Does Smoking Help You Lose Weight?

It is no huge secret that smoking is widely known for its terrible health risks, including lung cancer, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and a host of other diseases and ailments. 

Given the seven thousand chemicals ingested with each puff, some of which include remarkably sinister names such as formaldehyde, arsenic, and benzene, it should be of little surprise that smoking wreaks havoc with the human body, given enough time. 

Despite the dangers of smoking cigarettes, a common narrative has evolved over time that smoking can help with weight loss in some way. Smokers are often observed to be thinner than non-smokers, leading many to wonder if there is a direct link between smoking and weight control.

So, does smoking help you lose weight, or do other reasons exist for the apparent weight disparity between smokers and non-smokers? Through this article, we shall look at how smoking affects appetite, why weight gain often follows quitting smoking, and the risks of using smoking as a weight control method.

To address the question ‘Does smoking help you lose weight’ we actually need to look at nicotine rather than the actual practice of smoking, as nicotine is the primary ingredient that affects weight in this context. 

How Nicotine Affects Appetite

Nicotine, as you will probably be aware, is the addictive substance found in cigarettes and is a major factor in how smoking impacts appetite. In short, when nicotine enters the body, it stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin. 

These chemicals influence the brain’s reward system and mood, often resulting in temporary satisfaction and reduced hunger. With overeating often being a direct symptom of low mood (or even a mood disorder), nicotine acts almost as a substitute for snacking.

Pretty simple stuff, really. Instead of loading up with calories to draw those lovely dopamine hits, smokers rely on nicotine. It does get slightly more complicated, however, as nicotine can also increase metabolism by causing the body to release adrenaline, which raises energy expenditure. 

It is this combination of reduced appetite and increased metabolism that contributes to the belief that smoking (or, more accurately, nicotine) helps with weight control. 

Consequences

However, the appetite-suppressing effects of nicotine are not without drawbacks. The benefits of a little weight loss come with long-term health risks, including heart disease, cancer, and respiratory issues, as a direct result of smoking. 

The body can also develop a tolerance to nicotine, diminishing its appetite-suppressing effects over time and potentially leading to increased smoking to achieve the same effect.

If shedding a few pounds sounds appealing, we must reiterate an important caveat: while nicotine may reduce appetite, smoking itself does not promote healthy weight management. Instead, it replaces the desire for food with an addiction that carries far more severe health consequences than being a little overweight. 

In short, while nicotine can help with weight loss, you are better off being slightly overweight than smoking cigarettes. The former may not be ideal, but the latter will probably lead to an early grave.

Why Do You Gain Weight After Quitting Smoking?

Weight gain after quitting smoking is common due to several factors. Nicotine suppresses appetite and increases metabolism, so when you stop smoking, your appetite can increase while your metabolism slows down. Once again, it’s all pretty simple stuff.

As you might have guessed, there is also a physiological aspect involved. The fact is that many people use food to cope with nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms. This leads to higher calorie consumption and, consequently, weight gain. 

The absence of nicotine-induced dopamine can also make you seek comfort in eating, especially high-calorie, sugary junk foods. So, why do you gain weight after quitting smoking? Through the combination of increased appetite, slower metabolism, and changes in eating habits. Again, it’s all quite straightforward. 

However, as noted earlier, using this as motivation to continue smoking (or worse – start smoking) would not be the brightest decision you ever made. Let’s take a more thorough look at why that is.

The Risks of Smoking for Weight Control

Using smoking as a method for weight control is a terrible idea. Again, smoking is linked to severe health issues, including lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory conditions, although those three potentially life-ending conditions are the mere tip of the iceberg. 

While nicotine is not a particularly terrible substance alone – and might help reduce your appetite – the harm it causes through smoking greatly outweighs any potential benefit it promises. Relying on smoking to manage weight can also lead to addiction, making it even harder to quit. 

Smoking can negatively impact overall fitness, reducing the ability to engage in physical activities that support healthy weight management. Overall, the risks associated with smoking make it an unsafe and ineffective strategy for controlling weight, to say the very least. To be more candid, you might describe smoking as a weight control strategy as plain stupid. 

Bottom Line

While smoking might seem like a great way to control weight, there is a huge sacrifice in terms of severe health risks. Far safer, healthier methods for managing weight are available and more effective in the long term. 

Ultimately, prioritise your health and explore smoking alternatives that support well-being without harmful side effects. If you are avoiding quitting smoking owing to weight concerns, ask yourself if losing a few pounds is worth it when the price is heart disease, cancer, or stroke. We suspect you already know the answer to that question, however.

In any event, stopping smoking has never been easier, with all the smoking alternatives available in this day and age. It has never been easier to quit, and with NEAFS tea-based nicotine sticks in your pocket, you can pretty much continue to enjoy the experience of smoking without actually smoking.

Make the Jump to NEAFS Today

Our clever tea-based nicotine sticks provide the sensation of smoking without the harmful effects of traditional cigarettes. Using our popular TEO device, you can continue to enjoy the familiarity of smoking while eliminating exposure to harmful chemicals and tar. 

NEAFS sticks come in various flavours, promising a satisfying nicotine-fueled experience without the health risks of smoking. Make the jump to NEAFS with our amazing starter bundles and take a gigantic, instant step towards a healthier, smoke-free life today!