Quit Aids and Weight Gain

I'm so afraid I'll gain weight when I quit smoking. I've heard that Zyban or Wellbutrin will help me avoid weight gain. Is this true?Answer: Bupropion hydrochloride, better known as Zyban or Wellbutrin, has a side effect for some people of a reduced appetite, which can be a nice benefit for people who want to quit smoking. Bupropion is a prescription drug though, and must be used under a doctor's direction.

Nicotine lozenges may also help curb appetite to some extent early on in a person's quit program. A year long study looking at the efficacy of nicotine lozenges was conducted in 2002. It followed approximately 1800 people who quit smoking using either nicotine lozenges or placebos. Indications were that those participants using 4-mg nicotine lozenges had 45 percent less weight gain 6 weeks after quitting than those using the placebo. At 12 weeks quit, weight gain was 21 percent less, and at 6 months, the difference in weight gain between the two groups wasn't enough to be of significance.(1)

Medications to Help You Quit Smoking:

Some of the above medications are available without a prescription, however, do check in with your doctor and discuss your options in order to choose a quit aid that's right for you.

See Also:
The Chubster
Minimizing Weight Gain When You Quit Smoking
Maia's Thoughts on Weight Loss at 6 Months Smoke Free

(1)Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:1267-1276

Updated: 2-20-2006

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Quit Smoking Weight Gain

Most people who quit smoking worry about gaining weight. It seems to go with the territory. While a small gain is normal, excessive weight gain when you quit smoking can create new health problems and erode your determination to stay off cigarettes. Learn what you can do to keep your weight under control as you go through the process of recovery from nicotine addiction.

Why do people gain weight when they quit smoking?

Smoking increases metabolism slightly: Smoking burns up to 200 calories a day in a heavy smoker Because smoking burns calories, metabolism is boosted (increased) slightly Nicotine is an appetite suppressantWhen you quit smoking, a gain of between 5 and 10 pounds during the first few months of cessation is normal. If your eating habits have remained the same as they were when you smoked, you can easily shed this small gain with a brisk, 30 minute walk daily.

Why do I want to eat more?
Smoking cessation throws our bodies into shock initially. Increased appetite is a side effect of quitting tobacco for most people. One or more of the following reasons may be at play: Cigarettes as an appetite suppressant
Smokers often avoid between meal snacking by lighting up. Nicotine is a stimulant, and may also interfere with the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin controls glucose levels in the blood. When this function is blocked, a person will become slightly hyperglycemic, and as a result, the body and brain may slow down the hormones and other signals that trigger feelings of hunger.Food as a replacement for smoking
Early on in a person's quit, the urge to smoke is frequent and uncomfortable. It's natural to look for something to ease the discomfort, and food is often used as a replacement. Not only does it fill the void left by the cigarette, food can be an emotional comfort, easing the pain of withdrawal.Studies have shown that women are at greater risk than men for returning to smoking as a way to avoid weight gain. Understanding what happens to our bodies when we quit smoking, and what we can do to alleviate discomforts in constructive ways that do not involve weight gain will help you stay on track.

What can I do to avoid gaining weight when I quit smoking?
There are a number of choices you can make to minimize weight gain:

Exercise
Because quitting smoking slows the metabolism, getting some form of daily exercise is very important. To combat excess weight, shoot for at least a half hour of exercise, 5 days a week. It doesn't have to be a high intensity aerobic workout - a brisk 30 minute walk around your neighborhood will work wonders. Exercise is also a great way to beat cravings to smoke. If you're having a bad day, get out for a walk. It'll clear your mind and improve your attitude.

Healthy Snacks
Put snacks together ahead of time so that when the munchies hit, you've got good food choices within easy reach: vegetable sticks - celery, carrot 94% fat free popcorn sunflower seeds in the shell Water - drink lots of it! hard candies to suck on fresh fruit fat free yogurt herbal teas hot cocoa made with nonfat milk frozen grapes fat free fudgeciclesIf you're concerned about weight gain, do yourself a favor and remove tempting, high fat foods from your home. Don't have a chocolate cake on the counter begging you to cut a slice. If you have an intense craving for a hot fudge sundae, it's better to go out and have one at a restaurant than it is to keep all of the ingredients to make it on hand in the house.

Avoid Alcohol
Not only is alcohol high in calories, it can be a huge trigger to smoke. For many people, smoking and drinking go together like a hand in a glove. Avoid the empty calories in alcohol, but more importantly, don't put yourself at risk of relapse by drinking early in your quit.

One Challenge at a Time
People who quit smoking often decide it's time to clean their lives up in other areas as well. That's great, but be careful. If you try to do too many self-improvement projects at once, you run the risk of failing at all of them.

Keep these points in mind: Be good to yourself. Quitting tobacco is a huge accomplishment, and you should reward yourself for your progress often. Don't underestimate the magnitude of what you are doing.Be patient. Quitting smoking is a process over time. It doesn't happen overnight, but in comparison to the number of years most of us smoked, recovery from this addiction is short. Give yourself the time you need to heal.Accept yourself. You are a wonderful person just as you are right now.If you gain a few pounds while going through the process of quitting tobacco, so be it. The benefits will affect your life as well as those who love you in more ways than you can imagine. You can quit smoking without gaining a lot of weight. Don't let the fear of weight gain keep you chained to an addiction that will kill you, given the chance.

Weight can be lost, lungs cannot.

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Weight Control Tips

Statistics tell us that most people who quit smoking gain some weight initially. On average, that gain is between 4 to 10 pounds. And for a lot of folks, it is temporary and falls back off within the first year of smoking cessation.

Learn how smoking affects metabolism, and create a plan of action to minimize potential weight gain before you quit smoking. A little preparation can go a long way toward helping you avoid the need to invest in a larger wardrobe to fit your new, nonsmoking self.

Don't overload yourself with too many expectations. Smoking cessation, while far from impossible, is hard work for most of us early on. Starting a new diet at the same time you quit smoking can be a recipe for disaster. Aim instead to maintain your current weight while you manage nicotine withdrawal and the months beyond it. Once you're comfortable with your smoke-free status, you can turn your attention to shedding extra weight you're carrying. If you've only gained the typical 4 to 10 pounds, the task won't be too daunting. For many ex-smokers, food takes on a new importance that can quickly become an unhealthy obsession if we're not careful.

Why?

In part, it has to do with needing a replacement for the act of smoking. Smokers have a powerful hand-to-mouth association and eating is a hand-to-mouth activity. But also, food simply tastes better without cigarette tar clogging delicate taste buds on our tongues. It's not uncommon for ex-smokers to note that food tastes entirely different than it did when they smoked.

And then there is the fact that food signals comfort for many of us. A lot of people, smokers or not, use food to soothe and pacify. For those of us who are dealing with the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal, it's natural to turn to food to ease raw nerves and emotions.

While we cannot stop eating like we have stopped smoking, we can make choices that will help us avoid weight gain and even enhance how we feel physically. A diet rich in nutrients helps us be at our physical and emotional best, which, in turn makes it easier to maintain the strong will and determination that is necessary to successfully recover from nicotine addiction.

Use the tips below to help you start thinking creatively about how to use food as a tool for good health rather than a replacement for smoking. Pay attention to portions.
Downsize serving sizes: Use a lunch-size plate rather than a dinner plate, and stop after one plate full.Read labels.
Aim for foods low in fat and high in protein and fiber. And speaking of portion sizes, be sure to check packaged food labels for portion sizes as well.Keep temptation out of the house.
If it's not there, you can't eat it. Stock the fridge and cupboards with healthy food choices so that when the urge to snack strikes, the right foods are within easy reach.Indulge your sweet tooth at a restaurant.
Don't allow a half-gallon of ice cream shelf space in your freezer. Instead, head out to the ice cream parlor when you're in the mood for a sundae. Doing this safeguards against going back for another scoop, or worse, another bowl later on.Drink plenty of water.
If you have the urge to snack, drink a glass of water first. It will help fill you up. So you will eat less, and also beat cravings to smoke.Think 80/20.
If 80% of the meals and snacks you eat on a given day are healthy and in the right portions, you can allow yourself a few treats with the other 20% without throwing your diet out of whack.Eat more often.
Try eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout your day. The urge to snack is intense early on in cessation, so snack-size meals may suit your needs perfectly. And the good news is, small meals every few hours could give your metabolism a boost. Just watch your calories and keep the total for the day within the correct range for your body.Go for a walk.
Exercise will help you avoid weight gain. As little a half hour walk a day can be enough to help you keep your weight stable, as long as you're eating well too. And exercise improves mood too, a nice fringe benefit.Distract yourself.
Boredom is a big trigger for smoking and for eating. Make an abrupt change in what you're doing and you can distract yourself away from mindless snacking.Find some support.
The smoking cessation forum here at About.com is a supportive community of people who are working to quit smoking. Stop in and browse the message board of this active group as a guest, or register (free) and join the discussion.Early smoking cessation is an awkward, uncomfortable state for most of us. Add weight gain into the equation and we're ripe for a bad case of junkie thinking. Don't be tempted to return to smoking as a means to control your weight. Take it from one who knows. I lost a 6-month quit once because I was convinced smoking would help me lose weight. Wrong! When it was all said and done, I still had to diet to lose the weight I'd gained during smoking cessation, plus I needed to quit smoking again because I was back to a pack-a-day habit.

Dig your heels in and focus on losing your addiction to nicotine first and the weight second. Once you're comfortable in your nonsmoking skin, you'll be better equipped to apply your time and energy toward losing weight successfully. And speaking of success, there is absolutely nothing better for a person's self-confidence and ability to tackle challenges effectively than succeeding at smoking cessation.

Do what you need to do to boot this addiction out of your life now. If that means you gain a few pounds in the process, so be it. Weight can always be lost later, but your precious health cannot.

Source:

Forever Free -- Smoking and Weight. 2000. H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida.

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