Does Quitting Smoking Really Make You Gain Weight?

Ok, we have a really old but interesting topic today. Which are you more afraid of – Lung/throat/mouth cancer or diabetes/hypertension? Which is the lesser of two evils? Of course the right answer is that both are bad and can lead to loss of life.

It is a common observation that when someone quits smoking, they will start to gain weight. This, of course, ignited the curiosity of a lot of people. In fact, it might even be used as an excuse for smokers not to quit! But is it really that simple? What is going on there? Why is it that when long-term smokers quit, they gain more weight than short-term smokers?

The first suspicion that people usually have is the effect of hormones and enzymes in the body when one quits smoking. The reality is that when nicotine leaves the human body, there will be a small amount of weight gain due to water retention. However, this shouldn’t be a concern at all because not only is it not fat gain, it is also short-term anyway.

Another common explanation is that smoking is an appetite suppressant and that it might also help to increase the metabolism. When a smoker quits, his/her appetite and metabolism returns to normal, and his appetite also increases. There is actually some truth to this.

To add on to the point above, some people who have stopped smoking have reported that suddenly, food tastes “richer” and “more delicious”. With this newfound appreciation, they will tend to eat more since it is a newly discovered pleasure. Add this to the factors above and you can see why weight gain is a possibility, right?

However, there is one more plausible reason which was only noticed recently, and that is addiction replacement. You see, it is no surprise that smoking is addictive right? We also know that the avenue by which this happens is the mouth. So naturally, someone who is weaning off this addiction does it gradually, and one of the ways to do it is to keep the mouth busy while not smoking. Now do you see where I’m going?

One of the more common ways to do it is by sucking on candy and sweets all day. I’m not sure how often this is practiced now, but it is very common in the 1980s and 1990s ie back in the day when sweets were not sugar-free. Another way quitters deal with their “oral gratification” issue is by chomping and snacking. Now you know why they can gain weight?

So, how does one limit weight gain while quitting smoking? Simple – by doing the same things that work for weight loss, but being especially mindful of it! So, for example, if you see your non-smoker friends losing weight by following the advice of the Granite Fitness Solution, grab a copy yourself and practice it while you are quitting smoking. That’s killing two birds with one stone!

However, put things into perspective – it is actually okay to gain a bit of weight while quitting smoking. You can always drop the excess pounds with a system from Granite Fitness anyway. The risks of gaining a few kilos from quitting smoking are far lower than the risks of smoking cigarettes!

But that being said, there is a common denominator between losing weight and quitting tobacco, and that is the need for willpower and a good plan to follow. For weight loss, there is the Granite Fitness Solution. I’m not an expert on smoking cessation, so I will not comment on it. But I have heard that Permaquit is quite a good system, at least from their reviews anyway.

I wish you all the best in your weight loss and smoking cessation efforts. To your success!

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