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Heath Scan: Quitting cigarettes doesn't always cause weight gain 

Not all people who quit smoking gain a lot of weight. according to Dr. Rahel Dahan, a family medicine expert of Clalit Health Services and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Rappaport Medical Faculty in Haifa.

Writing in the Journal of Israeli Family Practice, Dahan said the average weight gain for those who kick the habit is only four or five kilos if they don't adopt a more nutritious diet or exercise. Many quitters don't gain any weight at all. In any case, she continues, the danger of gaining a few kilos is "minuscule" compared to the risks of continuing to smoke. Not only will the danger of lung cancer and heart disease decline, but the person will also breathe better, have fewer wrinkles, and minimize the risk of yellow teeth and bad breath.

Dahan, who is experienced at helping patients stop smoking, and is also an authorized hypnotist, advises those who have given up tobacco to take a bottle of cold water (preferably with a little lemon juice) and sugarless gum with them to keep themselves under control when they watch TV, drive or do other things that used to be accompanied by a cigarette.

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