10 Tips on How to Prevent Binge Eating When You are High
Whether you’re an avid smoker or a newbie to the cannabis consumption world, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional joint, bowl, or bong rip. To me, cannabis usage is no different than having a glass of wine. I’d even go so far to say that cannabis is healthier than alcohol- (my opinion). My own biases may apply.
Cannabis can be relaxing and something to look forward to after a long hard day. According to Good RX Health, it’s known to improve your sleep, quality of life and can even help with pain relief.
Cannabis is a substance that is known to send some mixed messages to your brain telling you when you’re hungry or letting you know when you’re full. This can be great for people who are sick and lacking appetite (like cancer patients), but for those of us who have made resolutions to eat healthier, crushing a sleeve or two of double stuffed oreos may not be ideal..
I get asked often how I personally curb the munchies, especially since I tend to smoke at night more often than not.
Let me be clear, I’ve had my share of nights where I’ve gone completely off the rails and ate my heart out to the point of discomfort while being stoned. You wake up with a food hangover, brain fog and sometimes gastrointestinal discomfort- not fun!
Here’s what I’ve learned from my personal usage over the years on how to curb the munchies and prevent an all out binge.
1. Make sure you eat enough throughout the day before you smoke
You’re much less likely to overeat while high when you are well fed and eat consistent nourishing, well balanced meals throughout the day
If you plan on smoking, I advise you try your best to eat 3-4 well balanced, nourishing meals that include all the macronutrient groups. You’ll be MUCH less inclined to keep eating after dinner.
2. Have something(s) to do
One of my favorite things to do while high is foam roll, take a bath, listen to music, dance, write and clean. It’s super helpful to have activities lined up for when you spark up.
3. Brush your teeth and floss right after you smoke
You’ll be much less inclined (mostly out of laziness) to eat again once you brush your teeth.
4. Switch up your strain!
Whether or not you get the munchies depends in large part on the type of cannabis you’re consuming. If you find yourself unable to control your taste buds after toking, sample a new strain or two in order to find one that better suits your non-snacking goal. Specifically, strains high in CBD and THCV are great for this
5. Don’t have highly palatable stuff in the house
It seems like a common sense option but being high and having chips around is a completely different experience from not being high and having chips around. Your judgement is off, you’re hormone receptors are off, and you aren’t really the same person stoned vs sober. Don’t judge yourself! If you can’t control your urges when high, do yourself a favor and just don’t buy the stuff and have it around.
6. Make yourself some hot tea and plate a delicious healthy snack
You’ll be surprised how many easy, tasty options there are for healthy snacks. In fact, you probably won’t even miss yesterday’s Chinese food or the frozen truffle fries once you try a greek yogurt with some honey or fruit preserves, for example.
7. Use chopsticks to eat when you do choose to indulge
I know this one can sound silly but by forcing yourself to use chopsticks (such as collapsible ones like these) instead of real utensils. You will not only eat slower but you’ll eat less. Tested and approved by me.
8. Stay hydrated!
I’ve always noticed when I’m less hydrated throughout the day, (personally when I don‘t drink at least 3 liters of water), I’m ALWAYS more prone to giving in to the munchies later on at night. This is no surprise given the fact that people who are dehydrated tend to eat on average 300 more calories throughout the day. Stay up on your water! Make it a goal to drink at least 2-3L a day.
9. Change your environment
If you tend to smoke at home, do so but make it a point to get out and go to a friends, go for a walk, take the dogs or the kids to the park- whatever! Changing up your environment and getting out of the kitchen is super helpful in preventing a binge.
10. When and if you do eat, make sure you practice mindful eating
This means being present to the meal at hand, observing the taste, smell and texture of your food, putting your fork down between bites and trying your best to eat with no distractions. Lastly, don’t beat yourself up if you wind up over-indulging. Know it happens and if it is a continuous thing that does occur, smoking may not be for you and that’s OK! Everything is not for everyone and it’s OK to opt out even if it’s always been something you did or something you enjoy.
It’s all about knowing yourself and your preferences, so give each of the above methods a shot to determine which proves most helpful. Do what you can and, most importantly, don’t stress out about it too much: that kind of defeats the purpose of getting lifted, after all.