Kim Sook: I gained 8kg in one month after quitting smoking

Comedian Kim Sook candidly shared the physical and psychological changes she experienced while quitting smoking, revealing that she gained 8kg in just one month after giving up a habit of smoking as many as three packs a day. While it is widely known that increased appetite and compensatory behaviors can occur when breaking nicotine addiction, she built empathy with her audience by sharing her experience with witty humor.

On the 15th, a video titled "※Legendary Story Born※ Kim Sook, what kind of patient do you confuse when visiting the hospital?.. The World's Greatest Foolishness Pride Contest that everyone has one of" was released on the YouTube channel 'VIVO TV'.

In the broadcast, a viewer's story was introduced, detailing a 10kg weight gain three months after quitting smoking. The viewer expressed concern about how to control the explosive increase in appetite, noting that people around them even joked, "If you're going to be like that, you might as well start smoking again."

Upon hearing the story, Kim Sook reacted firmly.

"If you're going to be like that, you might as well start smoking again? That's a devil. You should stay away from people like that," she recalled, adding, "I heard the exact same thing many times when I quit smoking."

When Song Eun-i asked, "Didn't you gain quite a bit of weight after quitting smoking?", Kim Sook surprised everyone by answering, "I gained exactly 8kg in just one month."

Kim Sook also revealed that the rapid weight gain led to unexpected physical changes.

"For the first time, I got bruises in the crook of my arm," she explained. "Because I had suddenly gained weight and was wearing formal suits for a long time, my arms were constantly pressed by the clothes, leaving red marks, and eventually, it bruised as if the capillaries had burst."

To this, Song Eun-i summarized, "As your body shape changed suddenly, the ill-fitting clothes continuously pressed your elbow area, causing the bruises," and Kim Sook recalled those days, saying, "There are people who experience such things when they suddenly gain weight."

The most difficult change after quitting smoking was the appetite.

Song Eun-i testified, "During those days, when Sook opened a bag of chocolate, she would eat the whole thing right then," and Kim Sook revealed, "At night, my mouth felt so restless. I kept feeling like something wasn't finished, so I started eating chocolate."

She continued with a laugh, "Once, I was at home smashing chocolate into small pieces on the floor, and a close younger friend who was sleeping suddenly ran out."

According to Kim Sook, the friend was startled by the 'tapping' sound while sleeping, thinking someone was knocking on the door or walking in shoes, but the actual culprit was Kim Sook smashing the chocolate.

Song Eun-i also recalled the changes in lifestyle at that time.

"During the days you smoked, cigarette butts were piled up like a mountain in the ashtray, but after you quit, only candy wrappers were piled up," she said, and Kim Sook explained, "I ate so many candies containing almonds. They were individually wrapped, so I would tear them open just like opening a cigarette pack, roll them in my mouth, and then chew the almond at the end—I endured the withdrawal symptoms with that pleasure."

When Song Eun-i summarized, "So in the end, the cigarettes were just replaced by candy," Kim Sook laughed, saying, "That's why I gained 8kg."

She added that she usually maintained a weight of around 49–50kg, and the sudden change in eating habits after quitting smoking led to the weight gain.

Furthermore, Kim Sook offered a positive perspective regarding the viewer's concern.

"They say they gained 10kg in three months, but rather, they did a good job of self-management," she joked, saying, "Our weight fluctuates by several kilograms in a single day," and expressed confidence, saying, "Now, I have become a complete 'Icon of No-Smoking.'"

At the end of the video, a phone connection with comedian Shin Gi-ru followed.

When the topic of smoking cessation education programs came up, Kim Sook drew laughter by saying, "I am a person who smoked three packs a day. I know better than anyone when one misses cigarettes the most. People who have had these experiences should be the ones to create smoking cessation programs."

Kim Sook's confession drew interest as an example of how appetite changes and compensatory behaviors can manifest during the process of breaking nicotine addiction. Experts explain that while an increase in appetite due to the recovery of taste and nicotine cessation may appear temporarily in the early stages of quitting smoking, the long-term health benefits are much greater if accompanied by regular exercise and dietary management.