I’m Afraid of Gaining Weight When I Quit Smoking/Vaping

Many people who want to quit smoking/vaping are afraid of gaining weight during the quitting process. On average, a person will gain between 2 and 5 kilograms, and this weight gain is tied to one main factor: the effect of nicotine on your metabolism.

Nicotine affects weight in three ways:

1. It significantly reduces your sense of taste and, consequently, the desire and pleasure of eating;
2. It reduces the sensation of hunger;
3. It artificially stimulates your metabolism, which means you burn about a hundred more calories per day.

In addition to the physiological reasons that increase your appetite when you are quitting smoking/vaping, these few extra kilos can also appear because your cravings may give way to a desire for rich food. This is normal because, by quitting, you are changing your habits, which requires physical and emotional work. Here are some tips to support you in this process:

• Move as much as you can (and the more you move, the more you’ll feel like moving);
• Have sugarless chewing gum around to keep your mouth busy without adding extra calories;
• Adopt healthy eating habits (by making a meal plan to avoid lapses if cravings appear);
• Even if you gain weight, don’t stress over it, because it will never outweigh the benefits of quitting.

You’ll find practical information about this on the following Canadian websites: EatRight Ontario and Dietitians of Canada.