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’m breast feeding and I ain’t aloud to drink herbel tea is it safe for me to to use the cocunut oil I’m wanting to lose my baby fat
I breastfeed as well and I’ve been taking about 5 tbs of coconut oil every day for 2 months now. I’ve lost just over 10 lbs. This has not affected my milk production. I did notice, however, that I do have more energy and don’t feel nearly as sluggish.
Would organic coconut oil softgel pill work just a good?
You would have to take so many capsules that it would likely prove impractical for you.
What if you weigh almost 270lbs, would you still take only 2 tablespoons 20 minutes before each meal or take a larger dose?
This article details how much VCO to take for your weight and when: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/stomp-the-weight-loss-accelerator-using-coconut-oil/
I have the 1000mg capsules and take 2 before every meal as directed. Will that be enough?
thank you
Sara: You, my Dear, are my HERO !!!!
you definitely walk the talk —
I’m a WAPF member in my area of Virginia and when I read your story concerning the
interview, chills went through me.
this is a very volitile issue – But – you ARE winning.
you have more support that you can imagine.
Stay in the fight.
Thanks for showing the rest of us the way.
Michael
For those that said there were no success stories on coconut oil, check this out!!!
Steve
Hello, I make my own coconut oil at home using the heat method but I do have cold pressed as well, which should I use…..
I am on a lchf diet and only eat 2 meals a day,, is it necessary to have coconut oil still 3 times a day or just twice before the meals
Do what works for you!
Could you freeze some coconut oil and break it up and take a tablespoon frozen or do you have to consume it as a liquid?
It will melt in your mouth anyway, if you take it frozen.
Hi,
I just started taking coconut oil (1 tb sp) half an hour before every meal, but it makes me nauseous and is giving me stomach cramps. is this normal? should i continue using it? i am using organic extra virgin coconut oil. Would really appreciate your feedback on this!
Thanks!
Where all the internet, facebook, pinterest, u tube is anybody talking about how much weight they lost? Odd isn’t it! Where us the proof?
I have been truly trying (new diet/lifestyle, exercising, etc.) to lose weight since January. I started using coconut oil the beginning of March to see if it helped because my mom’s “crunchy” friend, who is very slim and healthy (and also looks 25 at close to 50 years old) suggested it. She studies nutrition religiously, and she usually gives sound advice, so I figured it was worth a shot. I have lost more weight in under three weeks than I did in the first two months total. I have to believe it contributed to this.
how have you been taking it and what diet are taking if at all?
How much are you consuming and how?
Hi. I am slim but since almost a year I am fighting with lymphedema (had a cancer surgery years ago) – first in one leg, recently in both. It is not only too much water but also fat, and I simply can’t seem to get rid of it.
However, what I am observing is that whenever I eat coconut oil for a few days (about 3 teaspoons a day, in my coffee/tea, on food, or just by itself, any time of the day), the condition improves a lot, IMMEDIATELY: my legs are much less swollen, and lot of fat is “melting away” from my hips and thighs, can fit into my jeans much better. No coconut oil for the next week – the whole thing worsens. Coconut oil again – better again.
NO OTHER diet or lifestyle changes!! Is it enough a proof for you?
So now I am experimenting to see if I can really get back into mini skirt shape 🙂
When it says, “take before meals,” do you have to do it a certain time before? i.e. 20 minutes or can you drink/eat right before eating?
Is adding coconut oil to your protein shakes as effective as drinkin it alone before.