MCT Oil and Weight Loss: What You Need to Know
The weight loss industry is a billion dollar one that’s replete with hype, pills, supplements, DVDs, fads, scams, etc. Most weight loss products and their bold claims must be taken with a bucket of salt.
In the same vein, one should approach MCT oil with some cynicism too. This will help you to evaluate it fairly and decide if it’s really what you need.
How does it work?
For starters, MCT oil is NOT a fat burner. There are many misconceptions surrounding this issue. All fat loss is determined based on your caloric intake. This is the cornerstone of successful weight loss. If you’re at a caloric deficit every day, it’s inevitable that you’ll lose weight.
Here’s how MCT oil works – firstly, it’s ideal that you be on the keto diet and reach ketosis. When you’re in this state, your body will burn fat for fuel instead of glucose.
At this stage, your body is very receptive to fat and uses it as a fuel source to create ketones. Since MCT oil is a medium chain triglyceride, it’s a fantastic fat for the body. When you consume it, it’s quickly assimilated by the body and used for energy.
Your metabolism gets a boost and now you burn even more calories when at rest. This translates to increased fat loss.
What MCT oil does is that it encourages the body to burn fat for fuel. So, fat is used for all your energy needs. Since your carb intake will be no more than 50 grams while on the keto diet, your body has no choice but to burn fat for fuel.
MCT oil helps you to reach this stage faster. This is the main reason why so many keto dieters keep mentioning how potent MCT oil is. It doesn’t burn fat, but it encourages fat burning.
Curbs cravings
When you consume MCT oil, your body that’s primed to burn fat (while in ketosis), gets a very good source of fatty acids. It feels satiated and doesn’t get hungry for hours.
This is one of the best benefits of the keto diet and MCT oil. The biggest problem people on conventional diets face is hunger and cravings. Because their bodies are burning glucose for fuel, when glucose levels are low, they desperately crave carbs.
Carbs cause blood sugar spikes and raise insulin levels in the body. This prevents the body from tapping into the fat stores for fuel. To make matters worse, if you’re insulin insensitive, your body releases more insulin than necessary.
The keto diet prevents this from happening by adapting the body to use fat as a fuel source, and MCT oil is a high-grade fat that’s healthy and exactly what the body needs.
To conclude, while MCT oil is not a miracle weight loss drug, when combined with a keto diet, it’s a very powerful tool for weight loss. Even if you’re not on the keto diet, consuming some MCT oil daily will be healthy for your body.
If you take a tbsp of MCT oil for lunch every day and halve your portions of food, over a few weeks, you’ll realize that you need less food and the oil gives you the energy and satiation you need.
Over time, less calories will be consumed, and weight loss will be easier. Make MCT oil a part of your weight loss diet and ensure that you’re at a daily caloric deficit of about 500 to 600 calories.