How to use coconut oil for weight loss, why it’s appetite suppressing effects are so powerful, and how much to take per day for best results.
One key to successful and lasting weight loss is to ensure steady blood sugar so that any extreme ups and downs are avoided. Insulin spikes and crashes cause you to fall off the wagon and make a beeline for the junk food aisle at the supermarket or the jumbo bag of chips in your pantry.
How Coconut Oil Supports Weight Loss
How to best steady the blood sugar over long periods of time and between meals? The answer is regular consumption of healthy, satiating nourishing fats of course! Coconut oil for weight loss is the optimal fat to choose for this purpose. The best of the best in this category is organic virgin coconut oil.
The reasons coconut oil is so effective for losing weight, as well as ongoing weight maintenance, are many. First, the plethora of healthy medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCT oils) boosts metabolism for immediate energy. Lauric acid is the most notable of these.
Some research suggests that it supports thyroid function as well. A strong thyroid is essential for achieving a healthy weight.
MCTs Don’t Store as Body Fat
As a bonus, the MCTs in coconut oil don’t end up as stored body fat like longer chain monounsaturated fatty acids sometimes can. Hence, beware of scams that promote industrialized oils like the CLA safflower oil diet for weight loss. More on that below.
Finally, coconut oil is highly anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral which discourages pathogens in the gut from usurping roles ideally performed by probiotics. Research has demonstrated that thin people tend to have a more diverse and beneficial intestinal microbiome than overweight and obese individuals. Hence, using coconut oil can help change that microbial balance for the better over the long term.
Countries that consume high amounts of coconut and coconut oil in their diets such as the Philippines, India, and the Pacific Islands have significantly fewer cases of heart disease and obesity. This strong anthropological evidence clearly disproves any agenda-driven smear campaign against this marvelously healthy oil! Sorry American Heart Association. You’ve totally missed the mark when it comes to coconut oil!
Supermodels are already onto the coconut oil for weight loss secret. Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr has been using coconut oil for years to maintain her enviable figure and won’t go anywhere without it!
Why Coconut Oil Helps You Shed Pounds BETTER than Olive Oil
Olive oil, in particular, should be limited or avoided entirely by those wishing to lose weight!
This is surprising to many people as olive oil is typically the first “healthy oil” that they think of due to the heavy promotion of this Mediterranean oil by conventional doctors and nutritionists.
In fact, a 1994 study published in The Lancet noted that the fatty acid most predominantly found in body fat was monounsaturated fat like that found in high amounts in olive oil!
Could this be why those in Mediterranean countries so often gain weight at middle age?
When choosing a fat to speed up weight loss then, it is best to limit the use of olive oil and other predominantly monounsaturated (omega-9) fats. Popular examples include peanut oil and avocado oil. Be sure to avoid canola oil too, which is usually GMO in addition to weight gain promoting.
Coconut oil for weight loss is the far better choice!
How to Use Coconut Oil to Drop Pounds Fast
Coconut oil naturally solidifies at 76 F/ 24 C so it is best to liquefy it in hot water before consuming as a weight loss aid. It is not to be confused with unrefined cocoa butter, another healthy fat that looks similar and is also solid at room temperature.
Twenty minutes before mealtime is the best time to take your coconut oil as it will significantly reduce appetite and help you to feel full more quickly and be satisfied with smaller portions.
To liquefy, mix 1-2 TBL of coconut oil in a mug and add hot water, bone broth or herbal tea (NOT bulletproof coffee!). Stir to melt and drink. Use the following guidelines to determine how much oil to consume before each meal:
- 90-130 lbs, use 1 TBL coconut oil before each meal for a total of 3 TBL per day.
- 131-180 lbs, use 1.5 TBL coconut oil before each meal for a total of 4.5 TBL per day.
- Over 180 lbs, use 2 TBL coconut oil before each meal for a total of 6 TBL per day.
Alternatively, you can simply eat the coconut oil and let it liquify in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. If you are interested in taking coconut oil capsules instead of off the spoon oil for weight loss, the linked article details how many to take and how effective this approach is.
*If you find that the coconut oil makes you a bit queasy at first, try using herbal bitters (this brand is excellent) as an inexpensive remedy to help your liver and gall bladder adjust.
Gamma-Linolenic Acid Supercharges Effects
Be aware that gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is another critical fat necessary for optimal and sustained weight loss. Be sure to include it along with your coconut oil weight loss efforts!
GLA facilitates the process of flushing fat by speeding metabolism like coconut oil. But, it does this in a very different way. GLA stimulates internal “brown fat”. This is the type of fat that is usually dormant in overweight people. Brown fat is also more prevalent in young people and women. As body mass index (BMI) decreases, metabolically active brown fat levels increase. Use your brown fat to your advantage ladies!
GLA is primarily found in organ meats. As a result, unless you eat liver or heart regularly, it is best to supplement with it. The good news is that you only need small amounts. Combined with daily doses of coconut oil, you will achieve the most effective weight loss results.
The best quality GLA supplement is black currant oil capsules. Black currant oil contains sufficient GLA levels. It is also better tolerated than borage oil and is not estrogenic like evening primrose oil. Finally, it has the best overall fatty acid profile of all GLA supplements.
Another idea for helping the weight loss along is to consider combining your coconut oil protocol with a bone broth fast a couple of days a week.
Best Coconut Oil to Get Leaner
Be aware that not all coconut oil is created equal for weight loss purposes!
While coconut oil is very resistant to heat damage, solvents are frequently used to extract it, so sourcing high-quality oil from a reputable company is of paramount importance to avoid any chemical residues.
Using only organic virgin coconut oil therapeutically for your weight loss efforts is a good idea as all the delicate micronutrients in the oil will be preserved and no chemicals will have been used in processing.
To check out coconut oil sources I trust and that have been vetted for quality, be sure to check out my healthy shopping list.
References
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
The Effect of Coconut Oil on Serum Cholesterol Levels and HDLs, by Dr. Mary Enig
More Information
The Harcombe Diet: Can Real Food Take Off Real Weight?
The Keto Diet
How to Implement High Fat Low Carb for Weight Loss
Dukan Diet
When Coconut Oil May Not Be Right for You
MCT Oil Warning
Coconut Oil at Costco
why is something that is grown in such a limited area so good for everyone? what are some local alternatives?
where can i find virgin coconut oil
Health food store is your best bet 🙂
You can also order it online from Tropical Traditions. They are a fabulous company, and you can often get their coconut oil on sale. I also love their palm oil, which is another extremely healthy tropical oil. By the way, I used coconut oil to help me lose about 30 pounds. It really does work!
How did you use it to lose weight?
My favorite coconut oil taste is by Radiant Life. I’ve been eating a cuple spoonfuls daily for months. http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/radiant-life-virgin-coconut-oil/healthy-fats-oils
Whole Foods sells 3 brands of it: 365 (their brand), Spectrum, & Dr. Bronner’s.
One really yummy way I get my coconut oil is to mix 1-2 TBS into my oats in the morning. I find the flavor goes well with the oats. Oats are soaked, and after cooking in the morning I add coconut oil, sea salt, and some maple syrup. Is really a yummy breakfast and helps with my breast milk production, too;)
Stomp the Weight Loss Accelerator Using Coconut Oil – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/YYDMDLfa
So true. This is why I have a five gallon bucket of organic centrifuge virgin coconut oil in my kitchen right now. 🙂 That, and it tastes great!
It’s so healthy!
We have a coconut oil container in nearly every room in our house. Love it!! I sometime have oatmeal for breakfast and put a big tsp. full in my oatmeal….and even sneak it into my kids too! I
ok which is the one to use extracted coconut oil…..pressed coconut oil….or expeller-pressed coconut oil
Stomp the Weight Loss Accelerator Using Coconut Oil – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/2uoKgqxN
I realized recently that I put on a few extra pounds. I am 5’5″ and went from 110 to 117 last year. I never got that off but my clothes still fit so I was ok with it. Now I am 120. While that weight is probably ok for my height, my clothes are tight and I don’t like the flab I see. I am eating a traditional diet and really cutting back on sugar, either omit from a recipe or cut back what recipe calls for. So I am trying to exercise more regularly. I am including more coconut oil in my diet, cooking with it (I don’t use the virgin for that) and putting some in hot tea or just taking a spoonful. I didn’t know it should be melted first. Why? I also want to get the book Eat Fat Lose Fat. I am glad for the tip about having it before meals. Definitely going to start doing that. Thanks, Sarah.
It’s just easier to swallow if you melt first. You can just take it right off the spoon if you like too.
Should you use coconut oil this way if you have had your gallbladder removed?
Good question… I have heard that you shouldn’t. I have gone back to using meat fats and butter for cooking this last year – cooking how my mum used too, but with less fats. I don’t use oils at all. Interestingly, my cholesterol level dropped ridiculously when I changed back to butter and dripping. Doctor was most impressed.
Lynn, coconut oil is the only fat that does not require bile from the gallbladder to digest, which makes it an excellent fat for gallbladderless people. For the other healthy fats, it can be a good idea to take enzymes to ensure proper assimilation.
Thank you both for your info. Ashley G., I can’t seem to find the correct enzymes for digesting fats woot a gallbladder. Do you have a suggestion I might try? Thanks.
Hi Lynn, I have been using 1 capsule of Digest Gold and 1 capsule of Lypo Gold by Enzymedica. I have also tried ox bile, which a lot of people use. Others like to use bile salts. One supplier I know of for bile salts is unikeyhealth.com, but you have to call them to place your order, as it is not listed on their website. After having my gallbladder removed, I did not experience the common digestive complaints that others do, but I have added these supplements because of my concern regarding my ability to digest the healthy fats and benefit from them….so if you are having any sort of difficulty with high-fat foods, I guess you’d have to experiment with these various enzymes and see what works best. I don’t have experience with that, and I’m sure every body responds differently anyway.
Thank you!
Thanks, Sarah! my blood sugar has been on a roller coaster with my pregnancy so I eat too much trying to stabilize it I and have gained more than the acceptable amount of weight. I never thought of taking pure coconut oil. Must try this!