Smoking and Belly Fat

I am not an advocate of cigarette smoking but I was always under the impression there was a link between it and weight loss -- or, at least, not gaining weight. After I lost all that weight when I was 17, I took up smoking. I know, I know...it was a dumb thing to do. Sometimes I'd gain 10-15 pounds but always managed to get the weight off quickly.

When I was 32, I got pregnant with my son. I'd been smoking (almost 2 packs a day) about 15 years by then. I decided I was going to quit because I knew smoking would be bad not only for me but for the baby. The doctor was very supportive and said, when I gained 80 pounds, better to gain than to smoke.

I used to like to blame my weight on the fact I quit smoking...it's easier to blame something like that than your age or poor will power.

Well...think again!

When I saw this article I was sure that it was going to talk about a link between smoking and losing belly fat. Imagine my complete surprise to read that these doctors feel that smoking contributes to metabolic syndrome, particularly in kids 12-19.

Whaaaaat?

I'm not sure I buy it. The percentages aren't that high and I'm thinking that other things must have a greater impact ... like sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and so on.

It's a great argument to use to try and keep kids away from cigarettes though...maybe. Used to be we'd say, "don't smoke, you'll get cancer." No kid thinks he or she is ever going to get cancer...not now anyway. But if you say to a kid, "don't smoke, you might get fat" ... would that make a difference?

Hmmm.