I just started LC'ing again after slipping for a few months (gained back 10 lbs)
I recently found info on the internet about Virgin Coconut Oil. I thought it sounded like a perfect addition to the diet to add fat. It's supposed to boost your metabolism and help lose weight and also supposed to be very healthy for you. The instructions are to ingest 3.5 TB per day. I started the first day with 1 TB and the 2nd day with 2 TB. I have not lost one single pound yet. Normally when I get myself on Induction, I lose 2 - 3 lbs. the first day. This is the only food that I can think of that could be inhibiting my weight loss. Has anyone else experienced this, or heard of it? I did also start working out with the Body Flex tape and bar the day I started LC'ing again, but I can't imagine that I would have built up muscle already as the first day was just breathing and stretching exercises.
I am going to stop taking the oil for a few days to see if I start losing, but I hate to delete it from my diet if it is so healthy for me. Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I did forget to say that I was in Ketosis the 2nd day, although it's a very light pink.

I don't know about the coconut oil but something to keep in mind is that lc'ing is often less effective the 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) time through. Most people lose the most the first time they do it, and if they start it again later, it is usually much harder to lose. this could be the problem.

When I first started taking coconut oil (for my wacked out thyroid) I initially gained 2-3 lbs for the first week or so. But then I started losing but what a benefit! I stopped being cold all the time but better yet, my skin, my lips, my hair are all shiny and healthy!

Thanks, Lessara. I didn't take it today and I'm going to see what happens when I weigh myself tomorrow. I do think that the benefits of it are too good to stop using it from everything I've read, so I think once I lose a couple of lbs., I'll start taking it again. Are you losing steadily since you started with it?

Honestly, I believe that the added fat to my diet has caused me a steady weightloss. It was a major factor. I wish you the best.

I lost 2 lbs. after not taking the Coconut Oil yesterday. I think I may wait a few days before taking it again, if only for psychological reasons. I don't want to get discouraged because I'm not losing. Thanks.

Beyond weight loss, coconut oil offers a number of health benefits. It's 50-65% (depending on what source you read) medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). MCTs are a great source of energy for the body. MCTs are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not even essential. Therefore, there is little strain on the pancreas and digestive system. Once in the digestive system, MCTs go directly from the intestines via the portal vein to the liver, without the intermediate packaging steps other fats require. The liver breaks down MCTs into ketones, which the body burns/oxidizes for energy. Very little, if any, MCTs get stored as adipose tissue.

Coconut oil is high in lauric acid. The body converts this to monolaurin, which has anti-microbial properties. It's been effective in keeping my eczema and the occasional mouth sore (herpes type II) in check.

I’ve put coconut oil into my body by drinking it, (warmed in a microwave), sautéing with it, topping food with it (it melts at 76°), rubbing it on after a shower/bath, and even as a deodorant. It has also done wonderful things for my skin in general.

Since I appear to be well-suited (45 lbs. lost in 10 weeks) to a high-fat (65% of calories) diet, it would not be fair for me to say that coconut oil is essential to everyone, but it is a remarkable substance.

For a more complete (though technical) discussion of coconut oil's benefits, visit the Weston A. Price Foundation'sweb page on the topic. www.coconut-info.com has some more readable information on coconut oil's benefits.

Thanks for the info. I've figured out that it must not be the Coconut Oil because I've only lost 3 lbs. in the past 11 days of induction. I believe it's just because I've gone off and on this WOE so many different times and my body is going to be stubborn. I started working out with Body Flex the day I started back and it requires you to measure every 7 days. Since I lost 7 3/4 inches the first week, I'm not worried about my weight anymore. I started back with the Coc. Oil yesterday.

Hello~
Does the coconut oil have to be from the web site mentioned.......I have also checked that out but it is so expensive...........do you think an unrefined tpe from the health food store would work fine as well????

Spectrum Naturals sells a organic coconut oil, which undergoes a brief, low-heat (200 degrees Farenheit, steam process) deordorization to remove the smell, at a reasonable price ($4.69/14 oz. jar in CA). If you have a natural foods grocery store nearby, they may have it or be willing to order it. If you can't get it locally, and you live on the west coast, you can order it from Azure Standard, either by the jar or the case. If you live elsewhere, search the web for a distributor near you.

In his book The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil, Bruce Fife, N.D., recommends the Omega Nutrition brand, which is also deodorized. I am leery of oil stored in plastic containers, though; I prefer Spectrum Naturals' glass packaging.

In all the reading I've done (and that I can understand as a lay person), I can't find any reference to whether the oils used for research were completely natural or deodorized. So, try the deodorized oil first. If you notice no benefit, try the more expensive oil.

Spectrum Naturals used to market an organic, unrefined coconut oil at a reasonable price. They withdrew it, due to complaints about the strong smell. I and others have let the company know that there is a market for the unrefined oil. The official response is that the company is looking for a distributor for the unrefined oil. If you would like to call Spectrum Naturals and encourage them to sell organic, unrefined coconut oil. their customer relations number is (800) 995-2705 (PST).

Thanks~ I will give them a call..........Spectrum is what I bought this past week.
Felt slightly sick yesterday.......don't know if perhaps I overdid it a bit for a newbie~ Thanks for the advice~

I have read that due to coconut oil's anti-microbial action, people may experience a microbial "die-off" when first taking the oil. The microbes release toxins into the body as they die, making you feel like crap during the process.

Although I didn't experience that with coconut oil, I have gone through the "die-off" blues when I took antifungal medication some years back. I sympathize, and I encourage you to reduce your dose to 1 Tb./day for a week, and increase by 1 Tb./day at weekly intervals until you get to 3.5 Tb. Stay there for a couple of weeks, then go back to 2 Tb./day, and see if you notice any difference.

Thanks, Acohn. I've been feeling bad here & there for the past couple of days and was wondering if I wasn't eating enough carbs since I'm working out, but maybe your explanation is what's going on. Do you know how long it's supposed to take the toxins to leave your body?

Nikki,

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about the effects of "die-off." My "die-off" blues were short-lived: 3 days. But, I don't know what's dying in your body. If, for example, the monolaurin (what your body converts the coconut oil's lauric acid to) is killing a systemic yeast infection (as in candida), it may take awhile. I'm sorry that I can't be more specific.

I also regret ignoring your workouts. You don't mention how intense your workouts are, but glycogen depletion *might* be contributing to your feeling out of sorts. As a rule of thumb, the more intense the exercise, the more glycogen the body will want to use. Here's a short essay on the topic by a smarter person than I from another forum in which I participate.

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When we exercise muscles, they have access to different energy systems. The primary energy systems are:

1. Phosphagen

2. Glycolysis, of which there are two types: fast glycolysis and slow glycolysis

3. Oxidative system (an aerobic process, i.e., requires oxygen)

Phosphagen
Basically, about 0-6 seconds worth of stored ATP plus creatine phosphate and enzymes to create ATP. Very high intensity.

Fast Glycolysis
Energy source is glucose. Commonly called the anaerobic system, although glycolysis itself does not depend on oxygen. However, the glycolytic rate and presence of oxygen determine whether fast or slow glycolysis is used. With insufficient oxygen, the end product pyruvate is converted to lactic acid.

Slow Glycolysis
Also uses glucose for energy. However, the difference here is the rate. A slower energy production rate and suffficient oxygen allows the end product pyruvate to be transported to the mitochondria and enter the Krebs cycle. Thus no lactic acid is produced.

Oxidative System
The oxidative system utilizes fats or proteins or the pyruvate endproduct from glycolysis. In the muscle mitochondria, these substances also produce energy via the Krebs cycle.

All Systems, All the Time
The key point to understand is the body is commonly accessing all of these energy systems. It is not like we use "fat-burning" until it switches off and then we start "carb-burning." At no time, during either exercise or rest, does any single energy system provide the complete supply of energy. During exercise, the degree to which anaerobic and oxidative systems contribute to the energy being produced is determined primarily by exercise intensity and secondarily, by exercise duration.

At 50% of VO2Max, roughly 80% of the total energy is supplied from fatty acids and the remainder from glycolysis. At 100% of VO2Max, the ratio is roughly reversed: about 80% of energy comes from glycolysis. However, we are still burning fat -- we are actually burning much more fat at the higher intensity. However, the glucose usage skyrockets so much that the percentage of energy produced from fat drops.

In the long run, it depends on our training purpose and goals. Long exercise durations of low to moderate intensity teach the body to prefer to burn fatty acids for fuel and spare (keep in reserve) its glycogen. Performing the same amount of work, but in a short and intense bout will train the body to primarily use glycogen for the energy.

If the work amount is identical, we need the same amount of ATP, leading to the old saying of "a calorie is a calorie". However, how we burn that calorie has a big impact on which energy system the body uses to perform the work.
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