Many smokers are worried they will put on weight if they stop smoking, but in reality only a small number put on more than a few pounds.
Weight gain usually happens in the first months of quitting, and ex-smokers tend to put on average 3 to 5kg (6 to 11lb). However, on average smokers weigh 3 to 5kg less than non-smokers.
The reasons why smokers generally weigh less than non-smokers are not well understood.
Nicotine speeds up the body's metabolism, but only by the small amount of 10 per cent.
It may also be because smoke damage to taste buds makes food less enjoyable, or that a cigarette can distract attention from appetite and is a zero calorie option.
Think about your diet
Just a few small changes in your diet and exercise habits can compensate for the artificial way nicotine increased your metabolism when you smoked.
This is because the slimming effect of nicotine is small and correlates to about 150 to 200 calories a day, or 7 to 9 grams of fat.
You can compensate for the loss of this effect by either:
- eating a piece of fruit, low-fat cereal bar or yoghurt instead of your daily bag of crisps or chocolate
- cutting out one alcohol drink a day
- using a thin scrape of butter instead of spreading it thick.
Don't get hungry
You may find your appetite increases when you stop smoking. Ex-smokers are often more interested in food because a benefit of quitting is your sense of taste and smell improves.
But it can also be because of the role cigarettes played in your routine. For example, without an after-dinner cigarette to end a meal, you may be tempted to eat any extra food that's been cooked.
And consuming 20 cigarettes a day meant putting your hand to your mouth about 200 times a day – so it's no surprise you want to replace those cigarettes with things like cakes, sweets and crisps.
So what you can you do? The trick is to eat often and little so you avoid becoming hungry. That means three main meals and two or three snacks in the course of the day.
If that sounds a lot – it isn't. It's about regulating your appetite, not quantity of food.
Put another way, instead of eating a sandwich with yoghurt and fruit for lunch, just eat the sandwich and keep the yoghurt and fruit as mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks.
It's also a good idea to keep grapes, rice cakes, low-fat yoghurt etc at home, ready for those pangs of hunger when you get in from work. And don't shop on an empty stomach – you won't be able to resist tempting treats when your hunger is doing the talking.
Carbohydrates are important
It's easier to maintain normal weight if 55 to 60 per cent of your daily food consists of carbohydrates, especially complex unrefined carbohydrates (ie not simple carbs such as sugar).
This is because a complex-carbohydrate-rich diet tends to burn more calories.
Examples of foods rich in complex carbohydrates include:
Muscles are a bonus
Exercise is a great way of keeping your weight down. Half an hour's brisk walk every day will burn up those 200 calories that 20 cigarettes used to.
And exercise doesn't just benefit weight, it increases your sense of wellbeing, reduces stress levels and just by 'doing' something you are preventing boredom – a great expander of appetite.
And if you stick with it, you will go on to develop a greater muscle mass that increases your metabolism and burns up even more calories.
A little transgression is OK
How much fat is too much?
According to the Food Standards Agency:
- 20g of fat per 100g is a lot
- 3g of fat per 100g qualifies as low fat.
If your craving for sweet things is irresistible, choose sweets, wine gums or liquorice with a maximum fat content of 2g per 100g.
This is better than chocolate or crisps, which have a high fat content – although it may not be so good for your teeth!
While there is space in a well-balanced diet for the occasional treat, it's a common mistake to think that tasty food and a low fat intake are mutually exclusive.
A good habit to get into at the supermarket is to read nutrition labels on all the foods you buy for calories, salt and fat.
Just choosing lower fat sauces for pastas and meat can make a big difference to your daily calorie intake if you do it on a regular basis.
You'll also discover that this doesn't mean sticking to low-fat/lite/light ranges: a standard tomato-based pasta sauce is likely to have less fat that a 'low-fat' cheesy, creamy counterpart.
Don't think 'I can't'
Did you know?
Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health.
You would have to gain at least four stone in weight before the risk to your health is close to that of smoking.
Our brains find it very hard to deal with the words 'no' and 'not'. Thinking about not eating actually leaves us thinking about food, which makes us more hungry.
The first pang of hunger is a sign that it's time for a healthy snack – not clenching your teeth and willing yourself not to eat.
Above all, don't let weight worries put you off quitting, or panic if you do start to gain a few pounds once you've stopped.
You can tackle weight gain later down the line when you're more comfortable with not smoking.
Other people also read:
Smoking – some things you might miss: smoking and identity
Smoking – nicotine and withdrawal symptoms: nicotine and dependency.
Smoking – methods for quitting: why are success rates so low?
Smoking – this is what you gain: benefits.