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If I quit smoking will I put weight on?
Hi, I have just joined N/C and am pleased with my weight loss. I smoke 20 cigarettes per day and plan to stop when I have lost about three stone. I don't feel that I can diet and give up smoking at the same time, as it would be too stressful. When I stop smoking, will I still gain weight even if I stick to about 1400 calories? I don?t wont to put all this effort into improving my health and then ending up back at square 1 by piling on the weight again. Thank you
Our expert says...
Hi, thanks for your query and well done for deciding to tackle both tor weight and your smoking! It’s difficult to second-guess what will happen when you stop smoking, but the average for people who don’t change their diet at all is usually a weight gain of 6-10lbs over a few months (smokers are, on average, lighter to start with than non-smokers though).
As you are already restricting calories, the worse that is likely to happen is that you may put on a pound or two before losing again, or you may simply plateau for a short time. You could, if you feel strong-willed enough go down to 1200 calories a day to hopefully sustain your weight loss during the period of time you are quitting. Personally though I’d stick with what you are used to and comfortable with.
I hope this helps, and good luck. You don’t need me to tell you that it’s much worse for your heath to be a smoker than to be carrying a few extra pounds, so even if you do struggle, keep going with the smoking cessation and pat yourself on the back!
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