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
I see a lot of questions but not a lot of answers.This is what I got out of all the posts.
1). Coconut oil is better for you than olive oil.
2).Some people lose weight but other people gain weight.
3). The coconut oil taste better if you make truffles with it.
4). Some people had their trigylcerides go up.
OK, now’s here are my questions
1) Will diabetics lose weight taking coconut oil?
2) Can you eat coconut instead of eating the oil?
I would venture to say that eating coconut is not going to work because you would have to eat a TON OF IT to get the amount of oil you need to create TBSP of the oil. I’m unsure about the diabetics part of it, but when I GOOGLED “should diabetics eat coconut oil” there were a LOT of sites out there. (and the first one was saying yes diabetics should.) but do your research. I have JUST started taking it (Nutiva Organic extra virgin coconut oil) and I melt a TBSP in a very warm cup of almond milk and add a little sugar, but I’m not taking the several tablespoons a day/ tablespoons before meals dose. Here’s a site that may help: http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/Amy-Campbell/the-coconut-craze-coconut-oil/ scroll to the last portion of this article to Is Coconut oil OK to use? and read that right there. I kinda agree with that portion of the article more than I do taking SIX TABLESPOONS (?????) A DAY to lose weight. I mean, there’s 14 grams of FAT in a TBSP. LOL I am not exercising yet.
I’ve had gall bladder surgery, so if I don’t have a gall bladder, can I still take this oil in these amounts to lose wieght??
Thanks,
Linda Sanders
You will need to take herbal bitters to digest any fats. Work your fat intake up slowly.
Love to put it on banana bread. Mixing it with any type of sugar makes it more palatable until you get used to the taste. Baby steps 🙂
The Worlds Greatest Jigsaw Puzzle and motion. The Worlds Greatest Jigsaw Puzzle
Hi I been on the search for the best natural weightloss remedy. I’m about 200 and I been taking two tbsp 30 min before every meal total of 6 tbsp daily. I’m using extra virgin coconut oil unrefined and organic. I read other articles and I saw that some suggested that taking more than 4tbsp a day could actually increase cholesterol is this true ? I want to loose about 50 pounds. I want to know if taking it can make me gain weight so I could lower the dosage. Im also following it with diet and exercise. Just want to be clear.
Some questions to those of whom have lost weight with coconut oil:
1. Did you notice the weight loss right away?
2. Did you plateau of have to increase the amount of CO that you are taking in order to keep losing the weight?
3. Is CO something that you take every day for the rest of your life? If so, do you go back to a smaller amount to maintain or do you stick with the 3-4 tbls. and continue to lose weight?
Thank you!
Did you ever get your questions answer and did get to loose weight with this?
This last winter I started adding about 1-2 Tbsp of Tropical Traditions coconut oil to my morning hot drink of roasted cocoa (can’t stand coffee) with a bit of cream or milk. I had previously tried to take it straight or in hot water, but immediately felt nauseous. Without changing any other part of my diet or exercise, I lost 20 pounds from Nov. to April. I didn’t notice it much at all until springtime when I realized my warm weather clothes were quite a bit looser. I did notice that I wasn’t hungry most of the day after breakfast. I have more to lose, but as I don’t drink hot beverages in summer, I will start doing it again this next fall and hope that I see a repeat. I also try to substitute coconut oil for at least a portion of other fats in recipes.
Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My site discusses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!
I am thrilled to see coconut oil is FINALLY getting some publicity that is way overdue! Coconut oil has bigger benefits otjher than weight loss! For some great info on this just enter Raymond Peat into your search engine. Dr Raymond Peat’s Article About Coconut Oil/
About the coconut “candy” you can put it in ice cube trays after using the stevia/cocoa to make it.