Do you ever find yourself eating.. and eating… and eating when you’re stoned? For the first few years of smoking the wacky tobacky, I thought my appetite would never be satisfied. Every time I smoked, I couldn’t eat enough to feel full; My taste buds just wanted more. Luckily for me, I found a solution for myself before the bad habits formed, and before my metabolism kicked out on me.
I enjoy cooking for the most part. I also enjoy smoking for, well, all the part. When I first started smoking pot, I made a classic mistake. I would get high beforehand. Now this isn’t for the reasons you’re probably thinking. “I’ll forget to turn on or off the stove”, “I’ll forget to add an ingredient” or “I’ll forget to set the timer” are some common (and fair) assumptions as to why one shouldn’t smoke (too much) before cooking. My mistake wasn’t making dinner. It was making second dinner, because I was so stoney baloney and hungry. I would get a tasty recipe ready around 4pm-6pm during a normal dinner time period, of course smoking along the way. I would smoke before I cooked, and again after I cooked but before I ate my food (you know, to “enhance the meal”).
By the time I finished my meal, I wouldn’t feel full but I was satisfied enough, mentally. The problem would arise about an hour or two later, when I started feeling “hungry” again. Of course, I wasn’t actually hungry; my body just wasn’t registering how full my stomach was, therefore, feeling hungry still. I completely ignored this though, and would wander in to the kitchen. What to eat, what to eat? An even bigger issue was eating a disproportionately unhealthy second dinner compared to my first dinner. Usually my first dinner was well thought out, consisting of all the food groups and a healthy but not overwhelming portion. My second dinner though – that was the artery clogging meal. It often consisted of chili cheese coney dogs, over processed chicken nuggets and fries, donuts, chips, greasy pizza etc. The only time I actually like Oreo’s is when I’m higher than a kite – you bet I had a solid stash of them for my late-night munchies.
After eating like this for a little over a year, I was really feeling fatigued from the greasy, fatty overeating. I also often found myself getting sick around 4am-7am; usually from my stomach being so full still and my body finally registering it. Can you imagine how that can stretch out your stomach over time? After having the high realization that it’s only going to get worse from here if I don’t address it, I stepped back and looked at my situation. I’m really not willing to “go on a diet”. Although I don’t mind modifying my current diet to be a bit healthier. I also am an active person, but I’m not one you will find in the gym on a daily, maybe even weekly basis.
My solution consisted of a numerous small changes.
First being, I stopped purchasing so many munchies. It’s a lot easier to resist unhealthy snacks when I only have a few unhealthy options – now adays you can find popcorn, Cheese Itz and maybe some ice cream. Before, I would proudly stock for the whole neighborhood; hot pockets, donuts, Doritos, Fruit Roll-Ups, cookies, the whole shebang.
Second, I better moderated my meal times. I originally wanted to eat dinner earlier, so I would digest and not go to bed on a full stomach. Instead, I was eating so early, that I would be “hungry” by the time later evening rolled around. My solution was to bump my dinner back an hour or two, to be closer to 6-8pm. Additionally, if I was going to snack, I had to snack an hour or more BEFORE I went to bed. I.e. if I was going to bed at 11pm, I had to be done snacking by 10pm. It forced me to not go to bed with food in my mouth (exaggerating but you get the point).
Thirdly, I evaluated myself when I “felt” hungry. Am I actually hungry? Or am I just stoned hungry? When was the last time I ate? How much did I eat? When is the next time I’m going to eat? When I first started smoking, I just ate when I felt hungry as I have done my entire life. But now, I had to reevaluate my eating habits since becoming a stoner. If I felt that I was just stoned hungry, I would try to dismiss my hunger. Sometimes that was easy. Other times, it was not as easy. I’m a compromiser – I believe there’s often a win win for everyone. My internal “win win”, was picking out a munchie that I wanted, and pouring it into a container. I had a bad habit of finishing the container of whatever it was that I was eating. But if I only put a limited amount of, say cheese itz into a bowl, I will eat only that amount. If I decide I want more, I have to consciously get up and refill my container…which is when I often tell myself, enough is enough. You will make a TASTY breakfast tomorrow. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t. But talking myself into being patient for a tasty breakfast often subdued my faux hunger.
And finally, if I still found myself thinking about food when my body is obviously full, I work on keeping myself busy. Working on a craft, writing, playing video games or exercising are all great ways to keep you distracted. Sometimes even watching a movie or TV show can help distract me. This can backfire if you have a habit of eating in front of the TV; one might be more inclined to grab a snack.
Find what works best to keep you busy. This advice is directed toward stoners, but can be used by the average human as well! Work toward being the best stoner that you can be ♥
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