Does Marijuana Help You Lose Weight?

I do have clients who use medical marijuana and have asked if marijuana has a negative effect on their weight loss goals. Whether you’re someone who smokes recreationally or someone who has smokes under a medical prescription, this answer can vary. In this blog, I will delve deeper into some theories I’ve come across, and talk about what recent studies have shown about marijuana and weight loss.

Does Marijuana Lower Body Fat?

Some believe that marijuana helps lower body fat which is contradictory to the urge to eat, or munchies after using marijuana recreationally.

Research has shown that smoking marijuana does trigger receptors in the brain that releases a hormone that can cause hunger. Whether or not it helps lower body fat depends on how disciplined you are after marijuana use. Let’s face it, the more you eat, the more weight you can potentially gain.

Despite the feeling of hunger that comes after marijuana use, studies have also shown that smoking doesn’t cause weight gain.

Does Marijuana Support Weight Loss?

Marijuana has been shown to really help with anxiety, pain management, and recently been shown to help with weight loss.

According to Men’s Journal, studies have shown that marijuana has been associated with a lower body mass index (BMI). It also shows that marijuana is associated with smaller waist circumference, and lower fasting insulin levels.

Now let’s not run out to the nearest dispensary for something to help with weight loss! Remember, It’s still too early to tell if marijuana affects weight loss. In addition, there aren’t enough studies to really know the reason why marijuana users are thinner.

Studies on Marijuana and Weight Loss

Since studies are still early in the early stages, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to use marijuana specifically for weight loss. Now that doesn’t mean that marijuana doesn’t have the potential to help with weight loss.

In recent years, more and more states are allowing the use of marijuana. This in turn will definitely help with future research and studies that relate to the benefits of marijuana.

For example, CannaMD believes that THC may correct imbalances in our endocannabinoid system caused by the typical American diet. This type of diet would consists of a lot of sugar and refined starches, resulting in weight loss. They also believe that Marijuana can cause an increase in one’s appetite, but after time, the body could start to burn and use calories more efficiently.

What We’ve Come To Know About Marijuana and Weight Lose

Ultimately, based on studies alone, marijuana doesn’t seem to cause weight gain. Although this information is floating around, keep in mind that studies about how marijuana affects weight loss are still in the early stages.

In my professional opinion, I would not recommend you to all of a sudden start smoking marijuana to lose weight. If you have a goal of wanting to lose weight, and you are exercising, and following a personalized meal plan, smoking marijuana should not slow down your progress.

That being said, if that hunger hormone hits while smoking, and you start snacking because you have the munchies, those extra calories could slow down your progress. If you are a smoker and you are trying to reach your weight loss goals, just control yourself when the munchies hit!  Keep up with your fitness and nutrition program and you should still make the changes you want to make.