MCT C8 - Does it work to help you lose weight or just give you energy or stop hunger?

science
#1

Hi,

I love the Keto diet. I first did it for 3 months last year during first lockdown to try and lose a bit of weight before the summer and lost 2 stone fairly easily.
Stupidly, post summer holiday and for 6 months and Christmas, i gradually put the weight back on by just eating loads of carbs again (i was a sucker for bread and pasta). (I’m 5’8" and was hovering on 15 stone).
Anyway, back on it now for long term and three weeks in and dropping lbs nicely.

As background, i just drink a couple of cups of black coffee and just water all day. I have no problem with just avoiding carbs as love fish/meat/cheese etc (the odd bit of lettuce/spinach/broccoli here and there). I occasionally have a 0.5g carbs protein shake as a treat after some exercise. so total carb intake is between 20-30g per day. I walk loads (averaged 7 miles per day in last 14 days).

Just a q about MCT oil, I’ve built up using it from a teaspoon, to x2 to a tablespoon this week (in morning before breakfast), but it gives me terrible stomach cramps for a couple of hours afterwards. I don’t really have any problems with portion sizes of food, or lack of energy when not taking it. So does it actually speed up or help weight-loss ketosis, or is it just a supplement for those who need extra boost of energy they are missing from carbs or need something to make them feel fuller? If it’s the former I’ll just soldier on, but otherwise should I just stop taking it?

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

MCT is just a very easily digested energy source. It requires almost no digestive action and moves from stomach directly to bloodstream. Whether or not it helps with weight/fat loss I can’t say, but doubt it effects it.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

MCT stands for “medium-chain triglyceride.” A triglyceride is the storage form of fat and consists of three fatty acids bonded to a glycerol backbone. Precisely which fatty acids those will be depends on the brand of MCT oil or powder you are using.

The first thing to bear in mind is that fat simply fuels the body. It does not increase or decrease ketosis. What affects ketosis is how much carbohydrate we eat, because if we eat too much, our insulin level rises and cuts off ketogenesis (the making of ketones) in the liver. The other thing insulin does is to trap fat (in the form of triglycerides) in our fat tissue, so if you are eating a ketogenic diet in order to lose fat, it is the carbs you want to watch out for.

Fat is neutral in the scheme of things to eat. Fat has a minimal effect on insulin (we need some insulin in order to stay alive; we just don’t want too much), so we increase our fat intake in order to replace the calories we are no longer getting because we cut the carbs. Carbs, being nothing more than glucose molecules arranged in different ways, have a major effect on insulin secretion, so they are the last thing we want to be eating if we are trying to shed excess fat.

Now, there is a limit, apparently, to how much energy we can extract from body fat in one day, so we need to eat some fat in order to have enough energy to live on, even though we are trying to get rid of body fat. So even though we are burning off stored fat, we still need to eat some fat, and a lot of people enjoy MCT oil or powder in their coffee as a means of getting some fat in their diet. If you are getting enough fat from other sources, you don’t need MCT’s, unless you like them.

At some point, if you are getting enough fat, you are going to stop being hungry. If you listen to your body, you will know to stop eating when you stop being hungry. At that point, if you have excess stored fat to get rid of, your body will start using some of that to keep itself fueled. So this means that you don’t need to worry too much about how much MCT’s you are getting, because you’ll simply stop being hungry sooner than you might if you were relying on other sources of fat in your diet. If you stop using MCT’s, you’ll simply find yourself a bit hungrier and wanting a bit more of some other kind of fat. It’s fine, either way.

(KCKO, KCFO) #4

I lost my weight without any MCT oil. Never used it. I do use coconut oil for fat bombs.

Everyone is different, it sounds as if your body wasn’t too happy about the increase. Maybe just dial it back to a level that doesn’t bother you if you feel it does help you?

#5

Thanks All - very helpful and clear. I think i’ll pause taking any this week and see how i feel and go from there.

#6

That means you haven’t built up to that amount yet, but 2tbsp is more than you’d really need anyways.

Nope, it helps some with staying full (think bulletproof coffee) and MCTs turn to ketones quickly so it (slightly) helps with energy but that’s about it. MCTs are good fats to get in but without a reason don’t take them just to take them.

#7

Thanks.