does marijuana (weed) make you gain or loose weight?

Having smoked pot myself for a long time on and off, I have found that people lose weight on pot because of the reward center of the brain. Eating, drinking, smoking, weed, they are all similar in that they give our brain a reward. If we smoke weed, generally we feel more satisfied. Stoners I know tend to not eat for long periods, and then binge on something greasy, so while they appear to eat a lot of bad food, the total calories remains low. Within days of ceasing smoking. I noticed I ate allot more food, but better quality and did more exercise. I gained weight, but also health and strength.

Also another point I should put forward for men, is that marijuana use lowers testosterone production, which is essential in building muscle. So people who are naturally a lean build tend to lose weight from muscle loss, and larger people tend to shed a little fat, but also lots of muscle, appearing to lose weight, but in reality mostly just weakening.

i'm actually high right now. when i was a beginner, my God, i would eat everything in sight, and i gained so much weight. i realized this and basically stopped eating when i'm high. As a beginner, i thought eating everything in sight was what u were supposed to do. i've been smoking for almost 3 yrs now. i'm in graduate school with a 3.6 grade point average. it has no way "destroyed" my life like you judgy people out there would love to think. i have more self control now that i hve more experience. i just don't eat when i'm high. it's not as hard as people make it seem. it's the same feeling of hunger i would get if i wasn't high. i tell myself whatever i have to not to get up. but if i absolutely hve to, i always keep frozen fruits ready. it's really no big deal. you eat bad things high or not high, you gain weight. weed has nothing to do with it.

My doctor had prescribed me trazadone to sleep. I was having a hard time going to sleep at night.  The medication was making me eat alot once it kicked in and leaving me hung over the next day. So i wanted to use something that was not so harsh on me to sleep and of course less harsh on my liver.  So i got some pot, and now I sleep great, but I have lost over 30 pounds since i starting smoking it at night before sleep.  I hope this helps, but this is the only factor that is making me lose weight, no stress at all. 

you bull ed hahahaha

I'm a daily smoker, a card carrying medical cannabis patient here in CA since '05 AND also happen to be obese, have been my whole life (240-280 lbs after HS), I've recently started a new diet/jog routine so I've been researching cannabis and its effects it may or may not have on my ability to successfully diet/exercise... so far scattered articles and small sample surveys have proven NOTHING conclusive, so nobody is right, or wrong... yet! but IMO, and as strong as the powers of cannabis are, i don't believe cannabis has the ability to have any (significant) effect on our metabolism, but rather on our appetite and mindset! if it had positive effects on specifically speeding up metabolism to burn fat quicker, MMJ advocates would use it as a selling point and the govt would be more willing to reclassify, decriminalize, legalize or all of the above and mass market it as a new fad diet! it all comes down to the individual persons will power! so please don't blame cannabis for effecting your ability to burn fat any easier just because you cant put down that bag of cheetos and pick up an apple instead! i turned the tables on "munchies" by teaching myself to eat and like healthier alternatives to junk food, while i was at my peak of "highness" and "munchies" craving! I've found that when "high" you're more willing to try something new, especially if its already right in front of you! also, eliminating junk from the kitchen/fridge and replacing it with fruits/nuts and healthier equivalents (baked chips, granola, yogurt, diet/low cal soda etc) helps alot, (outta sight outta mind approach) now it comes natural to me and I've lost 22 lbs in 7 weeks, all while smoking about 3 grams of flower (cannabis) and about half a gram of cannabis concentrate ("dabs") daily! so either it helps speed my metabolism or maybe its because decided to work WITH cannabis and find a happy medium: get "stoned" because it makes "healthy" food more appealing/desirable, get "stoned" and go for a run, because i "zone out" and don't think of the pain/exertion of running/working out, combine that with keeping tabs how many calories you intake (thanks LoseIt! APP) and what do you know, the weight can (and does) come off, whether "high" or not! Long Live Cannabis and Prop 215! Legalize It! Don't Criticize It!

There are no conclusive studies on this yet because MaryJ has mostly been an illicit drug since the 70's.

It does have a positive effect on weight gain for chemo patients, but a negative (loss) effect on chronic depression patients (these are the only effects known medically)

While enjoyed as a recreational drug (and sometimes a therapeutic) for decades, MaryJ has some pretty big negatives when used regularly. It dulls memory retention, negatively impacts IQ, and can have a very unhealthy effect on the self-control part of the brain. Undoubtedly, more studies need to be carried out to see if these are a real effect from use or something observed in the population group who tend towards regular use.

There are better ways to lose weight, healthier ways. MaryJ is not a good diet plan.

If you are going to use it recreationally, be certain that you are using from a healthy supply (not cut with addictive drugs) and stay "infrequent". Don't mix it with other sustances.

If you're trying to lose weight and also using MaryJ - make sure you keep healthier munchies on hand.

smoking weed actually burns calories, but munching around, ofc, makes you put all that back. the amazing thing about weed is that everything is intensified, making concious, rationalized decisions much more powerful. i used to be overweight and just staying home alone and looking in the mirror, being honest with myself actually helped me see that i couldn't stay like that any longer. The decision was so powerful that i started getting grossed out by food (especially unhealthy) and just couldn't eat anymore. This is a wonderful plant, that used right can change your life, in many other ways than just weight loss. if you just use it to act like a retard for a couple of hours and stuff yourself with food, congratulations. you're a f*****g zombie. 

I've been overweight my whole life, like... Clinically obese. I started smoking weed last year and have dropped almost 50 lbs since then, without changing the way I eat, how much I eat, what I eat, or how much excersize I get. I'm still overweight, but not obese. I think it's partially because if you smoke a lot, you get cotton mouth and drink a lot of water, which is good for weight loss. There is also a recent study that found people that toke up tend to have thinner waists. I can't get the url, I'm on a smart phone. But if you Google it, it is there. Its a men's health article. So I believe that yes, weed does help you loose weight. I'm a firm believer since my 50 lbs loss.

I used to smoke weed every day for almost 5 years and I literally never put on weight. I stayed at a healthy weight and I never exercised and would eat whatever I wanted and stay the same. But ever since I've quit, I have put on the most weight I've ever had on me in my life. Pretty sad but I'm glad my life doesn't revolve around weed anymore.

Someone here said Mary Jane makes you poo and pee a lot but I'm pretty sure this person doesn't know what they're talking about. I poo and pee LESS. I normally have to pee every 30min not because of any illness or anything I just figured I have a small bladder. When I do  mary jane I have less sensation in my intestines and bladder allowing me to pee and poo less frequently. I drink the same amount of water if not more. It's logical that if mary jane takes the pain away, that would also include the pain of having to take a piss or have to take a poo when you are "crowning."

 

I lost around 15 pounds in 2 months doing mj every day. When I ran out I had to wait for around two weeks to do Mary Jane again and I purposely ate a lot in the beginning in order to desensitize myself to the pleasure of food.

Think of mary jane as having side effects opposite to other drugs that people tend to use for weight loss when they're desperate. If you stopped taking adderall for a while at first you will not feel hungry from the increase norepinephrine in the body but you get used to it eventually with time. People tend to increase the dosage after getting used to it to have a greater effect on their weight loss.

But here comes mary jane. This wonderful lady actually increases your hunger and remember what I said about having opposite side effects? So if it increases hunger at first, and the body tends to compensate by adapting to what it's being given then your hunger will go DOWN. This is the simplest explanation I can provide as to why you lose weight. See side effects in reverse. The body gets used to the increased hunger by decreasing your appetite below your original appetite level.

Search anywhere in google "adderall lose weight." Most people will say that it makes you lose weight quickly but it's most likely water weight and they tend to gain even more weight after getting to tolerant of the drug. BTW mary jane doesn't make you lose water weight...

 

Another point that someone else made was how he/she was too lazy to ever make him/her self something to eat or even go to the grocery store to buy more food.

All over the internet you can find studies being done to paint a negative picture on mary jane. A simple search gives me results that say mary jane makes you lazy because of decreased dopamine(happy hormone produced in brain) being released in the brain as a result.

They don't say whether these people had depression or some kind of eating problem which could typically cause decrease sensitivity to dopamine. It could very well be they were treating themselves with mary jane because of the decreased production of dopamine in the brain. And these studies were done on a rats... That's so reliable....

If this turned out to be true, they would also not be mentioning where exactly this decrease of dopamine takes place in the brain and we do not understand the human brain as well as many might think. This decrease is helpful when one is addicted to food or any substance. THINK about it. Less dopamine means less pleasure. Less pleasure for food, less obese people with less stress avoiding problems in the future such as type 2 diabetes.

 

Why are people so against mary jane and are desperate to keep it illegal. I hate the fact people smoke cigarettes in front of children and causing themselves harm. When they are old and decrepit with heart disease and emphysema that's when their precious medicare and insurance have to pay a lot to perform surgery for their heart and lungs. I HATE CIGARETTES.

The drone logic is, if the government tells them mary jane is bad because it's illegal then they have to spread the word on how bad it is while smoking their cigarettes and drinking their booze.

Nicotine slows down neurogenesis. Don't know what that is? Go read a f*****g book. If you knew a dam about the treatments there are for depression, you'd know that antidepressants are given for the purposes of increasing NEUROGENESIS. Mary jane has been shown to increase neurogenesis and protect the brain from hypoxia, such as when one has a stroke. Up to 3 days with an incredibly low dose. Don't believe me? Look it up!

Just because you're happy living your mundane lives following the person with the loudest voice doesn't mean everyone else is. A lot of people do mary jane because their whole lives they've suffered depression.

I bet one person is going to think, I've been sad my whole life but I lifted myself from the gutter with persistence and willpower (BS like that just to sound like they've won the argument). Let me tell you something, not everyone has that mystical willpower you have to pull yourself up from whatever sh&^ter you came from. Not everyone is lucky to have had a proper education, to have parents that care, to have a life without bullying, to decide to smoke cigarettes and drink all the time in order to "feel better." Some people like to play it smart. Use their brains and see when they are being taken advantage of through the bs at work or the bs that you choose to hand to other people just because you hate your life so much that you choose to ignore the problems and instead spread it around through your ignorance.

If people want to smoke, LET THEM. IT's NO skin off your back. You people are so desperate to take anyone's attempts to being happy. It makes me sick to live in such a country full of imbeciles seeking to follow those with the loudest voice instead of their own.

Have both sides to this issue.  We have our substance we prefer in life.  Mine is caffiene (black coffee) and cigars.   I tend to stay thinner when I drink coffee and use nictotine.  Mj has been neutral, hasn't made me gain even though I eat more when I use it.   We could all do research how bad this is and how it may effect someone differently than me and a lot of people would tell me my lifestyle choice is stupid and unhealthy even though a lot of people use nicotine and caffeine in my family.  I have no problem with weed as I do it on the weekends recreationally.  However, I myself tend to feel a little fog the next day after a night of a few bowls and make sure I don't have to work the next day.  Does it give everybody fog??  No...  Maybe because I've only been doing it for three months and I'm not sure how long I will continue.  I myself wouldn't want to be an all day smoker of mj before I do this and do that.  But that's me and you have every right to tell me how bad my smoking nicotine is.  But I found that nicotine allows me to concentrate better.  The problem is that weed is still illegal in a lot of places, especially to do in public unfortunately.   I wish it wasn't and people had a choice.  However, in today's life I don't want to rely on it so much that I would feel weird visiting family/friends in a state where it is highly illegal with no medical mj.  Just think if you have a job offer that is good in another state and you feel like you can't leave your state because you have to be stoned everyday.  Choice of friends seems to be less and less from a lot of people I see do it all the time.  What about going down to the bar--  Well wait, have to get stoned first, but can't do it in public even in states that it is legal.  I'm going to go visit so and so for a couple of days but I have explain to this person that I like to get stoned before I do everything and I rely on it to keep me thin.  I know this isn't the best argument but we don't want people to start relying on it so much that they start making it everything.  And yes, it is more mind alterning that nicotine.   You ever hear of a group of friends saying, hey lets hang out and smoke some cigarettes and cigars to get high.  Yes, nicotine gives you a high like the first week you start then that really good high never occurs if you use it frequently.     Once again, I have no problem with moderate use to but I would be really wary using mj long term (everyday) to try to combat weight issues.   

Different people react differently to different strains of marijuana.It can make you gain weight by increasing your appetite and also making you slow and sluggish which in turn might also slow down metabolism.Just like tobacco,it contains many natural chemicals,some of which are beneficial while the others are toxic.Marijuana may contain stupefying agents.

Cannabis helps in regulating insulin levels. The result of this is treating the symptoms and prevention of things like diabetes, and weight gain. However, cannabis helps to increase appetite, and so could help in aiding those with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. While sufferers of bulimia may make themselves throw up, cannabis comes with the ability to rid stress, and anxiety and so the temptation to make oneself vomit is greatly lessened. Needless to say, those who habitually throw up build a natural response to throw up, but cannabis also helps with the nausea that comes as well. With all that said, cannabis can be helpful in both treating weight loss, or weight gain depending on the illness, and severity of that illness. Cannabis is also helpful in virtually limitless application. Limitless application.

well I am 20 years old and I have been smoking pot since I was about 13. I recently stopped when I went overseas the visit my family for about a month. I originally weigh 180. I noticed that when I stoped smoking weed my appetite decrease ,I really didn't eat as much as I use to. ate a lot less than I eat more healthy . and I also gained a lot of energy which made me want to exercise and be active all the time. I got down to 135 pounds. now it's been a year and I'm back to 160 I can say that quitting pot really made me lose weight. now that I'm smoking pot again I have gradually getting my weight back. I believe it does slow your metabolism down and stores in fat cells and I'm determined to lose that 30 pounds in be where I was again.. but its been really hard ever since I'm smoking again so I'm really going to try to cut down because I know from experience that stopping weed REALLY helped me

not sure about scientific proof but I can tell you my personal experience.  I'm 37 and smoked daily for approximately 15 years. I'm very active, played sports in high school and college, and love going outdoors for hikes and kayaking.  When I smoked I weighed anywhere between 170-175.  I recently have stopped smoking for the last 2 months and to help me wind down, I've started exercising more than normal.  I have been running 2.5 miles, 3-5 times a week and have been eating much better.  Since I have stopped smoking, I have gained 20lbs.  I found this thread by searching does weed increase your metabolism.  I think it is crazy how much I have been exercising and the way I have changed my diet that I have gained so much weight.  It doesn't make sense but this is my personal experience and you can take it for what it is.