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The new year is in full swing – we’re at least one paycheck cycle into 2024, and that means all of those new year’s resolutions are probably at risk of being defaulted on, already. We don’t mean to be cheeky, but let’s be real with one another – after about two weeks of dieting, no partying, and hitting the gym extra hard, most of us start to fade back into our old habits by the mid-January period.
If you’re still committed to fulfilling all of those lofty goals you set for yourself back on December 31st, then kudos to you! For the rest of us living here on Earth, this is around the time in our 2024 journey where the calorie counting, dieting and abstinence from boozing or smoking starts to get a lot harder. This is a cannabis website, so by all means smoke ‘em if you got ‘em! We’re always in favor of smoking with Mary J over drinking with the gals or fellas. Nevertheless, we’re here to discuss a touchy subject that some of you might find triggering, or downright dastardly… but please read on!
Today we’re blogging all about weed & calories. That’s right, calorie counting with your cannabis is also a thing in these hyper-conscious times we live in. How many calories are in weed? Does weed even have calories?! Does smoking weed involve calories? What about all those edibles you’ve been mowing down like Godzilla in a Japanese metropolitan city?! We will endeavor to answer all of these questions and more in this guide to the calories in weed.
Does Smoking Weed Have Calories?
First off, let’s get something rather obvious out of the way by answering the #1 question asked about weed and calories: does smoking weed have calories?
You might’ve heard your cigarette smoking friends talking about all the calorie burning they’re doing whenever they light one up. You may have even been told tales of how smoking tobacco is great for weight loss, whereas toking on buds is a fast-track to a tighter waistband. So, which one is real? Does smoking weed have calories, or not?!
No. Absolutely not. Anyone who has ever tried to pull your leg about smoking weed having calories while pulling on their pipe or blunt should be treated like people who don’t approve of weed – ignored.
Smoking anything doesn’t involve your gastrointestinal system – you’re essentially bypassing your stomach, gut & bowels and using your lungs to absorb, process and administer the effects of the cannabinoids throughout your body. No digestion, no calories introduced into the system – it really is simple as that.
In this way, smoking cannabis has become part of many stoners’ weight loss or weight management regiments. It’s not entirely true that smoking weed helps you to actually shed pounds – it’s simply an effective alternative to ingesting tons of cannabis edibles, where all those nasty calories come from in the first place.
However, we’d like to put this myth to bed where it belongs because it’s not the weed calories that are the problem for anyone trying to watch their figure – it’s the sugars, the fats, the salts, and all the yummy natural & artificial ingredients in weed products that can lead us to over-consume, even when we know we shouldn’t.
Smoking addiction is one thing, but food addiction is another matter entirely. Even if you are using cannabis products like edibles or beverages for medicinal purposes, you have to be careful with how strongly you imbibe, how often, and for what reasons. The same warning goes for smoking weed too, of course – inhaling fumes, vapors and particulates is never beneficial to your lungs.
So, it’s not accurate to say that smoking weed helps with weight loss because smoking weeds doesn’t have calories, just like it’s not helpful to focus on the fact that edibles can help you sleep when some of their insane sugar contents could be doing the opposite. What’s the answer to this smoking weed and calories conundrum then? Everything in moderation, for starters.
Secondly, it’s good practice to keep switching up your marijuana methods from time-to-time. This might mean taking a month off smoking when your girlfriend asks you to cut back, and trying out sublingual dosing with cannabis oils instead.
For the third point about edibles and how many calories they have, we’ll discuss this in the next section – because when it comes to weed calories, edibles are a whole different bud game.
Do Edibles Have Calories?
C’mon… You know the answer to this one. Cannabis edibles are obviously atop the food chain when it comes to measuring how many calories are in weed. Edibles may have been the go-to for the majority of Canadians in 2023, and rightly so – they’re delicious, sometimes nutritious, and they give you a nice high that kicks in late and lasts even later. That being said, anyone who is fooling themselves into thinking that gummies, candies, cookies, brownies, or wholesome munchie foods aren’t chalk-full of calories, then they’re in some major denial.
Not only are weed edibles the highest in calories, they are also usually potent in some very unhealthy inputs like sugar, sodium, preservatives and GMO’s. Even if you’re not an organic gardener, we can all agree that the more natural the ingredients, the better. Besides, it’s kind of counterintuitive to get your daily dose of naturally grown plant medicine infused into sugary/salty treats.
Instead of listing all the usual suspects for how many calories are in the most popular weed edibles – because we almost guarantee that all of your favorites will be on that list! – we’ll focus on some ‘cannabis calorie counting’ tips for you edibles-freaks out there who can’t stop munching on your medicine.
No Sugar, No Problem
If you’re going to be enjoying some weed edibles on the weekends or at parties, try to invest your hard-earned dollars in some healthier cannabis foods or drinks. Low-sugar gummies, half-sweet baked goodies, or homemade edibles with healthier sweetening alternatives can go a long way towards managing the calorie counts in your edibles. Sugar isn’t the only inputs you need to be aware of – trans-fats, sodium derivatives, preservatives and GMO’s can turn your food or beverage nutrition table into a science-fiction reading. Be very conscious of what goes into making your edibles, and you’ll be healthier for knowing what’s going into your body.
Less Is Best
Controlling portion sizes can be just as important as managing your doses. There’s a major epidemic in the modern world of food wastage, which not only negatively impacts our planet from a sustainability standpoint, but also hints at the fact that we’re eating too much. Overeating not only contributes to your weight issues, it also leads to a number of neurological symptoms – inability to feel full, eating so much your stomach becomes sore, overloading your GI system, etc. Weed edibles aren’t necessarily part of the problem, as we’re not shoving them in our mouths hand-over-fist, and yet they certainly can contribute to our weight problems with the munchies kicking in after. We have to be aware of how much we’re eating, when, and why, as much as we are managing what we’re ingesting.
DIY or Die?!
Eating out at restaurants everyday would be incredible, wouldn’t it? If not for the costs, we’d all do it. However, it’s not just the dollars that should impact our decisions to eat homemade or out on the town, because it’s our health that really pays the price when we’re not careful. Store Bought cannabis products aren’t all made the same, some are delicious and nutritious while others are just tasty, if you catch our drift. It’s almost always healthier to make your own edibles at home because you can control what goes into them from ingredient-to-ingredient. If you have a cannabis shop in your area that you trust from a quality standpoint, then by all means trust them for your edibles needs. Otherwise, it’s time to put your apron and oven mitts on and get baking at home!
Check Your Appetite
Appetite stimulation is one of the most noticeable effects of ingesting cannabis, especially cannabis edibles. You might not wonder ‘do weed edibles have calories?’ while you’re busy stuffing your face with snacks after a good dose of cannabinoids. Cannabis is fantastic for boosting your appetite after a sickness, or if you suffer from gastrointestinal conditions. When you’ve got no hankering for food and you need to get your eating habits back on track, some weed will have you right in no time. We should offer some caution, however, to those who aren’t familiar with weed’s appetite stimulation… it can hit hard and induce you into a food-coma if you’re not careful. Make sure you buy healthy snacks, avoid those addictive treats, or even pre-portion some healthy snacks in the fridge/pantry before you get high. Do whatever you can to avoid waking up on the couch, covered in cheetoh crumbs, chocolate stains and enough oreo cookies to choke a donkey. Eating a solid meal before you drop edibles will also help to stave off these wild, late night cravings that sometimes happen from getting high on THC.
Lowest Calorie Weed
Technically speaking, the lowest calorie weed products on the market would be anything smoked, vaped or inhaled like shatter. If you’re one of those incredibly stingy, dedicated calorie counters, then you should feel safe in the haze of zero-calorie smoke or vape. Nonetheless, smoking cannabis products come with a whole different set of health concerns beyond your weight management.
It’s not an easy thing to choose between: Risk damaging your respiratory system by smoking more weed, but avoiding calories altogether? Or, is it better to take your lumps and work those pot cookies off at the gym, because at least you’ll be able to run on the treadmill with stronger lungs?
We believe you shouldn’t be making cannabis product decisions based on your physique, because that’s not something cannabis is primed for. Cannabis can do so many things for our brains & bodies – sleep support, pain reduction, anxiety or depression treatment, seizure prevention and even appetite stimulation. When it comes to weed calories, it’s almost negligible unless it’s stuffed in a brownie, lollipop or sugary beverage.
Cannabis can be a hugely positive influence in our lives, as long as we’re using it the best ways possible. Don’t think of cannabis as a weight loss tool and you won’t be disappointed. If you are very calorie-conscious, or you’ve struggled with your weight in the past, then perhaps these cannabis products can help you to manage your health & fitness:
Treasure Island CBD Flower
This is the perfect product for you calorie-counters out there because it’s a smokeable flower, therefore ZERO CALORIES! In all seriousness, cannabis strains that are higher in CBD seem to have less appetite stimulation, perhaps because the higher CBD contents can counteract the THC munchies. THC isn’t the only cannabinoid responsible for those uncontrollable munchies, but it’s definitely one of the driving forces for your snacking habits when you’re high. Treasure Island is a nice, peaceful high with fruity flavors, aromas and a pleasant overtone to the entire experience. This hidden treasure of a strain could be your new favorite, whether you’re trying to manage your weight or you just want to chill out.
Sour Joker Budder
Nothing controls your food cravings better than a sour-mouthed punch to the face from some potent cannabudder, right? Sour Joker Budder is packed with intense weed flavors, and even though it is high in healthy fats it’s still lower on the calorie spectrum. Cannabudder is a versatile and effective way to get your cannabinoids – it melts in tea, put it on your toast, cook with it or bake with it. Sour Joker is a great strain to use for cannabudder because it is full of a wide spectrum of cannabinoids, covering all of your bases.
15mg THC Capsules
What could be simpler than taking THC caps instead of diet pills? This mid-tier dose of 15mg of THC oil is the perfect “bump” you need to get through the work-week, or the boost your stomach might need to soothe cramps or nausea and stimulate your appetite. Cannabis oil is incredibly low on the calorie totem pole, but it often has healthy omegas 3-6-9 included in its oil carrier – hemp oil, fish oil or coconut oil each have their own nutritional benefits, so choose your favorite. 15mg THC Capsules are convenient, compact and consistent, which makes them great for taking on-the-go or when traveling.
Jack Herer Shatter
The man himself would dub this shatter “Herer-iffic” if he could get his hands on some. Jack Herer Shatter is one of the all-time best sellers at Haute Health, and our shatter is known to be among the highest quality concentrates on the Canadian market. Shatter is another inhalable cannabis product so there’s no calories to count. This potent strain produces a crystal-clear ganja glass that is so mesmerizing to look at in the light, you might not even get around to smoking it! Jack Herer is one of the most popular strains in the world, and when combined with our expert shatter chefs at HH, you’ve got the very best that money can buy.
