Could Marijuana Be the Next Weight Loss Trend?

I know this sounds crazy – but stick with me here – what if you had a better chance to lose weight by smoking, vaping, or otherwise consuming marijuana? Would you be more inclined to give it a try (or know someone who would be) if there were a health benefit for even you?

It may sound like I’m just messing with you, but I promise that’s not the case. I already wrote an article awhile back about how marijuana could potentially treat and prevent diabetes – and similarly it may be beneficial for weight loss.

Regardless of the munchies, according to multiple studies, those who smoke marijuana regularly are much more likely to have a lower BMI than those who do not. If you didn’t know, BMI stands for Body-Mass-Index – and it basically determines the percentage of your weight that is body fat.

There are many different things that could lead to this outcome – the most curious being does marijuana possibly help boost your metabolism? Though there is not a lot of concrete evidence of this yet, I think it is only a matter of time before more studies on the subject emerge. I would honestly be surprised if cannabis didn’t impact your metabolism at least a little bit.

Other possible reasons that marijuana could affect an individual’s BMI range from allowing them to be pain free and therefore move easier and more often to the possibility that people have given up calorie filled alcoholic beverages for some good ole’ THC.

Either of these would be viable reasons that there has been a decrease in overall obesity (around 4-6%) in just about every state that has legalized medical or recreational marijuana thus far.

In the case of older folks who are on marijuana for pain management, they will likely be getting more exercise if the medication is keeping them pain free like it says (and prescription painkillers can always have side effects such as bloating and weight gain). By replacing prescription medications with a natural option that provides just as much if not more pain relief, we are giving people the opportunity to be in control of their bodies in more ways than one.

Similarly, if people stop drinking alcohol, which is extremely high in calories, or even if they drink less often, they will be likely to lose weight. Many people out there actually prefer to smoke – yet they don’t because of drug testing at jobs and schools – leaving them with alcohol as their legal means to enjoy a night out.

If marijuana legalization could lead to an overall decrease in obesity, what are we waiting for?! It may not be an exact science (yet!) but I think one day marijuana will be a perfectly reasonable and natural “weight loss supplement” – in the meantime, try to choose healthy munchie foods and get up and active when the mood strikes – that and a little THC will work in your favor in the long run it seems!