Why am i gaining so much weight after i quit smoking? i quit smoking in january, after 20 yrs of smoking a pack a day. i've dieted religiously since then, (under 1200 calories and under 20 grams of fat a day) i also work out (mostly cardio) for at least a

Hello, : Hello, first off i need to state that i can't diagnosis the cause of your recent weight gain. In order to address this adequately, you would need to be medically assessed to include laboratory evaluation. Since that is not possible, i will raise a concern about your calorie intake. If you caloric intake is too low, you body will go into starvation mode. This is more likely, if you are not eating at least three times a day. As a survival function, you body will metabolize calories much more slowly. Thus, even though your are eating much less and working out, you might actually gain weight. You might need to increase your calories slightly and if you have severely restricted carbohydrates, you may need to add more back in. Ensure that you are getting at least 8 - 8 ounce glasses of water per day and plenty of fiber through vegetables and fruit. Good luck. Congratulations on quitting smoking.

Very common: Almost everyone gains weight after quitting smoking, usually in the range of 5-10 pounds, but sometimes more, and occasionally much more. If you are truly limiting yourself to 1200 calories and are exercising, i don't know why it is continuing, and you should see your doctor to rule out any metabolic problem, like thyroid disease or many others. Congrats on quitting smoking after 20 years!