

Coconut oil effecting weight loss


  • Reducing your calorie intake.
  • Increasing your metabolism.

1. How coconut oil reduces your calorie intake









Let me explain.









How different?










I'm not finished yet.



Here's a study that proves the point:







2. How coconut oil increases your metabolism













3. How to use coconut oil for weight loss











4. How to eat coconut oil for weight loss


4.1   Virgin coconut oil for weight loss



Organic MCT oilOrganic MCT oil for weight loss







4.2   Condition your body to "accept" coconut oil





4.3   Best ways to eat coconut oil for weight loss




4.4   When will coconut oil start burning fat?





4.5   How much coconut oil for weight loss?



4.6   Manage your overall calorie intake




4.7   More excess fat, more fat-burning with coconut oil




4.8   Don't just take coconut oil


Organic coconut oil with buttery flavorOrganic coconut oil with buttery flavor


5. How to keep your fat off with coconut oil



Find out next: 7 disadvantages of virgin coconut oil »

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70 chats on “Coconut oil for weight loss: How to eat fat to burn fat

    • Hi Daisy, rubbing coconut oil on your belly may most likely not make it disappear. But eating coconut oil does. And it has to couple with exercises if you want to boost the fat-burning effect of coconut oil. On top of that, control your diet intake so you don't eat more than what you need.

  1. Hi so reading your comments. Rubbing it on will not help but eating it will lose belly fat or drop pounds. But do I put coconut oil in everything I eat? And how coconut oil do I put in my food?

    • Hi Chanelle, sounds that your bowels are not moving well. If that's the case, you must first understand that the wastes that got stuck in your colon or other parts of intestines can contribute to as much as 10 pounds.

      That means if coconut oil does help clear your bowels, you could immediately lose a few pounds or even as much as 10 pounds in just couple of days. And don't be too happy about that because that's just the after-effect of detoxification, and does not mean that you've burned off 10 pounds of excess body fat.

      Also, along with the bowel-loosening effect will be loss of water as well. So, you could be losing water mass also. Which means, if coconut oil moves your bowels and helps you detox well, you could have lost up to a few kilos in just a week. That's the short-term effect and it's really ONLY weight loss and not fat loss yet.

      For long-term fat loss and weight maintenance, you should keep adding coconut oil to your diet. At the same time, learn to take more fiber-rich whole foods like vegetables (best would be dark green leafy types) and fruits. And remember to drink adequate amount of water to help with the detox.


      If you do not detox well, the toxins from the wastes (in your gut) can impair your cellular metabolism, making it difficult for your body to utilize body fat for energy conversion.

      Which is why when using coconut oil for weight loss, people with constipation problem will take longer to see true fat loss since coconut oil needs to perform detox first before your body can effectively pull out fats from reserves to burn them off.

    • Hi Jennifer, if you want to try losing weight with coconut oil, it's best to use virgin coconut oil or MCT oil. MCT oil is a type of fractionated coconut oil that's made for consumption. Most that are labeled as Fractionated Coconut Oil are usually made for skin care and not meant for consumption.

      I do not know which brand of fractionated (liquid) coconut oil you're using so I cannot advise you on that. Can you tell me the brand and provide some details on the oil so I can check for you?

    • Hi Barbara, which nature's basket are you referring to? I don't quite get you, sorry.

      Anyway, you can buy the organic virgin coconut oil I use on Amazon.

      If you're not comfortable with Amazon, iHerb is another good place that I get some of my health products from.

      One thing though, iHerb's Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil may cost a few bucks more than that in Amazon because of their heavy-duty packaging to ensure the goods are in good condition when it reaches their customers' hands, which I feel it's well worth buying from.

      • I use 1to2 Tab spoons of Coconut Oil (not solid) in 2cups of coffee with 1 Tab of Real Butter and put it in a shake mixer and drink it everyday if helps me which oil is the best for this?

        • Hi Carolyn, real butter contains less than 10% of both short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) whereas coconut oil contains 50–64% of MCFAs and less than 1% of SCFAs.

          I would say coconut oil benefits you more than butter since butter carries a lot more long-chain fatty acids that could have negative effect on weight management.

  2. hi soon chai.. am happy to read you blog about coconut oil for weight loss and i guess it would work well for me.. and I would like to ask you one thing.. will the coconut oil helps in reducing breast size ?? or can you suggest other natural home remedies for reducing the size..

    • Hello Radha, sorry to keep you waiting, just returned from Vietnam.

      When coconut oil burns fat, it cannot choose which to burn or which not to. It depends on how your body utilizes stored fat and decides which part of fat to let go first.

      But in most cases of losing weight with coconut oil, the breast size will reduce along with fat reduction in other parts of body. It would be funny to lose just the breast size while keeping the fats in your waist, buttocks, thighs and arms intact.

      There's no natural remedy to reduce just the breast size, don't fall into those tricks and don't spend a dime on that. The only thing you can do is (in my opinion), do some chest-stretching exercises because when you try to work out a particular part of your body, you would notice that that particular part is unlikely to store fat. Just go to Youtube and source for some safe yet effective chest workout routine.

      • Thank u soon that was helpful .. so how do i take coconut oil in my diet? is it ok to just have two spoons of coconut oil daily after meals?? please suggest me on this... because i would really want to reduce my overall weight... and how long i should take coconut oil for best result...

        thank you

        • Hi Radha, coconut oil provides natural weight loss and natural weight loss takes time. Also, it depends on how much fat you need to burn. Of course, the more excess fat you have, the longer you would need to take coconut oil.

          However, I suggest that you change your perspective on coconut oil and don't treat it like a weight loss tool. Because you won't stick to it for long when it fails to give you quick result.

          Treat coconut oil as a food.

          Add it to every meal of yours. In general, 3–4 tablespoons per day is good enough to reverse your sluggish metabolism. But if you can go beyond that amount that would be even better. Check out How much coconut oil for weight loss? for more details.

          When you treat coconut oil as any food you're taking, it would become a staple in your diet. This makes losing weight easier for you. Also, coconut oil is good for health besides weight loss. Hence, you should continue taking it even when you have gotten your desired size.

  3. Dear Soon, thank you for the best explanation of the benefits to using coconut oil that I have read.
    I have been adding a tbsp of virgin coconut oil to my breakfast coffee which is tasty and seems to give me a boost in the morning. I will take your advice and include a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil with each meal.

  4. hi soon,
    i gave birth 4 months ago and breastfeeding is going on.. is it okay to have virgin coconut oil in my daily intake? is it safe for the baby? but now im using the coconut oil as my after bath oil all over my body..thank you.

    • Hi Tracy, virgin coconut oil contains good amount of lauric acid and capric acid that are also present in human breast milk. When you consume virgin coconut oil, your breast milk will increase in lauric acid and capric acid, plus other germ-fighting compounds that will then pass on to your baby through breastfeeding.

      Also, because taking virgin coconut oil can kick your metabolism into high gear, your nutrient absorption power will rise too. That means you'll be able to produce high quality breast milk for your baby. And when your baby receives that, he or she will be able to absorb nutrients fast from the food and be well protected against harmful viruses, bacteria and other germs.

      But please do not rush and start off with 2 tablespoons in one go as virgin coconut oil can stimulate your bowel movement. Start with just one tablespoon per day spreading over your meals, and from there slowly increase your intake until you're good with taking 3 or more tablespoons daily.

      Please check out Side effects of coconut oil to better understand the use of coconut oil and how your body might react to it.

  5. Hi Soon Chai, I just came across your website and the information is very helpful. Thank you for all your research.

    I have a question about the different methods for eating the virgin coconut oil. Does the coconut oil lose some of its effect when it is heated? Does it lose some of its effect if heated above a certain degree?

      • Hi Aisha, adding to steaming hot coffee or tea does lessen coconut oil's effect because some phytonutrients in coconut oil will evaporate with the steam, albeit slowly.

        That means, only a very small degree of the oil's effect will be lost because the temperature of the tea or coffee would be less than 212 °F (100 °C), which is way below the damaging smoke point of coconut oil at 350 °F (177 °C).

    • Hi Aisha, virgin coconut oil breaks down at above 350 °F (177 °C). Meaning, it will lose its health and weight loss effects completely under prolonged exposure to such high temperature.

      But if you're talking about temperatures way below that, virgin coconut oil may just lose some of its phytonutrients. Not much, really.

    • Hi Nereida, your skin will tighten on its own to eliminate the stretch marks. But how long it will take depends on how "stretchy" your skin has become post weight loss and how much skin-nourishing fruits and vegetables you're consuming. Coconut oil works to expedite the skin healing process since it helps to boost cellular metabolism.

  6. Hello Soon Chai. Thank you for all this wonderful information. I recently read where a coconut oil detox could be done by swishing a Tbsp of coconut oil around inside your mouth and spitting out so all the toxins the oil pulled out would be eliminated. Is this even possible? If so, and I was to add coconut oil to my diet, would that help with weight loss and just helping my body to become healthier? Supposedly coconut oil helps rid the bowels of candida, are there foods I should abstain from eating so as to not counter act it's benefits?

    One thing though, I have always almost immediately vomited upon smelling coconut. I am afraid to open my new bottle. People have always told me coconut milk doesn't smell like the smell generally associated with say suntan oils. The ingredients listed are : LCO MCT 100 (Liquid Coconut Oil MCT), contains tree nuts.

    Thanks again for your knowledge.

    • Hi Cindi, it's true that pulling with coconut oil can help cleanse your mouth of germs (and toxins). It also keeps your gum healthy as well as prevents harmful germs from entering your body. Thanks to the antimicrobial medium-chain fatty acids in the oil. I do oil-pulling quite regularly and I feel it's so much better than using antiseptic mouthwash.

      Oil pulling does not help in weight loss, but eating coconut oil... yes. This is because the same medium-chain fatty acids in the oil will help accelerate your metabolism for fat-burning, besides fighting germs to help boost your immunity.

      Candida is a genus of yeast that feeds on sugar. Watch your sugar and carb intake. Also, toxins from meat can weaken your immunity that indirectly promote Candida growth. That said, cut back on your meat consumption as well.

      I mean, improve your diet gradually, like over the course of several weeks (or even months) rather than trying to eliminate the bad stuff quickly because doing so often triggers "withdrawal symptoms" that could easily fall you back onto your old eating habit or make you become worse than before. Gradual changes are more sustainable and longer-lasting.

      Virgin coconut oil does smell of coconut. Of course, some brands are milder while others are stronger. You can try Nutiva refined coconut oil, which holds almost what a virgin coconut oil carries, but without the coconut smell.

    • Hi Anita, you're trying to lose your stomach fat, right? Massaging may help to a small extent only. Eating coconut oil is more effective in burning stomach fat. The more you eat, the more fat you'll burn. But please scroll up and read this article carefully on how best to eat coconut oil for weight loss.

  7. Hello I just started taking Coconut oil organic unrefined for two weeks now just one teaspoon in my tea in the morning and it's giving me horrible headache I don't want to stop taking it though what should I do?

    • Hi Sonia, taking just one teaspoon of unrefined coconut oil in the morning together with your tea can hardly effect headache, let alone horrible headache on you. Are you sure the headache is caused by unrefined coconut oil?

      Poor sleep quality, stress, depression, overuse of pain medication, too much processed meat that contain nitrates, low-carb diet etc can trigger headache. When headache kicks in, please look back on your diet and lifestyle.

      Rarely, coconut oil has anything to do with headache unless you're taking a lot in the beginning that triggers intense detox reaction or elimination of Candida yeast.

  8. Hi,
    I've been using coconut oil from 2-3 weeks now. I'm taking a table spoon in the morning but to be honest, I noticed lately I gained some weight, even if my diet routine didn't change, I still workout as I did before. It makes no sense to me, since coconut oil is promoted as a metabolism enhancer. I think I will stop taking it since I don't see any other improvement.

    • Hi Mihaela, please go to section 4.7 on the burning effect of coconut oil on a person's body. Best would be to read everything from the beginning of this article.

      Coconut oil also helps to improve nutrient absorption. That means for your case, your nutrient absorption may have improved that helps to enhance your muscle build-up. And you should know that muscle is denser than fat. Weight gain is the possible outcome.

      Which is why some skinny people (severely underweight) after taking coconut oil for some time gain weight and become normal in their BMI.

      Another more likely reason for weight gain for your case is that calorie still counts no matter what you eat. Meaning, if you do not reduce your calorie intake and still stick to the same diet except for adding a tablespoon of coconut oil in the morning, then the overall calorie intake for that day could have exceeded what you're supposed to burn, and any excess unused energy is converted to body fat.

      For example, all along your daily intake is 1500 kcal and you burn 1500 kcal through workout. That evens out.

      Now, you add a tablespoon of coconut oil (126 kcal) to your diet in the hope of burning more stored fat. That makes your total intake of calorie become 1626 kcal.

      Okay, coconut oil increases metabolism, right? But different people react differently. If your metabolism only raises a bit, say to the point where it'll burn off 1550 kcal, after simple calculation (1626 – 1550), you're left with the unused 76 kcal. Where will it go to then? Your fat store, of course. Result? You gain fat instead of losing.

      So, you need to cut down on your total daily calorie intake by (in this case) 150 kcal or more, or raise your workout's intensity level and you should see a good drop in your body fat over the next few weeks.

  9. Hello,
    I have been ingesting coconut oil, 1-2 tbs, throughout the day for 2 weeks. I intend to increase to 3 to 4tbs daily. I workout daily achieving 10,000+ steps a day, and eat a healthy low carb, low fat diet. The coconut oil has greatly improved my digestive system with only 2 days of detox symptoms initially.

    My concern is that I have noticed a 5 lb increase in my weight from 2 weeks ago. I had 20 lbs to lose and now 25lbs. What am I doing wrong?

    Thank you

    • Hi Pushpa, did you get any diarrhea-like symptoms? If not, it's okay to consume it this way. But you need more for weight loss, so it's better to mix coconut oil with your meals rather than eating on empty stomach.

            • Hi Pushpa, yes of course. But since she's going into labor soon, let her start off with one teaspoon (not tablespoon) per day first. If she takes one tablespoon instead, I'm afraid she might get the runs. This can cause some inconvenience for her. After she gives birth, then go into one tablespoon daily and gradually work up the intake from there.

              The key in taking coconut oil for weight loss is, you must be comfortable taking that amount. If not, reduce it.

  10. In your article "27 Tips to Get Healthy and Stay Healthy for Life", you talk and emphasize about eating breakfast. Can you explain how this contradicts the ketogenic diet and why people skip breakfast because of this diet for supposedly positive reasons and results?

    • Hi Helen, as far as I know, ketogenic diet does not really encourage skipping breakfast. But it does promote intermittent fasting, not everyday fasting. And the fasting goes with the preference of the dieters, some prefer to skip breakfast while others, lunch. Breakfast is the easiest, in general.

      Skipping breakfast is meant to drive the body faster into ketosis where the body will start burning stored fat (there will be some muscle loss too).

      I don't advocate skipping breakfast for weight loss as metabolism is the ultimate key to losing weight effectively. But I do encourage people to sometimes fast in the morning to give their body a longer "resting time", provided you're feeling great doing the fasting, not feeling miserable till you almost tear your hair out that kind.

      Sometimes people might overeat at dinner, so the following morning they still have remnants of food inside their guts to keep them moving, and this is the best time to skip breakfast. I do it once in a blue moon when I tend to eat a little bit more the previous night.

      Bottom line, as long as it doesn't hurt your health, by all means.

  11. This is great information. My only concern is that it should be noted that while fat gets a bad rap, it’s actually important for the body. Eating coconut is a great way to be healthy but other fates should also be consumed in moderation. The reason why is that coconut oil, since it is primarily comprised of MCFA’s, does not contain all of the essential fatty acids (EFA’s) that the body needs. Not getting all of those can be very detrimental. Just some food for thought. 😉

  12. Hello Soon.
    The information you shared is amazing. Look, I've taking virgin - coconut oil since January 10th. I went throught about 5 days of detox. I fell the energy increase and more benefits. However, what I want to solve is my overweight, just after the detox I started to walk, jogg, and weightlifting in a scafolded process. But, I'm feel like I'm getting stuck. After May 10, I have been taking it for 5 months. Moreover, honestly, I don not follow the amount of weight loss, but I noticed the resoults with my pants. I had some results but, now, I feel like getting up!.

    What should I do? or What am I doing wrong?. Because I have also changed my diet to healthier one, salads, fruits, among others.

    I hope you can give me some light!!
    Thank you!

    • Hi Manu, despair not. Calorie still counts, even when you take coconut oil for weight loss.

      Allow me to ask you. Your height and weight, please. And how many meals are you taking a day? May I know what you usually eat for your breakfast, lunch and dinner?

      I need more info from you to find out what actually goes wrong with your weight loss regimen.

      In the meantime, take a deep breath and keep a cool head and read over the information on this post again, plus all the comments. The reason for doing that is when you read something again with a clearer mind, you can easily spot some mistakes you've made.

  13. Dear Mr.Soon,
    I have some queries to ask you for your wonderful advice regarding my weight loss. I am 10 kilos obese. I also have Hypothyroidism. Hence, my weight loss won't come down easily. I have started eating Extra Virgin Organic, Unrefined Coconut oil, 1 tbsp per day along with my breakfast meal, from last 5 or 6 days. My doubt is can I add 1 tsp or 1 tbsp along with my fruits salad also, or will the fruits taste queer with coconut oil on it? My second doubt is should I eat even the fruits salad to only 70% of stomach satiety, as I eat a big heaped bowl of fruits in place of dinner daily, and every time after eating it, my stomach feels extremely over-stuffed and over full and extremely bloated. So should I limit my daily fruits salad to a lesser quantity, in order to feel only 70% satiety of stomach? Thank you once again for your absolutely wonderful advice, I extremely appreciate your spending so much time and patience, in attending to each person's every single queries.

    • Hi Sudha, the more coconut oil you take per day, the better it can help with increasing your metabolism, thereby improving your low thyroid problem. That said, you can of course mix virgin coconut oil with your fruit. Whether it will taste odd to you will depend on your palate.

      The reason why most people become overweight is because they eat too full at every meal. 70% is the best optimal satiety level for main meals. Rule of thumb: eat when hungry, stop when 70% full. But for snack, limit to 30–40% satiety.

  14. Dear Sir,
    I have another important question to ask you, can I take MCT oil also along with my daily 1 tbsp of VCO for weight loss? Is there any health benefits from MCT oil also as from coconut oil? And will it truly help in weight loss?

    Sudha Rao

    • Hi Sudha, of course you can take MCT oil along with virgin coconut oil. MCT oil is a subset of coconut oil. Which means, they mix well together.

      The main health benefits of MCT oil is its faster conversion to energy. Because of that, you get to accelerate your metabolism faster.

      You need high metabolism to achieve weight loss. And so, yes, MCT oil does help to lose weight.

  15. Dear Mr.Soon,
    I have some more doubts to ask you regarding my health, as I respect and value your opinion after reading most of your sites and your opinions and advice expressed in each of them. Especially I like your 27 tips on How To Get healthy and Stay Healthy. I eat a huge bowl of varied fruits daily in place of dinner at around 7:30 or 8:00 P.M. I am pre-diabetic, so is it safe for me to eat so much fruits daily? And I am 10 kilos obese also. I always feel stomach over-bloated and over-full feeling after eating this huge bowl of fruits and this bloated and over-full feeling lasts for at least more than one hour. Plus I get more flatulence problem also after eating so many fruits. Also, I take at least 4 teaspoons of Raw, unrefined honey daily, is this okay also? The Raw honey is one tsp for my early morning lukewarm, lime water, then the 2nd tsp for one glass of Fenugreek liquid,(as I read it helps in bringing down blood glucose levels in pre-diabetics, those who are not on diabetic medicines), 3rd tsp for one glass of Chamomile tea, or one glass of milk tea, 4th tsp for my 2nd glass of Fenugreek liquid which I drink at evening again. Is it okay to take in so much of raw honey along with the huge bowl of fruits salad daily, with my obesity and pre-diabetes conditions? And is it okay for me to skip a solid dinner meal and substitute it with the big, over-heaped bowl of fruits salad on a daily basis?
    Thank you very much for your much appreciated opinions and advice.

    Sudha Rao

    • Hi Sudha, you need more fiber to help stabilize your blood glucose levels. Though fruits have fiber, they come along with high-calorie sugar too. So, mix your fruits well with more vegetables. Vegetables are good for weight loss because they make you feel full easily but are low in calories.

      Chew well to help slow your eating speed. Eating fast is one of the reasons for introducing air into stomach, causing flatulence. Of course, indigestion of too much food causes that too.

      You should cut down on your honey intake since you're pre-diabetic. Start off by reducing 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon for each of your intake. This way you'll be taking 2 teaspoons per day instead of 4.

      Whether you take a solid dinner or bowl of fruits, keep your satiety level down to 70%, as mentioned in your other comment.

    • Hi Sirisha, as long as it's coconut oil, it should help you achieve weight loss.

      However, it does not effect weight loss when you only take a teaspoon of coconut oil or two a day and you're expecting to see some significant changes. At least 3 tablespoons of coconut oil per day, I would say.

      Cut back on meat and other high-calorie food, and compensate the reduction of these foods with coconut oil. That's how you lose weight with coconut oil.

      • So i should take atlst 3 tblspon of coconut oil daily and its okay if it is not VCO also na.It doesnt lead to weight gain na if it is not VCO.And is it okay if i take it with lemon water morning and evg.

        • Hi Sirisha, the components of virgin coconut oil and regular coconut oil are almost the same. The only differences are their quality and fragrance.

          Whether you gain weight or lose weight will depend on your overall diet and total daily intake of calorie. By taking more coconut oil, you should be taking less of other junk food such as meat and high-sugar stuff. And that's where coconut oil starts to help you lose weight.

          As long as your consumption of coconut oil with lemon water doesn't upset your stomach, you're good to go. And please read over the article on this page once again. You'll get a clearer picture of how coconut oil helps with weight loss.

  16. I started using coconut oil after I shower along with those suction cups that supposedly help with cellulite. After a couple months, people kept asking me how much weight I'd lost. I never checked. But, obviously it is absorbed through the skin. I didn't intentionally change my diet, but may have been eating less.