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Does Cannabis Help You Lose Weight?
There are lots of quick fixes for dropping a couple of pounds in today’s fast-paced society. But everyone knows that for weight loss to last, you have to stick to a regular routine that consists of good, healthy choices. What people don’t talk a lot about is what those choices mean for different people. Not everyone can lose weight with diet and exercise. And there are even some studies that say exercise is not a leading factor in weight loss. Out of frustration, people have turned to a variety of other means for losing weight, including cannabis. But does cannabis really help you lose weight?
Cannabis is Not for Everyone
It’s important to remember that cannabis is, although natural in many cases, still a drug. It is used in drugs, it is used as a drug, and it has a lot of drug-like qualities, including side effects in many cases. But not all side effects are bad. For instance, cannabis has been shown to help you lose weight for a number of reasons. The first reason is that it helps to stimulate your metabolism. Of course, not everyone has this reaction. But much like diets of the world, not every diet is for every person. You need to pick and choose options and try for yourself to see if something is going to work.
Why Cannabis Can Help You Lose Weight
Another reason that cannabis may help you lose weight is that it helps you to relax and unwind. Many overweight people tend to stress eat. Comfort foods, unfortunately, do more than just comfort us in our time of need. They also add unnecessary pounds to our bodies and make us overweight. So rather than reach for food when someone is feeling stressed, they may reach for a cannabis product to take the edge off. While some might argue that this is just replacing one vice for another, many others would say that it is not only a safer way to manage stress, but a more effective one than “eating your feelings.”
Other Health Benefits of Cannabis
Cannabis has been shown to have many other health benefits as well. But because everyone reacts differently to these products, starting with a small dose or ingesting a small amount at the outset is always a good idea. Other health benefits, besides the potential of weight loss includes reduced anxiety, better sleep habits (which has also been shown to help people lose weight!) and increased productivity. When we consider that a lot of people are striving for work/life balance or integration, finding ways to manage either side of the coin are important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If cannabis can not only help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, but also help you shed a few pounds, it might be worth trying.
Don’t Go it Alone
Keep in mind, however, that cannabis use alone is not enough for people to lose weight. This, combined with improved eating habits and some kind of physical activity, even just walking around the block, may be enough to see reduction in weight over time. Remember, not all weight loss is equal and it may take time to see any results, if any. The promise of weight loss is a slippery slope, especially where consumable products are concerned because the human interaction and variable of that product is very high. Someone may argue that cannabis doesn’t help reduce weight while also consuming family-sized bags of potato chips every night.
Weight Loss Trends
Weight loss is an easy sell, but it is not always easily achieved. Sustained weight loss is also difficult for many people who can quickly whip off a few pounds and then just put ten more back on when they are done being on a “diet.” Because cannabis use related to weight loss has not been studied extensively over a great deal of time, it’s difficult to say with any certainty that one could lose and maintain that weight loss for longer periods of time. However, anyone who is successful at losing weight, with or without the help of cannabis products, has the ability to keep it off. Consistency is the key to any healthy lifestyle improvement.
Commit and Conquer the Bulge
So when it comes time to shed a few pounds, consider a holistic approach to your weight loss and don’t pin your success on one single factor. Combine a better diet and physical activity program with self-care, improved attitude and perhaps, cannabis. You won’t know what is going to work for you until you get out there and committed to making a change. The truth is that if you commit to the change, any means you use is going to provide some kind of positive result. Whether you want to shed a few pounds or lose the equivalent of an 11-year old child, you need to create a plan and stick to it. It may mean having to try a variety of approaches over the course of your weight loss journey. What works in the beginning might not work 6 months down the road as your body changes and adapts to your new way of life. Keep plugging away at your goals and remember that there are many natural products, including cannabis, that might be able to help you ease into your workout routines, reduce stress, and provide a better attitude toward the hard work ahead.
RD Neha Kava
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