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
Coconut oil will indeed rev up your metabolism and give you a great source of healthy fats. So long as your carbs are low don’t worry about the fat content. A teaspoon is not enough though, you need to build up to at least 3 tablespoons a day, but do it slowly or you will feel sick. Try adding it to coffee, it makes an oil slick on top but tastes great as you sip the coffee through it. Coconut oil combats candida very effectively so you will also get die off symptoms from that which will make you feel a bit icky for a couple of days but you will soon reap the benefits of glowing skin, great hair, no candida and a revved metabolism – you will actually feel warmer about 20 mins after eating coconut oil. It is also a great treatment for hypothyroid.
the oil slick can be all but eliminated if you mix it in with a milk frother. it makes a latte-like foam on top. Delish.
I am A Neg blood type and coconut oil is a super food for me as well as lecithin oil for weight loss. Coconut oil burns stomach fat and makes my skin gorgeous. I just take a tablespoon and put it in my mouth and let it dissolve and drink it with juice but will start drinking it followed by hot tea. Just like I read previously in the healthy tips about coconut oil. The *powers* that be DO NOT want us getting healthy on our own, that would mean cutting down on the pharmaceutical industry which is a BILLION dollar industry which doesn’t heal, it only kills. Any negative post about coconut oil, I would disregard because as stated above about people who live in countries who consume it everyday, they are not obese, their skin and hair is beautiful and they are healthy. Beware of post that are negative about coconut oil, it just may be someone in the medical profession trying to sway you away from REAL health and keep you doctor bound, medicine bound, weight loss supplement bound, just bound period! Enjoy health and disregard negative comments, unless they are just allergic to it, if not, ignore it! Have fun!
I do not believe for a second that doctors want to keep people sick. Just because they are not trained in homeopathic ways does not mean they need to keep people ill to make money.
Gail you have to be kidding. Come on we all know that the less we need them the less money there is to be made.
Doctors who needs them, except when we get sick……
Anyone noticed how all these countries that use coconut oil are skinny?? Like where ? Tongans ?? Samoans ? Pacific Islanders have some of the highest obesity rates in the world. Like all miracle cures do your research and decide how it can benefit you and and what are the negatives before using anything.
While it’s not a good idea to think of something as a “miracle cure”, it’s also not a good idea to put down something that has scientific backing.
No one is saying that coconut oil is the ONLY source of food in countries that use it. That would be like touting rice as the only reason Asian countries have lower obesity rates.
Coconut oil, when used as part of a healthy diet, can assist in area where the body is struggling.
The reason Pacific Islanders have high obesity rates are not due to coconut oil. They actually had very healthy diets of local foods and fish until the British and French came into the area bringing fried foods and unhealthy ways of preparing food. Their cultural issues are the reason for their obesity, not coconut oil.
Those groups did not become obese until introduced to the western diet by colonists.
The main problem with our healthcare industry, is thhat it is driven by the philosophy that it is far more profitable to treat illness than to promote wellness. Not that doctors are bad people, but that this is the system the work in. Drugs are developed to keep people dependent on them rather than to cure maladies.
depens who the doctor is
I agree Gail. The pharmaceutical companies might but I don’t believe doctors want to keep people ill. I come from a long line of doctors in the family and I am a midwife myself and we are in it because we want to make people better or help them. Besides many doctors and health professionals these days embrace alternative methods also if they help people. My own dentist has also just qualified as a homeopath.
AMEN!!!!! WELL SAID… PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES KILL..!!!! ONE CHEMICAL AFTER ANOTHER , DOESN’T FIX THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM, JUST COVERS UP FOR ANOTHER RX!!! BECAUSE OF SIDE AFFECTS!!!!!!
I use equal amounts of coconut oil, and cocoa, melted, add some honey, a little vanilla, some cinnamon, and some Stevia if needed to make delicious candy. I keep it in the refig and cut off pieces as needed. Add nuts and raisins too, or anything.
I like coconut oil. I don’t like references to supermodels’ “enviable figures.” Such talk puts unnecessary pressure on women to under eat, and feel down on themselves when even that doesn’t work. Most women are not naturally or healthy at the size of Kerr.
When I was her size, I stopped having my period, dispite eating coconut oil. I had to eat too few calories to maintain that weight, and I was a teenager at the time! Kerr might be perfectly healthy, but many high fashion models go hungry to maintain their size. Coconut oil is good for y’all, but it’s no substitution for old fashioned starvation when you want to become a size two.
Anyway, my point is that our society wants us to feel horrible about our appearance so we waste our lives buying stuff to fix ourselves, instead of making meaningful connections with those around us. Health and beauty come in many sizes! Love yours. 🙂
Great new post on the truth about weight loss shakes from Sandra Brougher NTP https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/wont-be-skinny-with-weight-loss-shakes/
I have been following the eating for your blood type plan and am finding great success after dealing with a lot of food intolerances using the ALCAT allergy test. I am type O+ and have discovered that coconut does not agree with my system at all. I am wondering why people don’t mention this more as they recommend the benefits of coconut? On top of recommending butter as an alternative fat, would you also recommend animal fats? Thanks, Jill
I too am O+ blood type and have issues with coconut oil. Can’t use it on my skin period which is very discouraging because it is the basis of most organic skin care products and I know very helpful. Can tolerate small amounts in diet (I guess the digestion and elimination process helps to take care of some of it.) If I eat too much my skin reacts. I have found animal fats to go over well in my diet though…although not sure how much they help with weight loss. I love using emu oil as a natural moisturizer alternative. Hope this helps. Let me know what works for you.
I too am an O+ & I have absolutely no problem with Coconut oil internally or externally. I started using to cure H Pylori..it worked & helped reduce my appetite & helped thicken my thin arm skin…I LOVE IT!!!
Hi Jill,
I have O+ blood too but I don’t think I have any issues with coconut oil. What symptoms do you get from it? maybe I’m missing something.
Some people get acne and skin issues from it. Others get nausea which indicates problems digesting fats, so they should start with small amounts and work up to the appropriate dose.
I’m O+ as well and I do not have any problems with Coconut in any way. I eat it and put it on my skin all the time. I think it’s an allergy your dealing with, or your body is reacting to the toxins it’s flushing out. I looked into “eating for your blood type” and the truth behind it is that your cutting out enough of the junk that it helps you feel better. I follow the Weston A Price diet and I feel better than I have my whole life.
Iam O+ and did the “eat for your blood type” thing for a time (3 years). O found that some was right on and some way off. As a O they say not to rat coconut, but it has been the best thing I have ever done for my health.
Hi Jill..I have done the blood type plan on and off and I do feel much better when I am on it. I am A positive and I find coconut oil is fine and does not give me any problems BUT coconut milk, drinks and yogurts play havoc with me and make me feel ill, nauseated, head achy and also give me acid reflux. Not sure why the pure coconut oil is ok though!