Does smoking really helps in weight loss?

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

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...

bigbandjohn wrote: »

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

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.~

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.

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.

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.

pinuplove wrote: »

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

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...

Well said, and funny.