It’s a common perception that stopping smoking leads to weight gain. As the thinking goes, while your heart and lungs may benefit from the change, your waistline probably won’t. Unsurprisingly, many smokers worry about this eventuality, and may even be deterred from quitting.
The fear isn’t altogether unfounded. According to research, smokers gain an average of 4-5 kg (9-11 lb) in the year after their last cigarette. If the weight gain is substantial, this could bring a whole new set of health problems.
However, piling on the pounds is by no means guaranteed, and the amount of weight gained is very variable. In fact, in the research cited above, 16% of former smokers actually lost weight.
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