Weed and weight loss in the same sentence can seem counterintuitive. TV shows and movies often portray stoners as lazy slobs who sit on the couch covered in food crumbs. However, cannabis connoisseurs know there’s much more to 420 than bags of chips and slices of pizza.
Studies show that cannabis users have lower body mass indexes and are less likely to become obese. These findings beg the question: does weed help with weight loss?
Let’s examine the relationship between your bathroom scale and cannabis. Remember that our weed and weight loss findings do not count as medical advice. Consult your physician with any medical questions before making significant changes to your diet.
Shouldn’t Weed Prevent Weight Loss?
We’ve all been there: You just smoked a fat bowl and then immediately poured yourself another fat bowl, only this one is full of sugary cereal. Marijuana has a reputation for increasing appetite. How does weed help with weight loss when the munchies come on so strong?
THC can increase your desire for fatty treats and make your food taste sweeter. While that might lead you to believe it’s responsible for massive weight gain, there’s another key element at play. The food cravings stoners experience are also satisfied more quickly than those of sober counterparts.
While your favorite strain might have you dreaming about ice cream cones and tacos, you’re less likely to overindulge. This moderation is a crucial aspect of how marijuana can support weight loss.
Does Weed Help with Weight Loss?
Unfortunately, the relationship between weight loss and weed isn’t as easy as throwing flower in a pipe and watching the pounds melt away. However, it appears weed does help with weight loss when observing its effects relative to other factors that cause weight gain.
Metabolism
Simply put, we lose weight by burning more calories than we intake. Our body converts calories into energy, and we call this our metabolism. There is scientific evidence that shows smoking weed might speed up our metabolism.
An increased metabolism helps our bodies burn more calories while we’re at rest. Keeping in mind marijuana’s effects on metabolism, we see a way in which weed does help with weight loss.
Stress
Scientists have found links between stress and obesity. Stress increases cortisol levels in the brain, which influences weight gain. When the brain’s chemistry is affected this way, we are more prone to packing on the pounds.
Fortunately, cannabis does a lot to help ease our mental tension. Scientists have found that THC can produce feelings of relaxation and euphoria. These studies link weed and weight loss yet again, as lower stress can help keep the brain’s cortisol levels in check.
Sleep
Cannabis has the potential to help improve sleep and insomnia by reducing stress levels and affecting the receptors in the brain that regulate sleep. Research shows that people who get the proper amount of sleep are less likely to be obese.
Cannabinoids in Weed and Their Impact on Weight Loss
While we’re all familiar with THC, that’s just one of the nearly 100 cannabinoids found in marijuana. Because legalization laws hampered the scientific community’s cannabis research, we’re still discovering the effects of these cannabinoids.
What we do know suggests that cannabinoids directly impact our body’s endocannabinoid system. These chemicals have the potential to cause different effects, often working in tandem to create the unique high we feel with each different strain.
Of all these cannabinoids, there are two that researchers believe might connect weed with weight loss.
CBD
Scientists believe that CBD might help speed up our carbohydrate metabolism. In essence, this would allow our bodies to process sugar quickly. Sugar is one of the main culprits in obesity, so bodies that quickly burn it are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
Initial research has also shown CBD to be an effective appetite suppressant. Because of its ability to suppress the munchies, anyone using weed for weight loss will want to find strains that have higher CBD levels.
THCV
Like CBD, the cannabinoid THCV shows a promising link in fighting obesity. THCV works in the opposite manner of THC, so instead of activating brain receptors, it blocks them.
As a result, THCV lacks a significant side effect of THC’s psychoactivity: increased appetite. This benefit means strains with higher levels of THCV might help keep our cravings to a minimum. The following strains have tested higher in THCV:
- Durban Poison
- Girl Scout Cookies
- Doug’s Varin
- Dutch Treat
- Tanige
- Pineapple Purps
Diet & Exercise
Weed does indeed help with weight loss. However, weed alone won’t help you shed pounds. As we mentioned earlier, there is only one scientifically proven way to help you lose weight—burning more calories than you consume.
While inhaling weed won’t add any calories to your diet, what you eat and the amount of exercise you get are the best ways to address your health. With that said, many smokers report certain strains provide motivation to work out and make the experience more pleasurable.
Of course, there are also members of the cannabis community who enjoy weed when recovering from intense workouts or meditating. Ultimately, marijuana has many benefits as part of a wellness routine and can be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.
While inhaling weed won’t add any calories to your diet, what you eat and the amount of exercise you get are the best ways to address your health. With that said, many smokers report certain strains provide motivation to work out and make the experience more pleasurable.
Of course, there are also members of the cannabis community who enjoy weed when recovering from intense workouts or meditating. Ultimately, marijuana has many benefits as part of a wellness routine and can be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.
The Final Word on Weed and Weight Loss
It’s time to replace the image of the stereotypical sloppy stoner. The more we learn about cannabis, the more we recognize how it can enrich our lives and health—and one of these amazing benefits is that weed does help with weight loss.
Rose Collective believes in the potential of marijuana, but we also believe in the expertise of medical professionals. Check with your doctor before dieting or making significant lifestyle changes.
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