Although there is much evidence suggesting you can lose weight with cannabis, it can also be used to gain weight. One of the most common fitness goals heard by personal trainers, besides losing weight, is gaining lean muscle mass. In order to build muscle, you need fuel, and some people find it more difficult than others to eat the needed amount of calories to gain and maintain muscle.

Cannabis can help you gain weight by interacting with several areas of your body. THC affects both the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. The CB1 receptor is responsible for the systematic function of several parts of the brain and body. The International Journal of Obesity published a lengthy report on the interaction between THC and the CB1 receptor as related to increasing hunger and found several connections.

THC affects the hypothalamus & rhombencephalon, which are two sections of the brain regulating food intake. This helps explain how cannabis can cause an urge to eat. It also affects the basal ganglia, which enhances the pleasure we get from eating, as well as the stomach and small intestine, which speeds up digestion. This is why we may feel hungry again even if we’ve already eaten recently. Then there’s THC’s impact on the limbic forebrain which actually makes food taste better.

To top it off, the CB1 receptor is also involved with the receptor controlling ghrelin, a hormone that contributes to an increase in feeling hungry. THC isn’t the only cannabinoid found to affect our appetite. Another cannabinoid responsible for an increase in appetite is Cannabigerol, which studies have linked to hyperphagia, which is a medical term for excessive hunger.

All of these findings hold enough scientific weight to more than suggest cannabis’s potential as a weight gain supplement. However, if you’re looking to gain lean muscle mass, being extra hungry doesn’t mean you should go on the “see food” diet, meaning, you see food and eat it. You really need to focus on eating the right foods to fuel your body, with adequate amounts of healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein.

Protein is the building block for muscle and it’s important to eat enough when trying to build lean muscle mass. Hemp is an excellent source of protein, and one of the easiest for the human body to digest and absorb. It has all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids the body cannot produce on its own, making it a complete protein.

So, if you’re looking to gain lean muscle with the help of cannabis, you can start by increasing your appetite after training to consume more calories. Just make sure you’re eating the right foods, like hemp protein, in order to keep up with your body’s needs. If you have any questions or thoughts about today’s article, please post in the comments below.

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