The hype about coconut oil for weight loss, is it for real?

[robblok]

Everyone's metabolism is different and many (including me) believe that certain foods increase metabolism rate for some people. Of course exercise also burns calories and hopefully boosts metabolism rate. So there is no magic calorie number for everyone.

No there is not, but 1500 in general is relatively low. When I try to go down in weight i go to 1700-1800 or so. But as you said and I agree there are no magic numbers.

[Wavefloater]

You can also use coconut oil for 'pulling', which is supposedly great for your health.

A few of wifeys friends got taken in by that crap about 2 years ago.

Told that oil pulling was the elixir of youth and that they would all lose kilos!

Result was that they all bought several litres of expensive branded extra virgin coconut oil and are all fatter than ever.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Hold on! This makes no sense at all.

When people use it for oil pulling, the oil is not swallowed, so getting any calories is impossible. As a matter of fact, the oil pulling (moving the oil (coconut, safflower, or raw sesame) around in your mouth and between your teeth for ~20 minutes is intened to draw toxins from your body and also improve oral hygiene. The oil should NEVER be swallowed after the "pulling' because it is theoretically full of toxins. So, if wifey's friends were swallowing the oil, they were doing something doubly wrong. Also, I've never seen any claims that oil pulling will reduce weight -- it has nothing to do with that.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Wavefloater

[edwinchester]

Wifeys friends were taken in by the sudden local 'experts' wearing white coats who made all sorts of outrageous claims that oil pulling would help them lose weight and give them the worlds best detox.

It seems that claims do not have to be backed up with any evidence or facts as people will believe what they want to especially when someone is dressed like a doctor.

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[iluvbeaches]

Only diet that I have first hand seen work on people is the 5-2 diet.

[Jingthing]

Only diet that I have first hand seen work on people is the 5-2 diet.

Just another fad in my opinion.

Check back in 5 years about how well it worked.

Just losing weight is the relatively easy part compared to keeping what you lost off and not gaining more in a YO YO.

This I think is the key:

http://www.livescience.com/27662-fasting-diet-unhealthy.html

Pass it on: A new diet that involves intermittent fasting doesn't teach healthy eating behaviors, nutritionists say.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Jingthing

[iluvbeaches]

Only diet that I have first hand seen work on people is the 5-2 diet.

Just another fad in my opinion.

Check back in 5 years about how well it worked.

Just losing weight is the relatively easy part compared to keeping what you lost off and not gaining more in a YO YO.

It's not for me, I eat very well and I work out a lot. But apparently there's quite a bit of science in intermittent fasting.

Saw it work wonders on a family member weight cholesterol bad fats obviously with healthy food on the eating days. Basically no exercise besides long walks. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it very different than those high fat or high protein diets.

[Jingthing]

I dismiss all FAD diets and I feel confident in doing so. In fact, I dismiss ALL diets.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20070411/diets-dont-work-long-term

Diets Don't Work Long-Term

Most Who Go on Diets Gain Weight Back; Lifestyle Change Needed

Edited August 8, 2013 by Jingthing

[hanno]

The secret to weight loss??.....don't eat dinner, or at the very most an apple, or a few almonds etc.

That has been debunked long time ago, along with most miracle diets and supplements. It is simple really: less calories in than go out and you lose weight.

I eat 5 meals a day and can still lose weight. As I run a lot, I eat a lot of carbs (mostly from fruit, vegetables, and salads) and relatively little fat and protein; something like 50%, 25%, 25%.

And I still like my beer

Yep, I eat 1500 calories per day, I lose weight. Comprende?

That is not a lot. I eat 2,500 a day but then I do train for a marathon and run 40+ Miles a week; which is 40,000 calories alone.

[kurnell]

The secret to weight loss??.....don't eat dinner, or at the very most an apple, or a few almonds etc.

That has been debunked long time ago, along with most miracle diets and supplements. It is simple really: less calories in than go out and you lose weight.

I eat 5 meals a day and can still lose weight. As I run a lot, I eat a lot of carbs (mostly from fruit, vegetables, and salads) and relatively little fat and protein; something like 50%, 25%, 25%.

And I still like my beer

Yep, I eat 1500 calories per day, I lose weight. Comprende?

That is not a lot. I eat 2,500 a day but then I do train for a marathon and run 40+ Miles a week; which is 40,000 calories alone.

I eat 1,500 calories a day and train for a good night's sleep

[robblok]

The secret to weight loss??.....don't eat dinner, or at the very most an apple, or a few almonds etc.

That has been debunked long time ago, along with most miracle diets and supplements. It is simple really: less calories in than go out and you lose weight.

I eat 5 meals a day and can still lose weight. As I run a lot, I eat a lot of carbs (mostly from fruit, vegetables, and salads) and relatively little fat and protein; something like 50%, 25%, 25%.

And I still like my beer

Yep, I eat 1500 calories per day, I lose weight. Comprende?

That is not a lot. I eat 2,500 a day but then I do train for a marathon and run 40+ Miles a week; which is 40,000 calories alone.

Not attacking you but math must not be your strong point. I would love that you do 1000 calories to the mile weight loss would be easy.

But your eating 7 x 2.500 = 17.500 calories. You need 1500 (low ball but just for the example per day = 10.500

That means 17.500 - 10.500 (normal expenditure) - 40.000 = 33.000 calories deficit. That would come to about 5kg a week loss.. and training for a maraton (where you need healing ect) Highly unlikely.

[robblok]

I dismiss all FAD diets and I feel confident in doing so. In fact, I dismiss ALL diets.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20070411/diets-dont-work-long-term

Diets Don't Work Long-Term

Most Who Go on Diets Gain Weight Back; Lifestyle Change Needed

JT,

The jury is still out on intermittent fasting its not so much a fad diet. I don't like it but does not mean it wont work. There are some good cases to be made for it.

[hanno]

Not attacking you but math must not be your strong point. I would love that you do 1000 calories to the mile weight loss would be easy.

But your eating 7 x 2.500 = 17.500 calories. You need 1500 (low ball but just for the example per day = 10.500

That means 17.500 - 10.500 (normal expenditure) - 40.000 = 33.000 calories deficit. That would come to about 5kg a week loss.. and training for a maraton (where you need healing ect) Highly unlikely.

My bad, and usually my math is pretty good... Blame the beers! I meant 100 per Mile.

[robblok]

@kurnell,

We are all different, i thought I was low with my 1.800 to loose weight / stay on weight. I read a lot on bodybuilding forum and guys with my weight and low fat percentage should burn a lot more. Unfortunately I don't.

Anyway I don't know the first thing about your bdy (age / weight / fat % / height / activity level) so i was stupid in making that comment.

[robblok]

Not attacking you but math must not be your strong point. I would love that you do 1000 calories to the mile weight loss would be easy.

But your eating 7 x 2.500 = 17.500 calories. You need 1500 (low ball but just for the example per day = 10.500

That means 17.500 - 10.500 (normal expenditure) - 40.000 = 33.000 calories deficit. That would come to about 5kg a week loss.. and training for a maraton (where you need healing ect) Highly unlikely.

My bad, and usually my math is pretty good... Blame the beers! I meant 100 per Mile.

Ah a zero mistake.. don't worry I am accountant I make them at times too. And yes that is far more realistic. People think they burn so much exercising while in fact its not the case. I burn around 600-700 calories an hour on my rower giving it a good go. User Tropo burns more because he is in better shape but even so it still quite a high number but for a lot of effort no slow rowing there.

Most machines overstate the calories burned to give the user a good feeling.

[hanno]

Most machines overstate the calories burned to give the user a good feeling

True, but I have been running for along time and pretty much know what I burn. It is actually a little less than a 100, the more one exercises, the more efficient the body becomes. I could certainly loose 5 kg or so, but I like good food and beer; life should not be about sacrifice only

[Wavefloater]

Wifeys friends were taken in by the sudden local 'experts' wearing white coats who made all sorts of outrageous claims that oil pulling would help them lose weight and give them the worlds best detox.

It seems that claims do not have to be backed up with any evidence or facts as people will believe what they want to especially when someone is dressed like a doctor.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

As I said, the oil should never swallowed after pulling. so if they weren't doing that, it sounds like a situation where the phony quacks gave these girls the impression that they could now miraculously eat anything and all they wanted but would still lose weight as long as they were oil pulling.

You'd think that they'd notice that they were putting on weight and would change something. After all, whatever people want to think about oil pulling, as long the expectations aren't ridiculous and it's done properly, it will not harm anyone.

[robblok]

Most machines overstate the calories burned to give the user a good feeling

True, but I have been running for along time and pretty much know what I burn. It is actually a little less than a 100, the more one exercises, the more efficient the body becomes. I could certainly loose 5 kg or so, but I like good food and beer; life should not be about sacrifice only

We all got our priorities.. good thing I never liked alcohol.. drink to get drunk type. So i stopped. You are right that the body becomes more efficient and thus burn less. But on the other hand you can do more and burn more.

[Tolley]

The secret to weight loss??.....don't eat dinner, or at the very most an apple, or a few almonds etc.

That has been debunked long time ago, along with most miracle diets and supplements. It is simple really: less calories in than go out and you lose weight.

I eat 5 meals a day and can still lose weight. As I run a lot, I eat a lot of carbs (mostly from fruit, vegetables, and salads) and relatively little fat and protein; something like 50%, 25%, 25%.

And I still like my beer:burp:

Calories in calories out theory has also been debunked. Not all calories are created equally , protein, carbs,sugar

There are also many other factors to consider. digestive health, metabolic health, liver health, thyroid health,age,Testosterone levels for men, etc etc

Edited August 9, 2013 by Tolley

[robblok]

The secret to weight loss??.....don't eat dinner, or at the very most an apple, or a few almonds etc.

That has been debunked long time ago, along with most miracle diets and supplements. It is simple really: less calories in than go out and you lose weight.

I eat 5 meals a day and can still lose weight. As I run a lot, I eat a lot of carbs (mostly from fruit, vegetables, and salads) and relatively little fat and protein; something like 50%, 25%, 25%.

And I still like my beer:burp:

Calories in calories out theory has also been debunked. Not all calories are created equally , protein, carbs,sugar

There are also many other factors to consider. digestive health, metabolic health, liver health, thyroid health,age,Testosterone levels for men, etc etc

Still the theory holds but its just that the numbers are influenced by the things that you say. Butt here is no formula but once you know how many calories you need (trial and error) you can use that to either gain muscle or loose weight.

Sure protein calories are worth less then fat calories (thermic effect ect) but in large lines it still holds its just that we are not machines so don't expect linear results.

[Tolley]

I dismiss all FAD diets and I feel confident in doing so. In fact, I dismiss ALL diets.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20070411/diets-dont-work-long-term

Diets Don't Work Long-Term

Most Who Go on Diets Gain Weight Back; Lifestyle Change Needed

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

[robblok]

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

I agree with him too.. only intermittent fasting is not a diet its a lifestyle. Its not for me but others seem to have a use for it and it is supported by some scientists.

[NCC1701A]

this is all so simple. it is not about dieting. it is about a life style change. everyone know what to do. good luck.

[Jingthing]

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

I agree with him too.. only intermittent fasting is not a diet its a lifestyle. Its not for me but others seem to have a use for it and it is supported by some scientists.

Not exactly.

The fasting days are definitely a partial time CRASH DIET.

I don't think its the worse thing but obese people would be wiser to go DEEPER into working on changes that they can tolerate, even enjoy, for the rest of their lives, everyday. I don't really believe many people will stay on the 5/2 for the rest of their lives.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[Tolley]

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

I agree with him too.. only intermittent fasting is not a diet its a lifestyle. Its not for me but others seem to have a use for it and it is supported by some scientists.

I dont like the idea of mucking around with blood sugar levels by intermittent fasting. Considering IF can raise cortisol levels which raises sugar levels then anyone with blood sugar imbalances would be well advised to steer clear of IF. And there are so many people with blood sugar imbalances in todays society. In fact I go for the oppposite approach eating small amounts at regular intervals during the day to keep blood sugar leves constant.

[robblok]

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

I agree with him too.. only intermittent fasting is not a diet its a lifestyle. Its not for me but others seem to have a use for it and it is supported by some scientists.

Not exactly.

The fasting days are definitely a partial time CRASH DIET.

I don't think its the worse thing but obese people would be wiser to go DEEPER into working on changes that they can tolerate, even enjoy, for the rest of their lives, everyday. I don't really believe many people will stay on the 5/2 for the rest of their lives.

JT,

The way i thought i was (mind you haven't studied this a lot) means that you are only allowed a few big meals a day 2 or so and the rest no food. No whole days without food (don't even want to think of that myself id probably die )

[robblok]

Have to agree with JT on this one.

Diets only work for as long as they are followed which in 97 percent of cases is not that long.

Food is like most things in life you need to develop good habits that stay with you forever.

People who are seriously overweight or dont feel good because of what they eat need to go further than the basic education and find out and address the emotional issues behind their food problem. That for many people is a much bigger issue to confront.

I agree with him too.. only intermittent fasting is not a diet its a lifestyle. Its not for me but others seem to have a use for it and it is supported by some scientists.

I dont like the idea of mucking around with blood sugar levels by intermittent fasting. Considering IF can raise cortisol levels which raises sugar levels then anyone with blood sugar imbalances would be well advised to steer clear of IF. And there are so many people with blood sugar imbalances in todays society. In fact I go for the oppposite approach eating small amounts at regular intervals during the day to keep blood sugar leves constant.

As I said, I don't follow the approach but it has some solid base and supporters even scientists. But I won't debate it much more as I haven't read everything about it because I just feel its not for me.

[Jingthing]

That's not the 5/2. The 5/2 is 5 days eat as you like, 2 days severely low calories. Just google it. It's hot in the UK. The diet "industry" profits roll on and people just keep getting FATTER and FATTER. Do the math.

[iluvbeaches]

That's not the 5/2. The 5/2 is 5 days eat as you like, 2 days severely low calories. Just google it. It's hot in the UK. The diet "industry" profits roll on and people just keep getting FATTER and FATTER. Do the math.

That's just people taking an idea and rationalizing unhealthy habits.

The idea is to eat properly and fast a bit on two days. It follows the theory thousands of years of human eating habits when we didn't ample food available all the time and naturally had to fast which made our bodies go less on autopilot. The theory is similar to HIIT or high interval training which is proven to be much more effective than even long cardio sessions or weight training by itself. There's a reason why I do a 15-20 min high intensity workout every morning and sometimes a fun sport every other day and look much better than my cousin who runs 20-30 km. week and is skinny fat and its not all diet.

I know first hand of a family member who has been on this 5-2 diet for over a year and it has worked wonders. Obviously he doesn't eat bacon and eggs all day on the regular day instead practices moderation.

I respect that you don't believe in it but just dismissing it outright is plain ignorant. For every doctor or scientist that thinks it dosen't work I can google a dozen that disagree. But by all means drink coconut oil if you think the science behind that is more sound.

[Jingthing]

I can assure you the vast majority of credible doctors would NOT endorse a fad diet, like the 5/2. So the idea of a number's competition to find quack doctors who endorse it is totally absurd.

That said, probably most mainstream doctors in the world don't have much more to offer than to tell their obese patients: go on a weight reduction diet and exercise more when actually studies show the sum result of such superficial advice is a massive rate of FAILURE. If this was an easy problem, 60 percent of Brits and 66 percent of Americans wouldn't be overweight or obese.

The idea of coconut oil as a supplement is not a diet and it is also true there is not mainstream medical support for it. That's why I started the thread with a tone of SKEPTICISM about it.

My opinion that reducing "diet" plans, fad diets, crash diets, etc. and using health promoting SUPPLEMENTS such as:

green tea

green coffee

Garcinia Cambogia (especially!)

coconut oil (much more questionable)

to HELP obese people with their efforts to change their lifetime sustainable HEALTHY eating habits are entirely DIFFERENT things.

I understand not everyone would agree with that, of course.

As far as the people you know who you say are having good results with the 5/2, that's good to hear. So the millions of people in the UK and US who are going to try this FAD now, I would bet big money the vast majority will in the long run FAIL (with a large percentage getting even much FATTER) just like all the other fad diet plans over the years. The smart money and grim statistics, which are well known, highly favor my bet.

And then there will be a new one. And another. Ad nauseum. We've seen this all before.

Not good enough.

Some might wonder why I feel so passionately about this, about the idea of "diets" being a long term solution for obese people. The reason is I just think obese people should avoid the black holes that are so well known and obvious and that have a good chance of making them even FATTER.

I am NOT saying there aren't possible answers that a lot of people could have better long term odds with, but they are DEEPER than following a superficial diet plan.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Some more about the science behind why diets do NOT work.

I realize many people grow up being fed the myth that diets are the ONLY things that work.

But actually, for most people, they would have been better off to have NEVER gone on a so called diet.

However, "dieting" remains a huge profit making industry but that has no relation to their effectiveness. Actually the opposite. If too many people solved their obesity problems, there goes the customers!

"Diets are not effective in treating obesity," said Mann. "We are recommending that Medicare should not fund weight-loss programs as a treatment for obesity. The benefits of dieting are too small and the potential harm is too large for dieting to be recommended as a safe, effective treatment for obesity."

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/dieting-does-not-work-ucla-researchers-7832.aspx

Edited August 9, 2013 by Jingthing