Coconut Oil and Weight Loss

Lalaj100
Lalaj100 Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have read that coconut oil can aid in weight loss and losing belly fat. I have been using it for a coupl of weeks but it does not seem to be helping much. I do feel less hungry when taking it but the added calories from the oil seem to negate the effect.

I have alot of weight to lose....over 150 lbs. Should coconut oil be used by extremely obese for weight loss or is it better to use toward the end of losing weight for eliminating the last of the belly fat?
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Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Neither. There is not food that causes weight loss. Eating in a calorie deficit causes weight loss. Coconut Oil has health benefits but it does not cause weight loss. Belly fat is lost by losing fat overall. You cannot spot reduce. Take a balances healthy approach of limiting calories and getting more exerccise and you will see the benefits. Look for a magic bullet and you will be frustrated.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    Are you just straight drinking it? I honestly don't see why it would aide in weight loss at all. It has the exact same calorie content as olive oil. (at least the brand I use does) 120 per tablespoon.

    Obviously the nutrients are different, but it's still 120 calories.
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
    :sick:
  • veggiesaurus15
    veggiesaurus15 Posts: 152 Member
    Are you just straight drinking it? I honestly don't see why it would aide in weight loss at all. It has the exact same calorie content as olive oil. (at least the brand I use does) 120 per tablespoon.

    Obviously the nutrients are different, but it's still 120 calories.

    Agreed. Oil is the most calorie dense food on the planet.
  • Jay_Jay_
    Jay_Jay_ Posts: 194 Member
    It's not going to help with weight loss, but it will keep you very satiated throughout the day. There's nothing wrong with using coconut oil, but just using it isn't going to magically make your weight disappear. What else are you doing to lose? Have you changed your diet? Exercised more? There's a lot more to it.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    I agree that there's no magic weight loss pill or food. Coconut oil has many health benefits and I use it all the time to grease my pan if I'm baking chicken or tilapia, etc but I don't drink it like a lot off ppl on the internet suggest. It has sat fat but the good mediium-chain fatty acids we're hearing about but if it's putting you over your calorie limit I would use it sparingly in place of other oils with cooking, etc.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Personally I use coconut oil as a sunscreen. Supposedly you absorb the pro-health properties through your skin over time.

    As for ingestion, it's just a healthier thing to cook/fry stuff in. Taking the 3 spoonfuls plain a day seems silly unless you really like the taste of coconut. It can help, but only so much. It's not a miracle food. Nothing is.
  • ashtonvv
    ashtonvv Posts: 144
    Neither. There is not food that causes weight loss. Eating in a calorie deficit causes weight loss. Coconut Oil has health benefits but it does not cause weight loss. Belly fat is lost by losing fat overall. You cannot spot reduce. Take a balances healthy approach of limiting calories and getting more exerccise and you will see the benefits. Look for a magic bullet and you will be frustrated.

    This,

    Also, I have heard that CLA helps improve body composition when on a calorie reduced diet combined with regular exercise. My brother swears by it, I have just started it myself for 3 weeks to see if I have any change on my measurements.
  • DesignGuy
    DesignGuy Posts: 457 Member
    Coconut oil *can* boost your metabolism, increase energy and boost your thyroid.

    Cooking in it is better than cooking in olive oil.

    But it's not a miracle drug. It's just one piece in the puzzle that is healthy living.

    And BTW, nothing spot reduces fat.
  • kitigonkukoo
    kitigonkukoo Posts: 218 Member
    Ugh.. my husband got on a coconut oil kick, CONVINCED he would loose weight & get heart healthy, since he read some articles that said all the warnings about saturated fat were bogus.

    He faithfully drank it every single day.. nuked in the microwave. It grossed me out, but he was dedicated- and hey, to each their own right?

    Well, nothing changed, at all. That's pretty much the end of it, and he doesn't take it anymore at all, and doesn't ask me to cook with it either.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Neither. There is not food that causes weight loss. Eating in a calorie deficit causes weight loss. Coconut Oil has health benefits but it does not cause weight loss. Belly fat is lost by losing fat overall. You cannot spot reduce. Take a balances healthy approach of limiting calories and getting more exerccise and you will see the benefits. Look for a magic bullet and you will be frustrated.

    ^^this.
  • fanakar
    fanakar Posts: 23
    I knew a patient once whose family was convinced she had alzheimer's (she never actually had it) and one of the home remedies that the daughter used was coconut oil. She was slipping it to her in all of her meals. She gained 22 pounds in a year. All oils are high in calories.

    I had over 150 pounds to lose as well. I started in earnest on March 26. I have lost 52 pounds so far. I eat the same things I liked before, just not five people's worth of food. Do not look for a gimmick. A little moderation, a little self control, and a little discipline is all you will need.
  • emtron500
    emtron500 Posts: 102 Member
    It can be ketogenic. If you're on a low carb diet it will help push you into ketosis. If you're not on a low carb diet, you probably won't see that effect. It is reasonably healthy as an oil though, and can help prevent sunburn (either applied to your skin or ingested), and help you feel satiated.
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    I mix coconut oil & flax oil in either my morning oatmeal or morning coffee, it helps me feel more full and once I started upping my healthy fat consumption I saw more weight loss. Granted its just once peace of the puzzle because at the same time I have also been lifting more, running more ect...

    give it a try, don't go over your calorie count with it but adding it in (I do half a tablespoon of coconut oil & half a tsp of flax) can't hurt you unless you're guzzling it!
  • SingeSange
    SingeSange Posts: 98 Member

    I had over 150 pounds to lose as well. I started in earnest on March 26. I have lost 52 pounds so far. I eat the same things I liked before, just not five people's worth of food. Do not look for a gimmick. A little moderation, a little self control, and a little discipline is all you will need.

    Well said.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    I wouldn't know how this affects my weight loss personally, because I have a life threatening allergy to the stuff. I have read that it is very good for you though.
  • jus_in_bello
    jus_in_bello Posts: 326 Member
    Coconut oil is really good for digestion and actually for your skin and hair (yes, eating it will improve both). I put it in smoothies. It isn't a cure-all and if you don't want to take it you can stop and try again (if you want) at a different stage in your weightloss.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
    I use a lot of coconut oil, but more for it's healthy fat content and the overall caloric load it adds to a meal. It basically replaces other things that i've eliminated from my diet (bread, pasta and processed food etc). My experience with it has been good, but it's just a small piece of an improved lifestyle,
  • jaeysson
    jaeysson Posts: 41 Member
    Coconut oil has the most saturated fat (the unhealthy fat). I wouldn't eat too much.

    Increasing the amount of polyunsaturated fat in the diet has been shown to lower cholesterol levels by lowering the LDL cholesterol without reducing the HDL. The preferred type of fat to substitute for saturated fat is monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat, like polyunsaturated fat, lowers total cholesterol levels in the blood. However, this reduction in total cholesterol is the result of lowering LDLs, while the beneficial HDL levels may even be increased.

    fatintypesofoil.jpg
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    Also, if you have high cholesterol, you should definitely be avoiding coconut oil. I love coconut, but have to settle for imitation coconut extract.
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
    Something I have heard and used it for is control of epileptic seizures. Yeah, that's right apparently they have research out there that it works for that alongside other disorders including dementia, scientific proof. I haven't had any in a while, but I have epilepsy and it did slow down my seizures somewhat while I was taking it, have to start up again if I can ever remember. Weight loss? That's up to the user, I guess, and I wish them luck.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I use coconut oil in my protein shakes, but only because I can always use the calories (I love to exercise).... I heard it can help your hair and nails, but if it does, that's just a bonus to the yummy flavor it adds to my shakes, and the calorie boost it gives me toward getting to my goal. ;)
  • CWatermelon
    CWatermelon Posts: 146 Member
    I use it for my skin and hair :)
  • TheresaC928
    TheresaC928 Posts: 849
    Don't think so. However, my Mom is trying to drink more coconut water since it is supposed to improve skin elasticity to make you look younger. I always think she looks good for her age but we shall see. I tried to drink it and not a fan. :)
  • jlreser
    jlreser Posts: 64 Member
    Ugh.. my husband got on a coconut oil kick, CONVINCED he would loose weight & get heart healthy, since he read some articles that said all the warnings about saturated fat were bogus.

    He faithfully drank it every single day.. nuked in the microwave. It grossed me out, but he was dedicated- and hey, to each their own right?

    Well, nothing changed, at all. That's pretty much the end of it, and he doesn't take it anymore at all, and doesn't ask me to cook with it either.

    WOW...I'm surprised your husband thought it would be "heart healthy". My husband at 33 and in great health just had a heart stent put in and both his Cardiologist and Nutritionist said to NOT use coconut oil or palm oil, SPECIFICALLY b/c of his heart. I can't imagine just "drinking" oil straight....I'd probably had vomited if I'd seen that, YUCK!! I feel ya there!
  • gypsybree
    gypsybree Posts: 218
    http://tinyurl.com/DrFifeCoconutOil
    http://tinyurl.com/DrFifeCoconutOil2
    http://tinyurl.com/DrMercolaCoconutOil
    Audio:
    http://tinyurl.com/DrLustigInterview
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Coconut oil has the most saturated fat (the unhealthy fat).<snip>

    Medium Chain Tryglicerides.

    http://thirdplanetfood.com/tidbits/?p=392

    It's not a miracle food but it can help as part of a healthy diet and exercise programme.
  • damcool
    damcool Posts: 97 Member
    Coconut oil absolutely promotes weight loss. Check this link out: http://www.coconutoil.com/

    I use coconut oil for almost all of my cooking and baking. I also use it on my face for wrinkle prevention and on my stomach to prevent stretchmarks (I'm pregnant right now). I don't take it by the spoonful and I definitely log it just like anything else I eat. However, my husband started using it liberally over a year ago and hasn't gained a pound. You're on the right track! If you don't log the calories from it, you probably should start and see how that helps. It really is one of the best oils anyone could use!
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
    I use a little in my morning coffee occasionally and also drink the Bragg apple cider vinegar on most days. I do it because I think they are good for you though...as long as you keep under your calorie goals ;)
  • laus_8882
    laus_8882 Posts: 217 Member
    Personally I use coconut oil as a sunscreen. Supposedly you absorb the pro-health properties through your skin over time.

    Are you serious? 'Supposedly' shouldn't be enough for you to gamble your health by risking melanomas. You're basically cooking your skin... if you haven't got the genetics for melanoma or even the less damaging skin cancers, you're still going to end up baking yourself into an old leathered couch. Seriously, absorbing pro-health properties through the skin to prevent sunburn? Wtf? What are pro-health properties? How is absorbing something 'over time' preventing uv damage right now?

    As for coconut oil helping with weight loss... dream on. Just because some supermodel who pushes her own brand of organic, overpriced skincare is all about taking tablespoons of the stuff to lose baby weight doesn't mean it does jack. None of the links provided by the coconut oil cheer squad have shown the stuff to be safe or effective when taken internally. That doesn't mean it's unsafe, but who knows? The best use for coconut oil is as a hair treatment. Rub it through your hair 2-4 hours before your shower, then wash out and marvel at how soft easy to manage your hair is. Or don't, because coconut oil for hair isn't a one size fits all treatment. Either it works or it doesn't, so sucks if it doesn't. Alternatively use it as a moisturiser and for the love of god, put sunscreen on afterward.

    Or have the face of a 50 year old at 30.

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