Ways to Use Coconut Oil to Reduce Weight
The many health benefits of coconut oil are well-known. Aside from the health benefits, many use it as part of their skincare regimen and for hair care. That is why it is no surprise that it is used to lose weight.
Nowadays, more and more nutritionists have been recommending using coconut oil in various ways such as cooking as long as people use it moderately and with a proper diet. It is ideal since it is metabolized and absorbed slowly similar to other long-chain fatty acids. Moreover, it has components that control appetite, quicken metabolism and prevent the accumulation of fat.
Coconut oil can maintain a high metabolism for 24 hours from the time you consumed it. As a result, you can burn fat faster and have increased energy. Aside from cooking, here are some ways of how to use coconut oil to lose weight.
Can Coconut Oil Make You Lose Weight?
Learning how to use coconut oil to lose weight, you might be wondering if it can truly reduce weight. Many people such as active adults and athletes have the same question. Nevertheless, many individuals have started incorporating coconut oil in their diet because of this benefit.
It seems that the digestion of MCFAs or medium-chain fatty acids helps to improve metabolism and give more energy. Therefore, it is used in many sports diets and has been observed to give athletes better performance. Several sports drinks and bars have coconut oil as their ingredient.
Knowing this, coconut oil appears to have advantages in burning fat. That is why many studies have been conducted if coconut oil can be utilized as a part of weight management.
How Much Coconut Oil Should Be Consumed in a Day?
Even though coconut oil is healthy, you should be wary of your intake. According to a study, it is recommended to take 30 ml or 2 tablespoons of it every day. Depending on your calorie intake, you can consume up to 39 ml of coconut oil.
Ways on How to Use Coconut Oil to Lose Weight
Taking 1 Spoon of Coconut Oil a Day
Rather than drinking coffee or sugary beverages to give you a boost of energy, you can just eat a spoon of coconut oil. However, eating foods with coconut oil should be in moderation. Coconut oil can help control appetite, but it contains some calories. Similar to other kinds of oil, it has saturated fats. Therefore, it is recommended to start with 1 tablespoon every day.
Some people who take coconut oil feel a little queasy at the beginning, so it is better to adjust to it first. However, even after you have adjusted to it, you have to limit your intake to 2 to 3 tablespoons every day.
Mixing Coconut Oil to Your Coffee
One of the most known methods on how to use coconut oil to lose weight is adding it into your coffee. Many people like their coffee with a little fat and they do this by adding creamer. A needed dose of fat is possible when you add coconut oil to your coffee. According to research, incorporating MCT oil in your diet can make you lose fat and calories faster.
When you mix coconut oil to your coffee, you should not stir. That is because you will end up getting an oily haze on the surface. This can result in an upset stomach. Instead, you can use a regular or handheld blender to mix it. By doing this, you will have a frothy and creamy coffee that is relaxing and fat-burning.
Making Coconut Oil a Kitchen Staple
Coconut is perfect for cooking meals since most of its fatty acids are saturated, it is stable even at extreme temperatures. Moreover, it has 175 degrees’ Celsius smoke point which is high.
It is better to keep it in your cupboard instead of your fridge so that you can easily use it. Coconut oil is somewhat solid when kept at room temperature, but it melts once you use it for cooking. You might be wondering how to store it during the cold season since it will be hard to scoop because of solidification. To solve this, you can use a blender or electric mixer to whip it.
Here some cooking tips when using coconut oil:
- You can use 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to cook meat, fish, vegetables, and eggs.
- You can apply some of it on chicken or other meat before coating them with seasonings.
- When cooking popcorn, you can put some melted coconut oil on top.
Mixing Coconut Oil to Hot Water or Tea
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to consume coconut oil in the morning, you can add 1 spoonful of it to hot water or herbal tea. Coconut oil is solid at the start, but it will melt into a hot beverage once it is mixed in. This is an ideal way if you find cooking with coconut oil a little intimidating.
Making cocoa chai tea is a great way to add coconut oil to your tea. Here are the things you need:
- 1 regular or herbal chai tea bag
- 1 tbsp cream
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Stevia or other sweeteners to taste
What you need to do is to put hot water over the teabag and allow it to steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Take off the tea bag and mix all the remaining ingredients well.
Massaging Coconut Oil onto Your Skin
Besides taking it onto your body, you can also use it to deal with cellulite. It is usually an unwanted weight gain effect that is usually seen on the thighs. There are 2 ways on how to use coconut oil to lose weight by dealing with cellulite. These are dry brushing and coffee scrubbing.
Dry brushing could help by removing toxins and improving the body’s circulation. To do this with coconut out, you need to put some coconut oil on the desired area. Using a natural and vegetable brushing, brush the skin with gentle strokes going to the direction of the heart.
Here are the things you need to create a coffee scrub:
- ¼ cup of coffee grounds
- ¼ cup of coconut oil
- ¼ cup of sugar
When you shower, put some of this scrub onto your skin and wash it off. You can keep extra coffee scrub by placing it in a lidded container.
Consuming Coconut Oil 20 Minutes Before Eating Meals
If you want to shed off some fat or get back your 6-pack, supplementing your diet with coconut oil could help. Some research discovered that coconut oil could make you feel more stuffed, so you do not feel often hungry and lower your calorie consumption.
This is also a great way to lose weight because it naturally inhibits your appetite. The main component for this is a medium-chain triglyceride. It suppresses appetite making you feel satiated for a longer period.
Using Coconut Oil to Replace Eggs When Baking
A tablespoon of coconut is equivalent to an egg when baking. Coconut oil has 120 calories in every tablespoon and a large egg has 70 calories. Even though coconut oil has higher calorie content, it is more beneficial because of the healthy fatty acids it has.
Replacing Butter and Vegetable Oil with Coconut Oil
Though substituting coconut oil for cooking oil and butter will not extremely affect the calories, you can discover and experience its weight loss benefits. You can use coconut oil when sautéing. You can opt for virgin and unrefined coconut oil since it is considered healthier in general. However, it is not recommended if you do not like intense coconut taste.
You can use refined coconut oil if you are planning to cook a savory dish. You might find the flavor of coconut oil too subtle for this kind of dish. Some of the dishes that taste great with coconut oil are curry and shrimps. It is also better than olive oil because it keeps more of its health benefits when cooked.
Making Kale Chips
If you are craving junk food, you can exchange your favorite potato chips for kale chips. You can cook this healthier snack using cooking oil. Here is how you can make it:
- Break the kale leaves into small pieces and throw the stems away.
- Coat the leaves with coconut oil.
- Place the leaves in a layer over a baking sheet and put some sea salt.
- Bake them at 177 degrees Celsius for around 10 to 15 minutes or until they become a bit brown and crispy. Make sure to check them from time to time and flip if needed to avoid burning them.Â
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A Final Word From Energetic Lifestyle
Finally, we hope that these ways on how to use coconut oil to lose weight can help you. It is great to be included in your calorie-controlled diet because it is rich in medium-chain fatty acid. Just remember that it still has calories if you begin to eat it every day, so you better consume it moderately.