Do Cigarettes Have Calories?

Most smokers are already familiar with the soothing effects cigarettes can provide. These tobacco products, after all, contain nicotine, a substance responsible for keeping your mind and senses relaxed, even for just a short period of time. However, it is important to note that while cigarettes may offer short-term relaxation, they also come with serious long-term health consequences. The cancer risks of smoking are well-documented, with tobacco use being linked to various types of cancer, including lung, throat, and mouth cancer. It’s crucial for smokers to be aware of these risks and consider seeking help to quit smoking for the sake of their health.

There is, however, an ongoing talk about the caloric content of cigarettes. A number of smokers believe that smoking cigarettes may affect their caloric intake, while others think that smoking cigarettes can actually make them lose weight.

NativeSmokes4Less is here to clear up the confusion, providing the latest available data in regard to cigarettes and their calorie content, if there are any. You might be surprised by the actual effect of cigarettes on your body every time you smoke one.

How Much Calories Do Cigarettes Have?

Lately, more and more individuals have become conscious of the amount of calories they take in whenever they consume different types of food and drinks. The same thing is happening around cigarette smoking as a huge percentage of adult smokers want to make sure they don’t consume too many calories every time they light up a cigarette.

But why do people care about calories in the first place?

By definition, a calorie is a unit of energy that resembles the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one litre of water by one degree Celsius. When it comes to the human body, calories are essential to make you move and function. 

So, every time you take a step, your body uses the energy from calories to be able to execute all key steps in making the said movement. Now, it’s crucial to note that your body is unique. Therefore, the number of calories your body requires to function typically differs from that of others.

Another thing about caloric intake is it can change your body weight. 

If you eat and drink more calories than you use, your weight will most likely increase. This happens as your body only stores the extra energy or unused energy as fat. Alternatively, you can expect to lose weight if you eat and drink fewer calories than you use as you tend to use the stored fat for energy.

Now that we understand how calories affect your body, it’s time to know whether cigarettes have calories or not.

Cigarettes are primarily comprised of tobacco leaves, which are the main source of nicotine. Other ingredients added to cigarettes like paper, filters, and additives may then be helpful in regulating their throat hits, burn rate, released tar and chemicals, and flavour profile.

Most of them don’t contain significant calories, which means you can basically smoke many sticks of cigarettes in one smoking session without worrying about your caloric intake.

Do remember, however, that smoking affects your appetite and metabolism due to the nicotine cigarettes contain. By consuming this highly addictive substance, you may experience appetite suppression, which pushes you to eat less until the amount of calories you consume becomes less than what you need. This then leads to weight loss.

This is the main reason why you tend to experience weight gain after you quit smoking. Smoking cessation often causes your appetite levels to return to normal as you don’t consume as much nicotine as you would before with cigarettes.

Also, smoking speeds up metabolism temporarily through nicotine. Once it enters your body, it increases your heart rate and energy expenditure, forcing your body to burn more calories at a fast rate. But since your appetite has already been suppressed, you won’t be able to consume a lot of food and drinks. You only end up losing more weight.

Cigarette smoking is known to have both appetite suppression and a faster metabolism as its primary effects. It’s important to note that they don’t always occur in all smokers. Some smokers may experience significant appetite suppression and weight loss, while others don’t.

Regardless, even though they don’t contain significant calories, you should still not rely on cigarette smoking to lose weight. The best things you can do are regulate your caloric intake and quit smoking so you don’t have to alter your appetitive levels and metabolism.

Do Cigarettes Have Carbs?

Another nutrient found in food products that many people are interested in monitoring is carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates, or carbs, are sugar molecules that the body breaks down to convert into glucose or blood sugar. Glucose serves as an energy source for cells, tissues, and organs, which can be either utilized immediately or stored in the liver and muscles for later consumption.

There are three types of carbs:

1. Sugars: Also known as simple carbohydrates, they are often added to various foods including candies, desserts, processed foods, and regular soda. They also cover the kinds of sugar naturally present in fruits, vegetables, and milk.
2. Starches: They are considered complex carbohydrates as they are composed of numerous simple sugars linked together. Some food products that contain starches are bread, cereal, and pasta. Certain vegetables, such as potatoes, peas, and corn, also contain starches.
3. Fibre: Fibre is another type of complex carbohydrate. Your body doesn’t break down most fibres in your body, which is why eating foods with fibre often makes you feel full. It also helps you avoid overeating as well as prevent stomach or intestinal problems. Foods with fibre include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and beans.

Do cigarettes contain any of these types of carbs?

No, cigarettes don’t contain any of these types of carbohydrates. The main ingredients used in cigarettes don’t have any nutritional ingredients that would make you feel full or energetic. The only reason why you somehow feel these things is nicotine.

As you continue smoking, your appetite levels go down, pushing you to not eat as much food as you want. The same effect can be done when you eat foods full of carbohydrates. However, doing the latter doesn’t put you at risk of health issues related to cigarettes like cancer and other serious illnesses as you don’t have to take in and inhale harmful chemicals from the cigarette smoke.

You also feel energetic as nicotine from smoking cigarettes activates the key part of your brain that releases dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and reward. But this feeling is only temporary. You can be more energetic for a longer time without the associated health risks of smoking by eating food that is rich in nutrients.

Does Smoking Burn Belly Fat?

One of the things that a lot of people tend to notice when it comes to their respective bodies is the presence of belly fat. But, did you know that everyone has some sort of belly fat? Even those who possess flat abs. 

One of the essential parts of the human body is fat. The only difference that makes an individual seem bigger than others is the amount and location of this part in your body. 

There are two forms of belly fat.

1. Subcutaneous Belly Fat: Subcutaneous belly fat is the type of fat that is found right under the skin. This fat makes your belly look round and feel soft. It also makes your clothes somehow feel tighter than before. 
2. Deep Belly Fat: Alternatively, deep belly fat is found deeper inside the belly. It often develops around your vital organs like the heart, livers, and lungs. This type of fat, which is also known as visceral fat, serves as the cushion for your organs. 

Out of these two forms of belly fat, deep belly fat should only account for a small number. If the amount of deep belly fat on your organs has increased significantly, it puts you at risk of developing serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, dementia, and cancers like colon cancer and breast cancer.

Given the potential dangers of too much belly fat, you may think of smoking as a way to burn belly fat.

However, it is not effective in burning belly fat. In fact, smoking does not burn belly fat at all. To make things worse, cigarette smoking for a long time does the opposite as it only increases your belly fat.

A recent study published in the journal Addiction has determined that smoking has a high chance of adding one’s total percentage of visceral fat, which increases one’s risk of developing previously stated chronic diseases. Additionally, the increase in visceral fat may happen regardless of other factors like alcohol use, socioeconomic status, ADHD, or how much of a risk-taker someone is. 

And from the same study, researchers have found out that smokers, despite having a lower weight, have been found to still have more subcutaneous and visceral fat than those who aren’t smoking.

While the primary cause of developing visceral fat among smokers remains undiscovered, the study has discovered that initiating smoking and continuing to smoke throughout life may contribute to increased abdominal adiposity, as evidenced by a higher waist-to-hip ratio. 

Since smoking cigarettes doesn’t burn belly fat and is believed to make your belly fat grow more, the best thing you can do is stop smoking cigarettes. Additionally, it’s recommended to control weight and burn more calories to balance things out. These can be done by exercising more and eating less. You can likewise manage sleep and stress to help burn your belly fat gradually.

There’s no shortcut to burning belly fat. It may even take you months before you see some changes. The important thing you should do is to start today so your body can thank you later.

Do Menthol Cigarettes Have Calories?

Many cigarettes today come in menthol flavours since they are refreshing and cool to the mouth. Menthol cigarettes are likewise more enjoyable to smoke since they don’t taste burning tobacco, which is common among cigarettes without any additional flavours.

NativeSmokes4Less offers a lot of menthol cigarettes to smokers in Canada. You can buy them at competitive prices, giving you the option to try them at your convenience.

Despite the wonderful taste and feel of smoking menthol cigarettes, they have been recently banned in Canada to deter smokers, especially the young ones, from using them. The ban then led to an increase in quitting attempts among menthol smokers. 

But this begs the question, do menthol cigarettes have calories?

Similar to other flavours and variants of cigarettes, menthol cigarettes also don’t have any calories. Therefore, even if you smoke tons of menthol cigarettes in a day, your calorie amount won’t increase significantly which often happens when you consume a huge amount of foods and drinks.

Take note, however, that smoking cigarettes won’t help you with weight control either. A percentage of smokers believe that smoking cigarettes can help them manage their weight, but the truth is that they only limit their appetite in a bad way since they won’t feel like eating. Smoking menthol cigarettes will likewise speed up metabolism, leading to more burnt calories.

With fewer calories stored in their bodies and less cravings for food, menthol cigarette smokers will surely lose weight in exchange for developing health risks associated with smoking like heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illnesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do cigarettes have calories in them?

Cigarettes don’t have calories in them. They also don’t have any nutrients that can benefit your body. The only thing you can get from these tobacco products is nicotine, a highly addictive substance that gives you a temporary sense of relief, reduced food cravings, and increased metabolism.

Do cigarettes make you gain weight?

Cigarettes don’t make you gain weight. Instead, they contribute to decreasing your weight due to nicotine. This chemical suppresses your appetite and increases your metabolism, pushing you to eat less and burn more calories. This leads to weight loss for some smokers.

How many calories are burned in one cigarette?

In one cigarette, you only burn around 10 to 15 calories. This small calorie burn is attributed to the increased metabolism of your body caused by nicotine consumption. As the chemical enters your system, it temporarily elevates your heart rate and energy expenditure. Now, although some calories are burned during smoking, the amount is minimal enough to contribute to weight loss.

Do I burn calories when I smoke?

Yes, but only a few. You only burn around 10 to 15 calories when you smoke, which is small enough to contribute to weight loss. To burn a huge amount of calories in a good way, you should exercise more, stay active the whole day, manage stress effectively, eat healthy foods, and get enough sleep.

Summary

If you’re curious about how many calories are there in a cigarette, then you should know by now that they don’t really have one. Cigarettes contain tobacco and other ingredients, which don’t contain any nutrients. The only things you can get out of cigarettes are nicotine and harmful chemicals that contribute to the development of adverse health risks.

Additionally, smoking cigarettes can affect your weight in a bad way, suppressing your appetite and speeding up your metabolism while you gradually develop cancer, heart disease, and many more.

To change your lifestyle, start your quit-smoking journey today. And if you still want to consume nicotine without the harm related to tobacco smoke, you can opt for alternative nicotine products instead like nicotine pouches and vaping products, which are both available at NativeSmokes4Less.