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How To Use MCT Oil For Weight Loss

Jane Summerfield 7 min read|   Medically reviewed by: Jonadab Ichegbo, M.D
how to use mct oil for weight loss

Did you know MCT oil is the latest weight loss aid?

There are literally millions of people who have adopted the ketogenic diet since it started way back in the 1920s.

And then it wasn’t really for diet, you could say; it was aimed at treating epilepsy. Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic created it.

Along the way, people have found that one proponent of the keto diet; is that MCT oil has become hugely popular for its weight loss properties.

Someone else discovered the amazing weight loss properties of MCT oil; Dave Asprey – you must have heard about bulletproof coffee.

Can MCT Help You Burn Fat And Lose Weight?

coconut mct oil

MCTs Was Made Extremely Popular by Dave Asprey

Not all MCT oils are created the same, however.

Your MCT oil should be sourced from coconuts.

It can help you stay focused and stave off cravings to eat more. It also is known to give a person fat-burning ketone energy.

Even if you are not on a keto diet, you can still reap the health benefits.

Research has shown that you can fuel your brain and improve mental clarity and sharpness.

For those who are not on the keto diet, you might have wondered how MCT oil and bulletproof coffee all got started.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered – read all about it here. 

It’s a coffee concoction, made with butter and MCT oil.

And if you want to live to be 180 like what Dave Asprey is aiming for, watch here how MCT oil is part of his journey to do that.

MCT Oil gives incredible energy boosts

You can be sure that Dave Asprey did come under plenty of fire from many health experts about his bulletproof coffee – that it is not to be recommended.

But all this never put Dave off.

He swears by his Bulletproof coffee. He even opened his own shop in Santa Monica in 2015, with plans to build even more.

He says it’s not all about health but about high performance as well.

As we have seen above, MCT oil contains triglycerides [1].

It is usually made from coconut oil. The way MCT oil is derived from coconut oil happens through a process called fractionation [2].

Since the body can’t produce fatty acids, people need to consume them in foods or supplements.

But they are important, playing vital roles in fighting health issues that can range from cancer to cardiovascular disease.

Because MCT oil has medium-chain triglycerides, they don’t have to be digested.

They’re sent straight to the liver, where they get used to supply fast energy or for other purposes.

Why is MCT oil touted as a way to help you lose weight?

1) It makes you feel full

MCT oil works better than coconut oil to help you feel fuller for longer, helping you reduce body weight and weight circumference.

For those who follow the keto diet, MCT has proven the best choice of oil because it converts into ketones [3].

In order to make ketones, the liver will burn stored body fat [4]. That’s the stubborn fat that’s a major factor in obesity.

And MCTs play an important role in producing ketones too.

Anyone who follows the keto diet will know that they can only lose weight if they “stay in ketosis.”

They’ve been told over and over again to keep their carb consumption low or they will go right out of ketosis.

When the liver turns MCTs into ketones, the process increases the number of ketones available for energy.

The more ketones a keto dieter has in the body, the easier they can stay in ketosis. The bottom line is this; consuming MCT oil keeps the keto diet working.

2) It helps to increase stamina and focus

In the 1980s, the use of MCTs also came to the sports world. They would replace other types of dietary oils or fats.

It was found that MCTs supplied a quick boost of energy needed in endurance sports. We can understand the reasons why MCTs were found so valuable by endurance athletes.

They received an effective and quick energy boost from the medium-chain fats. They didn’t have to deal with potential health issues linked to traditional “carb-loading” for energy.

The NY Post recently reported that top celebrities like Emma Stone and Kourtney Kardashian add MCT to their coffee in order to lose weight.

They have found that it increases their stamina and focus.

One nutrition coach, Danielle DeSimone points out that “MCT oil is digested faster than other fats, like olive oil. It helps give us fast, long-lasting energy.”

This energy helps to curb cravings for sugar and carbs, the foods that lead to insulin spikes.

Using MCT oil in your coffee is better for losing weight than drinking keto coffee

Did you know that a single cup of keto coffee contains a full day’s recommended amount of saturated fat – that’s nearly one-fifth of a day’s calories.

That’s rather unhealthy, not so?

Second, bulletproof coffee is also very filling.

This is why so many dieters skip the rest of their breakfast.

But in doing so, they lose out on a lot of other important nutrients they would otherwise be getting from fruit, veggies, and protein.

A better choice than keto coffee is simply to add MCT oil into your coffee or tea

And that’s without the butter or ghee.

You do get ready-to-drink, keto-friendly coffees such as Super Coffee.

This comes with MCT oil already mixed in it.

It contains fewer calories and has very little saturated fat.

You don’t have to have MCT oil in coffee though

Because MCT oil is tasteless, it is so easy to consume.

And there is plenty of evidence that documents MCT oil’s ability to help keto dieters achieve ketosis and stay in ketosis [5].

There is also evidence to show that a strict keto diet can lead to very impressive weight loss.

This is as long as the dieter stays in ketosis [6].

That straight away stops people from eating too much when they’re trying to lose weight.

But MCTs also help to induce thermogenesis or heat generation in the body – it helps dieters to burn fat and reduces their weight.

One study of overweight men showed that when they consumed MCTs, their body energy increased, leading to a loss of body fat [7].

It has also been noticed that subcutaneous fat; that frustrating layer of fat that hinders the potential for a toned midsection, also becomes reduced with the consumption of MCTs.

MCTs are Rarely Stored as Fat

As far as people trying to rid themselves of excess pounds, this is good news, proving that MCT oil is a useful addition to any dieter’s weight loss regime [8].

But there’s more to the story.

MCTs have other excellent health benefits too, apart from helping anyone to lose weight.

Coconut oil and MCTs are not technically the same

  • Coconut oil contains around 55-65% of MCTs.
  • MCT oil contains 100% MCTs. This is an important distinction because although both these healthy fats stem from coconuts, they don’t function the same way in the body.
  • What’s special about MCTs is that they’re a fast-acting energy source for your body. They bypass the normal digestive process, enabling the body and brain to use them almost immediately.
  • Long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) and longer-chain fatty acids such as those found in avocados and olive oil have more carbon atoms in them. They require more energy to process.
  • Consuming MCTs triggers the body to create ketones. They, therefore, help with weight loss, particularly on the keto diet.

Preventing Obesity and Kick-starting a Weight Loss Diet Using MCTs

Researchers have concluded MCTs could be used to prevent obesity and to kick-start a weight-loss diet.

Scientists strongly believe that MCTs are safe to include in a weight loss program.

This is because they are not likely to contribute to weight gain or cause any negative side effects.

To back this up, certain participants who used MCT oil and who were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were cleared of this diagnosis after the trial.

MCT oil has proven to be effective in helping people generally to improve their overall health.

But people need to realize that merely adding MCT oil to their diets doesn’t guarantee rapid weight loss.

How should one consume MCT oil for weight loss?

MCT oil makes an excellent replacement for long-chain triglycerides in the diet for many reasons.

When it comes to weight loss, there’s one thing that is important and that’s the dose.

In fact, the exact amount of MCTs you need to consume to help with your weight loss comes down to your daily caloric needs.

Generally speaking, ten grams of MCT oil powder will set you back about 70 calories.

If you burn around 2000 calories a day and your aim is to lose weight, you need to make sure you eat less than 2000 calories a day.

Most people will benefit from sticking to around one to two servings of MCTs a day.

This will count for around 140 calories a day.

Remember, that if you do go overboard with MCTs; actually, for any type of food for that matter, you could easily surpass your calorie needs for the day.

It is best for you that when you take MCTs, you treat them more like you are eating food over a supplement.

Conclusion

If you are eating a poor diet and you believe that adding MCT oil is going to suddenly put you back to square one and onto a healthy beginning; pushing you into ketosis, you are in for a disappointment.

You are correct to assume that MCT oil can keep you feeling fuller for longer.

This can help you to reduce how much you eat. It can also raise your metabolic rate and help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Not only that, MCT oil can help you reduce your weight and your body fat because it can help to suppress your appetite so you are not tempted to eat more.

Studies have shown that the medium-chain fatty acids found in MCT oil are particularly beneficial when it comes to losing fat on the keto diet — but only if you’re following a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.

The bottom line is that MCT oil is certainly a solution for helping you lose weight; as long as you are using MCTs correctly, you are onto a good thing.

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