers, and was found that among smokers who quitted smoking women weighed an average of 2.6 kg more and men 5.1 kg more. But the good news is that almost all of that weight gain was temporary.
At the end of the investigation, researchers found that among ex-smokers who had quit at least five years, their weight and body mass index was nearly the same as the weight of someone who had never smoked.
“Our finding that former daily smokers, who were five or more years since quitting, demonstrated equivalent BMI increases to never smokers is in line with evidence suggesting that the average body weight of quitters tends to stabilize over time to levels of never smokers,” wrote the authors of an August 2009 study in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.
Deborah L. Reas, Ph.D, of the University of Oslo’s Institute of Psychiatry, explained: “The good news is that any immediate spike in weight gain on quitting appears to be relatively for a short period of time.”
In general, waiting gain is not as dangerous as continue to smoking, because there are a lot of methods for to minimize quitting weight gain.
“There are several tried and true things you can do immediately to prevent or minimize any potential weight gain,” said Dr. Reas, who works in the eating disorder clinic at Oslo’s University Hospital. “It is important to view all changes as lifestyle changes for long-term weight management not temporary fixes to be quickly abandoned.”
Dr. Reas advised to eat breakfast, to walk everywhere and take the stairs, and build some form of exercise into daily routine.
“Trash the low-nutrient, energy dense, highly processed foods and beverages in your cupboard. Have healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables washed, cut, and in see-through, ready-to-go containers or sitting on the counter ready to grab. Spacing meals too far apart puts you at risk for overeating and making poor choices, as well as signaling your body to conserve energy. Ideally, meals should be eaten about 4-5 hours apart, and it’s important to consume a healthy snack in between meals,” added Dr. Reas.
Researchers concluded that many smokers fear smoking cessation weight gain that’s why they continue to smoking.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, approximately half of adult smokers are losing an average of 14 years of life if female and 13 years if male.
The researchers concluded that the nicotine in cigarettes acts as an appetite suppressant. The nicotine may slightly increase your metabolism as well. When the smokers smoking, their appetite and metabolism return to normal, which may lead them to eat more and burn fewer calories. Also, their ability to smell and taste food improves after quitting smoking. This can make food more appealing, which may lead them to eat more. And if smokers replace snacking for smoking, the calories may quickly add up.
For to avoid weight gain when quit smoking, make diet and exercise part of your quit-smoking plan!
