Munchies!

August 16, 2011 4:16 AM

So I have seen that the hive came up with some really good answers as far as WHAT to eat when the post-herbal munchies attack. But what (if anything) can PREVENT the munchies from happening at all? And while we're discussing that, perhaps someone can explain why they happen in the first place...
posted by ecollie to food & drink (9 answers total)

Endocannabinoids
posted by mkultra at 5:13 AM on August 16, 2011

For some reason eating the herb (brownies, etc) doesn't seem to give me the munchies like smoking or vaporizing. YMMV
posted by meta87 at 5:34 AM on August 16, 2011

Not really preventable in my experience but I think the way to go there is distraction--which is fortunately easy in that state.
posted by J. Wilson at 5:35 AM on August 16, 2011

My go-to is flavored sparkling water, but I drink a lot of that in general. That said, a lot of people don't care for the taste (or lack thereof).
posted by juliplease at 5:43 AM on August 16, 2011

It's not fool-proof, but a big, healthy meal before you get started will help. Something with a lot of veggies, so you digest it slowly and maintain that feeling of fullness. IMHO, the worst thing is to get high when you're already sorta hungry, it just amplifies things to an absurd degree.
posted by bookish at 6:15 AM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Some good, hard exercise usually suppresses appetite.
posted by clockzero at 7:23 AM on August 16, 2011

Might not help you, but in college I had a friend who made a big, flowery sign that said, "Stop eating so fucking much, bitch." It was decorated with smiley faces, unicorns, rainbows, and the like. She'd come home, start to get into the snacks, then take a look at the sign, start giggling hysterically, and fall into bed or the couch.

YMMV.
posted by pecanpies at 12:04 PM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Back in the day...I used to find that not eating anything at all could be as intensely rewarding as scarfing everything in sight. It is also a powerful exercise in control.

I smoking buddy and I discovered another process where we would not eat anything after partaking but we would then construct an amazing meal together. We wouldn't sample one bite until everything was completed to perfection. Then we would devour it and it was oh, so much better. Also, this technic prevented us from stuffing ourselves on Doritos, popcorn, and ice cream bars and led to us eating much healthier meals.
posted by pandabearjohnson at 1:53 PM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Eat a full meal before smoking, and plan a specific (healthy-ish or small "bad") snack to have after smoking. Like, "I am going to eat a reasonable chicken & veg dinner, then I'll smoke, then I'll make some popcorn in an hour". Drink water, flavored or otherwise, throughout. And chewing gum can help a lot.

I think it's better to have a plan like this than to try to expect yourself to completely avoid the munchies. Whether you're stoned or not, the feeling that you "shouldn't" be pigging out can make you pig out all the more. So plan to eat.
posted by imalaowai at 6:16 PM on August 16, 2011