Many people experience weight gain after quitting smoking, I’m not really sure why. I get that nicotine is an appetite suppressant so people may tend to over eat after quitting but does the weight gain have any other metabolic causes? Will a smoker gain weight if they quit and still maintain the same calorie intake as before?
In: Biology
It’s often a couple of things. One, the smoking habit is just that – more of a habit than an addiction (but it is definitely an addiction). So, when people quit, they need another habit to distract from the smoking habit. For a lot of people that habit becomes snacking. It doesn’t help, either, that nicotine suppresses appetite and increases metabolism, and also serves as a behavioral alternative to eating or a distraction from hunger or food craving.
And, from personal experience, when I quit smoking I could act8ually taste my food again, and I had extra spending money to buy the newfound yumminess. So, when I quit smoking cigarettes I started eating for pleasure which turned into weight gain.
Latest Answers