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Do you need to lose weight?
You’re not alone.
Research shows that about 40% of Americans are struggling with obesity. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and strokes, are all more likely when you’re overweight.
Diet and exercise have always been the traditional go-to solution for burning fat. However, new research is showing an interesting connection between marijuana and weight loss.
Does weed boost your metabolism? Read on to find out.
Marijuana and Weight Loss
You probably don’t think of going to a head shop as a way to lose weight, but supporting your smoking habit could do just that. However, for marijuana and weight loss to work properly, it’s up to you to fuel your body with healthy foods.
For instance, eating protein-rich foods and smoking weed could help boost your metabolism. To help you understand, let’s take a quick peek at how your metabolism works.
Marijuana and Metabolism
Your metabolism is responsible for converting the things you drink and eat into usable energy. Eventually, the calories release into your body, giving you the energy your body needs to work properly.
Healthy food options, like protein-packed meals, require your body to use more energy to digest them. As a result, your metabolic rate can increase, which helps with fat burning! Where exactly does marijuana fit into this equation?
Researchers are now discovering that marijuana can impact the rate at which your body releases insulin, which can boost your metabolism.
Marijuana Helps Maintain Healthy Insulin Levels
Insulin is a good thing your body needs to survive. Insulin regulates the glucose, lipids, and metabolism proteins in your body. However, too much insulin can be a bad thing.
When you have too much insulin in your body, your cells will absorb excess glucose or sugar, throwing your body off balance. Your body can also suffer if you’re insulin resistant.
To be healthy, you need a healthy regulation of insulin. Since marijuana can help your body regulate insulin levels more efficiently, it can also help you avoid unwanted weight loss.
Carbs and Cannabis
When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts them into sugar. Too many carbs can mean a spike in your insulin, which can lead to weight gain. The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity suggests that eating too many carbs can lead to weight gain or obesity.
Luckily, studies show that avid cannabis users tend to have healthier carbohydrate metabolism than those who don’t use weed. As a result, weed users can more efficiently burn the calories carbohydrates have to offer. Instead of causing a spike in your sugar levels, your body’s ability to use the carbs as fuel.
Cannabis and Cholesterol
New research about cannabis and weight loss is revealing exciting things about cholesterol. Keep in mind that cholesterol isn’t bad. Instead, it’s all about maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
There are also good cholesterol and bad ones. When you’re overweight, you’re more susceptible to having high levels of bad cholesterols, and this can stress out your heart, liver, and more.
A 2019 study about weed and weight loss shows that smoking weed can help keep you safe, even if you have a high cholesterol diet. In the study, the cannabis was able to help mice alleviate inflammation in their livers, even after consuming a high-fat diet.
Smoking Weed vs Drinking Alcohol
If you like drinking alcohol to unwind, you could be better off replacing it with weed. Why? Alcohol almost always leads to weight gain when there’s heavy drinking involved.
There’s a lot of sugar in alcohol, and drinking also gives your body a surplus of calories. The term beer belly came to be since oftentimes, alcohol will cause you to gain weight in your midsection.
Beer belly happens because when you regularly drink alcohol, your liver begins burning the alcohol instead of fat. Another issue is the foods people tend to eat when they’re drinking.
Pizza, french fries, salty chips, taste extra good when you’re drinking, however they’re not good for you if you’re trying to burn fat. One of the best things about weed and weight loss is that weed is completely calorie-free! Of course, you’ll have to be careful to avoid succumbing to the notorious munchies.
Make Munchies a Weightloss Opportunity
You’ve probably heard that smoking weed can give you the munchies. If you’re an avid smoker, you know how intense the munchies can be first hand.
When you have the munchies, it’s like your body’s screaming at you to feed it a certain type of food. Some smokers are prone to craving salty snacks, while others go for the savory-sweet side of things.
Wherever you fall on the spectrum, there is a solution to the munchy dilemma. By simply preplanning a few healthy alternatives, you can satisfy your body’s cravings, while also fueling yourself with good food.
Here are a few munchies you can eat, that can also help you lose weight:
- Kale chips
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Salmon
- Stir fry with cruciferous vegetables
- Lemon chicken breast
- Lean beef
- Boiled potatoes with light butter
- Fruit smoothie
While kale might not sound like an exciting munchy option, it can be if you do it right. In as little as 20 minutes you can make your very own kale chips, and they are quite tasty.
Calorie Burning Kale Chips
All you need is 1 bunch of kale, a teaspoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of seasoned salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Next, put washed kale pieces on the cookie sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle on the sault. Bake for 10-15 minutes, and prepare to delight your tastebuds!
Keep Separating Fact From Fiction
Now you know the truth about marijuana and weight loss. What’s 1 new thing you learned from reading this article?
Was it that marijuana can help with insulin regulation? Or how about how drinking alcohol is almost always detrimental to your weight loss goals?
We hope that this article will inspire you to continue separating marijuana facts from fiction. For more articles like this one, check out the rest of this site!
