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UPDATE September 2018 – While the info I share in today’s blog post (and all of my “Let’s Get Personal” blog posts) will be helpful to those who are starting out on their healing journeys, I felt it pertinent to post a quick update as to where I am now in my healing journey. It has been quite the adventure with all sorts of ups and downs, twists and turns. I got to a point where I no longer felt drawn to share so many intimate details so I stopped writing the Let’s Get Personal series in 2016. If you would like to get the most recent update on my health and healing journey, please read this post, 3 Reasons Why I No Longer Share About My Healing Journey Online. or watch the video below. You are always more than welcome to email me with any questions as well! Cheers! ~Jessica
You see, my views on weight loss and health have shifted extensively since 2012 and I no longer am a fan of promoting “weight loss strategies”. I am now a certified nutritional therapist and mind body nutrition coach and I work with clients on things like disordered eating, poor body image, chronic dieting, etc.
This passion for health coaching has stemmed out of my own history with an eating disorder and chronic yo-yo dieting, both of which really came to light soon after this “eat coconut oil to lose weight” period of my life. Even though the food and body issues were there for nearly my whole life, it took this last period of obsessive dieting to show me just how big these problems were and how much damage they had done to my mind, body, and soul.
It has taken me a lot of time and hard work to heal from the eating disorder and body shame that I had dealt with for nearly 3 decades of my life. As you can imagine, weight is a touchy subject for those I work with. It’s an area that has required me to acquire a higher level of wisdom and professional training around so that I can best support my clients in achieving better health.
The education I have received has really shifted my views on weight loss and everything that goes with it. Weight is a complicated and deeply personal thing and must be addressed on a deeper level than just “take this”, “eat that”, etc. Weight loss is far more than what we eat, it’s what we think, how we process emotions, what our environments are like, what our health status is, what our financial means are, what our community support is, how our relationships function, etc.
Ironically, going back to the coconut oil, I started developing an aversion to it a few years ago and I think it was partially due to the fact I was eating SO much of it for that period of time. Now the smell or taste of it plain is enough to make me feel a little queasy. I do still use it because I believe it’s one of the healthiest oils out there, but when I do it’s in small amounts like cooking and baking and much prefer the expeller pressed varieties so there is no taste or scent. I definitely can’t tolerate eating it by the spoonful anymore. 🙂
UPDATE December 2012: Since I published this post in October, I have received countless emails, comments, and messages about coconut oil and weight loss and how it is or is not working for them. I LOVE hearing from you, however, I do want to stress the importance of this. Please, please, please do not think that this post is telling you that if you consume a bunch of coconut oil, you will lose weight. There is no magic bullet for weight loss. We are all different. Each and every one of us is unique and what works for one person may not work for someone else. There are also A LOT of things that factor into weight loss — it’s not just as easy as eating coconut oil. The only reason I wrote this post is because I wanted to share my personal experience with all of you, since I was already documenting my healing journey. I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I am not a medical doctor. If you are interested in weight loss, I’d recommend speaking with your doctor, a naturopath, or a nutritional therapist first, before making any changes to your diet. I only upped my intake of coconut oil after speaking with my medical doctor, my naturopath, AND my nutritional therapist, and have been operating under the care of all three ever since.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE, PUBLISHED OCT. 2012
I initially started this post to be a focus on how coconut oil can help improve thyroid function and aid in weight loss, but as I started writing, it turned into more of a Let’s Get Personal post. So, for the sake of not letting this post get too long, I am going to discuss my personal experience with how coconut oil has helped me, and then soon, I will share a more scientific post about how coconut oil helps the thyroid and weight loss.
NOTE: Due to the FDA and FTC laws on health claims, I need to make this very clear. None of the information in this post is to be construed as medical advice. I am not a doctor or certified medical practitioner of any sort. I am simply sharing the success that I have had with adding coconut oil to my diet. Every person is different and you should always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, supplements, or exercise routine. For a full disclaimer, please read my Terms and Conditions. The following post is ALL my own, personal experience.
I’m a Nut for the Coconut
You all know that I have a major love affair with coconut oil. I have written about it many times and it is a staple in my kitchen. I use lots of it daily. If you want to read some of my past posts, check these out:
- Coconut Oil Health Benefits: Why is it so Wonderful?
- 52 Uses for Coconut Oil – The Simple, The Strange, and The Downright Odd!
- 122 Uses for Coconut Oil – Even More of the Simple, the Strange, and the Downright Odd
- Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s – New and Exciting Research
- Coconut Oil for Healthy, Happy Pets – Why it’s Good and How to Use (it’s not just good for us, it’s good for our pet friends too!)
For years, I have read and been told, that coconut oil can help improve thyroid function and also help the body shed weight. I think that these two things go hand-in-hand, because typically if you have a low-functioning thyroid, you will also find it incredibly hard to lose weight. If you are hyperthyroid, you usually have the opposite problem (too much weight loss), so for the sake of this article, I will just be focusing on hypothyroid issues.
Coconut’s Role in My Healing Journey
As some of you know, this summer (on August 1st), I embarked on a healing journey. I finally got to a place in my life where I felt that I could handle taking on the health problems that I had been ignoring. I won’t go into a lot of detail about my healing journey in this post, so if you want to know more, I do encourage you to read my Let’s Get Personal Series. I will be talking about thyroid issues, hormone issues, adrenal issues, and blood sugar issues.
When I first started on this journey, the main dysfunction that I wanted to address was my low-functioning thyroid. Turns out, I actually have an autoimmune disease – Hashimoto’s – rather than just being hypothyroid. So, for me, we have to focus on the immune system first and foremost. I was diagnosed as hypothyroid about 6 years ago. I look back and wish I had taken the extra tests at that time. I am curious to know if I was autoimmune this whole time. For the most part, I have not had many of the symptoms of low thyroid function, up until about a year ago. Maybe it was because I was not as in tune with my body as I thought I was. Or, maybe it was because I was in tune with my body and I was just in denial. Whatever the reason, I had just resolved that I would take my T4 medication and that was that. But, I finally realized that I owed it to my present self, and my future self, to figure out what was going on with my body and do everything in my power to fix it.
Now that I am a couple months into the journey, I can look back and see that I did have many more symptoms of low-functioning thyroid and adrenal issues that I ever realized. Here are some of the symptoms that I have noticed over the last 6 years:
- Slow, steady weight gain, despite eating a real food diet and exercising regularly
- Inability to lose weight, even when I would try
- Hair loss
- Unstable moods and emotions
- Brain fog
- Fatigue
Now, I have always eaten coconut oil. Really, I have eaten coconut oil for as long as I can remember It is one of my primary cooking oils and I use it daily. I never really took it medicinally, I just relied on whatever I was getting from my meals. In total, I was probably getting 2-4 tablespoons of coconut oil per day. With that amount, I was not experiencing increased thyroid function or weight loss.
Now, please note that I am not obsessed with being the “perfect size”, nor am I focused on being skinny. I just want to lose the excess weight (60+ pounds) that I have put on over the last 6-8 years and get back down to a size where I can once again feel healthy and comfortable in my skin. It is a well-known fact that excess weight is a burden on the body. It is hard not only on our bones, joints, and ligaments, it is also hard on our internal organs, cardiovascular system, blood sugar system, etc. So, my focus is not to be skinny. My focus is to be healthy. My goal weight is 160-170 pounds. That is where I feel healthy and it fits my 5’10” frame.
There. I said it. I just confessed to the world how much I weigh (you all can do the math).
I am now officially mortified.
Moving on …
So, over the last 6-8 years, I put on a total of 67 pounds. They just kind of crept on, and then one day I looked at the scale and said “WHOA!”. I reached my heaviest weight about a year and a half ago, and over the course of the last couple years, I have lost around 15 pounds. Not a lot, and it wasn’t easy. Losing weight has never been easy. Still, it was a long ways away from my goal weight range of 160-170, which, BTW, according to the CDC, if I weigh 170, I would still be considered “Overweight” by their BMI calculator. I honestly think the standard BMI calculators are a bunch of junk. They don’t take into consideration anything other than height and weight. There is no consideration for frame size (I am a big-framed person anyways — you know, “big boned”), muscle mass, etc. Hence the reason that I am not concerned with getting to what the CDC determines as a “normal” weight.
I attribute this weight gain to (a) my low-functioning thyroid, (b) my malfunctioning adrenals, (c) food allergies (gluten/grains, legumes, and dairy), (d) emotional eating, and (e) too much stress. All of which, I am working on fixing. It is frustrating to realize how much weight you put on, despite eating a relatively clean diet with lots of real food. I know there are many, many people out there who feel the exact same way.
Anyways, I have completely digressed from my initial point. Thank you for sticking with me … I tend to do that a lot.
Back in the middle of August, I was whining confessing to Lydia how frustrated I was that I was eating such a clean diet (no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar), better managing my stress, and exercising (walking and yoga – nothing too strenuous to burden my adrenals), yet I wasn’t losing any weight. She told me two things:
1. You don’t lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy to lose weight.
2. Try upping your coconut oil.
Point number 1 really hit home for me. We live in a world where we are constantly told that we need to lose weight to be healthy. That, if we just lose weight, we’ll never have to worry about heart disease, diabetes, etc. Because of this, our society is obsessed with weight loss and we live in a world where we are judged by how we look. Losing weight is not a cure-all. Yes, it can help alleviate the excess burden on your body, but it’s about time that we start focusing on why we are overweight and address those issues before we do anything else. More times than none, there are going to be underlying issues that are simply preventing our bodies from dropping extra baggage.
Point number 2 was a total “Duh!” moment for me. Of course! I should up my coconut oil. I have always known that it’s good in aiding weight loss and helping thyroid health, so why wasn’t I already doing that?
Starting that day, I upped my daily intake of coconut oil to 9-12 tablespoons per day. Yes. You read that correctly. Since I use a lot of coconut oil in cooking, I average about 3 tablespoons that way. The other 6-9 tablespoons, I get by adding it to my tea. I try to drink 2-3 mugs of herbal tea per day and I add about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil into each mug. I am so used to it by now that I actually crave it. For me, it’s almost a treat! I have a cup with breakfast and lunch, and then often another mug at dinner.
And then ….
The weight started coming off. I began to steadily lose about 1 pound per week (sometimes a little more or less, depending on my activity and stress levels that week). And I am thrilled with that. A pound a week is a good, safe rate to lose weight. To date, I have lost 17 additional pounds. Combine that with my previous 15 pound weight loss and we’re at a whopping 32 pounds gone! I am officially halfway to where I want to be! And, there has been nothing difficult or frustrating. I don’t even think about it. I just eat as cleanly as possible, enjoy my tea and coconut oil, and let my body do what it needs to do. It took me 6+ years to get to this point, so it certainly isn’t going to change overnight! 🙂
I also feel like I have a little more energy throughout the day, and my energy levels are staying stable, whereas before, they were kind of up and down. A lot of that has to do with my determination to keep my blood sugar levels stable, but getting plenty of fat is key to making that happen.
Now, please don’t misinterpret this as me saying if you eat a whole bunch of coconut oil, you’ll lose weight. In my case, I think there are a number of reasons that I am finally being able to drop the excess weight, when in the past, I was not. I think all of the lifestyle changes that I have made over the last few months are all feeding off of one another to help with weight loss (upping my coconut oil intake may have been the one final thing that my body needed):
1. We eliminated allergens: grains, dairy, legumes, and sugar.
2. We started supplementing with high-quality products for specific areas that I was deficient.
3. I started focusing on getting more rest – in bed by 9:30pm most nights.
4. I got my blood sugar regulated so I no longer have spikes and dips.
5. I am working on the emotional aspects of illness and healing and that process is helping re-define my relationship with food.
(when I say “we”, I mean me and my nutritional therapist Lydia)
I am so excited about all of this. I think that we really underestimate the amount of fat that our bodies need. After decades of being fed the low-fat nonsense, I think we forget that fat is an important part of our diet. I have a feeling that even when I was eating what I considered a lot of fat, I perhaps wasn’t really eating enough. I am looking forward to seeing where this journey takes me. Remember, fat does not make you fat! If you’re still afraid of saturated fat, please read this post.
Whew! That was a long post. But, that is how coconut oil has helped me and I wanted to share. Have you had success incorporating coconut oil into your diet? Have you experienced improved thyroid function and/or weight loss? I would love to hear your story! Leave a comment below.
Update January 2013: I have lost a total of 40 pounds over the last 6 months. While I do have about 20 more pounds to go, I am quite pleased with my progress and regularly give myself a pat on the back! 🙂
P.S. Coconut oil is not just good for they thyroid, it’s good for a host of things. For lots of health-related information on coconut oil, I have found this book from the founders of Tropical Traditions to be very informative. Because the FDA and FTC doesn’t like us talking about the health benefits of coconut oil, I recommend this book to everyone, so that you can learn more about coconut oil’s health benefits. It was just updated for 2012 and contains a ton of new information.
Health Journey Update – 8/18/15
Here are a few videos of my current progress. To see even more up-to-date info on my personal health journey, check out my YouTube channel here.
Support Your Stress Response, Adrenals, Thyroid, and Whole Body Through Herbs
When it comes to supporting overall wellness, herbs are a great tool to have in your toolkit, especially those who may be dealing with chronic illness of some type. Since 2009, when I started this site, I have met thousands upon thousands of people through my work and by far, the #1 health complaints are:
- adrenal fatigue (or adrenal dysfunction of some sort) (click here to read all of my adrenal health articles)
- thyroid disorders (hypo-, hyper-, or autoimmune) (click here to read all of my thyroid health articles)
Because of this, I wanted to add in a section into this post about the benefit of using herbs with chronic illness. Adaptogens are by far one of the most used herbs when it comes to working with people who have low energy, fatigue, and overall imbalance in the endocrine system (thyroid, adrenals, and blood sugar).
While the benefits of adaptogenic herbs extend far beyond just supporting that one system, this tends to be one of the main reasons people turn to adaptogenic herbs in the first place. That said there are a lot of other herbs out there that offer amazing support for the body, especially those dealing with chronic illness which is why I wanted to share this section today.
If you are dealing with any type of chronic illness, I’m sorry to break it to you, but caffeine may not be your best friend. 🙁 While you can find lots of info online in both the pro- and the anti-coffee camps, the fact of the matter comes down to the fact that are a lot of people dealing with chronic illness, especially thyroid and adrenal problems, that simply cannot tolerate coffee and caffeine.
While those with sluggish adrenal glands tend to feel run down and in need of a regular pick-me-up (like coffee and other caffeinated beverages), in the long run, caffeine can do more harm than good while you are healing. I go into the “whys” around caffeine and your adrenals in this detailed post here. In addition to the caffeine, there are other constituents, molds, and mycotoxins that can show up in coffee that some people find they react to and can further exacerbate the toxic load on the body.
When I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue, one of the first things that had to go was coffee. In addition to dealing with these issues, we suspected that I was having some detox pathway sluggishness so we wanted to also focus on supporting the liver and lymph systems. Most people who are dealing with chronic illness are also going to have issues with detoxification of the body, which is why herbs can play such an important role.
To be honest, I never drank coffee because of the caffeine. I drank coffee for the taste and aroma, as well as the emotional experience I felt to my morning cup of joe. For me, it was a ritual that I looked forward to every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Whether I was brewing it at home or going to my local coffee shops, the experience was one that I clung to tightly.
But, when I was faced with new health struggles, I knew I had to do whatever I could to support my body and give it the tools it needed to heal. Giving up coffee and caffeine was one step in this direction.
And it sucked.
I turned to the coffee substitutes on the market in a desperate attempt to recreate the ritual I had grown so fond of, but nothing ever tasted the way I wanted it to. Nothing ever gave me that same experience that my cup of “real” coffee did. I knew there had to be something better, but I simply could not find it on my health food store’s shelves.
Necessity is the mother of invention so that is why I created my own coffee substitutes. They were made with organic, sustainably harvested herbs with zero grains, zero gluten, and zero caffeine. Just herbs.
Herbs that not only tasted delicious but supported my body’s function, like liver detox, bile production, digestion, etc. All of the herbs used in my “coffee” blends have been used for thousands of years to support the body’s normal functions and help everything work a little better — something we all need in today’s toxic world! (psst, dandelion is one of the herbs!)
When it came to creating these blends, if I could get something to not only tasted amazing (and helped me recreate my dearly loved ritual), but also did amazingly supportive things for my body, then it’s a no brainer!
I sold these pre-made blends on Etsy for awhile and the demand was more than I could keep up with. People literally LOVED these blends and were stunned at how much like coffee they actually tasted. Customers who had been dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses had given up coffee to heal their bodies, but like me were deeply missing their morning cup of joe ritual.
After careful consideration and work with some highly experienced advisors, I decided to stop selling the pre-made blends and instead share my proprietary recipes in the form of an eBook. That way I could arm people with the knowledge and recipes they needed to make their own caffeine-free, gluten-free, grain-free blends in the comfort of their own home.
That is why I created the best-selling DIY Herbal Coffees eBook: A Complete Guide To Making Delicious Herbal Coffees to Support Healing & Stress Relief.
Now in its second edition, this ebook features:
- All of my proprietary herbal blend recipes to you can craft a homemade herbal cup of “coffee” at home.
- A ton of researched information about coffee’s impact on the health of those dealing with issues like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and any other chronic illness.
- Information about all of the herbs used, why I selected them, how to source them, how to prepare and store you “coffees”, and much more.
- Access to your own personal coffee shop where I show you how to recreate your favorite coffee shop drinks and pastries with wholesome, nourishing real food ingredients. No junk here. Only real food.
This book truly is a comprehensive guide to supporting your health, reducing your stress, and bringing a little something special back into your healing journey. You can learn more and download your own copy of this revolutionary wellness guide here, or simply click on the image below.
Delicious Obsessions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Read our full terms and conditions here.

My thyroid is about the only thing functioning properly in my body, but my paleo doc is addressing things in order of importance: regulating my blood sugar. Her recommendation has been 8-12tbsp of coconut oil per day! I use it way more often now but I use palm oil (organic shortening) more often because because they have similar MCT benefits and it has a neutral flavor. My husband is even on board and eats CO by the spoonful! I’m also buying it for gifts now. 🙂
Hi Jenn – Thanks for stopping by! I have heard a lot of people say that coconut oil has helped their blood sugar regulate. I do use some palm oil and palm shortening on occasion. I always forget that I have it, but I do like to change it up a bit! Great idea on the jars of coconut oil for gifts! I’m going to start doing that! 🙂
What a fabulous post, Jessica! Thanks for such great information!
Thank you Lori!!
You’ve totally inspired me to get serious about increasing my coconut oil! I had started to a while back, but then lost the habit quickly. As I was mentioning the other night, I have a hard time wanting to add in lots of fats, even though I know they’re so very good for me.
And how exciting that you’re halfway to your goal! My weight loss has been extremely slow, but it is happening. It’s so true that you need to focus on getting healthy in order to lose weight. It’s such an important shift in our mind set.
Thanks for the inspirational story!
Hi Mindy – I am glad I could be of some inspiration! I look forward to hearing how it goes for you. I am actually going to be looking into some more digestive assistance for fats, thanks to our discussion the other night. I already am on the HCl, but I think I may need a little additional help. I’ll be making a trip to Vitamin Cottage this weekend to explore options. I had such a nice time the other night! Was great to hang out with some other like-minded people! I am looking forward to reading your story as well … we’re all on a journey of some sort! 🙂
what an interesting post! I have weight issues as well as taking thyroid medicine and am a relatively new type 2 diabetic on meds. I have switched to using coconut oil exclusively for cooking, but never was aware of using it in coffee…have to try that. We used it on my bedridden mom for the 3 years she was bedridden and she never had a bedsore once. The visiting nurses were amazed on how healthy her skin was…I Also gave it to her for her altzheimers, she seemed to stay at a level, not progressing as fast as doc expected right up until her body gave out on her. I love your honesty in sharing your journey to health. I have been thinking about talking to Lydia myself, your post has encouraged me to think harder. Thanks so much.
Hi Jackie – Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story! I appreciate your feedback and kind words. I strongly encourage you to contact Lydia, and just discuss your situation with her. It’s always nice to get the advice of someone who is familiar with helping these types of issues. I wish you all the success on your healing journey! Thank you for reading 🙂
When you are consuming CO in your tea, is Tropical Traditions Gold Label? Or is can you use one of the lesser grades?
Hi Mrs. Z – I use whatever coconut oil I have on hand at the moment. Any high-quality coconut oil would be fine. Hope that helps! 🙂
Health is such a journey, isn’t it? Glad you are experiencing success as a result of your changes. I thought I was consuming a lot of coconut oil, but I’m sure that I am nowhere near 9-12 Tbsp! Will be increasing that starting now. Thanks for the info.
Hi Leslie – It sure is! Everyone is different, so I would love to hear your experiences. I know of people who eat WAY more coconut oil than I do. I think 9-12 tbsp. is all I can manage! 🙂
Hi i wanted to say Hi and im glad i came across you!
I have been gluten free/sugar free/dairy free/nut free/and so forth all my life , I was diagnosed with Lupus as birth and also have Sjolgrens syndrome and hemocromtois and an Overactive Thyroid. (pretty much im on the Full Gaps diet)
I am just now adressing my thryoid issues now that i have had my 4 children back to back from each other and lost 6 along the way…… 🙁
I really enjoyed reading your post above , I am sorry you are dealing with these issues but im also was nice to read that someone is going though a similar experince….God bless you as you continue to heal!
Im a mom of 4 children and a professiona chef and i am also a nutritionalist 😀 (in the making since im not lisenced and bonded yet) heheh
Hi JoAnna – Thank you for stopping by and sharing your story! Wow! You have gone through a lot! I really appreciate people who are willing to share their own personal experiences, even though it is so hard to open up publicly. There is strength in numbers and even though we may not know each other in real life, you’re right, it is nice to know there are others going through the same things as you. Makes you not feel quite so alone! I am going to head over and check out your site right now! Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
So glad you found whats working for your body! I have thyroid issues and menopause and nearly 7 years ago started my get healthier journeyand have lost and maintained the loss, fill fit and younger than my age. I’ve had to fine tune as the years have passed. a couple thoughts to share from experience. As a nurse, BMI was developed to be a statistical model for studies, not meant to use to judge our weight as it’s used today. A scale that measure weight, body fat, water etc, 50.00 at Bed, Bath and Beyond or amazon is a better tool maybe for following your body changes or just how you fell and your favorite pair of pants. Be careful with upping coconut oil, each body has its own toterance. If I used as much as you I’d never leave the bathroom but I’m 5’2″. Up slowly. Also, for those who believed low fat, as I did, you may have numerous underlying vitamin deficenies, my Vit D was so low it shocked my Dr. and I live in FL! Correcting these as I added natural fats like coconut oil, real butter, lard from a friend really added my weight loss and improved health. I can never fix my thyroid, its gone, but feel wonderful, energetic,no sore joints, just walked all over DC visiting museums with my Grandson. I still eat a little grain, raw dairy goat and cow and even make the occasional old family treat that just can’t be made over with better ingredients. I think being to hung up on perfect eatng can be a trap too. Good luck on your journey and continued health and happiness.
Hi Robin – Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your story! Funny – we have one of those scales from BBB. I never pay attention to those readings though. I do my own measurements once a month. For me, it’s more important to see how my clothes are fitting, rather than my weight. Doctors still like to use that old BMI thing though telling me that I should weigh “X amount” to be healthy. I just look at them and smile. 😉 Lydia and I area already addressing areas where I may be deficient in vitamins and minerals. That was actually the first thing that we focused on back in August. My Vit. D levels were actually not that bad, though we have been working on boosting them a wee bit, which I’ll get tested again next month. I totally agree with you on the “perfect eating” hang up. For me, it’s easier, because I had to eliminate dairy, grains, and legumes because of potential food allergies. It’s a lot easier to change your eating habits when you have to. For me, there was no choice. I do have to say that everything is compounded and making me feel much better than I did even 6 months ago! Thanks again! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story, it sounds a lot like mine. I read the Tropical Traditions book and started increasing my CO about a month ago and I can already feel a difference in my energy level. I’m looking forward to losing some weight soon!
Glad to hear that things are working for you! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I’m glad things are working for you!
Also, I wonder if we have a similar body shape. We are about the same height and right now around the same weight. Last year I was down around 180 and very comfortable there. I want to get back there again and improve my overall muscle tone. Which means more belly dance once I get back to having enough sleep. (That’s the bane of being me in the fall and spring.)
Hi Soli! That is interesting — we might be very similar! I am looking forward to getting down to a place where I truly feel comfortable and healthy. It has been a long time since I have been there and I know that after going through all of this, I will truly appreciate my body. It also means one step closer to having a baby! 😉
Thanks for sharing this Jessica! I used to add coconut oil to my coffee and tea and got lazy. I have been hoarding coconut oil so I guess I should use it! I was just talking to my husband the other day about the times that I really lose weight are those when I am eating the most fat. I know I need more coconut oil but again with the lazy.
Thanks so much for sharing your journey! I have thyroid and adrenal issues too (as you can see from my posts) as well as a host of other issues. It is amazing how we let our selves get so far in life without even realizing there is a problem isn’t it?
Hi Amanda – We’re all in this journey together, huh? Sometimes it seems so hopeless and overwhelming, but it is so comforting to know that there are others with similar stories. There is strength in numbers and we’ll all help one another! I truly think that we underestimate the power of plenty of dietary fat. I always thought I ate plenty of fat, but after experiencing my recent successes, I really don’t think I was! I can’t wait to follow more of your journey as well! 🙂
Hi Jessica! I read this post when you first posted it and saved it. While I use coconut oil in baking, etc. I’ve always been hesistant to eat it more consistenly. However, I keep coming back to it. I struggle with Adrenal Fatigue and Thyroid problems. We are coming up on a year now being gluten free and in the last few months have been dairy free as well. Both of those have helped tremendously, but I’m still not losing the weight. Despite a healthy diet (we don’t eat much sugar), exercising 6 days a week, and drinking a good amount of water (although I know I could do better), I still am stuck at this weight. I seemingly have been trying so hard yet not losing. So I think I may try this. If anything, I know it is healthy for me. I was wondering if you are still noticing a change in your weight?
Hi Vanessa – Thanks for stopping by! I am sorry to hear about your struggles with AF and thyroid issues. Boy — there is a lot of that nowadays! I am still eating the coconut oil, though as the weather has gotten colder, I find that I don’t crave it as much. Which, I found odd, because I would expect it to be the opposite. I am not forcing myself to get the large amounts in that I was, but I am still experiencing weight loss and I am still eating a fair amount of coconut oil every day. I always use a lot in cooking and then also include a couple tablespoons in my hot tea. Since I wrote that post, I am down another 6-7 pounds. I know everyone is different and has different experiences with coconut oil, but I hope that you find it successful! Would love to hear how things go for you! 🙂
I love your blogs about your health journey. Ok, lets cut to the chase: I have been using coconut oil regularly for about 3-4 weeks.Plus I’m eating pretty much all the good fats like butter (occasionally)and mostly gluten free bread.Plus I’ve cut out sugar (except in my morning coffee).I also am up to 4 tbsps of coconut oil a day.So my question is this:WHY am I gaining weight? I know we are not supposed to pay attention to calories, but I reckon my morning fruit smoothy with the coconut oil and coconut milk is about 800 calories (I also put plain whey powder in it)So, do I need to add MORE coconut oil like you did? Will this solve my weight gain? I am already over weight. I can’t afford to keep gaining pounds.Thanks in advance.
Hi Heidi – Thanks for stopping by! You know, we’re all different, so what works for me, may not work for other people. I just wanted to share my experience with others, since I was documenting my healing journey. I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, since I am not a medical doctor. I’d recommend speaking with your doctor, a naturopath, or a nutritional therapist. There could be other things going on that are preventing you from losing weight. Getting the help of an expert would be a great place to start! Hope that helps! 🙂
P.S. Just to add to my previous message: I also have a sluggish thyroid.I have been taking a natural bovine extract thyroid pill for a few weeks too.So I can’t figure out why the weight gain since I am eating good and taking the supplement.
Hi Heidi – Low thyroids do play a key role in weight gain/loss. I would recommend working with your doctor or naturopath to see what might be going on with your body. Good luck! 🙂
This is so interesting because I have noticed that I feel better and more stable when I get butter in my diet….. So I had quietly decided to renounce all the anti-fat hype and focus on eating good wholesome, healthy foods that incorporate healthy fats. So, the lesson is: listen to your body and your own instincts! That said, I am VERY new to coconut oil – is there a post that shows some ways to cook with it? Putting it in your tea was an interesting idea I may try. I just stumbled upon your blog last night and I already used it on my hair!!
Hi Jerusha – Fat is such a key to optimal health, especially saturated fats! I have a great post with coconut oil uses that you can check out here: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd. Also, many of my recipes use coconut oil and/or butter too! 🙂
Hi, I just found your blog and found your story so interesting. I too struggle with hypo thyroid and has always eating well and exercise at least five days a week. My weight has always slowly continued to increase. I always say to my friends that “the way I eat and exercise, I should be a size 2”. Anyway, I had excepted that I was going to live with the extra weight, as I felt great and thought that their wasn’t anything I could do about it. I have done PX90 and Insanity work out and if you are familiar with them, you know you have to be in great shape to complete them, however, the weight still lingered. About three months ago, I came upon a book called “The 17 Days Diet” …I have never been on a diet in my entire life as I believe that regular exercise and moderate clean eating should be enough. Anyway, after reading the book, I felt it really wasn’t a diet but more of a way of life, so I tried it and I have lost 22lbs. I also don’t exercise as much, still five days a week but now only for an hour, rather than two hours. Through this program, I realized that even though I was eating a healthy diet, gluten free, diary free and whole grains, it wasn’t a good diet for my body. I realized that even though I was eating good carbs, but my diet consist mostly of carbs and not enough fat and protein. Once I followed the program and made the changes, the weight simply melted off. Like I said before I still don’t believe in “diets”, however, I believe in a “way if life” and for me this program works, I think we forget that carbs turns to sugar which turns to unhealthy fat. Thank you for sharing your story and I also use coconut oils for pretty much everything from head to toe and I look forward to increasing my intake.
Hi Orlene! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story! I am glad you finally found something that works for you. It seems like we have to go through lots of experimentation before we can finally find things that work well for each of us. We are all so unique! Here’s health and wellness for 2013 and thanks again for sharing! 🙂
thanks for sharing your journey with us and introducing us to the benefits of coconut oil.
Thanks Taylor! 🙂
Thank you so much for all of your knowledge!! I am upping my intake, after reading your info! I also put coconut oil in my tea, I love it. In the past 4 months I have really started using coconut oil for everything. And I mean everything!! I even use it to clean with! I make my own moisturizer and air/fabric freshener.
Good luck on your journey!!
Thanks for stopping by Shari! Always happy to meet another coconut oil fanatic! 🙂
Hi I have a question. I started taking the CO a while back and lost 10 lbs on it. I worked up to taking 1 Tbs in the morning & at noon. I then quit feeling the effects and quit losing weight. If i had continued upping it – would I have continued feeling more energy and having more weight loss? I quit taking it so I slowly gained the weight back.
Thank you so much for the info! (I have 40 lbs to lose.)
Hi Marsha – Sorry, but I can’t advise you on this. I recommend speaking to your ND or MD about it and seeing what they say! Good luck! 🙂
Wow, that’s a lot of CO!! I have a container of the good, unprocessed organic CO but I always forget to use it! I was wondering if you could substitute CO for vegetable oil in baking? I make a really healthy whole wheat quick bread that uses a coupe of TA of veg. oil. How does CO affect cholesterol levels? Mine are borderline and I refuse to go on meds.
Hi Kim – I primarily use coconut oil for all of my cooking and baking. You can use it in place of unhealthy vegetable oils in a variety of recipes and they turn out great. I use coconut oil for about 75% of everything I make and then use EVOO, ghee/butter, sesame and avocado oil for the rest. This article discusses coconut oil and cholesterol: http://coconutoil.com/coconut-oil-increases-cholesterol-yet-is-still-healthy-for-your-heart/. It’s important to remember that pretty much everything we’ve been taught about cholesterol is false. Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease and that is being proven time and time again, despite mainstream medicine’s constant push for low-fat, low-cholesterol diets and statin drugs. Here’s a whole bunch of articles that may be of interest: http://coconutoil.com/?s=cholesterol&submit=Search. Hope that helps! 🙂
My husband has hypothyroidism and he struggle with his weight. Recently we heard of cocnut oil so I got to looking and found your blog. Your story was moving. We changed our diet and started a exercise routine. We go walking everyday. After reading your post I think we are going to give it a try. Cocunut in tea sounds so good. Jessica you eat alot cocnut oil 🙂
Hi Tina – So happy you found me! Yes, I do eat a lot of coconut. It’s amazing that I haven’t turned into a coconut! 😉 Good luck on your health journey!
I was thrilled reading this article. I have hypothyroidism and am struggling to lose 40 pounds. I still can’t get past the thought of putting oil in my beverage and drinking it or just taking a spoonful. I’m gagging at the thought. I don’t know how to get through this part to even try it. I know I trust it. I also wash my face with it and moisturize my skin with it. I make natural soap with coconut oil. I really want it in my diet and just can’t figure out how. My doctor has put me on a 1200 calorie diet. My coconut oil is 120 calories and organic. If I have 4 tbsp per day that’s 480 calories gone. Not much food there. :/ I asked my doctor if I’m supposed to add the calories from the CO. He didn’t know how to respond and looked at me crazy for even talking about eating oil. Grrrrrr. I’m lost here.
Hi Tabicat – Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you found the post insightful! The best way to incorporate more coconut oil into your diet is through cooking and baking. It is the primary cooking oil that I use in my home. You can also add it to smoothies, which is great, because it blends right in. I can’t offer you any medical advice, but I personally am not a fan of restricting calories. There is so much more that goes into weight loss, including blood sugar control, hormones, toxins, food allergies, etc. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi there I was reading your post struggling on how to increase your COintake. Here is a wonderful recipe.
Equal amount of warmed to liquid CO and UNSWEwonderful Hershey Cocoa. ..stir in your favorite sweetener z (stevia ) add some walnuts and refrigerate. Its a wonder treat and fat bomb when u want to add in CO. Good luck!
Hi Mary – I typically don’t have a problem eating lots of coconut oil, but during this time where I was eating upwards of 12 tablespoons per day, it got a little old! Smoothies were my favorite way. Unfortunately, I can’t have chocolate or carob, so those quick and easy fudge recipes are out, though I have created some non-chocolate “candies” to tide me over. I no longer consume that much coconut oil — probably 3-4 tablespoons per day now, which is really easy to get in via cooking. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Can you eat coconut oil just by the spoonful? I want to start adding it to my diet and since I am not really a cook, the easier I can take it, the better!
I personally eat it by the spoonful sometimes, but I also add it to my smoothies and cofee/tea. I just posted on how I add it to coffee and tea here: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2013/06/cinnamon-vanilla-herbal-coffee-my-favorite-way-to-eat-coconut-oil/
Thank you for sharing, now I got the idea to increase my amount of VCO in my hot ganoderma coffee (I also add 1/4 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon in it – great for lowering insulin and LDH (Low density cholestrol)…at present I am taking just 2tbsp. of VCO in the drink.
Hi Has – Thanks for stopping by! That sounds delicious. I add coconut oil to my tea and coffee all the time. I actually just wrote a post about it yesterday: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2013/06/cinnamon-vanilla-herbal-coffee-my-favorite-way-to-eat-coconut-oil/
Hi Jessica, I am reading your post and had to comment on my experience with coconut oil. I saw an article two weeks ago with Dr. Oz about coconut and safflower oil’s benefits with thyroid and belly fat. I bought the magazine and those two oils the same day.
I am starting middle age and just came off a thirty pound loss over the last six months but my diet was zero fat intake, I’m eating greek yogurt, skim milk, green veges and fruit with tuna occasionally. My skin also began sagging, especially on my face, neck and upper arms. I also thought I started menopause in July after getting laid off from a very physical job.
I began adding the coconut and safflower oil to my diet two weeks ago. My monthly showed up a week later after three months without it and it’s normal, my skin is tightening up already, and I’ve lost an additional 5 pounds.
I hadn’t realized that your body can’t maintain hormone levels, etc without good fats added into a smart eating plan. Coconut oil is in my diet from now on and I only have ten more pounds to take off slowly to be where I was in High School after not being able to lose weight for several years and I am healthy with my thyroid gland not as swollen as it was during a health check two months ago.
Hi Shelle – Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story! I am so happy to hear that you’re experiencing improvements in your health! That is great!! 🙂
I have a question about the kind of coconut oil you use. Does it need to be virgin, or can refined work as well? I got very very sick from the flavor of virgin when I was pregnant, and I haven’t been able to eat it yet!
Hi Alix – I use both virgin and refined in my home. It depends on what I am making. Virgin is always going to be best, but refined is OK too. Just make sure you buy a brand of refined coconut oil that does not use chemicals, bleaches, or solvents during processing. I find that if I mix the virgin coconut oil in with whatever I am cooking or baking, then I don’t get the taste of coconut. 🙂
Hi Jessica, I’m totally intressted in this topic I’ve started a Maximale health programme in August and I have lost 4 kilos which I’m happy about but it’s stopped there. I need to loose another 10 then I’m at my ideal weight, but that’s not all I too have something wrong with my immune system. I suffer from eczema and it’s on my face which is really irritating so I need to sort out my gut health to improve my thyroid gland. So I will try and up my coconut oil intake and see if it has an effect thanks for the info. Yvonne
Hi Yvonne – Thanks for sharing! I wish you well on your healing journey! 🙂
Great post!
Couldn’t get link for free book to work…any suggestions?
Thanks
Hi Becky – Which link? Are you referring to the Virgin Coconut Oil book? I just tested that link and it seems to be working, so maybe it was a temporary error.
Would full fat coconut milk offer similar benefits?
Hi Julia – While coconut milk does contain the medium chain fatty acids, which is what makes coconut oil so awesome, it is not going to be as concentrated in the milk as it is in the pure oil.
Hi Jessica,
I am hypothyroid too. I am wondering how has upping your CO intake helped your thyroid? Are you on meds/supplements specifically for your thyroid? I am slowly converting to a paleo diet. Recently, I have enjoyed adding CO & grass-fed butter to my coffee whipped up in the blender. I plan to up my CO to see how it can help me with my thyroid & to lose weight. Thank you.
Hi Leslie – I am on thyroid hormones and also take supplements to support my endocrine system. Coconut oil has definitely helped all aspects of my health, though it hasn’t been enough for me to go off my meds. I have heard of some people who were able to go off their thyroid meds after eating coconut oil regularly, so it can happen. We are all so different and unique, there’s no one-size-fits-all. I wish you the best of luck on your own healing journey. The paleo diet is a fantastic place to start! I have a free ebook that you can sign up for here: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/free-ebook/
I just purchased coconut oil with lauric acid pills. It states to take 2 softgels twice daily with a meal on a 2,000 calorie diet. Since I am taking in about 1200 calories, would you say 2 pills a day will work? I also have hypothyroidism so I am hoping that this will help. Only concern I have is that it seems to be high in fat. Any suggestions on the pills?
Hi Melanie – I don’t personally recommend coconut oil pills. It’s much better to just eat coconut oil. Remember, coconut oil is a food, not a medicine. Coconut pills are just not worth the money. The daily recommended amount of coconut oil for adults, according to most researchers, is 3.5 tablespoons. In order to get the equivalent of that in capsule form, you would need to take 49 capsules per day. You’re better off just using coconut oil in your food. Also, remember that fat does not make you fat. Carbohydrates make you fat. If you’re concerned about weight gain, I’d recommend taking a look at your carb intake and lowering those and upping your fat. Some people like Dr. Mercola and many paleo experts eat upwards of 50-75% fat per day and are in excellent health with no weight gain.
Here’s an article on coconut oil pills you may find interesting: http://coconutoil.com/do-coconut-oil-pills-have-any-value/
I feel like I have been living in a hole! I never knew that CO could help my thyroid issues! I have an underactive thyroid and take meds and lately I feel like they aren’t working… loads of old symptoms coming back. I bought some CO today and will try intergrating this into my daily eating…
Thanks for such a detailed story! I really enjoyed reading it
Hi Monika! I hope the coconut oil helps! It has sure helped me. I appreciate you taking the time to read and leave a comment! Cheers! 🙂
I enjoyed reading your post. I have low thyroid due to Hasimotos. I started seriously using coconut oil about 5 months ago. It tastes so good so it is easy to eat 2 tbls a day and sometimes more. I gained a lot energy. Just had my doctors check to find my thyroid medicine can now be lowered. This is really Great. So it seems to help me tremendously.
Hi Lesa – That is great! So happy to hear your positive results! 🙂
Very good article Jessica and thanks for the sharing the benefits of CO. Do you think cream of coconut (the thick paste type) would be more or as beneficial? Or would you recommend sticking to CO? I am still trying to get it into my head that eating more CO can help me in my weight loss. Thanks!
Hi Jessica – Coconut Cream Concentrate (also called coconut butter), where the coconut meat is ground into a nut butter style product, is a great source of coconut oil and will contain between 50-70%, depending on the brand. That said, it’s not pure coconut oil, so for the best benefits, I would recommend using the pure oil. I use the CCC quite a bit in my home and it is definitely healthy, just is not as concentrated as actual coconut oil. It’s a hard concept for many people to wrap their heads around — that fat does not make you fat. We have decades of low-fat diet dogma stuck in our heads, so it takes time to work through that and realize that was all based on lies and politics. Hope that helps! 🙂
could other factors like exercise accounted for your weight loss? what did you eat everyday?
Hi Tanjung – I was exercising very little at the time, due to adrenal fatigue. Exercise consisted of some gentle walking and yoga, but nothing overly strenuous. In addition, I was eating about 3,500 calories a day (via a lower carb, moderate protein, high fat diet). Keep in mind that prior to upping my coconut oil, I was not losing any weight. I changed nothing else in my diet or lifestyle but increased my coconut oil intake and the weight came off. While some may find it hard to believe, I know my body and I know what works for me. Coconut oil has worked wonders. Cheers!
Wow Jessica, that is AMAZING!I mean, you were/are eating a LOT of calories but still losing weight just by upping the coconut oil! Seems like maybe your body was depleted of good oils for a long period of time so now that you are giving your body what it really wants, you lose the weight…..I think this is a lot of women’s problems- our thyroid’s have been on a long term period of starvation (listening to the bad medical science that was spewed out over the years) and basically depleted from recieving good nutrition.Our thyroids went into hibernation, so to speak. Now the fuel (the coconut oil) that it really needed, is giving back it’s life support and we naturally lose weight.I just started upping my coconut oil and if I am not mistaken, I am already losing weight. I too have been hypothyroid for a long time with many of the classic symptoms when all I really needed was to feed it properly.Thanks for sharing your story. It has really inspired me!
What’s funny is that I have always eaten a pretty high fat, real food diet. But, I have never eaten quite that much fat! Whatever it did to my body, I’ll take it! I have since reduced my amount back down to my “normal” amount of 4-5 tbsp. per day. But yes, I was eating a lot of calories and losing weight. But, I don’t believe in the calorie in, calorie out theory. There are too many other factors that go into nutrition. It’s more than just about calories. I am so happy the post was inspiring! Best of luck on your journey! I hope you are able to meet whatever goals you have set for yourself! 🙂
Jessica,
What do you think was the actual mechanism for the weight loss? Do you think the higher amounts of coconut oil triggered your thyroid to have MORE metabolic activity and thus, more weight loss- or I should say, fat loss? Just trying to wrap my head around the incease of oil that increased the weight loss. Also, at what point did you cut down to a lower intake of coconut oil? In other words, how many months were you on the 9-12 tbsps. of coconut oil and then when did you switch to a lower amount?
Thanks in advance 🙂
You know, I am not really sure! But, whatever it was, it worked. 🙂 It was probably a combination of things including increased thyroid function and quickly metabolized MCTs for energy. I was not restricting calories — as a matter of fact, I was probably eating 3,000 – 3,500 calories per day. I was also not exercising a lot due to adrenal issues. After I lost 40 pounds, I reduced my intake back down to my normal amount (3-5-ish tbsp. per day). I plateaued on my weight loss after losing 40 pounds and know that there needs to be more healing that takes place before I can drop the rest of what I want. Hope that helps!
Hi Jessica. I’ve been reading your blog now for a while and I just came across this post tonight. Thank you for posting this. I just read the other day that coconut oil can up your T4 levels, which increase your metabolism. I have about 60 pounds to lose as well. I’ve been eating paleo for the past year and I was gluten free for 2 years before that. I seem to have several things going on with my body and I suspect I have adrenal fatigue and leaky gut, but I’ve never been to a naturopath because I just can’t afford it, so for the past year, I’ve been experimenting to see what works with my body. Going paleo helped immensely and it seems like the down time I have with lots of pain and fatigue, are fewer and less intense than they were a year ago. BUT, I still haven’t been losing weight even though I’ve been eating completely clean. I’m working on the sleep issue, but it seems to get thrown off at certain times of the month. I’ve been playing around with supplementation to see what works with me and doing a lot of research. I eat a lot of coconut oil also, but am definitely going to up my intake. I’ve had it in tea before and I’ll even use my little drink machine blender (like a NutriBullet) and whip it into my tea and it’s really a luxurious drink. I’m doing the AIP diet right now and have been for about 3 weeks now without much of a difference so I’m trying to have patience with that. I have been tested for thyroid issues before, but it’s just been a typical thyroid panel from my yearly physical. I have sneaking suspicions, though, that my thyroid is functioning at maximum capacity. I have a long history of thyroid problems on my mom’s side of the family and they all get diagnosed late in life (my mom, and her brother and sister), so I have a feeling that if I can’t reverse whatever’s going on with my thyroid now, I’ll end up on thyroid meds when I get older (I’m 45). Anyway, sorry for the long post: I’m trying to work this all out. I’m going to start giving the coconut oil a shot tomorrow. Thanks for your website. 🙂
Hi Heather! Thanks for stopping by and sharing! Healing our bodies sure is a journey, eh? It’s a lot of trial and error and constant experimentation. Sometimes it’s rather exhausting, but it is worth it! I hope you are able to find what works for you! Best of luck on your journey! 🙂
Hi Jessica,
I have been taking a prescription medication for my hypothyroidism for about a year and a half, but I decided about 3 months ago I didn’t want to take it for the rest of my life. After doing some research I learned that my sluggish thyroid function might be attributed to being premenopausal and also suffering from depression. Just over 2 years ago I lost my dad and my husband within 4 months of each other and then a co-worker. I was sad and depressed for a long time (still am to a degree) and getting on the thyroid med helped. But three weeks ago I took myself off of it and started consuming 4 tbsp of CO daily. I feel as good as I did on the thyroid medicine and based on the way my clothes are fitting I have lost some belly fat. After reading this post in your blog I’ve decided to up my CO to 6 to 9 tbsp for a while and see how it goes. I’m also considering a paleo diet, but I’ll try to ease into that.
I enjoyed reading your post and got some good ideas from you and your followers. I’ll let you know if the increase in CO makes a difference. Thanks for sharing your journey with the rest of us!
Hi Mary Beth – Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share! I really hope the coconut oil offers great benefit to you! Stress is a killer when it comes to the thyroid and weight gain. When I am stressed, my thyroid function plummets and I can easily gain weight if I’m not careful. Stress management and LOTS of sleep is critical to your overall health! Best of luck on your healing journey and thanks again for stopping by and sharing! 🙂
Hi, Jessica, thanks for this post. I love coconut oil, and have suspected thyroid problems, as well as prediabetes. So, it was really interesting that you were having lots of coconut oil and it was helpful! I’ve only had about 6 tbsp max per day. It seemed like for a while, I tried more, but I gained weight, which was not what I wanted!
Hi Tenny – Glad you liked the post. Keep in mind that I was eating a low-carb diet at the time. If you’re eating that much fat along with too many carbs, you will gain weight. For me, the low-carb diet helped some, but it was not until I added the extra coconut oil that I really started to see progress. Hope that helps!
Hi there Jessica,
What can I say, thanks for sharing.
warm regards.
Thanks for stopping by Dmitry!
Hi there! So happy I find your blog about coconut oil and thyroid function. Hopefully you can help me. I’m on armour medication for hypothyroidism and hashimotos. I really want to start taking the coconut oil intake. Can I stop the armour? As I hate the side effects. I just am unsure if I can stop cold turkey, I’ve been on it fir about 6 months.
Thank you!! And job well done with your success
Hi Laura – Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you found the information helpful. Since I am not a licensed medical practitioner I cannot give you any medical advice. I am required by law to tell you to speak to your doctor instead. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help and I wish you all the best in your healing journey! 🙂
Hi Jessica-
I recently bought some VCNO and am on my 4th day of using 2 tbs. per day. I was hyperthyroid until the beginning of this year when I took RAI and am now hypo. I am on Levo. I try to keep my net carbs below 150 grams per day, and am wondering if you went lower? Some people mean Very Low Carb=40 grams or less per day. I have done the VLC diet, but I tend to miss my fruit and veggies too much, and am not much of a meat eater. Thank you for this wonderful blog. I have really enjoyed reading your story! BTW, I love the taste of VCNO and eat it right off of a spoon! lol.
Blessings!
Hi Janette – I think I addressed your questions in your other comment. Thank you for stopping by and I am glad the info was helpful! 🙂
I am curious. When you say you eat low carb while eating coconut oil, is that less than 40 grams? 100? I am on day 5 of coconut oil. I take 2-3 tbs. Per day. I suffer from hypothyroidism brought on by RAI. I try to keep my net carbs below 150. In your personal opinion, should I go lower? I have noticed some small weight loss in the past 5 days and am much warmer in general. I am not much of a meat eater though, so VLC is hard for me. Thank you for your informative blog!
Blessings.
Janette – Great question! “Low carb” can mean a lot of different things since we are all different. I never really counted carbs, but I was eating between 40 and 50 grams per day. I found that a good range for weight loss. My maintenance level is higher at around 75. This post from Mark Sisson is one of the best posts I’ve ever read on carb intake for different people. Of course you will need to tailor it to suit your own body, but I found it very helpful when first starting out: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/. Hope that helps!
Hi Jessica,
I have been on Euthyrox for two years now. I am researching about diets to help on my Hashimoto Thyroiditis and found your post. I wonder if you still takes medication or did you take it while you start to up your coconut oil? I know we could not possibly reverse Hashimoto itself but symptom could be cured. I wanna try coconut oil and I wanna stop my medication but worried about it. Your sharing would be highly appreciate.
Regards,
Aoy
Hi Aoy – Thanks for stopping by! I am still on medication and quite honestly, I don’t expect to ever be able to come off of it because I’ve been on it for so long. I have been told my many practitioners that longer you are on thyroid replacement hormone, the harder it is to wean off of it completely. My dosage has not gone up in over 5 years, so that is a good sign. I am hopeful that as I continue balancing my body, I may be able to lower my dose, but I am not sure if I will ever be able to completely eliminate it. It’s been almost 10 years now. I am required by law to tell you to consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medication. Good ol’ FDA doesn’t allow me to give out medical advice. 🙂 Best of luck on your healing journey!
Can coconut oil or MCT help with sleep problems?
Hi Jud – I have not heard that being a benefit, but everyone is different!
Hi Jessica,
Im 28 and since 2 years ago i lived a normal healthy life but now my life is a living hell i have all the symptoms of thyroid disease but my gp says my bloods are normal and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, My main concern is my fatigue im constantly tired and suffer badly from brain fog and dry hair and eyes, ive been searching the internet for answers and come across your site and wondered if taking coconut oil would help me improve on my symptoms.
Thanks in advance
Hi Abby, I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any advice regarding that, as it would be construed as medical advice and I am not a licensed doctor. By law (thanks FDA), I am required to tell you to consult with your doctor. I can tell you that I was feeling pretty hopeless regarding getting my thyroid and adrenal issues fixed until I discovered Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. I have been using this form of testing and subsequent protocols for 8 months now and FINALLY have hope that we will get things resolved. HTMA has been life changing. We’ve written a lot about it (including my own personal story) and you can read all those articles here: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/tag/htma/
Like you, I just recently decided to give Coconut oil a try to see how it would affect my hot flashes. Within the last two weeks, my nights have been completely disrupted after a few hours of sleep by rapid, intense hot flashes/sweats. Since I just tried this about 40 hrs., I can recall feeling about 3 mild flashes this morning. That’s after taking 2 doses of 1 tablesp. of Coconut oil. Right before commenting, I took another tablsp. I feel wonderful!!!!
I plan to do a thirty-day experiment using Coconut oil, with hopeful improvement in balancing my hormones. As I deal with Perimenopause, I have a double whammy by having to also focus on shrinking Uterine Fibroids.
I’m glad to see that Coconut oil is working for you. I will share post in my communities.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi there! I am so glad the info was helpful! We are all so unique that it sometimes take some time to figure out what works for us! Best wishes on your healing journey! 🙂
Hi there.
I discovered coconut oil a few months ago, and consume between 3-5 tablespoons a day. (Please note: I am not active and work in front of a computer all day.) I threw out all other oils, margarines and butter and use the oil on all my cooking, on toast as well as in mashed potatoes and rice. It is divine and adds a rich buttery taste to my food. Steak has never been so good and as tender as when cooked in coconut oil. Besides that, I haven’t really changed my life. The difference in my body has been astounding. (I am 57). I am getting my waist back and my stomach hasn’t been this flat in years. I have dropped around 3 pants sizes. The cellulite is melting off my legs, something that plagued me all my life, even when I was a lot younger and a size 10. My circulation has improved and the the varicose vein on my one leg has all but disappeared. My poor circulation has improved greatly. My energy has increased and my skin has smoothed. My friends have commented, and men are flirting with me (which I find extremely funny considering my age…!) I would highly recommend coconut oil for anyone who wants to look and feel better!
That is awesome Tess! Congrats! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing! 🙂
Hello
Is coconut oil good for the activity of the thyroid gland
thanks
Hi Lanaa – This article discusses the benefits of coconut oil and how it can support the thyroid: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2010/11/coconut-oil-one-of-the-best-foods-you-could-eat/
It is such a tremendous post & i am glad to visit here.I daily use coconut oil for my hairs and skin.This oil is really useful and has many benefits.This oil has recover my damage hairs and also my skin glow only because of this one of the greatest COCONUT OIL.I think i am going to give suggestion of my relatives to use this brilliant oil.Thanks for sharing.
Do you take amount based on weight do you think?
Hi Samantha! This post is a few years old now and I no longer consume coconut oil in large amounts. When I was though I didn’t base it on weight. I just experimented with what worked well for my body. Hope that helps! 🙂
Why are u no longer using in large amounts
Hi Brandy! Thanks for stopping by! I no longer use coconut oil in large amounts because I am in a different season of my healing journey. It’s important to know that our bodies go through changes and seasons so what may have worked well for us in the past might not work the same in the future. We have to always be willing to adapt and evolve as our body changes. Hope that helps!
Hi Jessica,
I’ve been using coconut oil for a few weeks now and I haven’t lost any weight yet. I was using 3 Tbsp a day with my tea. After reading your article I decided I would up my intake of coconut oil and I’m gaining weight instead of losing it. I barely eat carbs. I eat meat for lunch, salad, vegetables or tuna fish for dinner. I don’t understand why I’m gaining weight instead of losing? Maybe you could give me some insight about that.
Hi Mamta! Thanks for stopping by! I can’t really advise you about this since I am not a doctor. I would recommend speaking with your practitioner about this. This post is many years old now and I have since changed my viewpoints quite a bit and need to write an update to this post. What I have found is that we are all so very unique that what works for one person may not work for another. In this case, it worked for me, but that doesn’t mean it will work for you. At some point I will get a follow up blog post written about this topic, but just have not had time. Sorry I can’t be of any help! Best wishes on your healing journey! 🙂
Hi Jessica,
I was so inspired by this post I am now serious about trying coconut to aid in weight loss. Throughout my life I was always on the ‘too thin’ side, but found that after I hit 47, I suddenly and progressively started to gain weight. Part of the gain I attribute to change in diet from very low caloric intake at lunch time to daily high-calorie meals at lunchtime. Since the first quarter 2015 I went back to the low calorie or ‘no calorie’, but unfortunately, I have not been able to shed the pounds. In your last post here you said you would give us an update, so I am curious what changed and has your daily coconut intake changed back to a few tablespoons. Thanks!
Hi Jacqueline – Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I really need to do an update to this post but have just not had time, nor have I quite figured out how to write the update that I want. You see, my views on weight loss and health have shifted quite a bit over the last few years and I no longer am a fan of promoting “weight loss strategies”. I am now a nutritional therapist and mind body nutrition coach and I work with clients on things like disordered eating, poor body image, etc.
The education I have received has really made my views on weight loss and everything that goes with it. Weight is a complicated and deeply personal thing and must be addressed on a deeper level than just “take this”, “eat that”, etc. We have been fed lie after lie by the diet industry and Western medicine and our health is paying the price for it. Weight loss is far more than what we eat, it’s what we think, how we process emotions, what our environments are like, what our health status is, etc. For more info on my shifts in thinking, you can visit my other site here: https://jessicaespinoza.com.
Ironically, I started developing an aversion to coconut oil a couple years ago and I think it was partially due to the fact I was eating SO much of it for that period of time. I do still use it because I believe it’s one of the healthiest oils out there, but when I do it’s in small amounts like cooking and baking. I can’t tolerate eating it by the spoonful anymore. Thank you for the reminder that I need to update this post. I think for now I will put a small section at the top of this post until I have the time and clarity to write a formal update. 🙂