I am ingesting the virgin coconut oil from TropicalTraditions, and I'm using their expeller pressed oil for cooking, which is described here:
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/epco.htm. From what I have read, I find no reason to believe that the expeller pressed is not healthy, but I do think the way it is refined is important.
I take a spoon and scrape the hardened virgin oil from the container until the spoon is full and rounded. Then I just nibble on it slowly over a period of time, savoring every bit. It melts instantly in my mouth, and the silky coconutty flavor is absolutely heavenly to me. I do this first thing in the morning and then right after I get home from work, before dinner. I figure I get close to 4 tbls. per day, which is a little more than the recommended daily dosage. To me, it doesn't seem like a "supplement" to my nutrition; it seems like a food, a mini-meal. It even curbs my appetite so that I don't feel like I have to get dinner right away!
Maybe I'm crazy, but I even like the taste of the expeller pressed. It seems to have a slightly buttery taste to me. It's the texture that I'm very fond of. I believe that my body is calling out for good, healthy fat, and plenty of it, and I am obliging.
As far as other people are concerned, it's like anything else. Seek out the people that agree with you and talk to them about diet, but don't approach the topic with naysayers and those that seem to want to sabotage. I am listening to MY body, and I don't care what anybody else says. Diet is sort of like politics and religion. Share it only with those that are on the same page, and there will be support and commonality. Try to share it with those opposed, and you get turmoil and confusion.
When someone trys to tell me my diet is "wrong," I look at THEIR health and THEIR body to see how their "right" diet is working for them. If they are not in perfect, glowing, vibrant health with a perfect body, then their opinion about diet doesn't hold water with me. I saw a picture recently on a paleo website (I WISH I could remember which one!), that was a depiction of a male hunter gatherer. Now that was one vibrant, glowing, powerful, beautiful specimen of human form!!
Your weight loss figures and other statistics are amazing!! I would say they speak for themselves. Wow!! and congratulations!
Hey, I was born in Columbus, Ohio (Westerville actually), but I haven't been there since 1973. I've been hanging out in Oregon and Arizona.
I think this forum is excellent for ideas and support, even though I do feel we need to kick up the pace a little bit and get more active on a daily basis. How about it, everyone!?!?
Good luck to you in your coconut quest!
Jennifer