You know I can never answer anything without going into detail!
But if you’re pressed for time and just want a yes or no here’s my quick synopsis:
I don’t feel I have enough proof yet that adding coconut oil is safe- people do sometimes report greater weight loss on the scale when including coconut oil on P2, but I have no proof that this extra weight loss is coming from fat- I have concerns from the few times I tried it early in my hCG diet journey that it was causing excess muscle loss and actual fat gain, despite the scale going down faster. For me, this means I’d rather be safe than sorry and I don’t use it on P2. If I ever get proof that it’s not harming the fat loss/muscle loss ratio results, I will post it here immediately!
Why We Sometimes Consider Alterations to the hCG Diet
So here’s the deal- Dr. Simeon’s original protocol called for strict avoidance of all fats and oils while on the losing weight portion of the Diet- better known as Phase 2 or P2 (if you’re not familiar with all the hCG terminology yet, check out my hCG Diet terminology guide).
But of course he wrote his manuscript in the 50’s- or was it the 60’s? Either way- we all know there are certain items around now that probably weren’t really around then, which has made some wonder if certain modifications to the diet might be okay- like coconut oil.
Why do People Want to Use Coconut Oil on hCG?
- Some people report weightloss at a faster rate than without it.
- It’s usually not counted as part of the 500 calorie diet- meaning it’s kind of like “free calories” to help you feel more satiated
- It makes your chicken or salad taste a LOT better.
- It’s something extra you can EAT! Anything involving eating being okay on human chorionic gonadotropin is usually accepted hungrily with pleasure.
Why Are People Thinking It’s Okay to Use Coconut Oil When Other oils are Not Okay?
Well, coconut oil is kinda different from other oils- it behaves differently in the body- without getting too scientific on you, 60% of coconut oil contains what are called MCT’s- they are basically shorter fat molecules than usual and they are “sent straight to the liver where they are, for the most part, burned as fuel….ordinarily they are not stored to any significant degree as body fat.” So in laymans terms, its kind of like our bodies use MCT’s as this kind of immediate form of energy, and doesn’t store it as fat in the body nearly as easily as regular oils. That’s the idea anyway.
This above quote is from MeltButterySpread’s article that discusses the differences in how our body digests regular fats and oil (with LCT’s- the longer fat molecules) vs. the MCT’s in Coconut oil. You can read an in-depth article on coconut oil and general weightloss and how it interacts with your body here. Here’s another great article on how coconut oil is different from other fats and oils.
Coconut Oil is 40% Something that is For Sure Not Good on hCG
But coconut oil is still 40% LCT’s (the longer, regular fat molecules) which means that 40% of coconut oil is just like any other oil that everyone agrees we should not be eating on this protocol. I try to do all my research guys, but I’m not exactly a savvy scientist, so please someone correct me if I’m wrong! Here is another great article discussing the different fat molecules that make up each type of fat and oil (most of them are a combo of either short and long, or medium and long btw).
In 1 tbs. of Coconut oil there is 13.6 grams of fat. If I’m doing my math right, then 40% of that- or 5.5 grams of fat worth, is just like any other fat- like butter or olive oil= NOT okay on this diet. 60%, or a little over 8 grams of fat, out of that 1 tbs. is the MCT portion- the portion that is digested by the body differently and MAY be okay on this diet.
But this is still theory- we really need some actual proof of this- to me the extra scale weight loss people have reported is not proof- to demonstrate why this is so, listen to this:
Why Extra Weight Loss with Coconut Oil on the hCG Diet Isn’t Proof Enough
a fitness blogger I love recently did an experiment for 7 weeks where he ate healthfully, but stopped his regular diet (intermittent fasting 1-2x’s a week) and he stopped working out- guess what?
He actually lost 2lbs during that 7 weeks. Sounds like a good outcome yeah?
Well…his Dexa body composition testing, which is pretty much the most accurate form of body testing you can do these days, showed differently- he had lost 7lbs of muscle and gained 5 lbs of fat during that 7 weeks. No bueno. Better him than me! But on the scale, it actually appeared as if he had done something right!
That’s why the scale is a very poor judge of what’s actually going on in our bodies and not a reliable tool for scenarios like this one where we’re debating on the inclusion of an oil on the protocol.
So you could potentially lose weight on the scale after consuming coconut oil, but behind that loss is actually a loss of muscle and a gain of fat- I just don’t know the answer to this.
For me, I would probably feel like the 5.5 grams of LCT’s (remember these are the regular fat molecules that we all know and agree are bad on this diet) in 1 tbs. of coconut oil is too much regular fat to be consuming on the hCG Diet in a day- for myself. It’s true that the protein servings we are eating on hCG do contain a small amount of fat no doubt, but Dr. Simeons did encourage cutting off as much as possible, and specifically said certain meats were not okay to eat because the fat was marbled into the meat making it so that you couldn’t remove it- he seemed pretty serious about not eating fats on this process.
Coconut goes a long way though (how does it do that??) and most people could probably easily get away with using just a teaspoon or less a day while on the diet (except if you were using it in chocolate delight and ate one too many- obviously at this point you could easily be consuming way too much coconut oil).
1 tsp. of Coconut oil has only 4.5 grams of fat total, 40% of which would equal just 1.8 grams of fat that would be processed by your body like other fats, and the other 60%, or 2.7 grams of fat, is MCT’s.
So the question is, does the MCT portion of Coconut oil truly not get processed like regular fat in our body while on the hCG Diet? In the sense that we won’t gain fat from consuming it?
I have no idea, but to me it’s an important question. And remember, only 60% of it MAY have this amazing ability while on this diet plan- the 0ther 40% is for sure processed like normal and is NOT good on the protocol for sure. That has led some to feel that using straight MCT Oil might be better.
Robin Woodall, who wrote the excellent hCG diet book Weight-Loss Apocalypse
Why Do We Have Think About This Anyway?
Why does it matter if we take in fat or not on the hCG Diet anyway huh?
Because the hormone appears to make fat, whether from inside our outside our body, very volatile and accessible- way more than normal. It means we can lose weight more quickly, have more of the weight lost be fat (vs. muscle), but at the same time, it makes us equally as sensitive when it comes to consuming it. Fat gain is MUCH easier while on the diet, if you consume fat or too many calories.
I have no idea why- it just is. Hence Dr. S’s instructions. So that’s why the use of coconut oil is such a big concern because obviously gaining fat while on this protocol, or losing more muscle than necessary is a super bad outcome.
Reasons You Might Choose to Avoid Coconut Oil on P2:
1. There simply isn’t enough proof yet that it’s producing the same fat loss- and if it’s not, where’s that extra weightloss coming from? Muscle? If so, it’s no bueno.
2. Even if a tiny amount of coconut oil is okay, who of you have tried it and ended up eating more than you planned?
Say That a Small Amount is Okay- How Should You Go About It?
1. It’s possible that you might choose to use just straight MCT oil over Coconut Oil
This would eliminated the 40% of fat calories that ARE definitely not good while on this diet plan. MCT oil contains only those shorter fat molecules that are burned up as energy more like a carb than a fat. But it’s true that MCT doesn’t exactly have the same lovely taste and smell that coconut oil has.
2. If you do choose to have one or the other, be very aware of the amounts you consume.
Most chocolate delight recipes involve the use of 1 cup of coconut oil. Of course you are making multiple servings. Right? Right?
Flashback time again! Another past hCGChica blunder here for us all to learn from:
I once made a modified chocolate delight recipe (Hebbie Dobby’s lemon truffle recipe- which for P3 or P4 would be AWE-SOME btw- she came up with this and it’s beyond delicious).
But I ate the entire plate of it in 1 day- on P2.
It had an entire cup of coconut butter (coconut butter is not coconut oil btw) which contains about 136 grams of fat, 40% of which were LCT’s and NOT good on this protocol = I ate 54.4 grams of bad fat on hCG in one day. That was not my intention, on no no no.
“I wouldn’t do that” you say…..
Well, you see what you do when you aren’t eating anything all day and you suddenly have access to a seemingly “legal” food item with no strict serving size that tastes REALLY good.
Okay back to chocolate delight recipes- most contain 1 cup of Coconut oil which contains 218 grams of fat. Of that, 40% or 87.2 grams, is fat that would have a negative impact on us while on the diet, no question.
Earlier we discussed that 1 tsp. of coconut contains only 1.8 grams of the fat we don’t want on this protocol, which may be considered small enough by some to consider experimenting with. So if you make a chocolate delight recipe with 1 cup of coconut oil; there is 48 teaspoons in 1 cup- did that chocolate delight recipe you made last you 48 days? If it lasted 2 weeks, you consumed almost 3.5 teaspoons of coconut oil a day, which had 6.3 grams of bad fat for hCG in it. If it lasted you a week, you consumed almost 7 teaspoons of coconut oil a day which had 12.6 grams of bad for hCG.
So if you do decide to experiment with it, keep the amount minimal and use it in a way that you know you won’t get out of control with it- this diet is not just about what’s legal, but what you can be mentally and emotionally responsible about. I think we all know if we have a weakness there or not.
No Judgments Folks
I don’t judge you if you choose to use Coconut oil on hCG – as you can see from this info, I do have my reasons for being very leery of it, and it’s my own personal decision at this time to completely avoid it while on P2. But that are those who are adamant that consuming it has not harmed their experience on their weight loss journey. Keep in mind though that so far their only proof for saying this is their scale weightloss, which as we’ve discussed is not the best indicator.
Proof Needed to Show Coconut Oil + hCG Diet is OK
The only way I would feel comfortable telling you guys “break out your coconut oil jars folks!!” or using it myself on a future round would be if a person did a whole round of hCG, using coconut oil everyday, and had before and after hydrostatic body fat testing or DEXA scan to show us the results- how much fat loss vs. muscle loss.
Even then it could be hard to compare since the amount of fat and muscle loss varies with each round depending on how overweight you are etc. But to me this would make it more clear- if the fat loss percentage was high and the muscle loss percentage low- in keeping with the types of results I’ve had myself (in the 70-90% range), I would be like YEAH! This stuff ain’t hurting your round!
The problem is I’m not willing to be the guinea pig. If someone else wants to volunteer, lemme know k?
To be honest, I would absolutely LOVE to be able to come on here one day and say hey! The results are in and guess what? Coconut oil is A-OK! For now I can’t. But here is a lady I interviewed who had great results with coconut oil while on P2:
Watch Cindi’s Full Interview here
I hope this helps you in making your decision.
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Decided to put a small squirt on my airfried tofu yesterday (day 8) and today I’m up 0.7lbs. So…that sucks. Hoping that fixes itself tomorrow. Thank you for your blog and insights.
I have used coconut oil on 3 of my round during P2 and have always reached or exceeded my goal. This round, I’m not using it to cook to see if there is any difference. I have always used it on my skin and use it to remove my mascara (it’s the only thing that works!). Everyone’s body reacts differently, so it’s hard to guarantee that coconut oil is fine for all, but I wanted to share my experience!
Thank you for sharing, i definitely appreciate it! I agree everyone is individual! And it’s nice for those who can to be able to use it!
I used MCT oil during my first round with hCG (in 2014). Lost 12pounds in 6 weeks. During my second round (2018), my counselor told me NOT to use MCT oil and I lost 18 pounds in 6 weeks; lost another 12 pounds in a subsequent round. As of 3 months later, I have kept my weight loss and lost some more and I now use only MCT oil (no olive or avocado oil) and only sparingly (coconut oil spay for cooking).
Along the way, I learned that not all MCT oils are created equal. After much research and muscle testing with my homeopath, I settled on the Sports Research brand, which is made from pure non-GMO coconut oil (other brands mix in other kinds of pam oil). The label says it contains 14 g of fat, of which 13.5 g are MCTs.
Hi Muriel:
Do you think that the MCT Oil affected your weight loss on your first round? How was your weight stabilization after your first round?
I use coconut oil for massage and hair therapy
http://www.drmenkayuvraj.com/how-do-i-double-my-website-traffic-in-a-month/
What about using actual MCT oil? It’s on the market and a byproduct of coconut oil – but it’s called MCT
Hey Michelle! Yes many people use MCT on hCG with success. So if you are going that route with the oil, that’s definitely something you can do.
Can you use fractionated coconut oil as moisturizer on hcg? I keep finding conflicting answers online.
Hi Kris!
This is Cristel, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you! 🙂
You can use body moisturizers that contains mineral oil or coconut oil. Coconut oil on P2 is alternative protocol, meaning it’s not in the original protocol but many ladies doing the hCG find success with it.
Hope that helps!
I am just getting ready to start the HCG diet. I am struggling how to handle oil as I am massage therapist and have my hands and forearms in coconut oil all day long. I have major professional issues using mineral oil and or gloves on people :(. is there any information on how this could adversely effect the diet.
Hi Kim,
This is Cristel, Rayzel’s assistant. Nice to meet you!
I think it would really only be safe if you used mineral oil for the massage oil. And in truth, I really can’t tell you what will happen, maybe the coconut oil will be fine, some hCGers use this on P2 – I simply don’t know if it will slow things down or stop it completely, it could be either easily, depending on how much oil is absorbed.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,
Cristel
Hi Rayzel,
Thanks for all your awesome information with so much detail about every topic!
Im on day 8 of p2 and went for a massage 2 nights ago, only when it was almost over I realized that I’ve been lathered with oils the whole time which is a big no no on HCG and was soooo stressed that I totally forgot it was not allowed until it was too late. The next day I still had a loss but today I’m up a pound. Will this ruin the rest of my diet and is there anything else I can do now?
Hey Rachel!
First of all I’m SO sorry for taking so long to reply to this comment- sometimes we get behind and i feel bad you have been waiting!
You know, Rayzel does not believe that everything is ruined from a mistake or two. She figures if something happens, it’s happened, and you just gotta move on. As far what you can do now, she would suggest you drink extra water to flush anything out and just keep following P2 like usual- any effects from the mistake should pass soon.
Hi 🙂 I was wondering what moisturizers would you recommend while on P2 of the hcg diet? I heard that coconut oil’s molecules are too large to be absorbed or penetrate the skin. Can I use it as a moisturizer during phase 2? Thanks!
Hey @DystopianPotato – a good oil free lotion is called Corn Huskers – you can find it online on Amazon. I am not sure about the coconut oil- some do, but I am still leery of it so I personally at this time probably wouldn’t.
Hi everyone. I’m not sure where to post this particular comment, but it does have to do with the lack of fat on the diet. I JUST bought another supply of hcg from HCGChica’s recommended source…(I finished up successfully in November 14 and waited till spring 15 to start my last time)…I started my first injection on the weekend, and later that day, ended up with abdominal pain. I learned it had nothing to do with this first injection, but I did eventually learn from the doctor (since this happened once before in February, but I did not seek medical attention then) and tests that there was a gallstone that has formed. I don’t really have a diet that ‘creates’ gallstones, (fried foods, ‘bad fats’, etc) But I have now learned that rapid weight loss, specifically LOW FAT diets can cause the bile to just sit there in the gallbladder and form stones. Both Dr. Mercola and the proteinpower.com sites discuss this particular weight loss component as a risk factor. Within 3 months of finishing hcg, I had this pain…it didn’t take long. I had to put my 2nd hcg diet on hold (after I spent all that $$!) and will now do some cleanse plans designed to rid the body of stones in both the liver and gallbladder. By the way, the second risk factor Mercola discusses is lack of exercise. I walked and did yoga on hcg, but I realize some people do not do much on the hcg diet – this also increases the risk of gallstones. I would have NEVER suspected that I could have a gallstone with my ‘regular’ diet. The lack of fat for that length of time is evidently enough for stones to form. I just wanted to pass this along so you can be well informed – especially if you’ve experienced some abdominal pain and didn’t get it checked out when it occurred, like me! Do get checked if you have pains in your abdomen!
Thank you for sharing this info @Bug66 ! Very helpful info. – Rayzel
I drink a half to while lemon a day which is said to prevent stones from forming in the body – I hope this is correct!
I just started P2 and I don’t see anywhere that says anything about cooking sprays. I have Coconut and Olive Oil Sprays and both have zero everything. Are they okay to use?
Hi Katrina- the original protocol didn’t allow any oils whatsoever except mineral oil on the skin – I am of the opinion at this time that it’s good to abide by this, but others feel differently. It’s up to you what you decide to try. I hope that helps! – Rayzel
Thanks Rayzel for the quick reply 🙂
What do you think about using chicken stock for cooling chicken? I still lose when I cook with it but could I be losing muscle? Thanks. I love your blog!!
Hi @Alisha if you’re not having problems with it’s probably fine- the only thing to watch out for with Chicken stock is most pre-made ones have MSG in them (aka yeast extract, etc) and this can negatively effect some on the diet. But as far as losing muscle because of the chicken stock, I don’t think that’s a concern (as long as it’s fat free stock of course). Hope that helps! – Rayzel
Thanks For your help and also thank you for your blog! You are truly a blessing to someone who is doing this diet!
Do you think using coconut oil as a moisturizer for dry skin would be okay on the diet as long as I’m not actually eating it. Or do you think the body would still absorb to much oil?
Hey @Saved.By.Grace you know I’m so cautious about the oils on hCG myself that I probably wouldn’t but that’s just me. Since our skin is our largest organ, and the oils do indeed absorb and hCG really does seem to change how our bodies interact with things like this, to be safe I’d personally avoid it. I may turn out to be wrong who knows!
By the way, I love your site, your videos etc. I spent so much time researching this protocol and your site by far provides the best, most informative information. Thanks!
@Bev aww thank you very much! Really appreciate the kind words. So glad it’s helping you!
I need therapeutic massage for a condition I am being treated for. Is it OK for my RMT to use Organic Coconut Oil on my skin? I can come home and shower right after the massage.
@Bev Hiya – this is such a hot topic, the use of coconut oil. Some are adamant it’s totally fine and even helpful. I have to stay true to my inner gut feelings here on this blog- at this time I just don’t trust it. I respect what anyone makes as their final choice, but for me personally, at this time, I would not do it until I had some proof that it wasn’t causing some mess up in hormones and fat gain/muscle loss. I could be TOTALLY wrong. I just don’t feel it’s safe enough at this point to recommend it. I hope that helps. Our skin is our largest organ right and the oil will be mostly all absorbed by the time you shower. Totally up to you what you do of course- if you do proceed with it, would love to hear your final thoughts on it.
You could also just use staight MCT oil – great in salads as it liquid (not solid at room temp like coconut oil) and has a high heat tolerance. Now foods makes a good one.
Sad to see my comment was deleted.
Oh my goodness! I didn’t delete your comment @ms_afghanistan2015:disqus I just hadn’t approved it yet- I do not check the comments every single day and I have them set to be preapproved to prevent spam. Please lets all show a little patience here can we? This is not my full time job.
I don’t see any science that says that consuming any kind of oil can lead to muscle loss. The theory that coconut oil may potentially lead to muscle loss in place of fat loss is flawed by the biological fact that the body only looks to devour it’s own protein stores as an easy form of energy when glucose is not supplied.
If a predominantly Medium Chain Fatty Acids like coconut oil provides IMMEDIATE energy by easily being metabolized by the liver, the body will be less prone to devouring it’s own muscle as an energy source. Thats like saying that consuming fruit which contains sugars…a quick source of digestible energy would lead to muscle loss.
This in conjunction with the fact that one of the properties of HCG itself is that it promotes the bodies preference for burning fat stores versus muscle should alleviate your perplexing about what is happening metabolically inside the body when coconut oil is consumed while on the HCG diet.
I love your articles but was a bit disappointed on this commentary on coconut oil with no strong ties in negative events. The example about your friend losing muscle had nothing to do with coconut oil at all yet was added into the discussion, further perplexing individuals that may potentially benefit from adding the MCT to their HCG protocol.
Hey @ms_afghanistan2015:disqus my problem is that I don’t see enough science proving it has a positive or neutral effect with fat loss on hCG, so to me it’s better safe than sorry type thing that’s all. I would love for coconut oil to be safe on P2- I really wish I could have a few people do a round or two with hCG and coconut oil with hydrostatic body fat testing before and after- that would clear up the matter quickly- until then, it’s just guessing, and I have proof that following the original protocol without fats does indeed produce high percentage of fat loss because of my hydrostatic testing- so I’m just not comfortable promoting something that I just don’t know if it’s okay, when I DO have proof that the original way (leaving fats out) DOES for sure produce good effects. I hope that makes sense. Sorry you were disappointed!
The example I mentioned was just to show that the scale is NOT proof of anything – people online claim the reason they know coconut oil on hCG is safe or even better is because they lose more weight on the scale- this example clearly shows the fallacy of such reasoning.
Additionally there is still the issue with consuming more calories on hCG when using coconut oil.
Because the hCG hormone interacts with our our hormones and does seem to make us more sensitive to fats, it is something I am concerned about, so I was just stating honestly the factors that make me feel hesitant about it. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting, and if someone wants to do that, by all means they can- but for those who want to be certain of something, I’m just mentioning the only thing I currently have proof of with the hydro testing which is the protocol without oil.
Hope that makes sense.
If you want to do coconut oil on hCG and do a hydrostatic body fat test before and after and then report back, please do! I would love to prove that this is a good thing actually. Especially if I ever do a round again, it would make it much easier!
Rayzel
Hi Rayzel,
Your Web site is great and its very helpful to have such information readily available. I have questions knowing you are into fitness and weight training. I have started the hcg protocol about 14 days ago. It’s going very well for me. The scale which I dread as a measurement has shown 13 pounds of weight loss. But most importantly I as well as others can clearly see fat loss and definitely not muscle loss. So glad. Like you, I am into fitness and weight training. In fact, it is rare that I am not at the gym training every day . Here are my questions,,,,,,
1. Because of extensive exercise I am averaging about 700-1000 calories a day on p2. I watch closely my blood sugar or shakiness or fatigue from exerting myself at the gym. I am doing well. Here’s the question….. what are your thoughts of calorie counting for extensive weight training? How many calories, in your opinion?
2. My body is definitely showing fat loss and at same time building muscle. But I am seeing the dreaded scale not necessarily budging. I don’t think I’m stalling. It just seems to be sticking at at a certain weight. Has this been your experience before? I realize it’s about pound and inches. I haven’t measured myself when I started. Because of tearing muscle tissues with lifting, I know I retain more water to build muscle.
3. The fat loss seems to be taking where it wants to kind of random which is fine. But, will the loss slow down when you get close to an ideal body fat ratio? If so, are there tips to avoid this?
Thank you!
Ron
Hi Ron Urban Great to hear you can really tell you are losing fat. That was my number one concern as well. As a male, you will no doubt have a better time with having an even better fat loss/muscle retention ratio then us women.
1. To be honest I’m really not sure. It sounds like what you are doing is the right thing to do- taking note of blood sugar and shakiness etc.- very smart- that’s what I would do if it were me. I think the only thing I can think of in addition that you might want to be cautious is that you are getting enough protein to support the rebuilding of the muscle you tear working out- if there’s not enough, I believe excess muscle loss could potentially take place- not totally sure, but it seems to make sense- just making sure to have what you need to recover properly- this could also be partially dependent on just how frequently you are working out which sounds like almost daily for you. It’s hard for me to give advice to guys though because I’m really only familiar with working out and recovery for women based on myself, so for males this may not be an issue.
2. I definitely have experienced days in a row of no weight loss at various points on the diet- I always think of it as a “catch up” period after you’ve lost a lot like you have in a short period of time. And like you said, the weight lifting factor and water retention could be adding to that for you. Usually if a person were to eat 1000 calories on hCG, many of them would not lose weight, so there’s always that possibility that that could be playing a role at this point- but it sounds like so far your method has been doing you good.
3. Yes the weight loss does slow down toward the end- still overall, I think it’s quite pleasing for the time involved. As you know, 1 lb of fat on a leaner person is visually more obvious than 1 lb of a fat on a heavier person. So even though I lost maybe 7 lbs of fat “only” on one of my later rounds, the difference it made in the size of my body was pretty big. One tip is that as your fat disappears, make sure you inject into an area that has more fat- initially I didn’t realize that my belly flab was pretty much gone and I had just excess skin left and I was still injecting there and getting hungry/etc.- I switched to my thighs/deltods where I had more fat and bam, hunger gone- so that may help as parts of you get leaner.
I hope that helps a little!
-Rayzel
Ok, so I’m starting my first round on Saturday… I’ve done about 3 months of research and have started prepping. I have the blessing of being off work for the next 6-8 weeks, so I can be really focused on this. I’d read a lot about the inclusion of coconut oil, and had decided not to eat it for this round… but I did wonder about using it on my skin. I started using coconut oil as a moisturizer and deodorant about 4 years ago, and it basically eliminated my psoriasis (I now have a couple mild flares a year vs a pretty constant problem) and stink (seriously… deodorant makes you stinky… even natural ones!). I only use about 1/4-1/2 tsp/day total for all uses (as you mentioned, a little coconut oil goes a LONG way)… I know all oily skincare products are supposed to be strictly verboten on the protocol… but wondered what you thought? I really don’t want to screw up my results, but I’m also nervous about a psoriasis flare up.
Hi @britneyparcher:disqus – glad to hear you have done so much research! That is definitely a good sign you’ll have success. Regarding using the oil on your skin – it’s up to you – basically, if it were me, I wouldn’t be using it on my skin either during P2. But I can also understand your concerns with your skin condition. You’ll have to weigh the risks on both sides for your self and try one out – these types of things can be hard to be sure of. If it helps, my final P2 I did use a small amount of half and half in black tea because I can’t drink straight black tea without a tad of fat or it hurts my tummy, so I did choose to do that – so that’s why for you you might decided to try a very small amount and see how it goes – it’s up to you. Its always hard to say whether something affected weight loss or not because you can’t re-do the experiment the other way exactly at the same weight etc.
I also use liquid coconut oil on my face as a moisturizer and have been wondering if I should stop.
On my first round of HCG 5 years ago, I lost approx 30 lbs / lost 14.5% body fat / gained 6.4% muscle. Should note that my Dr did up my protein intake after my first scan—not sure if the additional fat was to blame or not—but didn’t seem to bother MY overall results.
That being said, I am trying to go without it on some days and seeing how my skin feels, and for sure am wearing less makeup this round which may help altogether. For sure not cooking with any. Since we’re noting even the smallest of influences, I do think being 46 last time I did it, to almost 51(and definitely peri-menopausal) now might affect my ability to lose now so I don’t want to make it harder than it needs to be.
These article have been so helpful. Thank you!
Hi Gabrielle
Thanx for sharing. Do you mind sharing your macros and tot cal consumption as to your approach to P2 e.g more fat and protein. Many thanx. Cor
Gabrielle Dee I would love to pick your brain…
Coconut oil is wonderful while on P1-P4. Coconut oil has a thermogenic effect on the body and it’s TRUE that it does not want to stick to the body as body fat. The man that experimented with diet and no exercise was ASKING to lose his muscle. Muscle is not something you can build and not maintain. ESPECIALLY for 7 weeks… And you say he dieted healthily… What were his macros? Those matter.
Fat while on HCG shouldn’t be dreaded. The protocol sets forth rules on how you can lose about 1 pound a day for mostly sedentary individuals. IMO, 30 minutes of daily walking is still sedentary compared to how active we should be as humans. Just an opinion.
I think it’s important not to think too much! Bodybuilders with fantastic body composition love coconut and MCT oil. Why do you think that is?
Again, to why fat while on HCG shouldn’t matter, it shouldn’t matter because your body is in ketosis transitioning into becoming what I understand to be fat adapted. The longer you’re on HCG the closer you come to becoming fat adapted. What this means is that your body burns fat as fuel. Fat will not want to stick to you. It is your fuel. Becoming a fat burner is the reason why most people stabilize extremely well after longer rounds versus shorter ones. Another factor is more carb introduction in P3, activity level, and macro percentages. True ketosis is high fat, moderate protein and very low carbs. I’m not sure is Dr. S knew the following already when he made the protocol or if he just assumed fat was just entirely bad BUT: The only time fat becomes an issue is when consumed with carbs. I would encourage people to try this.
1.) Find your most potent but comfortable tea for having a BM have it for 3 days. The first day, eat as you normally would and drink 3 cups of water with every meal unless you’re having soup. Drink the tea early to midday. (the reason for this is to eliminate the factor of waste being held.
2.) On the second day drink the tea and water as stated above but have 3T of coconut oil either with protein ALONE- NO carbs. Or in CocoaD(a recipe where the cocoa powder is the only carb and the stevia is genuine, not sweetnlow or any other sweetener). [[Please make sure you don’t eat carbs within 3 hours of your consumption of coconut oil]].
3.) On the third day, eat normally, without the coconut oil. I guarantee that if anyone fuels their body with an appropriate amount of water and follows the no carbs with the coconut oil rule, they will see wonderful releases. Those three days cycled but then taking the tea as needed is what I do.
A NOTE ON THE ABOVE ADVICE: I only made the rule for having the coconut oil without carbs because I know that having oils and carbs at the same time is the culprit for most people gaining weight, even on calorie restricted diets.
A NOTE ON ME: I cycle my above advice in regards to the tea and the coconut oil. I only have it every otherish day. Mostly because for me, coconut oil is fuel, and I don’t crave coconut delight every day, nor do I always want it in my food. But I do love the stuff. I only use unrefined. It’s amazing. And delicious. ALSO, I have over 3T when I have it. My consumption is more like 4-5T at a time or spread across the day. But I don’t worry much about having it around carbs because the only time I have carbs with a high GI is right before I work out. NOW, I’m sure the fact that I work out has something to do with my results, but convincing others to work out on this diet is difficult so I won’t call it necessary unless your overall goal is fitness and health. IF, however, that you only want to lose weight to see the scale drop, then by all means, skimp on being active, HCG will still burn the fat for you and coconut oil will still work just as well.
ANOTHER NOTE ON ME: I lost fat in P2 and put on a tremendous amount of muscle… Not only did I put on for the areas of my body that I focused on, but I had an increase in strength in all other areas as well. Perhaps the fact that I’m an endo-mesomorph in body type has something to do with it, but if you think about it, who needs to drop weight and isn’t one of those anyway. Either meso, endo, or meso-endo… So we’re all the same. There are rare cases, but for the majority of people, my advice WILL absolutely work for you.
Gosh, there’s so much more. Like increasing your protein, incorporating macadamia nuts.. I’ve found so much to work amazingly well on this diet. I don’t think I’ll ever “cut” any other way.
ANOTHER TIP: Protein has a thermogenic effect on the body. But to take full advantage of this effect, consume at least 30g of it at one time. 100g of chicken breast is not enough to tap into the effect, increase it just a little bit. The increase in calories is negligible when compared to the benefits, trust me!
Wow gabrielle! Thanks for your very long and detailed comment! I would be curious to hear more about some of the things you said. Definitely I have no concerns about fats in regular life at all- just with hCG it seems to me hCG does change how fat is used etc.- for instance the only round I did lose a lot of muscle on hCG was my first round, the round that I had a lot of coconut oil. But certainly there were other factors that could have been the cause instead and I did eat the fruits that round (though no melba/grissini). I can’t replicate the experiment unfortunately :)-. I’d love to see some before and after pics if you have them sometime.
The reasons I’m not convinced is because if you are consuming that much coconut oil on vlcd, since 40% of it is LCT’s it seems like you should be able to just have stuff like butter on hCG as well then. Also, even though it’s thermogenic, I referenced one article that seemed to kind of explain that it’s not like its going to cause your body to burn more calories than the calories consumed in the coconut oil itself- so that part is still not making sense to me.
But I really would love to pursue this with your further- one big reason is that there are at time a few people I run into, including my own mom, who no matter what dose they try, they just feeling starving on hCG no matter what- if there was a healthy way my mom could consume that much coconut oil while on hCG and not hurt her body composition I would love for her to try it- she just can’t get far with hCG because of being so hungry and it also worries me that her body may be losing too much muscle if she is feeling that much hunger day after day on vlcd- when I’m on vlcd I’m so not hungry I can practically fast some days. It has been such a conundrum for me to figure out.
I’m wondering IF the coconut oil or mct was okay, how important a role the exercise does play though in retaining muscle mass while doing this. A lot of women starting out hCG are 100 lbs overweight and they are not ready to pursue exercise yet.
Another reason I have wondered about all this is because my first 3 rounds of hCG, I used the handheld omron body fat monitor- now I KNOW they are not entirely accurate- but I compared the results it gave me with my hydrostatic body fat testing each time and it was VERY close to accurate- it was only off by 1-2% and it’s consistency as far as how much fat it said I lost during each round was almost 100% accurate- so the reason I mention all this is because when I did consume coconut oil, or like I tried a couple fat fast days in one round, while my scale weight went down, my body fat went UP on my omron- this really disconcerted me since like I said, when compared with the hydro testing, this particular body fat monitor was very close to accurate. I was trying to think of a way to reason out why it would give me that result if there could be some other explanation.
Like you know, I just don’t feel scale weight is a good indicator and the reason I mentioned the whole brad pilon experience is because many women use the scale to determine whether something they tried worked or not, but his experience shows that is just not the case. What I want to see if someone do a round of hCG where they are eating as much coconut oil as you and have bodyfat testing results before and after- as a woman. I’ve seen plenty of testing results of men but men are simply totally different than women so I don’t find their results to show what a woman will experience.
Anyway- would love to hear more proof/convincing arguments if you have them because I wish I could help my mom out and some of the other few ladies who just can’t seem to feel comfortable on hCG- it seems like the coconut oil like that could really make it much easier for them.
Lastly- I don’t know how fit you are- it sounds like might be fairly fit and muscled- I have noticed now that I’ve been crossfitting for 2 years and have a lot of muscle and have really intense workouts that I can get away with eating a lot more of stuff that I would have gained weight with in the past- I feel like my body has become adapted and trained to utilize foods much more effectively and not turning it into fat, but previously before I had all that working out under my belt I don’t feel my body operated that way and I think for a lot of women just starting out overweight it might be the same, so again the concerns as what your body does with these off protocol things may be different than what their body would do with it.
Sorry if some of this is confusing- I’m a bit of a rambler. 😉
Thanks again!
Rayzel
One more reason ppl might want to add a trace amount of MCT oil is for nutrient absorbtion.