Smoking while trying to lose weight and get fit
Okay Guys, so this is a kind of a big deal.
Now I know what you're going to say. Just quit smoking, that's the best way. But we also know, it's not as simple as that. I think what I really need to know, is if smoking has any major effects when trying to lose weight and get fitter. Let's put it in better perspective. I smoke maybe 3 cigarettes per day at work, then on a Friday night probably half a pack or so. (10).
This must be a common question, so I apologize in advance, but I don't see anything related to this currently.
Thanks!
Now I know what you're going to say. Just quit smoking, that's the best way. But we also know, it's not as simple as that. I think what I really need to know, is if smoking has any major effects when trying to lose weight and get fitter. Let's put it in better perspective. I smoke maybe 3 cigarettes per day at work, then on a Friday night probably half a pack or so. (10).
This must be a common question, so I apologize in advance, but I don't see anything related to this currently.
Thanks!
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Replies
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Smoking may affect your efforts to get fitter - depending on your definition of fitter.
If for, you, fit is strong I can't see smoking having a positive or negative effect. If you value cardiovascular health, then even small amounts of smoke are likely to have a negative effect.
For weight (fat) loss, where dietary control is the major factor in success, smoking may help - Cigarettes have been used for years to help people control hunger/cravings and lose weight. Also, the stimulatory effects of nicotine can help increase daily activity (NEAT) and therefore lead to greater calorific deficit.
Having said all that my personal opinion is that the single, most positive thing I have ever done for my health and fitness (and I've been interested in health and fitness for many, many years) was giving up smoking. Obviously, health is a complex area but I would expect that for well-being and longevity - overweight is better than being a smoker (and being neither is better still).
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Everything is tied together. The respitory system is tied to the cardiovascular system and so on. If a person is a smoker, then the respitory system will never work at optimal efficiency. This will have a knock on effct on other systems.1
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Thanks for your replies, it is a noticeable difference. As much as I say I will stop smoking, I always find an excuse. Even more so that finding an excuse to eat a burger or whatever.1
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I used to smoke... Turns out it was effecting me in so many ways.. I could keep up with my gym classes but hardly.. Improvement took longer and my stamina was *kitten*.. I could run for 20 min at best...
Now I can run for 60 min and maybe longer.. I just hate running game and tell myself that's a good amount of time.
I feel better when I work out and I feel like my workouts are doing more for my body. I see more gains in shorter amount of time and I don't get out of breath as easily.. Besides... I just feel a whole lot better.3 -
Thanks for your replies, it is a noticeable difference. As much as I say I will stop smoking, I always find an excuse. Even more so that finding an excuse to eat a burger or whatever.
Take classes. They are free at many hospitals. I smoked a long time ago and quitting was the best thing I ever did for myself. Good luck!0 -
I'm finding it hard to quit smoking, and when I started my weight loss journey 3 weeks ago I made a goal that when I lose 20 kg I'll give it away.
I've been preparing myself by cutting the number I smoke per day and I've reduced the milligrams from 8 to 4. I've gone from 15 - 20 smokes per day to 6, at the times I 'crave' them ie after a meal. I've taken to holding a carrot stick in my hand!
Good luck mate I won't lie it's not easy, but the closer I get to goal #1 (20 kg) the more prepared I feel. I'm currently at -11 kg so in 9 I'm giving them the flick2 -
Ok, I may get slated for this but I'm going to give you the other side of the coin that most people won't talk about.
I'm a recent (really recent) ex-smoker but I started my weight loss and get fit journey 6 months ago. Prior to that I never believed I'd be able to do any exercise. I've smoked 40 a day for more than 10 years. After a few weeks and a few pounds into weight loss (with 3 stone to lose) I was amazed to find I could keep up with a high impact aerobics class. Before that I'd only ever walk or swim. If you can't quit don't let smoking put you off doing exercise.
There are other impacts of smoking on metabolism that people don't like to talk about. Nicotine aids the digestive system. Ever have a smoke after a big meal to make you feel better? Thats why. Smoking 40 a day also burns an extra 250 calories a day but thats not a good thing. Its because the strain it puts on the heart is the equivalent of carrying an extra 90lbs of weight. Its one of the common causes of weight gain when quitting, not just the extra eating instead of smoking. I've found it hard to pin point the science of this but the increase in oxygen creates an imbalance of oxygen to glucose in the body causing you to have sweet cravings.
All that said don't give up on the idea of quitting. I'm telling you this because I believe knowledge is the key to success. As you improve your health you may find that quitting smoking is higher on your list than you realised. When the time does come you can be prepared to deal with challenges that come with it the same way you have with weight loss and health gain - by being knowledgeable and prepared.
I hope this is helpful x5 -
Great appetite suppressant too2
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dancing_daisy wrote: »Ok, I may get slated for this but I'm going to give you the other side of the coin that most people won't talk about.
I'm a recent (really recent) ex-smoker but I started my weight loss and get fit journey 6 months ago. Prior to that I never believed I'd be able to do any exercise. I've smoked 40 a day for more than 10 years. After a few weeks and a few pounds into weight loss (with 3 stone to lose) I was amazed to find I could keep up with a high impact aerobics class. Before that I'd only ever walk or swim. If you can't quit don't let smoking put you off doing exercise.
There are other impacts of smoking on metabolism that people don't like to talk about. Nicotine aids the digestive system. Ever have a smoke after a big meal to make you feel better? Thats why. Smoking 40 a day also burns an extra 250 calories a day but thats not a good thing. Its because the strain it puts on the heart is the equivalent of carrying an extra 90lbs of weight. Its one of the common causes of weight gain when quitting, not just the extra eating instead of smoking. I've found it hard to pin point the science of this but the increase in oxygen creates an imbalance of oxygen to glucose in the body causing you to have sweet cravings.
All that said don't give up on the idea of quitting. I'm telling you this because I believe knowledge is the key to success. As you improve your health you may find that quitting smoking is higher on your list than you realised. When the time does come you can be prepared to deal with challenges that come with it the same way you have with weight loss and health gain - by being knowledgeable and prepared.
I hope this is helpful x
I think this is exactly what i wanted to read.. Just quit, is not an easy option, most of the time!2 -
Smoking... I can totally relate! Here's the bottom line... It's slowly killing us. Let's face it, it's not healthy, and how are you going to get healthy if your still smoking??? Your either in 100% to get healthy.... There's no half way in. I stopped kidding myself... And I'm all in now! I ran out of smokes 36 hrs ago and yes I'm going through withdrawal... My chest hurts, I feel anxious, restless, missing my routine... Opening the fridge several times a day...my thoughts are messed up, heartburn, fatigue, cravings...battling my urge to drive to the nearest convince store!
I'm 51... Been smoking most of my life... I gained weight in the last 10 years over time... Realizing I'm short winded, barely can run, my chest hurts, my legs hurts... Why? Cause I smoke and admitt got lazy over time.
What woke me up is realizing I'm slowly killing myself! My first grandchild is due to arrive in December! I want to be around as long as I can to watch her grow up!
Cold turkey and sting will power... A big fat nite attached to my fridge to remind me what the prize is!
Find your will to quit
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If you can't quit smoking, don't let that hold you back from what you CAN do. Making other healthy changes while still smoking is better than not doing anything and smoking. If you find activity you love, or as you feel good about making better dietary choices, that might be the motivation you need to finally quit. Good luck!1
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jennysikma wrote: »Smoking... I can totally relate! Here's the bottom line... It's slowly killing us. Let's face it, it's not healthy, and how are you going to get healthy if your still smoking??? Your either in 100% to get healthy.... There's no half way in. I stopped kidding myself... And I'm all in now! I ran out of smokes 36 hrs ago and yes I'm going through withdrawal... My chest hurts, I feel anxious, restless, missing my routine... Opening the fridge several times a day...my thoughts are messed up, heartburn, fatigue, cravings...battling my urge to drive to the nearest convince store!
I'm 51... Been smoking most of my life... I gained weight in the last 10 years over time... Realizing I'm short winded, barely can run, my chest hurts, my legs hurts... Why? Cause I smoke and admitt got lazy over time.
What woke me up is realizing I'm slowly killing myself! My first grandchild is due to arrive in December! I want to be around as long as I can to watch her grow up!
Cold turkey and sting will power... A big fat nite attached to my fridge to remind me what the prize is!
Find your will to quit
Thanks for your message! That is it! Finding a proper reason to make the flick. But until now. I haven't got enough.. even when people close to me say they don't like it. However. On a positive note, since making this post and realising from all the comments, I've only smoked a max of 3 per day, which in my opinion is already a massive change. Worked out 3 out of 4 days so far, back at the gym tomorrow. Hopefully, this will continue and the smoking will also slowly degrade.0 -
Hmmm....well I think it depends what you are trying to do. I know for most people it would be hard to quit smoking and get fit at the same time. Too many changes at once. Are you trying to lose weight? or are you already at your goal and just trying to "get fit"? As far as running and cardio type exercises are concerned, they are impacted by smoking. The amount of time you'll be able to run without losing your breath will obviously be determined in part by your lung health, which is impacted by cigarette smoke. If your goal is to run faster and for a longer period of time, then quitting smoking might help. If you're trying to build muscle on the other hand by lifting weights and things, I don't see smoking effecting that too much honestly. I would say if you are trying to lose weight though and attempting to give up sugar or carbs or cutting calories or something along those lines, quitting smoking may make it much harder as cigarettes are helpful in aiding weight loss/ cutting cravings. You might find if you quit smoking that you are hungrier and crave more foods (plus someone once said that after you quit smoking food TASTES better because cigs do something to your taste buds apparently). If you're trying to lose weight, I'd wait a little bit until you quit. Don't think I am by any means advising you to keep smoking or smoke more by the way! I don't want to get yelled at haha, I am just trying to let you know what I've heard.1
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why not consider a patch or gum. Take the smoke out of your lungs? If you just want to build muscle alone I cant see smoking getting in the way. I would think it would interfere with Cardio based agenda's though. At the end of the day we know its unhealthy. 3 per day I wouldn't say your technically "addicted" or if so certainly not that heavily.
Try the options I stated in my first comment. Might break the chain for you on the inhalation pieces of the equation. Since someone stated there are SOME health benefits to nicotine it will satisfy that perk.2 -
You have all been super. I have decided to try out e-cigarettes so I have ordered a pen. This way i can lower the nicotine levels slowly before ultimately quitting. Because at work, I will miss just going out for the quick smoke to clear my head. But I don't the tobacco any longer. Let's see how it goes!
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As a smoker I can honestly say that "just quit" isn't as easy as it sounds. If you're trying to adapt to a healthier way of eating and starting to exercise more I'd do the "one thing at a time" approach. Trying to quit cigs and lose weight at the same time is just...ugh.
I've tried quitting maybe twice in my life...and I'm sure at some point I'll try again. I'm just not there yet!0 -
Are doctors still prescribing Chantix? I took it to quit 6 years ago and it was surprisingly easy.0
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I've heard some good things about chantix. I knew a lady that smoked probably 3 packs a day and she quite within 3 weeks of taking it at the same time she was going through the loss of losing her brother to cancer. She said she literally woke up one day and just didn't want one..
Thought about it too.. I've wanted to quite for a while but also had the mentality of "one step at a time" lol0 -
It worked really well. You continue to smoke for the first week you take it and by the end of the week the taste of a cigarette was so awful it was tough to finish my last one. IIRC they prescribed me a 6 month supply but after the first month I kept forgetting to take it so I never bothered to refill it anymore.0
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If you're truly only smoking 3 cigarettes a day most days you likely aren't all that addicted to the chemicals yet. A lot of us started out like that, just a few cigarettes here or there when we were idle, at social events, or stressed. It escalates from there because the chemicals added to cigarettes are designed to increase your cravings for them. My suggestion is quit while you are at the level you are now, because if you don't you'll regret it down the road when you're up to 1-2 packs a day. For a little while longer you have the option of switching to e-cigarettes if you think it'll help. That's how I quit. But the FDA (who is in the pocket of the tobacco companies imho) is going to pull them off the market in about a year or so. I quit using e-cigs, then quit the e-cigs because at that point it was easy (nicotine isn't all that addictive if you remove all the other 4000+ chemicals out of the mix). For me at that point it was as simple as slowing down on the e-cig, and choosing not to pick it up. I could have never done that with cigarettes. But if you can just simply quit, do so.0
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cgreen120288 wrote: »I smoke. Yes, bad habit i know. I'm fitter, stronger and healthier than ive ever been.
It is possible. However, i did go from a fat unhealthy smoker, to an OK shape healthy smoker.
funny how you put healthy and smoking in the same sentence0 -
I have been training for 3 years and managed to lose 90lbs. I smoked most of this time, only just quit 6 weeks ago (on a cut too! down 5lbs lol) I wouldn't stress about smoking, just start. Start is all you need to do (in terms of training)0
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I have been training for 3 years and managed to lose 90lbs. I smoked most of this time, only just quit 6 weeks ago (on a cut too! down 5lbs lol) I wouldn't stress about smoking, just start. Start is all you need to do (in terms of training)
Good for you! I think one of the things that pushed me further to quit the e-cigs was exercise/training. Honestly the e-cigs weren't hurting my lungs at all, but if I left the house on a long walk unless I brought it with me I would miss it. That pissed me off enough to start leaving it at home all the time, and eventually I didn't need it at all. Had I been a smoker I'd have walked to a store and bought a pack before getting far. What originally pushed me to switch to e-cigs years ago was reduced lung capacity, and of course the frikking cost of cigarettes.0 -
Smoking is a appetite depressant so there's that. You can certainly lose weight while smoking, however for activities that you need a lot of lung power- running, swimming, etc- count those out. And depending on how addicted you are even long walks can't be taken without lighting up.
Overall I would highly encourage you to quit smoking- my Aunt died this last winter. She smoked for 50 years and was riddled with cancer when she finally went to the Doctors. There was nothing anyone could do. The Doctors at Roswell told her "You smoked for 50 years, what did you expect?" Not nice, but the truth. And the kicker is she quit twice while she was trying to get pregnant, then was pregnant, then nursing!
I wouldn't put smoker and healthy in the same sentence but you can be a smoker and be fit.0
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