Generality
Among people intending to say no to smoking, the fear that quitting smoking will make you fat is quite common.
In fact, not all smokers who say enough to cigarettes gain weight and - if this should happen - generally the weight gain is less than 5 kg, although some individuals can buy up to 10-15 kg.
Because you can put on weight
The reasons why you can get fat when you stop smoking can be different.
These reasons will be briefly described below.
Anorectic effect of nicotine
Nicotine has an anorectic effect, ie it decreases appetite stimulation and induces a slight increase in metabolism. Therefore, when you quit smoking - so when your nicotine intake ceases - your metabolism resumes its normal speed and a slight weight gain may occur.
Increased appetite
One of the symptoms that characterize the smoking withdrawal syndrome is precisely the increase in appetite. However, this symptom should disappear within a few weeks.
Increased consumption of snacks and alcoholic beverages
Since tobacco smoke - and in particular the nicotine it contains - causes addiction (smoking), the need to smoke that smokers experience is not only physical but also psychological.
When you stop smoking, the psychological need can no longer be satisfied with smoking, therefore, you try to make up for this lack with other tools, such as the consumption of snacks and junk foods (ie foods rich in sugars and fats) and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Junk foods are far from healthy and certainly do not help maintain a healthy weight. A similar argument can also be made for unhealthy snacks between meals and for alcoholic beverages that undoubtedly favor weight gain.
Furthermore, it is often advisable to avoid alcohol consumption in general, not only because of the incidence of these on body weight, but also because for many individuals the consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking are closely related activities. 'else.
How to avoid getting fat
In light of what has been said so far, another question may arise spontaneously: if stopping smoking makes you fat, what can be done to prevent it?
When you decide to quit smoking, body weight control can be maintained first by trying to avoid the wrong behaviors mentioned above, such as the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the consumption of foods high in fat and sugar in an attempt to compensate for the lack of the pleasure of smoking.
It is clear, therefore, how important it is to adopt a healthy and balanced diet which, however, may not be sufficient. In fact, even physical exercise must not be missed. Generally, it is advisable to practice regular moderate-intensity physical activity several times a week, if not every day. Sometimes even a simple half hour a day of fast walking can be very useful.
Furthermore, physical exercise can be a valuable aid in countering the onset of the desire to resume smoking.
Conclusions
Many smokers (especially women) are afraid of getting fat after quitting smoking. However, what really should scare the aforementioned smokers are the serious diseases that smoking can cause (for example, affecting their lungs or their cardiovascular system) and the damage it can cause to the body in general.
We should therefore ask ourselves whether it is more dangerous for our health to continue smoking or risk buying a few more kilos.
In conclusion, can we answer the initial question "is smoking cessation fattening?" saying that smoking cessation can promote weight gain, but this is not necessarily the case in all individuals, and in most cases, weight gain is minimal.
However, as we have seen, body weight can be kept under control without problems by adopting a healthy lifestyle accompanied by regular physical activity. Which, moreover, should be done regardless of quitting smoking.
