Everywhere we look, there seems to be a new fad diet promising to help you lose two stone in two weeks or something equally as ridiculous.
Whether it’s the vinegar diet, the ‘sleeping beauty’ diet (because you can’t eat when you’re sleeping) or the maple syrup diet – made famous by Beyonce – all promise ‘life changing’ results in a matter of weeks.
A diet you probably haven’t heard of though, is one which advises you to smoke weed every day in order to get to your desired weight.
Yep, you heard me. One woman from Canada has lost over seven stone and claims that smoking cannabis on a daily basis helped her to do so.
Avan Ikra, a 28-year-old administrator, believes that smoking two joints a day helped her reach her target weight of 11.5 stone (161lbs/73kg) in just over two years.
Before losing the weight, Avan was 19st 2lbs. She had been trying unsuccessfully for 10 years to follow more ‘conventional’ diets and found herself at a loss of what to do.
She said:
I had been struggling to lose weight for a decade. I was always big. My mum called me big-boned when I was growing up.
In 2013, I weighed over 19 stone and I wore a US size 18. I felt so ashamed that I weighed more than my dad. I was a good 100 pounds heavier than him.
I was only 30 pounds away from 300. I knew I had to make a change, I didn’t like it. I didn’t feel like myself.
Although she made this decision five years ago, Avan kept falling off the wagon. The administrator would stick to a strict routine for a month before bingeing on burgers, pizzas and Nutella sandwiches.
She said:
I was always trying to work out. I’d start for a month or two and then I’d fall off the wagon. I wasn’t seeing the results.
I tried the Jenny Craig diet, the Atkins regime and I even only ate vegetables for a time. But none of them ever stuck. I would work out for an hour but the next day I’d have a binge and eat fast food.
She was in a rut. So when she started smoking weed every day, Avan said she found it gave her the motivation to eat healthily and exercise regularly, and decided to stick with it.
She began smoking a joint before working out and said the feeling of being high made the time pass more quickly.
She said:
I hit on the idea of using weed. I have always liked smoking weed. I had my first joint when I was 19. It gave me a clear head and allowed me to envision what I wanted. So instead of just smoking socially, I decided to incorporate it into my diet regime.
I began smoking two joints a day. I started working out after I smoked. I’d go to an exercise class or clamber onto a treadmill. I would work out for an hour but it doesn’t feel that long when you are high.
The 28-year-old from Toronto has now slimmed down to a US size 10 (a UK 14) and smokes every day in order to maintain her figure.
I don’t know about you but I’m wondering how she doesn’t get the munchies if she’s smoking it every day. Well, apparently she’s got that figured out.
Avan always makes sure to smoke right before a meal, so that when the munchies hit she can eat her already-prepared salad or scrambled eggs. I mean, it sounds like a great idea but it’s not really the same as a burger or pizza is it?
But her plan worked – the 28-year-old soon noticed the weight falling off her and she managed to persuade her family and friends that her unusual method of weight loss was a good choice.
Although recreational use of marijuana became legal in Canada last month, Avan says there is still a stigma surrounding the drug.
She wanted to reveal the details of her diet to show the positive impact weed can have, saying:
I went from being obese to being slim. I know that marijuana gets a bad rep but it has helped me. I am smoking weed daily and I’m happy with that. I hate the stigma around it. I want to show that smoking weed can help you lose weight.
Regardless of how she managed to lose the weight, I think we can all agree she looks incredible.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).