3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

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- Does it Work? (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/does-work-11/)

- - Coconut Oil [m] (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/does-work/71854-coconut-oil-%5Bm%5D.html)

Anyone using Virgin Coconut Oil ??

I have read a lot of reports and even the American Heart Association is unsure about this oil now. It has to be the virgin and not the regular. It is supposed to help many things like arthritis etc. I do not usually fall for fad stuff but looking at other people in other countries who use this it sounds interesting. My friend is using it and she has bad arthritis and it is really helping her and she has lost 10 pounds. All her mothers friends are on it too and feel better. Could there be something to this? Before I get flamed I just really want some honest anwers if anyone uses this and the results you get. I have read a few posts about this but that was awhile ago. Just any honest answers

i use it on my face and body. it's a great moisturizer. :)

i know a lot of raw-foods enthusiasts like to put it in smoothies, etc. i can't figure out whether it's good or bad for you, but I tend to think you can't really go wrong with something natural and unprocessed. maybe give it a try in moderation and see how you feel?

It's high in sat fat. Here's a thread on it from "Does It Work?"
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=85

I use it. It has the healthy fat in it. Can cook with it or use it on your skin. I learned about it on a thyroid site. You need the virgin coconut oil though.

I am doing the great 6 week coconut experiment-Anyone else

I went and bought coconut extra virgin supplements and the book. I am really interested to see what happens. I am going to do it for six weeks and see what happens. My friend has done it for 6 weeks and her mother and mothers friends and they have all lost weight and felt better. I need to lose weight but I am really interested in the overall effect on the body. I hope someone else will do this with me. Thanks Gayle

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG

I have read a lot of reports and even the American Heart Association is unsure about this oil now...

Ummm...got a link to the American Heart Association's "uncertainty" about coconut oil? Because if the AHA IS "on the fence" regarding coconut oil, they SURE as heck haven't mentioned it on their oft-updated website...for example...

Tips for Eating Thai Food - " Ask that cooking be done with vegetable oil rather than coconut oil or lard."

Tropical Oils - AHA Recommendation
We advise people to reduce the amount of saturated fat in their diet. One way to do this is to limit your intake of foods containing tropical oils. A diet high in saturated fat tends to raise blood cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
What are "tropical oils"?
This term refers to coconut, palm kernel and palm oils. Like all fats and oils, these three oils contain various types of fatty acids. But unlike other plant oils, they contain a lot of saturated fatty acids. Coconut oil contains 92 percent, palm kernel oil has 82 percent and palm oil has 50 percent.

Tips on Reducing Cholesterol - advises limiting "Saturated oils like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil."

Hydrogenated Fats - "Avoid fats if one of the first three listed ingredients is coconut oil, palm oil and/or palm kernel oil. These oils contain high amounts of saturated fats and so increase the risk of cholesterol deposits in artery walls."

Eating Plan: Fats and Oils - "Remember that although coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are vegetable oils and have no cholesterol, they're high in saturated fat. Read food labels carefully."

It's a saturated fat. As Suzanne said back in March:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suzanne 3FC

As far as I know, the jury is still out on this one. I'm told that there are no published studies involving humans proving their claims. According to several articles I read, the reason coconut oil is claimed to help weight loss is that it you feel satisfied sooner so you quit eating your meal before it's gone. Eat less, lose weight. Whether or not you actually push away the plate when you feel satisifed is questionable, considering that overeating is the reason we all got fat in the first place. There also has not been enough research to prove that MTC's have thermogenic properties or promote thyroid metabolism. It looks like someone just took an unproven theory and ran with it, as is so often the case with fad diets and fad diet products.

A spokesman for the American Heart Association said this:

People have looked in the past as to whether MCTs have thermogenic properties, and I think the answer is pretty well negative. Generally, saturated fats tend not to be as well [metabolized], so if it does have any ability to promote heat generation, it's going to be minimal..... Coconut oil's effect on metabolism, if any, is modest compared with the potential for raising overall cholesterol and particularly "bad" LDL cholesterol. Ingesting coconut oil for a short period of time will not do harm, but I'm concerned about the long haul.

As a person with heart disease, I personally feel more comfortable avoiding coconut oil and other saturated fats. Life is too short to take risks involving our health.

The subject of coconut oil as a miracle diet aid comes up from time to time...I prefer to quote our ever-astute Meg who said in this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meg

The only 'pro' coconut oil info I've ever seen has come from sites selling the stuff. I'd be interested in reading an unbiased source of information about its benefits, if anyone knows of one.

My sister is a dietitian so I get to read some of her newsletters. I have read all the warnings and I have read the other side. I just find it strange that so many people use it in other countries with positive results and Lauric acid is a really neat thing. This is why I am trying it for 6 weeks to see what happens. I am not using it for weight loss more of just to see what happens. My friends have used it with amazing results especially with her ruematoid arthritis. Thank you for responding. I have read many of your posts Ms. Jim and you are a very inspiring person.

Here is a link to the Web MD article on Coconut oil with AMA comments

i use it on my hands(have skin issues due to thyroid)
fyi-----someone mentioned 'healthy oil'....it isnt its made of saturated fat

So far I have been using a tablespoon as a butter replacement on my morning lowfat toast. I can't even tell the difference really. I actually have felt really good and seem to have more energy. I guess time will tell. Man usually I am still hungry after my toast but now I am so full I can hardly eat my 3 pcs. It does fill you up I guess the fat. WOW. If it helps me get through my morning then it is worth it alone so I won't snack.

Personally...speaking as someone whose family history includes a LOT of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breast and ovarian cancers - I'll keep my distance. It's just not worth it to me to possibly lose a few pounds only to increase my chance of having a surgeon saw my chest open for a bypass in the future...

And I wouldn't call the statement in the WebMD article from the American Heart Association being "unsure" about the status of coconut oil:

Quote:

Where does the American Heart Association weigh in on coconut oil as an aid to weight loss? "I would be very pessimistic about this, says Robert Eckel, MD, the Association's spokesman on nutrition. He says he's concerned about the effects of high levels of saturated fat. "This is going to be a cholesterol-raising diet."

He says he also doubts claims that coconut oil can boost metabolism. "People have looked in the past as to whether MCTs have thermogenic properties, and I think the answer is pretty well negative. Generally, saturated fats tend not to be as well [metabolized], so if it does have any ability to promote heat generation, it's going to be minimal."

Eckel says coconut oil's effect on metabolism, if any, is modest compared with the potential for raising overall cholesterol and particularly "bad" LDL cholesterol. "Ingesting coconut oil for a short period of time will not do harm, but I'm concerned about the long haul."

Not JUST 'pessimistic' - VERY pessimistic. Coconut oil has more saturated fat than butter and lard! No thanks.

And the companies selling the stuff aren't exactly known for telling the truth - here's a link to an FDA warning letter sent to one of the companies pushing coconut oil calling it a treatment for AIDS, herpes, Crohn's disease, and hypothyroidism...and another letter.

Additionally, here's a Q&A by Dr. Andrew Weil: Is Coconut Oil Good for You? in which he states:

Quote:

...for now, we don't have any evidence suggesting that coconut oil is better for you than other saturated fats. The benefits of coconut oil in the diet, if any, are likely to be minimal, and until we have more and better evidence about coconut oil's effect of metabolism and potential role in promoting weight loss, I do not recommend using it.

Again...I'll pass.

I guess to be honest since I have been using it I have been eating healthier and really watching my fat intake so that I wouldn't be excessively eating it. There are many products that use coconut oil and people injest it all the time without thinking it. Many brands of hot coco use it even low fat. This is why I am trying it for six weeks to see what happens. I do feel more energetic and I feel so full in the morning after replacing it on my morning toast that I am not snacking. I don't know I think losing 10-20 pounds will help my heart too so I am going to see what happens. I will just see what happens. My friends have had great success and one friend just had her labs done and they were much better than before. I don't know I think the virgin is much better than regular. Who knows we will see.

I have heard a lot about coconut oil and I was wondering if anybody has used it or had any results with it?? I have heard it is good for speeding up the metabolism and can be used for some cooking and as an anti-fungal ... It has many benefits..

Every website I've seen that promotes it happens to have a financial stake in the coconut oil business. Medical websites, such as the American Heart Association, still say avoid it.

Dr. Weil advises against it
http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA316479/

Here's a post I wrote not too long ago that may help :)

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...17&postcount=8

I just started it, so I'll let you know what happens to me!
I am taking it because I believe I have a slow thyroid. (My temp is always 96 & I'm depressed--waiting to see the doc on that) In the mean time, I heard it was a natural thyroid support, and wanted to see if it would help for that. I am one to eat butter, I don't believe in margarine, so I am replacing one sat. fat in my diet for another. We'll see what happens I guess.