There’s a lot of misinformation out there about nicotine and weight loss. But it’s true that the more you smoke, the more calories you burn. And the more you smoke, the more weight you lose.
But don’t expect nicotine to completely help you shed pounds.
Here’s what you need to know about how nicotine affects your weight, and why it’s not enough to help you drop pounds.
How Does Nicotine Affect Weight Loss?
Nicotine is a stimulant. It affects how you feel and how you think.
It can boost your energy, so you’re able to do more physical activities. It can help you feel happier and more alert, so you have more mental energy to pursue other goals.
This is important because it helps you stay motivated to keep moving and exercise for weight loss.
When you smoke, your body releases adrenaline. This is the “fight or flight” hormone that sends your heart pumping and blood rushing to your muscles.
Your body also releases a hormone called dopamine. This is a “pleasure” hormone that helps you feel good. But it’s also an appetite suppressant.
Plus, the nicotine in your cigarette releases “free radicals” in your blood. It also causes your blood vessels to narrow.
All of this can reduce the amount of blood and oxygen reaching your muscles. This can reduce the amount of calories you burn.
The more you smoke, the more you lose.
Nicotine can also cause your blood vessels to constrict. That reduces the amount of oxygen and blood flow to your muscles. It can also cause your blood to thicken and raise your blood pressure.
But even though your blood pressure goes up, your heart beats faster to supply the extra oxygen and blood flow. So more calories are burned.
How About Nicotine Replacement Therapy?
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a type of prescription medication that helps you quit smoking.
It can help you stop smoking and start living a healthier lifestyle. NRT comes as a patch, lozenge, inhaler, or nasal spray.
It can also help you stay motivated to quit. And it can help control your cravings.
NRT helps you feel less hungry and less anxious. It can give you the energy to exercise and follow a healthy diet.
Plus, you can use NRT to help you stay on track with your weight loss.
Even though NRT can help you stop smoking and lose weight, it’s not enough by itself.
It’s a lot more than a “nicotine patch.” It’s a long-term medication that can help you quit smoking for good.
What If I Want Nicotine Replacement Therapy?
You have options when it comes to quitting smoking.
It’s important to find a good quit smoking counselor or quit smoking program. These can help you quit smoking and help you keep the weight off.
If you smoke, you can also try these methods to help you quit:
- Quitting cold turkey. It’s the quickest way to quit smoking. But it can also be a lot tougher to quit.
- Quitting abruptly. This is the easiest way to quit. But it can also be harder to stick with a program like NRT.
- Quitting in stages. You can use NRT as part of a plan to stop smoking. For example, you can use it as a patch after you quit smoking for a while. Then you can use it as a medication to help you stop smoking for good.
- Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). If you want to quit smoking, you’ll likely want NRT.
- Quitting smoking gum. You can use a nicotine replacement gum to help you stop smoking. You can also use a nicotine patch.
- Trying other methods, like nicotine replacement and NRT. For example, you can try a nicotine patch first. Then you can use NRT if you need more help.
If you’ve tried quitting cold turkey and it didn’t work, you might want to try the following methods to help you quit smoking:
- Quitting nicotine gum. Gum is a “bridge” to help you quit smoking for good. But you may not like the taste of gum. So you might want to try the nicotine patch instead.
- Quitting nicotine patches. You can use nicotine patches to help you stop smoking. But you may not like the taste of patches. So you might want to try NRT first.
- Quitting nicotine lozenges. You can use nicotine lozenges to help you stop smoking. But you might not like the taste of lozenges. So you might want to try NRT instead.
You can also read about the myths and facts about smoking and weight loss.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Weight Loss
Whether you use NRT or not, you’ll lose weight when you stop smoking. You won’t lose as much weight as you would if you quit cold turkey.
But you should still lose some weight. And that’s good news because you’ll get to keep the weight off.
NRT can help you stay motivated to quit smoking. It can also help you control your cravings. And it can help you stay on track with your weight loss plan.
Here are the benefits of using NRT to help you quit smoking:
- NRT Can Help You Quit Smoking
You can use NRT to help you stop smoking, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
If you use NRT to quit smoking, you’ll need to use it every day. You can use it at least 12 times a day for a month.
You can also use it as a “bridge” until you can quit cold turkey.
NRT can also help you quit smoking for good. You can use it as a patch, a lozenge, or as a nasal spray.
You can use NRT for 12 weeks or longer. That can help you stay motivated to quit smoking.
You can even use NRT to help you quit a second time if you need more support.
The Bottom Line
Don’t take nicotine as a magic pill to help you lose weight. You need to be prepared for the extra calories you’ll need to burn.
Also, don’t expect nicotine to make it easier for you to eat healthy.
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