Coconut Oil good for weightloss?

garbor16

Ditto! :flowerforyou:

londongirl2012

before taking loads just beware of this taken from WEB MD:

Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of MCTs during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Diabetes: MCTs can cause certain chemicals called ketones to build up in the body. This can be a problem for people with diabetes. Avoid using MCTs if you have diabetes.

Liver problems: Because MCTs are processed primarily by the liver, they can cause serous problems in people with liver disease. Do not use MCTs if you have cirrhosis or other liver problems.

mcarter99

The AHA advices against tropical oils.

Mayo Clinic is kind of "eh, don't bother" on it.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/AN01899

I have some because I actually like it. I've put it in smoothies before. I don't go around it much while dieting, though.

BOLO4Hagtha

Coconut oil is great. It is one of the few oils that does not turn to transfat when heated to a high heat.

Uh... I'm sorry, i don't mean to be rude, but do you have any idea what "transfat" is? You might want to take a refsher course in chemistry before continuing to spread nonsensical rumors like that.

It's true that coconut oil is extremely high in saturated fat. I really don't understand how people can say it's "good" saturated fat because there really isn't scientific difference.

I use coconut oil for all kinds of topical body care. It's wonderful for that, but I don't eat it.

The chain length makes a huge difference when it comes to what is considered "bad" or "good" fat in terms of how your body breaks it down. While I am not arguing that coconut oils is mostly saturated fat, the fact that it is a medium chain triglyceride allows it to be broken down much easier when compared to long chain triglycerides. It is not absorbed in the lymphatic system but in the GI tract. Some studies show that there is a greater rise in fat oxidation when MCTs are consumed. They reduce fat mass through down-regulation of adipogenic genes as well as peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ. MCTs also reduce lipoprotein secretion and attenuate postprandial triglyceride response.

Maybe you need to revisit chemistry as well.

mspohn1299

I use about a tsp to pop my popcorn in. Gives it a nice little flavor boost!

oldmanstauf

I don't know, from what I see it's mainly all saturated fat. It's what movie theatres use to make their popcorn. Can't imagine it being THAT healthy.

WickedGarden

My nutritionist taught me that good fat is good for your body and coconut oil is a great fat. Low fat diets don't work. I just ordered a book she recommended I read. Eat Fat, Lose Fat. http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Fat-Lose-Healthy-Alternative/dp/0452285666

I've trippled my fat intake over the past 2 weeks and the inches are disappearing from my body. I'm very excited. I eat 1 - 2 tbsp of coconut oil a day. This book recommends I eat 11/2 tbsp. 3x a day. I'm working on adding more cocount to my diet. Try it and see how it works!

My doctor didn't tell me about the book, but he did say, "If you get enough good fat in your diet, then your body realizes it doesn't need to store fat, so it will release the stored fat"

Makes sense, I will check that book out!

fruitloverlady

I don't know about it being good for weightloss, but I make a hair mask with it.

Interesting!! does it help your hair? My hair is breaking like crazy!

Yup, it helps a lot with my hair, too. I have so many split ends before but because I frequently apply coconut oil in it, I noticed that my hair looks so shiny, smooth and feels so soft. I apply coconut oil every time before I take a shower.

halucijason

It is mostly saturated fat, but that saturated fat consists of Medium chain triglycerides. MCTs boost metabolism through thermogenesis. They are not processed the same way in the body as SCTs or LCTs that are usually found in animal products. The "coconut" oil you find in movie theater popcorn butter really isn't coconut oil it is a coconut derived oil, they hydrogenate the coconut oil which changes the chemical structure and creates TRANS fats....Most all the coconut oil you can buy in a store is not hydrogenated so there are no trans fats in it...you do not have to buy the expensive virgin coconut oil to get benefits from it. The refined (expeller-pressed) oil is fine. It might not have the same amount of phytonutrients or vitamin E, but it still has the same amount of MCTs and that's what makes it great. Plus, the refined cheaper coconut oil doesn't have a coconut taste to it...so you can use it for anything you would use canola, olive, or shortening for.

halucijason

Coconut oil actually does none of these things you've listed (remove toxins, increase metabolism, boost fat loss)

That said, I know a lot of people who use it for their skin/hair, and as a healthy source of fat.

Actually it does increase metabolism and boost fat loss:

^ M-P. St-Onge, P.J.H. Jones (2003). "Greater rise in fat oxidation with medium-chain triglyceride consumption relative to long-chain triglyceride is associated with lower initial body weight and greater loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue". International Journal of Obesity 27 (12): 1565–1571. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802467. PMID 12975635.
^ H. Tsuji, M. Kasai, H. Takeuchi, M. Nakamura, M. Okazaki, K. Kondo (2001). "Dietary Medium-Chain Triacylglycerols Suppress Accumulation of Body Fat in a Double-Blind, Controlled Trial in Healthy Men and Women". The American Society for Nutritional Sciences 131: 2853–2859.
^ B. Martena, M. Pfeuffer, J. Schrezenmeir (2006). "Medium-chain triglycerides". International Dairy Journal 16 (11): 1374–1382. doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2006.06.015.
^ Takeuchi, H; Sekine, S; Kojima, K; Aoyama, T (2008). "The application of medium-chain fatty acids: edible oil with a suppressing effect on body fat accumulation". Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition. 17 Suppl 1: 320–3. PMID 18296368. edit
^ St-Onge, MP; Jones, PJ (2002). "Physiological effects of medium-chain triglycerides: potential agents in the prevention of obesity". The Journal of nutrition 132 (3): 329–32. PMID 11880549. edit
^ Papamandjaris, AA; MacDougall, DE; Jones, PJ (1998). "Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications". Life Sciences 62 (14): 1203–15. doi:10.1016/S0024-3205(97)01143-0. PMID 9570335. edit

Shrevejude

Here is what my research has learned.

There is a biological adjustment to the type of nutrient you consume and your body develops pathways that best utilize that specific energy. Medium Chain Fats can help train your body to utilize (read burn) fat. Of the Medium Chain Fats, (organic/virgin) coconut oil is by far the best. To benefit from this one must still maintain the appropriate caloric intake and do something that utilizes/burns fat (exercise).

Although having cooked with it in the past, I've just eaten my first (gulp) Tablespoon of Coconut Oil. Please read on.

I'm 60, I've started working out at the gym 3-5x per week with a combination of weight and aerobic exercise, but in 2 1/2 months have seen very modest weight loss. So I'm going to try a regime of using coconut oil. This morning I consumed 1 tablespoon of oil mixed in a (slightly warmed) EAS low carb drink and lifted weights. The satiation factor was off the scales 100%. I intend to take a tablespoon 3 times a day, and then eat very nutritious foods (berries/fruits, vegetables, fish, and a little very lean meats, for the remainder of my calorie count. I read that a tablespoon in a cup of herbal tea is palatable.

The biology seems to make some sense to me... I'll let you all know.

TheSatinPumpkin

I use it to fry my protein in the pan.

jdhcm2006

If you're going to use it make sure you get the Unrefined kind. The refined kind is meant to cook things at high temperatures.