Thread: Smoking and Weight Loss - Myth or Fact?

OK, all through my late teen to adult life I've heard it bandied about that people who give up smoking put on weight.

I've heard very different reason, including the obvious (people need to replace the habit and often do with food) to the curious (it speeds up metabolism, so quitting = blub disaster).

What is the truth? I currently smoke and would like to quit again (I had done for a year prior to starting weight loss) but am obviously worried as do not want to jeopardise my weight loss. The actual quitting itself, in conjunction with my diet, would not be a problem, it wouldn't upset my dieting regime itself.

I've also heard that smoking causes toxins that prevent the correct rate of fat burning...

So much conflicting information, please somebody put the record straight!

In 2000 I was 16st and smoked.....by 2001 I was 9st and didn't smoke.

I still don't smoke and I'm currently 10st, hoping to get back to 9.5st by calorie counting and plenty of gym visits.

I had tried to give up smoking and failed before then, but it was the right time for me as I couldn't justify it to myself anymore. I don't miss it at all

when i started smoking i lost weight, i heard to it raises metabolism, pathetic amount though, so it doesn't do much. Its just nicotine surpresses appetite. some people do replace it with food, i think thats when weight gain gets involved.
It's far healthier to quit obviously wish i could x x

I gave up soming & started to gain weight. However, alot of other things went on in my life at that time which contributed to me eating more I think. So its hard to tell for sure whether it was giving up smoking.
I sometimes buy a packet of cigarettes if I am having a bad week of food cravings, so I do think in some cases one replaces the other.
Thats the same with all addictions though.

When I stopped smoking I put on loads of weight as I replaced a B&H with a BLT and I knew I was doing it, but if I had a stressful day then I used to smoke and hence when that stopped I needed another way of destressing and hence used food.

Mike

I stopped smoking but was able to work harder at the gym as my lungs started to work again! Lost wight and kept it off. Never felt better

Im not sure to be honest. I think the benefits outweight the risks. It will be so much better to give up and put on a few pounds, rather than smoke and the health problems with that. I have stopped smoking and only 20 days ago, yes I did feel hungry for a few days but got out and about to occupy my mind which helped a great deal. You have to do whats right for you and at a time thats right aswell.

I have never smoked, but have a huge issue with food! Anyway, my parents smoked and Mum said that she gained weight when she gave up smoking as she could actually taste her food and so enjoyed eating again. I think this makes more sense.

I gave up smoking 29 days ago for about the eighth time. I did put on a few pounds in the first two weeks and so starting dieting 2 weeks ago and have lost 8lbs. I hardly ever think about the smoking as I am allways obsessing about the weightloss!

I was shocked when i told one of my clients (i am a complementary therapist) that i had started a diet and she said i should start smoking to curb my appetite!!!
Good luck everyone xxx

I dont think that smoking has anything to do with your weight, but for some people, it can increase their weight. So does caffeine and alcohol, which is why I don't drink coffee

I have only just seen this thread so sorry for being a bit late to the party!

I gave up smoking in May 2008 and was really worried I'd put on lots of weight.
The first two or three weeks I didn't have much appetite at all and probably lost a couple of pounds - all my clothes felt pretty loose. Then I had incredible sugar cravings for about four weeks and ate LOADS of sweets and chocolate, I'd guess I put on maybe about 5lb. A slim and very fit male friend of mine has recently quit and found the same thing.
I have to confess that I was tempted to start smoking again but I held on and it passed, I can honestly say that my weight has not been affected by quitting smoking. I have found I need to eat more regularly as I can't use cigs to suppress hunger pangs, but that's a good thing as my eating habits were none too healthy!
I do enjoy exercise more and my skin is so much better.
I haven't lost a significant amount of weight since signing up to Minimins but that's because I would generally rather have a biscuit, nothing to do with stopping smoking - I am the same weight as I was when I was smoking.
Quit I say, and don't panic - stay off the scales for a couple of months if you can and it should all even out in the end.

hey there,

i am not a smoker but one of my ex-colleagues was...i think she was a heavy smoker too. Anyway in the space of about 2 months she went from a size 10 to a size 16. She made out she didn't care but she told me some guy thought she was pregnant and she did cry over it.

I guess some people turn to food for comfort more than others.

I put on a little weight when I stopped smoking but I put it down to the fact that I wasn't running outside every few minutes for a smoke! LOL

During last weeks long lecture by doctor, she told me the average person puts on about 7lbs. Some less, some more. Any gain was mainly because people turned to food instead of fags.

Great bit of advice I received was never to use food as a replacement, even healthy food. I used that advice last time I gave up (there's been many times) and I lost weight.

Unfortanately I went back to smoking cos I'm an idiot