Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Weight

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
Jan 23rd 2009 8:30AM

Lemondrop has a series of old advertisements for smoking. They're humorous in an I-can't-believe-they-said-that kind of way. A couple of the ads focus on how smoking can help keep you thin. Yeah, good idea. You'll have stinky breath, smelly clothes and hair, lung cancer, and emphysema ... but at least you'll be thin!

If you still believe the smoke-and-stay-thin myth, you'd better think again. Or somehow time travel back to the 1950s. A recent study suggests that teens who smoke are more likely to be overweight later in life. The researchers aren't suggesting that cigarettes themselves cause you to gain weight (though that might be a more effective deterrent than the Surgeon General's warning). Instead, it's thought that smoking in teenage years just becomes the first in a string of bad habits. Like burgers. And fries. And sugary soda. And chocolate. And, excuse me ... now I'm hungry.

5 Health Myths That Didn't Stand the Test of Time(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Smoker or not, if you're looking to shed some extra pounds, check out America Takes It Off: Shrink a Size for great weight loss tips.

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Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Steve 1-23-2009 @ 5:21PM

Interesting post. A friend of mine is quitting and says he's gained some weight. Snacking is definitely a tempting substitute. Introducing more exercise should help.

I'm getting ready to quit myself and am podcasting at http://timetoquit.libsyn.com

patchsuperstore 1-23-2009 @ 9:34PM

I always wondered why the side of the cigarettes said this will kill you now go buy more to feed the hunger

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Daniel Costa 1-24-2009 @ 12:28PM

Off course that smoking leads to loss of weight.In theory... but when they start smoking they don't make lot's of exercice because they will feel tired more easily...It's the "Hamburger" syndrome...With no exercice the body can expell anymore the fat that the subject eats (in the quantities expelled before), and the fat starts to accumulate...and probably death will occur...

John 1-26-2009 @ 1:24PM

Daniel your an idiot. They aren't saying you gain weight because of smoking directly. They are saying smoking is a bad habbit, which reinforces bad habbits else where like eating unhealthy later in life. For example since while you smoke you are skinnier if you can eat mcdonalds and all that crap without being fat then why stray away right? So if you stop smoking and keep eating mcdonalds you get fat. Not exactly what they were saying, but its a quick example.