Why Do People Blame Vaping For Weight Gain? What The Science has to Say – Calorie Captain (2023)

Have you heard stores about people who have said they gained weight by vaping? Why do people blame vaping for weight gain?

Is there any actual proof out there that shows vaping causes you to gain fat or can prevent you from losing weight?

Let’s dive into this a little bit, shall we?

Why Do People Blame Vaping For Weight Gain?

People blame vaping for weight gain because it is an easy target. Vaping is still a new industry and there is not a lot of research out there on the long term effects of vaping. So, people are quick to point the finger at vaping when it comes to weight gain.

However, there are a few things to consider before blaming vaping for your weight gain. First of all, weight gain can be caused by a number of factors. So, it is important to look at the whole picture before placing the blame on vaping.

Have you been actually tracking everything you have been eating? Likely not. If you would actually start tracking your caloric intake, you may be surprised you are actually not in a calorie deficit. This is likely the reason you are gaining weight.

However, there CAN be other reasons.

Many of the people who are quick to blame vaping for weight gain are actually smokers who have switched to vaping in an attempt to quit smoking.

So, it is possible that they are attributing their weight gain to vaping when, in fact, it is due to the simple fact they are eating more and do not realize it because they replaced an addition and possibly decreased nicotine consumption.

What happens when we stop an addiction? We will try to replace it with something else.

Calorie surplus

The most highly culprit of weight gain is a calorie surplus. This simply means you are consuming MORE calories than you are burning every single day. Over time, this leads to weight (fat) gain.

This occurs because when we eat food, our bodies utilize these calories to provide energy.

However, if we do not use up all the calories we consume each day through physical activity, our bodies will store these extra calories as fat because the body does not NEED them.

So, if you are not physically active and/or you are eating more calories than you need each day, this can lead to weight gain. This is true regardless of whether you are smoking, vaping, or neither.

Medical conditions

Now, this is not a highly likely reason, but it is possible weight gain could actually be due to a medical condition.

Weight gain can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, such as :

• Cushing’s syndrome
• Hypothyroidism
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Depression
• Certain types of cancer

If you have sudden weight gain and you cannot attribute it to any lifestyle changes, it is important to see a doctor to rule out any potential medical conditions.

Related Post: Can a Calorie Deficit Make Me Depressed?

Does Vaping Cause Weight Gain?

There is no actual scientific evidence to show that vaping causes weight gain.

In a recent study, the correlation of obesity and vaping was evaluated using various types of vaping devices amongst 10 human, two in vivo and one in vitro study from 2015-2020 in multiple countries.

No actual causal evidence has been found during the study that vaping or E-cigarettes actually cause weight gain or obesity in the individuals studied.

However, one interesting bit of information that this study has found was that quite the opposite could occur, weight loss amongst obese individuals.

This is likely due to the fact that vapers and E-cigarette users are using vape liquid that is flavored, so there is a chance they could be consuming less calories through the food that they eat due to the flavoring of vape juice giving them their flavor fix.

It is important to note that the majority of studies regarding vaping and weight loss are inconclusive.

There is no actual hearty evidence available that links weight gain to vaping.

Does Vape Juice Have Calories?

Vape juice contains about 5-6 calories per milliliter of juice. However, you do not need to include this number in your calorie amounts when tracking calories to lose weight.

Vape juice contains calories because of the ingredients used to make it, including propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.

These two ingredients are used to create the “smoke” or vapor that is exhaled when vaping. However, they do not actually add any calories when vaporized and inhaled.

The body does not metabolize or use these two ingredients for energy, so they are not actually “calories” in the sense that we think of when trying to lose weight.

Trying to track calories from vape juice would really be pointless and would not matter in the grand scheme of things.

Will Vaping Ruin My Calorie Deficit?

If you choose to vape, it will not ruin your calorie deficit because the number of calories you consume from vaping are not digested and metabolized in the same way as food.

When we calculate calories in vs. calories out to lose weight, we only count calories we are putting into our mouths, calories we use to fuel our body.

These are calories our body uses to conduct various processes like keeping our heart beating, digesting food, and growing our hair. These are merely a few of these processes. There are an abundance.

When we consume more calories we are burning through food and drinks, we gain weight. We do not gain weight from inhaled sources.

We do not count the calories we consume from vaping because they are not used by our body in the same way as nutrients from food.

If you do vape and are trying to lose weight, you will still be able to lose weight by vaping.

Can Vaping Help You Lose Weight?

Vaping will not help you to lose weight because losing weight is only possible by creating and maintaining a calorie deficit.

If you want to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit by decreasing your caloric intake and burning more calories through expenditure, every day.

However, Some people believe that vaping can help you to lose weight because it can be used as a tool to stop or replace smoking cigarettes.

Sometimes when someone who smokes cigarettes quits, they can gain weight because they may turn to food as a form of stress relief.

By vaping, they will replace one addiction with another and not turn to food. Most vape juices contain nicotine, so by switching to vaping from cigarettes, they will still be getting their nicotine fix.

This is not due to the fact that they are losing weight simply by vaping, but because of the calories they are consuming are not in surplus.

This means they may lose weight because they are now decreasing calorie consumption which in turn puts them into a deficit of calories.

How Many Calories Does Vaping Burn

No one actually knows how many calories vaping burns, but is likely to burn the same amount of calories as breathing, which is part of your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Vaping is not going to burn any additional calories that will lead to weight loss.

Vaping is relatively new. There has not been much research conducted on it. Most of the research that has been conducted is inconclusive.

There are not enough long term studies to be able to accurately say how many calories vaping burns.

It is unlikely that vaping will help you to lose weight because it does not burn a significant amount of calories in addition to the calories you are already burning by breathing.

If you want to burn additional calories, this can only be achieved through physical activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some other common questions many have asked regarding vaping and weight gain.

Does Vaping Cause Belly Fat?

There is no scientific evidence to show that vaping causes belly fat. You would accumulate belly fat in the same way you would accumulate fat elsewhere on the body, by being in a calorie surplus.

Does Vaping Make Your Face Fat?

There is no evidence available through research that shows vaping can cause fat accumulation in the face.

Many individuals gain weight or fat in their face first before any other place on their body. This is due to genetics and the fact that our bodies are all individualized and unique.

If you want to lose weight in your face, you must create a calorie deficit. There is no way to spot reduce or “choose” where you will lose weight from.

There is also no way to choose where you will gain fat either.

In Summary

People blame vaping on weight gain because they are not seeing the big picture of why they are gaining weight. Gaining weight is only caused by a calorie surplus, not by what you inhale.

As a healthcare professional, I would never encourage anyone to vape and definitely not smoke cigarettes. We know the deadly consequences of smoking cigarettes but as for vaping? Not much is known about it as of today.

It is better to stay on the safe side and not vape. However, if you do already vape, you will be able to still lose weight effectively as long as you are maintaining a calorie deficit. There is no evidence out there to suggest otherwise.

If you need help losing weight or want to create your own calorie deficit that will work for you, check out the posts below!

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