One key to successful and lasting weight loss is to ensure steady blood sugar so that any extreme ups and downs are avoided and don’t 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.
Coconut oil is seeing a huge rise in popularity. Coconut oil isn’t tropical in taste. The oil, extracted from the flesh of a coconut, is rumored to boost dieters’ weight-loss efforts.
If you’re looking to lose weight then I have some advice for you — add coconut oil to your regular diet. I know what you’re probably thinking: “How can coconut oil help me drop a pant size when it’s full of saturated fat?”
It may seem odd to eat fat in order to lose weight. However, research has shown that coconut oil is a fat that can be used as a weight loss aid.
That’s because it contains a unique combination of fatty acids that effectively boost the metabolism, burn up calories, blast belly fat, and keep you feeling full for longer.
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Coconut Oil: What are the Fats?
First, let’s address the fat in the coconut oil jar. In just one tablespoon of coconut oil, you’ll get 14 grams of fat, 12 grams of which are saturated fat.
Many years ago, doctors and other healthcare professionals recommended that people avoid this type fat as it can cause obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, and other health problems.
We all know that not all oils can be used as sat oil.
Research shows that coconut oil has a lot more beneficial lauric acids than saturated fats. This medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) is extremely healthy.
Before I talk about the health benefits of medium chain fatty oils, it is important that you note that most vegetable oils, including olive oil are made up of long-chain fatty fatty fatty acids.
LCFAs are difficult for the body to digest, are predominantly stored as fat in the body, and can increase LDL “bad” cholesterol levels. These are all horrible factors if you’re looking to lose weight and improve your health.
MCFAs are easily digested. They are also immediately converted into energy, which means they aren’t stored as fat.
MCFAs may also help with weight loss by increasing metabolism. Don’t just take my word for it, though.
Over the years, there have been numerous studies that examined the effect of MCFAs upon weight reduction. According to researchers, the results are promising. One studyThe rats were given either MCFAs and LCFAs.
Six weeks later, researchers found that rats given MCFAs had lost 20% and 23%, respectively. This is good news to dieters.
Research suggests that MCFAs could be used to fight obesity.
Coconut Oil is the Best Fat to Lose Weight
Eating coconut oil to lose weight is more effective than you think. Here’s why it works:
- Coconut oil has high levels of medium-chain saturated fats (MCTs), that can help boost metabolism. (1)
- Coconut oil can reduce hunger and curb cravings. (2)
- Coconut oil balances your hormones.
How’s It (Supposed to) Work?
Coconut oil contains a relatively high concentration of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)—a fatty acid that’s processed more efficiently by the body than the long-chain dietary fats found in most foods (think: meat and dairy products), explains Cohen.
Long-chain fatty acids take the scenic route and camp in fat tissues along their way. MCTs, however, can be metabolized very quickly and used as an energy source.
Currently, however, there’s a lack of consistent evidence that the coconut oil weight loss link is legit.
1. Coconut Oil Boosts Metabolism. It Burns Calories
Since coconut oil is digested differently than most other fats, it’s no wonder the body responds to it in a unique way.
Thermogenic oil can deliver medium-chain fatty acids straight to your liver, where they are converted into energy.
This means that coconut oil’s high-fat content isn’t left to circulate freely in the blood or get stored as extra body weight.
Numerous studies show that coconut oil’s high MCFAs can increase energy expenditure, fat utilization and calorie loss.
In one studyEight healthy young men were fed MCFAs or LCFAs by the University of Geneva.
Research showed that MCFAs caused a 5% increase in energy expenditure for men. This led to a loss of 120 calories per day.
In another studyDaily meals high in MCFAs or LCFAs were provided to 17 obese women. Researchers discovered that women who ate less fats and consumed more MCFAs actually lost more calories over 27 days.
2. A natural energy boost may be available to you
Let’s keep talking about calories. You probably know that in order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you’re consuming.
You can achieve this by engaging in physical activity. Through activities like yoga, kettlebell swings, Zumba, P90X, Crossfit, or a number of other popular workouts, you can burn a ton of calories and watch the pounds melt right off.
It all sounds great, but when it actually comes down to getting your booty off the couch and working out a lot of people just don’t have the energy.
Many people either skip working out altogether or don’t push themselves hard enough during a workout session to reap the weight loss benefits. This could be helped by coconut oil!
In one study, researchers found consuming MCFAs can actually help increase energy and stamina. Six weeks of high-MCFAs or low-MCFAs diets were given to mice by the researchers. Oder LCFAs.
Then they had the mice swim in water until they got too tired. The mice that were fed MCFAs had a significantly higher endurance and were able to swim for longer periods.
Imagine how many more calories you can burn if you pushed yourself just a little harder during every workout!
3. Controls Blood Sugar Levels
Coconut oil can be used as an energy booster. Coconut oil can also be used to control blood sugar.
While this is extremely important for anyone who battles with diabetes, blood sugar levels also have a direct impact on your ability to lose weight and keep it off.
Many people find that simply monitoring their glucose levels can help stabilize their weight.
4. Coconut Oil Makes You Feel Full
Do you crave food all the time? Do you feel hungry even an hour after having eaten breakfast?
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but an extra snack here and there isn’t helping your weight loss efforts.
Of course, I’m not suggesting you starve yourself until lunch. Rather, it’s time to re-evaluate your meals.
Consuming foods rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats will help you feel fuller longer.
Oatmeal is great for breakfast and contains a lot of fiber.
Coconut oil might be an option. This will improve the taste and give your body MCFAs. This will help reduce snacking in the middle of the day, according to researchers.
For example, over a two-week period studyResearchers investigated how MCFAs can affect our appetite. Six healthy men were fed a diet high in MCFAs and ate 256 fewer calories every day.
It is clear that coconut oil can lower the amount of calories you consume each day.
If you don’t care for oatmeal, some other options are to add coconut oil to your morning cup of coffee or slather some on top of your eggs.
Coconut oil can be used in place of butter in toast and added to smoothies. There are so many options. Have fun!
5. Coconut oil reduces belly fat
When you take off your jeans, does your stomach feel like it is a muffin?
Belly fat is dangerous for your health.
Your body stores fat around your midsection. It can also build up between organs such as your stomach and intestines. Visceral fat has been linked to heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Research suggests that coconut oil might help you lose belly fat.
In one study40 women aged 20-40 were provided with daily coconut oil or soybean oil supplements.
They also followed a low-calorie diet. They also walked for 50 minutes every day. Both groups lost weight within 12 weeks.
Only the coconut oil group saw a decrease in belly fat. Women who ate soybean oil experienced a mild increase in their belly fat. • IncreaseBelly fat
This isn’t the only study that reached such findings.
6. Coconut Oil May Increase Your Thyroid Activity
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that’s located in your neck and releases hormones that control your metabolism.
Your thyroid may be underactive, slow or both. This can lead to weight gain. Thyroid health can be negatively affected by many oils that we use every day.
According to Dr. Joseph MercolaThe oil oxidizes rapidly after LCFA is added to it. Eventually, it will turn rancid.
This process can damage cells and put stress on the thyroid. That isn’t the case with coconut oil, though.
Since coconut oil is more stable and doesn’t put stress on the thyroid, this super oil has even been compared to powerful antioxidants.
7. Coconut Oil Improves Digestion
Researchers have long recognized the ease of coconut oil’s digestion.
Because MCFA molecules are smaller than LCFAs, they require less effort to digest and break down.
Coconut oil is therefore less likely to cause damage to the digestive system or the pancreas. Coconut oil can also reduce inflammation.
For these two reasons, patients with Crohn’s disease, colitis, and other gastrointestinal issues have reported significant improvements in their digestive health after adding coconut to their diet.
While digestive issues can be extremely unpleasant, did know that they can also lead to weight loss more difficult than usual?
That’s mainly because your body won’t properly break down food and toxic waste will get stored in your intestines.
Right now, the average American has pounds of stool trapped in their intestines and doesn’t even know.
Additionally, when your digestive system isn’t working properly your intestines won’t be able to absorb all of the nutrients and minerals from the food you eat.
This means that nutrients which may encourage weight loss might not get absorbed into your bloodstream.
Coconut oil can be used to help you feel better, lose weight and feel lighter.
How much coconut oil is necessary to lose weight?
While coconut oil offers the body many benefits, including weight and fat loss, it’s important to note you should consume it in moderation. Coconut oil is not something to eat spoon after teaspoon.Additionally to other fats will likely leave you with undesirable results.
This could be a sign that you might actually gain weight. You may be able gain more than just a few extra pounds. AdditionalCoconut oil can be added to your diet. Replacing some of the fats you currently eat (like butter, olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil, etc) with coconut oil.
How much should you eat each day to lose weight?
According to Dr. Bruce Fife, who is a nutritionist, naturopathic physician, and author of the book “The Coconut Oil Miracle,” you should eat anywhere between one-three tablespoons of coconut oil a day to reap the health benefits.
Should I Eat Coconut Oil When It’s Solid Or Liquid?
If you’ve never used coconut oil before then this question might confuse you. Here’s the deal – when coconut oil reaches 76 degrees Fahrenheit it melts into a liquid.
Coconut oil may lose its appearance if it’s left on the countertop for too long. Coconut oil will become liquidy during summer heat.
It will be more difficult in winter. The powerful nutrients in coconut oil remain in both forms. Coconut oil can either be solid or liquid, and both are equally beneficial.
While it doesn’t matter whether you consume coconut oil in its liquid or solid-state, if you want to reap the many health benefits then it is important to choose a high-quality oil.
When shopping for coconut oil look for the following words: unrefined, extra virgin, and/or pure. This means no chemicals have been added to the oil and it hasn’t been bleached.
Additionally, the oil isn’t exposed to high heat levels during the extraction process, like its refined counterpart. This is vital as heat can destroy some of the essential nutrients.
Coconut oil can be reabsorbed as easily as any other food. Coconut oil is more stable than other oils. Unrefined coconut oil has a shelf life of more than a year.
