 When the study began in 1995, more females were initiating cigarette smoking, and a growing proportion cited fear of gaining weight as a major reason for refusing to even attempt quitting smoking. It had not yet been possible, however, to prevent post- cessation weight gain through dieting or behavioral treatment without undermining abstinence from smoking. The investigators proposed that prior interventions had been unsuccessful because: a their weight management interventions were too complex; b the programs thwarted a need of the patient in nicotine withdrawal to eat hedonically appealing, high-carbohydrate snacks; and c the programs heightened patients emphasis on weight control at the expense of their emphasis on smoking cessation by asking them to initiate weight control before or simultaneously with quitting smoking. 