Tobacco-Free Month: How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight

It's Tobacco-Free Month, a good excuse to motivate yourself to make new resolutions and quit smoking. Are you afraid of gaining weight in the process? Here are some tips to avoid gaining a few extra stone.

Tobacco-Free Month: How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight
© Getty Images
Tobacco-Free Month: How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight

November is Tobacco-Free Month, a good opportunity to get into a new habit. As we know, cigarettes are bad for our health. If this isn't enough to stop you, the increase in the price of a cigarette pack could well help you make this decision. But how can you avoid gaining weight?

First of all, weight gain is not that significant

That's right! The first thing to know is that this weight gain is not that significant. It usually occurs within the first three months and in terms of figures, there is a weight gain of about only half a stone for both men and women. And many ex-smokers are back to their starting weight twelve months after quitting smoking.

Snack intelligently

As we know, quitting smoking increases your appetite, but also sudden cravings for a snack. This is the reason for weight gain. But then, how can you avoid gaining extra stone when you want to devour an entire cake in one sitting? Start by buying a ton of fruit (preferably fresh, dried fruit is very sugary) and healthy snacks. That way, when the craving comes on, you can enjoy a snack... Without taking the risk of eating a whole pack of crisps.

Get help and develop new good habits

Quitting smoking is already a good habit in itself, but it must be taken in addition to others to ensure that the numbers on the scale do not rise. When you quit smoking, your lungs slowly but surely clear up and your breathing gets better. There is nothing better than starting to exercise to support your progress and make sure you maintain your body weight.

Discover our latest podcast


Don't hesitate to get information from tobacco specialist or from the NHS which allows you to be helped free of charge by specialists and helps you to hold on thanks to personalised advice. Last bit of advice: nicotine substitutes are covered by health insurance.

Smoking: Women who quit during pregnancy can still harm their babies Smoking: Women who quit during pregnancy can still harm their babies