Bothered about your weight? If you’re looking for ways to lose that stubborn fat which you have, then you can relax now!
In this article, I’m going to tell you 10 less known ways to use coconut oil for weight loss. Sounds exciting? Well, before I discuss the tips, let me tell you – Weight loss is all about calories in and calories out.
If you eat more than you actually lose, then definitely your weight will increase. So, girls and boys, remember to take care of your eating habits! You have to choose foods that can make you feel full by reducing your appetite but it should be very healthy at the same time.
Coconut oil is amazing at this as it consists of medium chain fatty acids that increase energy expenditure, in simple words, fat burning.
So you see, coconut oil boosts our metabolism and helps us lose weight efficiently. If you’re worried about your abdominal fat, then there’s a surprise for you! Coconut oil is very effective at reducing the stubborn abdominal fat or belly fat.
It’s important to lose the belly fat, not for looking good but to live a long life and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. Doesn’t that sound great?
My list of 10+ ways on how to use coconut oil for weight loss:
1. Add coconut oil to your coffee
Are you women out there trying to lose weight by dieting and exercising? Why not make your routine a bit more effective? Well, it is pretty hard to give up that yummy creamy froth in your coffee while maintaining a diet.
So here is a tip for all the coffee lovers. You can still slurp on your coffee by adding coconut oil to it. I didn’t mean to say adding coconut oil to your coffee and stirring it. Never do that. You might end up with an upset stomach.
- Instead, blend your coffee and coconut oil with a hand blender or a regular one and Voila! Your magic weight loss drink is ready which tastes just like your regular frothy coffee.
The best part about this, is that you need not stick to fat free coffee in your diet regimen. You can enjoy the taste and the fat with absolutely no guilt as the fat you are having is considered to be a “good fat”.
Yes! Coconut oil consists of medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) which is nothing but a form of fat that helps in burning calories. Whereas, most oils are composed of long chain triglycerides which are stored in the form of fat in our body.
Moreover, it burns a few pounds in your lower abdomen when taken on a regular basis. Okay ladies, it’s time to grab your coffee mugs now.
2. Massage your skin with coconut oil
We all know the benefits of oiling and massaging our skin and hair with coconut oil. It gives strength and shine to your hair, while retaining moisture of the skin and preventing it from getting dry.
But how many of us actually know that massaging skin with coconut oil can also help in weight loss? Well, it does not contribute in weight loss directly but helps us to get rid of cellulite, which is an unwanted result of weight gain.
You don’t have to spend so many dollars on those anti cellulite creams and oils now, as you know the trick. The trick is to use coconut oil which is much cheaper and more effective, that too in a natural way.
Coconut oil for cellulite can be used in the form of a scrub or by dry brushing.
To prepare the scrub
- add equal amounts of ground coffee, sugar and coconut oil.
- Mix them and massage onto your skin before taking a shower.
- In case of dry brushing, spread coconut oil on the target area and gently stroke towards the heart with a natural or vegetable based brush.
This process of dry brushing is used to remove toxins from the body and improve blood circulation.
Now that you know the real benefit of coconut oil massage, never skip your massage sessions to achieve desired results.
3. Use it to blast belly fat
As mentioned earlier, coconut oil helps greatly in burning the abdominal fat as it’s composition is high in medium chain triglycerides.
These are metabolized in a different manner compared to other fats. They are sent to the liver where the fat is converted into energy right away.
Several studies show that, if we replace our regular fats with MCT’s, which are present in coconut oil, we burn more calories than usual. You may not experience weight loss on the go, but you can observe a considerable loss in your belly fat.
Coconut oil speeds up your metabolism as it needs more energy to breakdown and burn fat. So the next time you cook your meals, make sure you add coconut oil instead of your regular oils.
- You can use it to saute your vegetables as a side dish,
- Or using on your popcorn by simply melting the oil and drizzling over it.
- Drinking warm water which has lemon, honey and coconut oil in it, first thing in the morning is a good idea.
A tasty way to enjoy it is by making protein bites.
- Mix coconut oil, butter, chia seeds, organic oats, hemp hearts and raw honey together.
- Make them into balls and have it as a pre-workout snack to perform better at your gym.
4. Drink a glass of coconut oil-infused green tea everyday
We all know how important it is to include green tea in a weight loss diet! But ever thought of adding coconut oil to your green tea?
One thing to keep in mind while you add coconut oil to your diet is that the oil should be virgin and organic. The purest form of coconut oil gives faster and effective results.
Refined and cold pressed coconut oil is a source for high amount of MCT’s thus burning more calories. So now let’s go through the process of green tea preparation for weight loss.
- Firstly, take a glass of hot water, put a green tea bag in it a leave for a couple of minutes.
- Take a small bowl and mix coconut oil and honey together.
- Squeeze half a lemon in the water and add the coconut oil and honey mixture.
- Stir it well and drink everyday for best results.
Green tea helps in boosting metabolism, honey promotes healthy digestion and lemon is used to detox your body. These ingredients when mixed with coconut oil give better results. Now all you got to do is have this magic drink everyday and get prepped to show off that summer body.
5. Replace eggs with coconut oil in baked goods
Who doesn’t drool over freshly baked muffins or cookies? I mean they are seriously hard to resist and you totally owe yourself baked goodies once in a while, even if you are on a diet. And guess what? they no more come under your cheat day meals or snacks.
Baking involves so much butter which is high in calories and you are probably avoiding your cupcakes because of the high fat content in it.
No more worries people, we‘ve got your back. Just replace your pasteurized or unsalted butter with coconut oil.
Make sure you add coconut oil to the baking ingredients or batter which are at room temperature. This is because butter does not tend to solidify when mixed with cold ingredients but coconut oil does.
So the next time you grab a baked item at a pantry or a local store, consider baking it at home with coconut oil.
You can also make homemade chocolates by,
- mixing cacao powder and melted coconut oil.
- Add honey to taste, put them into ice cube trays and freeze them overnight.
Moreover, do you know that coconut oil can withstand higher temperatures than other oils? Which means, it retains more of its properties when cooked at higher temperatures.
Also, the high temperature does not lead to the loss of nutrients. So what more can you ask for? Get your trays and start baking.
6. Prepare coconut oil nut butter
I love peanut butter and can’t skip it even for a single day! What is your favorite nut butter? All of us love our nut butters be it almond, peanut, cashew or others.
These so called ‘healthy nut butters’ are mostly processed and have high sugar content in them. An alternative to get the most out of nut butters is to prepare them at home by yourself.
You can get your favorite nut butter recipes and prepare them. All you should do is add coconut oil in addition to other ingredients. Make sure you add it in a melted form.
Another method to include coconut oil in your weight loss is to make coconut oil nut butter.
- You can prepare it by grinding 2 cups of nuts either almonds or peanuts along with melted coconut oil, till you get a smooth buttery finished texture.
- For more flavor, you can add honey, maple syrup or cinnamon as per your requirements.
Not only the nut butter, you can also make your favorite fruit spread by adding coconut oil to it and eat with gluten free crackers.
Cool recipe right? why not try it on your own today? Remember, anything in excess is just adding calories even if it is a healthy food.
7. Replace vegetable oil and butter with coconut oil
Lowering your calorie intake drastically is not a solution for weight loss. Instead eat low calorie, high volume and fat burning foods.
Adding coconut oil to almost any food item that you eat helps in boosting the metabolism and thereby burning more fat than usual.
Now how many of you are guilty of using vegetable oil at your home for sauteing or stir frying ? Most of us take our weight loss seriously but miss the basic steps which can actually contribute a lot to the weight loss routine.
It is commonly said by nutritionists and trainers that diet comes first, which is a fact. Your weight loss journey depends 70% on your food intake and 30% on your physical activity.
So the thing I am trying to make clear is, vegetable oils are just fat, most of them can’t sustain higher temperatures and tend to lose their nutritional properties.
The same goes with butter, therefore, it is recommended to swap your vegetable oils with virgin and refined coconut oil. Not only it has fat burning properties it can also suppress your appetite or curb hunger.
So you can now wave goodbye to your uninvited hunger pangs. Gulp a teaspoon of coconut oil before your meals to stop yourself from eating too much and maintain your blood sugar levels.
8. Make Kale Chips
We all have that really bad cravings for junk, but what we could do the least is eating only half a can of pringles to satisfy those cravings.
Many of us can’t stop with half of the packets and feel guilty later on. This has to be the end for all the guilt ladies. We actually have an alternative of the potato and banana chips just like we have with other foods.
Here comes KALE to the rescue. Yes! swap your potato chips with kale chips and trust me, these are as delicious as the potato chips.
Prefer homemade crunchy kale chips over the processed ones. These baked kale chips brushed with coconut oil add more flavor to it and also helps in burning your fat. So is there a reason to say no to those craving anymore? Certainly not !
Now let’s go through the preparation of kale chips.
- Firstly, take some kale leaves, discard the stems and cut the kale leaves into pieces of any size you want it to be.
- Gently massage the leaves with virgin coconut oil and put them as a layer into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle with some salt and bake at 175 degree Celsius for 10-15 minutes until they turn brown and crispy.
- Keep an eye on them just in case they need a flip or to prevent burning.
Now that you know the recipe it’s your turn to try them out!
9. Add coconut oil to everything you eat and drink
By now everyone of you are sure about the benefits coconut oil has to offer. You can have it in the morning with your breakfast cereals, oatmeal, parfait or yogurt.
You can also use it for frying your food, not only vegetables but also chicken and seafood. There are a variety of recipes you can experiment with coconut oil as an ingredient.
For a sweet tooth you can:
- add coconut oil, raw honey and turmeric or cinnamon powder to a glass of warm milk and drink it before going to bed for a sound and peaceful sleep.
Apart from these, there is a recipe for all the smoothie lovers reading this article.
- You can make a green coconut smoothie with green veggies and fruits like celery, kale, avocado, broccoli, cucumber, kiwi, pears, etc.
- You can opt for all your favorite greens
- add coconut oil and blend them until their consistency is semi solid and not watery.
- Have this healthy fat burning smoothie for breakfast to feel fresh and energetic all day.
10. Use it as energy boost
Feeling tired, lethargic or sluggish all day? Try taking a tablespoon of coconut oil. It helps to maintain the blood sugar levels and keeps you away from fatigue.
Most of us tend to go for caffeine, sugary and fatty foods in such situations but it can affect your weight loss routine.
- You can have up to three tablespoons of coconut oil each day to keep your body glucose in check.
- It gives an instant boost in your energy levels allowing you to perform your daily activities without getting tired.
I am sure that the majority of people would switch their regular oil with coconut oil after reading this article due to the wide variety of advantages it has to provide and its role in weight loss by burning fat and also being low in calories. Hope you found these tips useful!