On average, smoking burns 200 calories daily. This means that a person who is underweight, smokes and wants to gain weight can quit smoking as one of the ways of accomplishing his or her goal. Because nicotine is an appetite suppressant, a person who smokes will most likely skip meals thus meaning that his or her calorie requirements are not met. In addition, by aiding in burning calories, nicotine amounts to a high metabolic rate in a smoker.
The normal weight gain expectations when one quits smoking should be an average of 7.5 pounds during the first few months of quiting smoking. This is when everything, including the person’s eating habits remains constant. For underweight people, they might want to keep this weight. However, it is always recommended that one takes up physical exercises in order to ensure that the weight gain does not come from fat deposits in the body. Here are some other expectations that one should look out for upon quiting smoking:
- the body is thrown into shock by the lack of nicotine. This initially means that since the body no longer has the chemical effect that suppressed appetite before, one will feel the need to eat more
- The stimulant effect in nicotine often means that one can avoid food by simply lighting up. In addition, nicotine can interfere with the normal release of insulin. By extension, this affects the glucose levels in the body. When this happens, a person develops hyperglycemia and the brain responds by slowing down hormone and signals responsible for triggering hunger.
When a person quits smoking, turning to food for comfort is not unlikely. This is especially so because lack of nicotine can cause great discomforts in the body. The food acts to fill the void created by not smoking and also acts as emotional comfort as a person tries to deal with withdrawal symptoms.