Does smoking really helps in weight loss?

I actually heard over and over that smoking is a habit that can make you lose weight, Admittedly I'm a real time smoker and the result of lose weight is really obviously true when the first months I started to smoke even thought I'm not in a calorie deficit I do eat so much and drink so much that time right now I'm trying my best to quit this habit but I'm afraid to gain weight over time. My question is is it weight loss because of smoking is true and if you quit smoking you'll gain weight? Need your answers and opinions pals thanks
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Replies

  • eccentricplaza
    eccentricplaza Posts: 115 Member
    I believe that's because nicotine is an appetite suppressant, but if it's not acting as such (since you stated you currently eat and drink just fine) you should be fine.
  • ferdhavebeenback
    ferdhavebeenback Posts: 4 Member
    This kind of thread is dangerous as it might give someone desperate enough the idea to start smoking to lose weight.

    Smoking destroys your lungs. Everything after that fact should not matter. Would you rather have a couple pounds more or completely destroyed lungs (100% chance when you smoke) and possibly cancer (greatly increased chance when you smoke)?

    no sir actually I don't encouraged others here to smoke just to lose weight it pops out of my mind that I'll ask some experts here to have some supports, but that was my experienced before I've started smoking.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Quit smoking because it's going to mess up your health eventually in big, inconvenient and unglamorous ways, and because it smells bad and makes you smell bad, and because you're choosing to pay money to achieve those things.
  • robthephotog
    robthephotog Posts: 81 Member
    Its got nothing to do w making you lose weight. Instead of snacking many smoke instead. And when most stop smoking food replaces the habit. I have nothing personal against anyone who smokes, but there are ZERO health benefits to smoking. You are more than welcome to search side effects of long term smoke inhalation. It goes way beyond even lung damage or dieing a slow painful death from cancer.
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    lililomo2 wrote: »
    please quit smoking. i have stage four cancer and smoked for years socially. it was the best decision i ever made to quit after i was diagnosed. after a time i lost the weight i wanted to lose *20 lbs* be patient as the weight loss will come . give yourself some time to get used to living smoke free, and the rest will fall into place... best of luck on your journey <3

    My thoughts and prayers are with you. I lost an aunt from her smoking, and I lost my father last year to stage 4 pancreatic. My mom is stage 3b melanoma.

    And to the person who asked the original question.... Gum is a good substitute, but not nicotine gum. Avoid the nicotine. It's more the habit of putting something in your mouth that causes extra eating after you stop, based on experiences of people I have known (honestly, I never smoked).
  • Johnd2000
    Johnd2000 Posts: 198 Member
    The “benefit”, such as it is, only comes from the nicotine. The disbenefits of smoking are well known, and lethal.

    There are, of course, other sources of nicotine that don’t come with poisonous smoke.

    I know several people who vape to suppress their cravings for sweets.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    The first time I quit, I lost weight. The second time, I gained. The difference? Activity level and how much food I shoved in my face. You have the choice, but I wouldn't keep smoking for fear of gaining.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Smoking is what I did when stressed or bored. I don't smoke now, so I eat when stressed or bored. If you control how much food you eat, you can lose weight without smoking.

    Basically, you're trading one vice for another.
  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
    So what if it does...

    Starving yourself will help you lose weight.. Doesn't mean you should do it
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    So what if it does...

    Starving yourself will help you lose weight.. Doesn't mean you should do it

    So does E. Coli if we're comparing bad ideas for losing weight...
  • lililomo2
    lililomo2 Posts: 250 Member
    lililomo2 wrote: »
    please quit smoking. i have stage four cancer and smoked for years socially. it was the best decision i ever made to quit after i was diagnosed. after a time i lost the weight i wanted to lose *20 lbs* be patient as the weight loss will come . give yourself some time to get used to living smoke free, and the rest will fall into place... best of luck on your journey <3

    My thoughts and prayers are with you. I lost an aunt from her smoking, and I lost my father last year to stage 4 pancreatic. My mom is stage 3b melanoma.

    And to the person who asked the original question.... Gum is a good substitute, but not nicotine gum. Avoid the nicotine. It's more the habit of putting something in your mouth that causes extra eating after you stop, based on experiences of people I have known (honestly, I never smoked).

    thanks for your kindness - and my condolences for your losses and with your mom's current condition.~
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    I suppose smoking would be a way to keep your mouth and hands occupied leading to less mindless eating and drinking. And smoking kills your sense of taste and smell which would make food less appetising and tempting. And I would guess the nicotine would have a minor impact on your metabolism much like caffeine. All that combined might result in a fractional increase in weight loss.

    In the end the biggest weight loss effect smoking will have is the drastic amount of weight you lose during chemotherapy or when you have to have a gangrenous limb amputated.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
    No. I smoked 2 packs a day and was morbidly obese. Smoking kills. It makes exercising difficult. I would not be able to exercise like I do now had I not quit.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited October 2018
    From a dose form perspective, nicotine gum is the recommendation for those wanting to quit with fears/concerns of weight gain. Nicotine does suppress appetite...not recommending someone to start smoking as a means to lose weight (...><...)

    *Note: this is not weight loss; more so rebound weight gain from withdrawing from smoking/nicotine
  • SpyLuna
    SpyLuna Posts: 10 Member
    I was a smoker and yes the more I smoked the less hungry I was. Once your body is use to the up stick of nicotine then it doesn't do that anymore. Now, less hungry doesn't equal lose weight because you could be eating too much when you are hungry. I quit a year and a half ago (since I started smoking a pack a day and was scared to death I'd never quit). I did gain about 10 pounds. I've found that HIIT actually makes me less hungry than cigarettes ever did and guess what? HIIT doesn't cause cancer! Or cost me thousands a year like cigarettes. I have more money for investing and for vacations. I'm going to Florida for christmas this year.
  • Adam__20000
    Adam__20000 Posts: 65 Member
    I heard that it makes you feel ‘full’ somehow which discourages eating but I wouldn’t reccomend it, expensive habit and of course very unhealthy
  • staleysj487
    staleysj487 Posts: 6 Member
    People often gain weight after quitting smoking because the nicotine cravings are interpreted by the brain in a similar manner to how hunger is interpreted. This means that often times, people who have just quit smoking are tricked into thinking they are hungry when in reality it is just their body craving nicotine, and the brain misunderstanding this signal. This is in addition to people often trying to replace smoking with another oral stimulant such as popsicles, chewing gum, sunflower seeds, etc. which is replacing a 0 calorie intake (cigs) with a caloric intake. So yes, people do often gain weight after smoking but it is because of a higher food/calorie intake and not because of less cigarettes. My advice as a former smoker who did not gain weight after quitting is to be conscious of this in the days and weeks after quitting. You will notice that certain triggers during the day where you would normally smoke (getting in a car, for example), you may suddenly feel a hunger pang. Just know that this is actually a nicotine craving, and to be safe don't have food readily available in these environments. The nicotine cravings will pass within a few minutes each time.

    As for losing weight while smoking, I can only imagine this is due to the fact that cigarettes increase your resting heart rate being that they are a stimulant, which may have some indirect correlation to your BMR and TDEE. It also acts as a hunger suppressant for the same reason as stated above. Since the brain processes food cravings and nicotine cravings similarly, often times smokers will feel a sense of hunger but instead of having a snack, they will smoke a cigarette and that craving may then be considered satisfied by the brain temporarily.

    Regardless, just quit smoking.