Many people are worried that they'll gain a lot of weight when they quit smoking. But not everyone gains weight. There are four reasons why many smokers gain weight when they quit.

• Your body's metabolism may slow down when you quit. That means you may burn fewer calories. So, even if you eat the same number of calories, you may gain 3 to 5 pounds. But this slowdown is temporary. After a few weeks or months, your body will readjust. It readjusts faster if you exercise.
• Many quitters have stronger cravings for sweets. Quitters who gain more weight often are the ones who eat more sugar and are less active.
• Smoking dulls the senses of smell and taste. Quitters enjoy their food more, and they may eat more.

So, what's the bottom line? Keep in mind that your main goal is to become a non smoker. Even a few cigarettes a day are much more harmful than a few extra pounds. There are ways to limit weight gain to a few pounds. Curb your sweet tooth. Take more time to enjoy your food, but don't eat more food. Find low or no calorie substitutes for a cigarette. Keep active, to help your body burn up those extra calories. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about nicotine gum or Zyban® - they may help reduce or delay weight gain. Try to relax a little about your weight and focus on quitting.

Low-calorie substitutes

• Mix seltzer water with fruit juice.
• Suck on a low sugar or sugar free hard candy.
• Crunch on a graham cracker (28 calories) or a pretzel (24 calories).
• Choose sweet treats with less than 100 calories, like 1 cup strawberries, a peach, a frozen fruit pop, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/2 cup cottage cheese or low fat yogurt.

Recipes

You may find you have strong cravings for sweets when you quit smoking. By limiting your sweets and getting more exercise, you can keep your weight in check. There are low sugar dessert recipes for every season. You can also adapt your own special seasonal dessert recipes. The amount of sugar in almost any recipe can be cut in half without hurting the taste or the texture. Try it!