Weight Loss Plan: Smoking 2 Packs/Day for Results

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the controversial idea of using smoking as a weight loss strategy, with participants exploring its potential effects on weight, health implications, and comparisons to other diets, particularly low-carb diets like Atkins. The conversation includes personal anecdotes, critiques of smoking, and alternative weight loss methods.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that smoking can lead to weight loss, citing appetite suppression as a potential mechanism.
  • Others argue that smoking does not inherently cause weight loss and may lead to weight gain after quitting.
  • A participant shares personal experience of gaining weight while smoking and suggests that exercise is a more effective weight loss method.
  • Concerns are raised about the health risks associated with smoking, including decreased lung capacity and its impact on exercise levels.
  • Some participants challenge the notion that low-carb diets are universally effective or healthy, discussing their potential negative effects on cholesterol and overall health.
  • There is mention of alternative weight loss methods, including healthy eating and exercise, as preferable to smoking.
  • Several participants express skepticism about the claims that smoking leads to weight loss, noting a lack of evidence and personal observations of overweight smokers.
  • One participant humorously suggests that smoking could lead to weight loss by losing a lung with each pack smoked.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the effectiveness of smoking as a weight loss method, with multiple competing views on its health implications and actual impact on weight. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the validity of smoking as a weight loss strategy.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of uncertainty regarding the effects of smoking on weight, with some relying on personal anecdotes and others questioning the validity of common claims. The discussion also touches on the complexities of diet and weight management, particularly in relation to low-carb diets.

Dissident Dan
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I have the next new wonder-fad in weight loss:

The Smoker's Weight Loss Plan(tm)!

Everyone knows that smoking can make you lose weight. My plan calls for smoking at least 2 packs per day. You'll be shedding the pounds in no time! (Whether fat or muscle)

Sure, it makes you stink. Sure, it causes cancer. Sure, it causes heart disease. So, that should put it on par with Atkins and other low-carb diets.
 
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That's kind of like the weight-loss plan that involves amputation of nonvital appendages.

cookiemonster
 
Lets see, you would need guarantee that it works right? anyone know how to spell L-A-W-S-U-I-T for Non performance of product claim...Smoked for years and had easily been able to gain weight while smoking, had a little bit of a problem losing it, well, not really, ~2500 Kms (~1500 Miles) on a bicycle in ~34 days did the trick quite nicely, waaaaaaaay better then smoking ever could!
 
i think you have incorrect information...smoking doesn't cause you to lose weight, but you can expect to gain weight once you quit...
 
Originally posted by Kerrie
i think you have incorrect information...smoking doesn't cause you to lose weight, but you can expect to gain weight once you quit...
I agree, as that was, sorta, what I was making, as a point. I had gotten Fatter, myself, while a smoker, it means nothing to weight to smoke...slight loss of appetite (perhaps) which can easily be overcome...as for the quitting part, I've no idea of that ones effects, least not yet, not in an environment, or situation, of my life, that would be condusive to quitting smoking, cheese!
 
Originally posted by Dissident Dan
I have the next new wonder-fad in weight loss:
How about healthy eating and some exercise?
 
Smoking also causes decreased lung capacity, resulting in being out of breath, leading to taking the elevator or car, effectively decreasing exercise levels, slowing metabolism and ultimately giving weight gain
 
He, smoking makes you lose weight, one lung each pack!
 
Actually, the tar would make you gain weight
 
  • #10


Originally posted by Monique
How about healthy eating and some exercise?
GREAT Idea! and No Smoking!
 
  • #11
Originally posted by Monique
Smoking also causes decreased lung capacity, resulting in being out of breath, leading to taking the elevator or car, effectively decreasing exercise levels, slowing metabolism and ultimately giving weight gain
This is exactly right, and describes what is happening to me the older I get. Still smoking and decreased tolerance for exercise, leading to more sitting around. Getting a gut. Internet is the clincher. Why leave the house anymore when I can access people from all over the world from home?
 
  • #12
Originally posted by Monique
Smoking also causes decreased lung capacity, resulting in being out of breath, leading to taking the elevator or car, effectively decreasing exercise levels, slowing metabolism and ultimately giving weight gain

psshhht, whatever doesn't kill you,makes you stronger.
Sooooo, smoke and run, smoke and run. Then stop smoking and your lungs will be so strong! You'll be able to run forever!
 
  • #13
Did everyone miss my scathing criticism?
 
  • #14
We just like to be difficult
 
  • #15
People say smoking causes weight loss but I haven't seen anything proving that claim. The vast majority of women I see smoking are overweight. I only know the stats on women because I'm not looking at smokers; I'm looking at women .
 
  • #16
I really don't know the effects of smoking on weight. It's just hearsay. But that isn't the point. Replace smoking with some comparably bad thing that causes weight loss. Perhaps constantly getting fevers.

My point was about the Atkins Diet and other low-carb diets...
 
  • #17
What you said wasn't exactly 100% true in the first post. You said low carb diets cause heart problems and things like that. That show 20/20 looked at the atkins diet once. People on it did indeed lose weight, but the thing more interesting was the change in cholesterol. People on that diet had higher amounts of good cholester (which is a good thing) but also had higher amounts of bad cholester (bad thing). It was not exactly determined whether the diet was healthy or not because the affects of the good cholesterol sort of cancel out the bad.
 
  • #18
Originally posted by ShawnD
People say smoking causes weight loss but I haven't seen anything proving that claim. The vast majority of women I see smoking are overweight. I only know the stats on women because I'm not looking at smokers; I'm looking at women .
As has already been noted, it is a slight appetite suppressant...cigarettes that is...
 
  • #19
They should try coke, aparently it's a really strong suppresant (sp?)
 
  • #20
Originally posted by ShawnD
What you said wasn't exactly 100% true in the first post. You said low carb diets cause heart problems and things like that. That show 20/20 looked at the atkins diet once. People on it did indeed lose weight, but the thing more interesting was the change in cholesterol. People on that diet had higher amounts of good cholester (which is a good thing) but also had higher amounts of bad cholester (bad thing). It was not exactly determined whether the diet was healthy or not because the affects of the good cholesterol sort of cancel out the bad.

The thing about the atkins is that it may have some weird short-term effects, but long term, it is going to increase cholesterol. It's going to increase risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and several types of cancer, including colon cancer.

People who go low-carb generally have high extremely intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, which contribute to heart and cardiovascular problems. The animal protein contributes to cancer.

I just find it funny that people will believe anything, like "carbs are bad". Carbohydrates are not bad. They're essential to good health. They are the preferred source of food for the brain. If you replace most of your carbs with fat, that means that you are getting wayyyyy too much fat. The same goes for protein, although it would be really hard to up your dose of protein enough to replace carb intake, except maybe with protein supplements. Also, I'm willing to be that most weight loss in these programs is due to reduced caloric intake (no bun, drink only water, etc.), rather than type of calories. After all, the thermic value of fat is way lower than that of complex carbohydrates, meaning that less percentage of the total food intake has to be burned to store fat as fat than to store carbs as fat.
 
  • #21
Originally posted by Dissident Dan
I just find it funny that people will believe anything, like "carbs are bad". Carbohydrates are not bad. They're essential to good health. They are the preferred source of food for the brain. If you replace most of your carbs with fat, that means that you are getting wayyyyy too much fat. The same goes for protein, although it would be really hard to up your dose of protein enough to replace carb intake, except maybe with protein supplements. Also, I'm willing to be that most weight loss in these programs is due to reduced caloric intake (no bun, drink only water, etc.), rather than type of calories. After all, the thermic value of fat is way lower than that of complex carbohydrates, meaning that less percentage of the total food intake has to be burned to store fat as fat than to store carbs as fat.

It's not about eating the same amount of protein as carbohydrates though. Your body handles carbs in a funny way that causes a lot of overeating to happen.

1. you eat carbs
2. your blood sugar goes up
3. insulin converts glucose to glycogen
4. blood sugar goes down
5. glucagon converts glycogen to glucose AND you get hungry

Many people who eat lots of carbs get used to having a sort of sugar high. When that high goes away, those people eat more food even though they really don't need it (they get used to high blood sugar). That's where the problem comes in.
 
  • #22
Originally posted by Dissident Dan
I really don't know the effects of smoking on weight. It's just hearsay. But that isn't the point. Replace smoking with some comparably bad thing that causes weight loss. Perhaps constantly getting fevers.

My point was about the Atkins Diet and other low-carb diets...

the atkins diet is a total fad, and it DOES work, i have seen proof of it, however i don't believe it should be a long term way of nutrition...what i find hilarious is that Dr. Atkins himself was 40 lbs overweight and had severe heart disease when they did his autopsy...living, er dying proof...

i do believe there is some truth to the whole refined sugar diet...soda, pastries, cookies, chips are all foods that will add fat to the body, but are highly addictive...you can't go wrong with whole grains, vegetables, fruit and fish...
 
  • #23
He probably couldn't stick to his diet. He's been selling that diet for a real long time, at least 20 years. I can't imagine going 20 years on just meat. Pineapple and cantelope are so good :smile:
 
  • #24
Originally posted by ShawnD
They should try coke, aparently it's a really strong suppresant (sp?)
Ummmm maybe something like "short grain brown rice" would be a more sensible suggestion...Coke? (Yikes!)
 
  • #25
Eat rice to lose weight? Oh man are you on coke?
Rice is as bad as pasta; it's pure starch. If you want to cut back on caloric intake, definitely stay away from rice.
 
  • #26
Originally posted by ShawnD
Eat rice to lose weight? Oh man are you on coke?
Rice is as bad as pasta; it's pure starch. If you want to cut back on caloric intake, definitely stay away from rice.
Dietary ignorance is fun for you, is it, do you even know what Short grain Brown rice is? (Glutenous Rice) aside from that it is about appetite supression and it does do that...and, am I on coke? NO! I'm obviously not the one with that thought coming from his brain, now am I?
 
  • #27
For one thing, complex carbohydrates generally do not cause the same high level of blood sugar rise that refined sugars do. Refer yourself to the glycemic index for specifics.

Anyway, the point is not whether or not the diet works for short-term weight loss. It is the fact that it is extremely unhealthy. That is why I made the comparison to cigarette smoking. Perhaps you could compare it to weight-loss drugs marketted on T.V. Sure, you can lose weight, but at what cost? And does it even work long-term, say 5 years?
 
  • #28
Originally posted by ShawnD
Eat rice to lose weight? Oh man are you on coke?
Rice is as bad as pasta; it's pure starch. If you want to cut back on caloric intake, definitely stay away from rice.
So that's why all those asians are so fat. Who knew?
 
  • #29
Originally posted by zoobyshoe
So that's why all those asians are so fat. Who knew?

Yeah, they have a much higher percentage of their calories from carbohydraes, yet they do not have the epidemic fatness that we have.
 
  • #30
Originally posted by zoobyshoe
So that's why all those asians are so fat. Who knew?

That's a rather ignorant comment. You're saying rice is a healthy choice because there are not as many fat Asians? Ok then I can say meat is healthy because people in Germany don't have major weight problems. Pasta is healthy because people in Italy don't have major weight problems. I could say that almost any diet in the world is a good diet. The US has a unique problem with weight.

Dietary ignorance is fun for you, is it, do you even know what Short grain Brown rice is? (Glutenous Rice) aside from that it is about appetite supression and it does do that

Are you listening to what you are saying? You just said that rice is good because it's an appetite suppressant. ALL food suppresses appetite. If you are hungry and you eat a steak, you will no longer be hungry. If you eat pasta, you will no longer be hungry.



Sure, you can lose weight, but at what cost? And does it even work long-term, say 5 years?
I've known a lot of people who have tried the Atkins diet but I've only known 1 to stay with it for many years. The guy was on the Atkins diet for 8 years (this was a few years ago) and it still worked.

Atkins is not for everybody though. I need lots of carbs in my diet. Lack of carbs (for me) causes a feeling of tiredness.
 
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