Any more, regularly we’re hearing of a new benefit associated with using CBD oil. Looking for a new way to provide relief for joint or muscle pain? Try using a CBD oil. Do you have a history of suffering from depression or anxiety? Both of these and many other mental disorders are seeing significant results from people using CBD oil.
Do you have epilepsy or another neurological disorder? Using a CBD oil could be just the remedy you’ve been searching for. There are many other great uses for these oils, but one that is often overlooked is how beneficial CBD oil can be for individuals trying to lose weight.
Before we go any further, no, the use of CBD oil on its own will not magically make the pounds fall off. That being said, with significant changes to eating habits and the amount of exercise you get, cannabidiol, better known as CBD, can play a huge role in both losing a few pounds and keeping them off. Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll discuss the exact role CBD plays in helping you lose weight and some other changes you can take to make the process easier. Let’s get started!
In the natural health industry, CBD oil is growing in popularity, almost by the week. In the cannabis plant, there are many compounds, commonly known as cannabinoids. More and more people are becoming aware of the fact that weight loss is greatly aided by the use of CBD. There’s currently a ton of research being completed to determine exactly how CBD not only helps people lose weight but also takes away many of the risks that are associated with obesity issues such as diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
Exactly how does CBD help me lose weight?
The human body has an endocannabinoid system that functions automatically. There are different compounds this system responds to through both CB1 and CB2 receptors found in cannabinoid.
Most of the time, these CB1 receptors are found both in the central nervous system and the brain. These receptors are rarely found in other parts of our bodies. That being said, CB2 receptors are found all throughout the rest of the body.
When it comes to individuals who struggle with obesity or being overweight, CB1 receptors spread through the other parts of the body and are commonly found throughout fatty tissue. This leads many researchers to think a link exists between obesity and CB1 receptors being activated.
These CB receptors aren’t activated directly by CBD. It influences other natural cannabinoids in the body that either activate the receptors or block them off. This can play a significant role in certain metabolic functions, including the loss of weight.
Researchers have been able to discover evidence that suggests CBD is able to assist people both prevent certain metabolic disorders and lose a few pounds.
What does the research show?
I already know what several people must be thinking. Doesn’t smoking THC increase your appetite? How could using an oil created from cannabis do anything differently?
Yes, those who smoke cannabis tend to have an increased appetite after smoking. Those common with the activity have all heard of what’s known as “getting the munchies” or snacking out. What people fail to realize is the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, leads its user to hunger. This isn’t the same with CBD.
The body’s CB1 receptors are activated by THC, creating several different effects, including an increase in appetite. That being said, according to the researchers of a popular study in 2018, the antagonists of these receptors may aide the decrease in a person’s appetite, providing them with an opportunity to battling obesity. This is caused by the agonists deactivating or blocking off receptors.
You need to be aware that CBD does nothing to deactivate these receptors. However, they are able to have an effect on other molecules that can block or deactivate them. By doing this, someone who is using the CBD oil is able to shut off or block the receptors, making it possible to avoid overeating at an unhealthy level.
In 2012, there was a study performed on many different animals. Each of the cases where there was an exposure to CBD oil led to the animals having an appetite that was drastically reduced compared to the animals that weren’t exposed to CBD.
That being said, you need to know upfront, as of now, there haven’t been any tests for an extensive period to find out if humans had the same result. This doesn’t mean they don’t have a reduced appetite. It simply means as of now, there haven’t been any tests with this in regard to how it directly affects humans over an extensive period of time.
Will CBD oil do anything to the fat I have in my body?
There is another major claim many people who actively support using CBD oil for weight loss are making. They say these oils can change the “bad” or white fat in our body into brown fat. Because of this, the body has a much easier time burning calories, leading to losing additional weight that simply wouldn’t happen without using CBD oils.
This white fat that’s in our bodies not only makes it more difficult to burn unwanted calories, it’s also been proven that it adds to the probability of having health risks such as diabetes and heart disease. A study was completed backing this as recent as 2016. Researchers taking part in the study were able to find that CBD has several roles determining exactly how our body goes about interacting with the fat we intake.
Turning these white fat cells into brown wasn’t the only effect produced by CBD. It also led to the body being able to break down these fat cells and tissue more effectively. While there are still plenty of researchers who need to learn and study, they were confident in saying CBD can be a successful therapy for those fighting obesity and taking significant measures to lose weight.
How will CBD oil help me burn fat?
There have been several studies backing the idea that people who use CBD oils are able to burn fat easier than individuals who don’t. This is because CBD has elements that melt away fat contained in the body, allowing the fat to be broken down and passed through the body as waste.
As recently as 2018, there’s been research completed explaining exactly what happens through this process. Once the white fat cells have been converted to brown fat, the cells begin interacting differently with our bodies. The white fat cells naturally aren’t as active as the brown cells. Once the cells have been changed from white to brown, our bodies burn them off as heat. Our bodies also burn additional calories through the process.
When someone is trying to lose weight, the number of calories they can burn plays a huge role in their success. Because of this, using CBD oil that converts fat cells produces a major effect.
How does CBD fight the risk of metabolic disorders?
Much of the research that has been mentioned in this article notes a significant link between people struggling with obesity and other health issues such as high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. This very possibly can be related to CB receptors in the body being overactivated. When these receptors overactive in fatty tissues, it leads to both metabolic risks and obesity. These receptors are blocked with CBD, reducing the risk of both scenarios.
If you are one of the many people who are going to start using CBD oil as part of your plan to lose weight, you need to be mindful of the fact that not everyone’s body reacts the same way. There’s always the chance you may not have the same results as someone else. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, using CBD oil alone isn’t going to cause you to lose weight. Here are four simple steps you can take along with using CBD oil to help shed the pounds.
1. Make sure you’re eating healthy
If you are trying to lose weight, this should be demonstrated in two major ways with your diet. For starters, you’re trying to lose weight. Some foods will be better for you than others. Instead of eating snacks high in fat and calories, eat more fruit and vegetables. This may seem like common knowledge but you’d be surprised how many people say they’re watching their weight without making significant changes to the food they’re eating.
Regardless if you’re eating red meat like steak or white meat such as chicken, make sure you spend time cutting away fatty parts of the meat before cooking. You will also want to be mindful of the oils or other ingredients you use to prepare your food.
Stay away from soda and other drinks high in sugar. Instead, drink more natural juices or water. Any time you are trying to lose weight, the amount of water you drink every day should see an increase. No, this doesn’t mean what you’re trying to do is wasted if you drink a soda from time to time. That being said, be mindful of the amount you drink. If you’re someone who regularly drinks a lot of soda or pop, try starting with a significant cut back in the amount.
2. Make sure to exercise regularly
Now, be careful with this. We’re not exactly saying you need to rush out and get a membership at the local gym in the morning. However, that’s not a bad idea. That being said, there are several little things you can do to exercise more often without ever stepping into a gym.
For instance, do you ride an elevator on a daily basis? Why not give yourself extra time so you can walk the stairs instead? If that’s not an option, begin taking a simple walk around the block a few days a week. Don’t set out trying to walk or jog a marathon. Ease into what you want to accomplish. Maybe start out walking around the block three or four days a week and increase the number of blocks you walk once a week.
Are you someone who has children? How can you turn the time you spend with them every day into exercise? Is there a nearby park or area you could start taking them? Getting more exercise doesn’t have to mean a physical workout. This can be as simple as a fun time you spend with your children.
Shooting hoops or playing catch is a great way to not only spend time with the kids but also slowly transforming what you do into a healthier lifestyle.
3. Surround yourself with like-minded people
Losing weight isn’t easy. It’s going to take both work and motivation. If you’re making significant changes to your diet and trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you will want some support. No one will know how to encourage you better than people doing the same thing.
Go out of your way to spend time with other people looking to lose some weight. Discuss what has been working and what you struggle with. Be more than someone looking for help. Be a means of support for others. That being said, the encouragement will mean a little more to them if you’re also putting in the work to lose weight.
4. Keep track of the weight you’re losing
One of the most important things you can do while trying to lose weight is monitoring your success. There’s a good chance you won’t always be able to see your results by simply looking in the mirror, especially if it’s something you go out of your way to do every day.
Spend just a few minutes every night journaling about your day. What did you have to eat? How much time did you spend exercising that day and what would you like to do differently the following day? On top of this, make sure you are weighing yourself once a week.
Not happy with the results? Look over the notes and journaling you did through the previous week and see how you can change things up and make improvements in the next seven days. Just remember, the weight isn’t just going to fall off, with or without CBD oil. You won’t lose weight unless you’re living like it’s important to you.