Significant long-term weight loss w/ medical cannabis?

draisydre
draisydre Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I truly do not mean this post to be incendiary. I pray no one takes offense. I just wanted to ask if anyone has lost weight while prescribed medical cannabis?

I've been reading a ton of studies of long-term weight loss (unfortunately most studies don't evaluate longer than a year) and it seems dieting has proven fairly pitiful over the long haul, but an incredible number of medical cannabis users (and I'm sure non-medical users) have experienced the side-effect of significant long-term weight loss and other health benefits.

I was kind of shocked by the comment section under this article. Everyone commenting is saying they dropped serious weight long-term: http://www.hightimes.com/read/marijuana-diet-may-help-you-lose-weight

And I read somewhere else eating it raw has many health and weight benefits without any psychotropic effect.

Again, I'm truly not trying to be controversial (I do not engage in this myself) just trying to make sense of this and curious to get more info about others' experiences.
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Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
    Hahahaha, I nominate this for best creative troll thread of June 2014.
  • draisydre
    draisydre Posts: 12
    why?
  • draisydre
    draisydre Posts: 12
    Here's a study: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/08/marijuana-slims-pot-smoking-linked-to-lower-body-weight/
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,981 Member
    I think most people on medically prescribed cannabis would lose weight - not because cannabis has any weight loss properties but because this is usually prescribed for pain with end stage multiple sclerosis, end stage cancers etc - and those people lose weight because they are terminally ill.
    Possibly there is a reason the studies don't track patients for longer than a year too - the patient isn't around for longer than a year.


    Re non prescribed cannabis - I dont know of any weight loss properties - but the risks far out weigh the benefits so I'm sure nobody would be recommending this.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Doesn't it give you the munchies?
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Alright, now I've read the article. It's utter rubbish on two levels.

    1) Try the paper diet: you fold a piece of A4 paper once a day and you can lose weight as part of a regimen incorporating healthy eating and exercise.
    2) Cannabis cannot solve psychological issues.
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
    Unfortunately I would say that the reason this drug is prescribed would have to be what is attributed to the weightloss. I want to avoid cancer and that is one of the reasons I am losing weight.

    Cannabis does 'give you the munchies' but in the long term it is an appetite suppressant.

    I doubt there is much in that though, just eat less crap...
  • earth_echo
    earth_echo Posts: 133 Member
    I saw a television segment on weed and weed was given to the elderly to help them *gain* weight.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    I was recently given a medical marijuana card. I don't have end-stage cancer or any other imminently life-threatening condition. I do have constant pain which I've recently been informed will not get better and is likely to get worse (hypermobility induced systemic arthritis, constant joint dislocations, etc.). Because of my pain, I also have insomnia.

    I'm still trying to find the right strain and dosage for my needs. I don't want to feel stoney, but do want to knock the pain down and relax enough to be able to sleep.

    Anyway, I lost all my weight before trying cannabis, and I've only been using it for a couple of weeks, but it seems to decrease my appetite. I haven't had the munchies at all, and I've been keeping a journal to see how I'm affected. My weight is stable (up and down as much as 10 pounds, but that's just how my particular body works), and I don't see any change in my weight yet (early days, still), but I am having some pain relief and I've slept well 3 nights in the last week. That's AMAZING for me!
  • justsomeguy151
    justsomeguy151 Posts: 1
    There is some real ignorance on this thread by people that know nothing about cannabis. They just know propaganda.
    Keiras_Mom, if you have access to medicinal cannabis, do yrself a favor and try cannabis oil. Not only will it give you the sleep you need, it will set yr body right. Its been proven to cure some cancers but also diabetes, fibromyalgia, hypertension, obesity and many more ailments. You can even make yr own but it needs to be high in THC. Research Rick Simpson oil. He rediscovered the way to make oil that was used freely and openly before cannabis prohibition. When I say it sets yr body right, I mean that if you need to gain weight, it'll stimulate yr appetite. If you need to lose weight, it will shed it off you. If you need sleep, it will give you pain free rest. Which state are you in? I move to CO at the end of the month and can't wait to get the oil and start growing my own. Please research Rick Simpson Oil.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    edited November 2014
    I can sort of see that. I am a recreational user (though I haven't used it in months) and I' find that after using it for years, I don't get "the munchies" anymore; rather, I get the opposite effect. I feel relaxed and contented to the point that I forget about food. I can go without it for several hours at a time and when I finally do eat, I don't feel compelled to binge. I just carry on as normal.

    Never really put much thought into this, but then again, I'm not trying to lose weight.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    JazzFischer1989 wrote: »
    I can sort of see that. I am a recreational user (though I haven't used it in months) and I' find that after using it for years, I don't get "the munchies" anymore; rather, I get the opposite effect. I feel relaxed and contented to the point that I forget about food. I can go without it for several hours at a time.

    Never really put much thought into this, but then again, I'm not trying to lose weight.

    Isn't going several hours without food normal?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited November 2014
    I was never a pothead and can't speak from personal experience, but don't people say it helps the eat more? I know many sick people have tried it and report that it didn't help them increase their appetite, but a few say it has.

    I'm all for letting sick people try anything that will help and am even in favor of letting potheads be potheads if that's what they want to be.

    I've never heard "Pot For Weightloss!" before. I don't think that's a thing.

    Personally, I'd have to be pretty desperate to lose to try any sort of drug.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    lorib642 wrote: »
    JazzFischer1989 wrote: »
    I can sort of see that. I am a recreational user (though I haven't used it in months) and I' find that after using it for years, I don't get "the munchies" anymore; rather, I get the opposite effect. I feel relaxed and contented to the point that I forget about food. I can go without it for several hours at a time.

    Never really put much thought into this, but then again, I'm not trying to lose weight.

    Isn't going several hours without food normal?

    By several, I mean 6-7 as opposed to 2-3?
  • emilyGPK
    emilyGPK Posts: 83 Member
    The paper does not say marijuana causes weight loss, it says fewer marijuana users are obese than non-users.

    http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/24/aje.kwr200.abstract

    But there people who not randomly assigned to smoke grass or not. The odds are that the smoking group have significant medical and cultural differences from non-smoking group that is probably the real cause of the difference. For example at the college level grass smokers tend to be richer than non-smokers and affluence is associated with lower weight.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    Quite frankly, it sounds remarkably like a fashionable diet pill.

    What's wrong with trying to eat at a deficit before resorting to appetite suppressants?
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
    I used to use it for pain relief purposes at night so I could fall asleep. If I stayed awake though you bet I'd clear the kitchen out LOL. There were many mornings I woke up with half eaten poptarts and doritos scattered around my bed XD Personally it never suppressed my appetite but it was quite useful as a sleep aid/pain reliever.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Um, let us know how that works, as last I checked, it made you eat more.
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
    Different strains do different thangs. One strain will make you sleepy, another will boost energy and that feeling of well-being. One strain will make you hungry, one will curb the cravings. One strain will help with pain and nausea, another won't do anything for either. It's all in the combination of chemicals it produces as it grows and matures. Or, so I hear anyway. *Ahem*
  • kbeloved
    kbeloved Posts: 67 Member
    ...I don't know what kind of weed you guys have had but back when I was a 24/7 stoner I had the munchies like crazy. Taco bell, icecream and mary jane all attributed to the 80lbs I'm trying to lose now. I've never ever heard of it suppressing your appetite and I thought it was given to cancer patients to help increase appetite and suppress nausea, interesting though!
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