Smokers Who Quit Gain an Average of 10 to 11 Pounds After One Year

Smokers who quit gain an average of 10 to 11 pounds after one year, with most of the weight gain occurring in the first three months, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from 62 studies of weight gain among people who had quit smoking. The average weight gain was more than doctors generally thought, according to ABC News. The National Institutes of Health tells smokers that not everyone will gain weight after quitting, and among people who do, the average weight gain is less than 10 pounds.

The study, published in BMJ, found 16 percent of people lost weight after quitting, while 13 percent gained more than 22 pounds. Because of this large range, the average weight gain may not apply to many people who quit smoking, the researchers noted.