Coconut oil + weight gain page

[betty74]

I have been consuming 3-4 T/day of coconut oil for about 1-2 weeks. My face and back have been breaking out and I have gained @4 lbs. Has anyone experienced this? I am not positive it is the coconut oil as I have not been as tight with the eats, but I have done that before. Just interested to know if any one else has experienced this with the coconut oil. I have been cooking with it and using it on my body for many months, but this is the first real effort to consume the 3-4 T./day.

[emmie]

If you're taking in 3-4T in addition to your normal eating, you've added 300-400 calories daily. When I used coconut oil, I just substituted it for my regular EVOO in cooking, so it wasn't additional.

However, I stopped using it (I know that's heresy among low carbers) because my LDL shot up (that was my only dietary change at the time), and my endo advised me to go back to EVOO (LDL went back down).

[Dannielle]

any oil is 120cal/tbsp. any time you consume more calories than you need you will gain weight.

I do use coconut oil but not in addition to my normal amount of daily calories. I know I don't consume 4 tbsp worth in a day. I would have insane diarrhea if I had that much.

[betty74]

I have been reading Bruce Fife's book, and Eat Fat Lose Fat, and various others. All recommend eating 3-4 T/day. If I cook something just for me in coconut oil than I count that as part of my 3-4. I don't think I have been eating as much since doing this either so kinda stumped. I need to start writing it down again.

[john_e_turner_ii]

I am cutting back on my coconut oil intake. For one, I seem to have a food allergy to coconuts overall, in particular the coconut milk. The oil doesn't bother me much, but I do notice some stomach grumbling some times. The sad part is I really enjoy it. It tastes great, but just doesn't agree with me. Now I just use about 1 tbsp in my daily soup that I make. For some reason it doesn't bother me when I consume it that way.

And yes, 3-4 servings a day would probably be a little much for most people. I am sure some do just fine, but I know I would put on weight if I didn't cut something else out.

[Chefgerry]

Lauric acid, the main fat in coconut oil is a MCD and is easily digestable and is converted into energy by the body fairly quickly............also to gain 3 lbs of actual mass in 3 weeks you would have needed to eat 500 calories over your maintenance........did you do that?

[cerebelumsdayoff]

If you are eating the coconut oil in addition to your daily calories (vs. Substituting other oils with it) then you may have indeed gained weight over it. Coconuy oil itself won't lead to weight gain if eaten in accordance to your energy requirement. I have had days where I have eatrn 4+ tbsps of the stuff without weight gain becauase I was active that day.

Balance it out with your daily food intake and you should be fine. It is a good source of fat, but it is not a magic vitamin we could eat without limits.

[MalPaz]

coconut products make my face break out like cysticly.... i dropped it all and i was usiing a lot of coconut products, oil, milk, coconut butter, flakes etc and havent used any for a week and BAM my face cleared up, no change in weight either. making up those missing cals was a bit&^*ch though!! i have gone thru massive quantities of maca nuts lately!

[betty74]

I was fine when I was just cooking with it and eating the other products, but adding the oil to my drinks to up the intake seems to be what it causing the zits and weight. Maybe I should drop it and see what happens. Thanks for all the responses.

[Egoldstein]

Balance it out with your daily food intake and you should be fine. It is a good source of fat, but it is not a magic vitamin we could eat without limits.

+1

My other concern is that coconut oil itself has some beneficial MCTs and all, but not a lot in the way of micronutrients, minerals, etc...having it as a large percentage of calories starts to crowd out other things. I find my body naturally tells me when to back off of coconut oil as too much causes stomach rumbling and overly soft stools.