More and more people every year are moving from smoking to vaping. Those that haven’t yet made the leap but want to stop smoking for health reasons might be held back by worries about weight gain after quitting smoking and how hard it can be overall. We look at why some people (not all people) gain weight after quitting smoking and what we can do about it.

Weight Gain After Quitting Smoking

When it comes down to it, smoking is incredibly harmful to health. The World Health Organisation has ruled that a number of the ingredients found in tobacco cigarettes are toxic. WHO also reported that tobacco cigarette smoking can cause cancer. While gaining a little weight is rarely a health goal, the risks between weight gain and continuing smoking are on different levels altogether. Besides, gained weight can be lost. That is if you gain weight at all.

Those who do gain weight after quitting smoking will find themselves perhaps gaining around 7lb-11lb. This is an average amount, not a guaranteed amount, and you might not gain any weight. It’s important to understand why people sometimes put weight on after quitting smoking so that we can avoid this risk.

Why Do Ex-Smokers Put on Weight

A lot of the reason people gain weight after giving up smoking is to do with the fact they exchange smoking for snacking. Boredom has a lot to answer for when it comes to this, as does the absence of having something in your hand and having something to put in your mouth. The very act of smoking has been considered relaxing so it stands to reason that people find something else that brings them comfort, namely calorific snacks.

When giving up smoking cold turkey you also give up nicotine. Nicotine is known to have appetite suppressing properties so again, it makes sense that if you take this away, you’re going to be more hungry and of course those extra calories can result in weight gain.

Smoking has also been known to speed up your metabolism, so there’s that too. Is it possible then to quit smoking and not put a lot of weight on? Yes, it is!

 

Avoiding Post-Smoking Weight Gain

Those who switch to vaping instead of smoking may have an advantage over the problems that can cause weight gain.

For example:

Loss of Nicotine = More Hunger

E liquids contain nicotine at various different strengths as well as zero nicotine options.

Boredom, not having something in your mouth, stress from quitting = all dealt with by switching from smoking to vaping.  In addition to this, make sure that you have healthier snacks around as this will make all of the difference if you find yourself reaching for extra food.

Slightly Slower Metabolism = Weight Gain

When you quit smoking your lungs and body start to recover quite quickly, this means you will likely find it easier to move about more, to be more active. This will help redress the balance.

Craving Sweet Things = Eating More Sweet Things

This can happen. It’s all tied up with cravings, triggers and increased hunger. Many find that sweet e liquids go a long way towards dealing with this issue, and with vaping you have a whole range of sweet treats and dessert e liquids to choose from, amongst other flavours.

It seems that if you are worried about giving up smoking and gaining weight that moving over to vaping will not only help you successfully quit smoking where you have previously struggled, but could help you avoid post-smoking weight gain. Would this mean that you are “stuck” with vaping forever, so you don’t gain weight? Of course not! Many “stick” with vaping because it is intensely enjoyable, and as Public Health England tell us, at least 95% less harmful than smoking.

If you didn’t want to vape long-term there is the option to step down your nicotine intake gradually, until you are vaping zero nicotine e liquid and if you wished, this could make it easier to quit vaping if that is your goal. The important thing, regardless of what you do or don’t do later, is to not smoke tobacco cigarettes. Here at 99p e liquids we support anyone and any way of quitting smoking healthily.

In Summary

When it comes to making a decision about quitting smoking, the health benefits should be your top priority. Yes, vaping offers a fabulously enjoyable hobby with hundreds of flavours to choose from, vaping is much more socially accepted and yes, vaping is usually significantly cheaper than smoking. These are all true facts however ridding yourself of a habit that is globally recognised as being very harmful and even contributing to premature death is the priority.

If you are worried about gaining a little weight after giving up smoking, balance this worry with the benefits of giving up smoking. When it comes to weight gain, this is reversible if it occurs and as you can see from this article, it can often be avoided, with a little planning.