Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've come by a lot of articles stating that coconut,especially coconut oil,doesn't make you gain fat but actually hightens your metabolism. I just never seem to get what that actually means.....does it mean that one can eat more (different) fats without gaining...or eat more on a whole without gaining (& exercising)?

I find if I eat more coconut oil for a couple of days,instead of other fats,I'll get a lot more hungrier (this kinda make me anxious,since I don't/can't exercise the way I'd like to/most of you do here). After a couple of days I get a major binge on other fat sources or snack on other stuff.

flag	asked Sep 18 2011 at 19:02 Joey 149●5

Travis Culp · Answer 1 · 2011-09-18 19:20:41Z UTC

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Substituting medium chain fatty acids for long chain fatty acids results in a relative increase in metabolic rate and a relative weight loss. Adding coconut oil to the diet of a weight stable person would not result in them losing fat.

answered Sep 18 2011 at 19:20

Travis Culp♦
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ajcn.org/content/44/5/630.short – Travis Culp♦ Sep 18 2011 at 19:29

Simibee · Answer 2 · 2011-09-18 19:23:07Z UTC

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Basically, any excess of long chain fatty acids (the kind found in butter e.t.c) will be stored in the adipocytes, whilst the medium chain fats found in coconut oil are easily oxidised.

answered Sep 18 2011 at 19:23

Simibee
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That's not strictly true, as I've seen analyses of human fat composition show small amounts of C12 (lauric acid). Most people don't eat much of it, so you wouldn't expect it to be too high since diet is the primary determinant of fatty acid composition of human fat. It may be more likely to be oxidized, but excess is still stored. – Travis Culp♦ Sep 18 2011 at 19:38

Sorry - phone answer here. I meant more easily oxidised. – Simibee Sep 18 2011 at 21:41

I found indeed that any other types of fat(even the ones from animals) indeed immediately get stored in my body as fat and can make me feel incredibly tired.Though I like more 'fattier' meats like ground beef,chicken with skin etc. I just don't dare to eat it frequently since I get huge fatbinges and am afraid to become obese again,without exercise and still not feeling better.So I usually stir-fry lean meats with veggies in CO. Paleo's no fun for me and I'm getting closer to giving up. (if I'm afraid of becoming obese again,might as well do it on all the foods I enjoy like icecream,bread etc. – Joey Sep 19 2011 at 13:55

How does the coconut (oil)=higher metabolism work?

2 Answers