veganMT

any more thoughts of this given the 'anti-coconut oil' evidence? (bump)

some i found from a quick google search:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/may/coconut.htm

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=32481

still confused as to whether it'll help me shed fat, more so than canola

Awesome thanks. Does it matter what type of coconut oil you use or is it ok to use the cheap stuff?

Also why is it that all these nutrition doctors/gurus, recommend avoiding it? Don't want to undo all my hard training work!

Hi forum,

I am really confused with whats the deal with coconut oil. Is it a 'healthy' fat or is it bad (because its a fat)?

I am currently 14%bf trying to get down to 10%bf, doing weights and cardio and want to make sure theres nothing in my (vegan) diet thats holding me back.

People like Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Mcdougall, Dr. Greger, Doug Graham (80/10/10) all say coconut oil is bad, and do go down the 'no oil' route as much as possible. Then theres people like Brendan Brazier (Thrive) and Rich Roll, who admittedly more active than the other guys, recommend cooking with coconut oil.

Currently not using much oil at all, maybe some canola oil in my evening meal (usually rice and legumes/beans of some sort). Otherwise getting my fats from nuts and seeds (almonds, flax, pumpkin, sunflower seeds).

Can people tell me about their experience of coconut oil e.g. have you got ripped/lost body fat using it? Will I put fat on if I start using it (as its high in saturated fat) or is it an improvement on the canola oil?? Is it only useful for guys like Brendan Brazier and Rich Roll who are doing long endurance activities?

please do telleth!

p.s. As a side note I have read some comments hinting at criticisms towards Brendan Brazier's advice in Thrive, which I'm using basically as my training bible. I would love to hear these too.

how many or for how long?

I am still confused over my cardio needs. I'm working out twice a week and told to powerwalk cardio everyday (heart rate 130bpm), but it doesnt seem to be working. current bf is 14%, trying to get down to 10%. Can someone suggest an alternative? Thanks

thank you vegantri for the reply. I dont mind jogging, I find it more fun than brisk walking, however I cant do it everyday, 2-3 times a week max. With the jogging, then cooling down and stretching I find it takes more time than a brisk walk which i can fit in before breakfast quite easily every morning.

Before I went to see my trainer i was jogging for fat loss but its something my trainer told me to stop to focus on brisk walking, who suggested 130bpm.

How does one find out their lactate threshold?

I wasn't sure where to put this so here goes....does anyone have experience of using heart rate monitors for fat loss? I've been learning about fat burning training zones for cardio and i am wondering if its worth me buying a heart rate monitor. Currently doing a program of weights and cardio (brisk walking).

I've been told to stick close to 130bpm but have no idea if i am close to that when i do my cardio (brisk walking). So I guess what I'm asking is

1. Is brisk walking good for fat loss (over jogging/running)?

and 2. Is a heart rate monitor worth the investment?

Thanks in advance!

this is the one I use. I dont have experience of using others but does the job, seems ok to me:

http://www.pulsin.co.uk/protein-powders/pea-protein-isolate.html

Fruit can be a problem for fat loss as it is a calorie source that people can easily eat too much of.

this is the thing, I've been told to cut out fruit but snack on almonds instead, which i imagine is a more calorie dense source and i can easily eat too much of. any recommendations on daily almonds and fruit servings? i'm currently eating about 20 almonds daily.

looking ripped and healthy!

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It happened again when I was at work yesterday, all day without any fruit and started to feel almost spaced out. By 4pm i had to have something so i went and got some cherries (low GI fruit) and felt functional again. I'm gonna include 1 or 2 fruit servings a day or a glucose tablet, as and when my body wants it. Thanks VeganEssentials for the glucose tablet tip!

Iron Clad Ben, the trainer threw alot of science at me but from what i remember it was to do with the GLUT4 receptor and fruit fills the (liver/muscle?) glycogen stores quite easily and the rest of it turns to fat?? If anyone has anymore info on that, that would be appreciated as my understanding is pretty vague. Congrats on reducing all that bodyfat!

awesome, thanks Dylan!

yeah it seems odd to me but i've changed too many factors to objectively judge for myself.

the last 6 months i was eating somewhere between 801010 and a high carb low fat cooked vegan diet, I was doing mainly bodyweight training and cardio and I felt GREAT (emotionally and physically). Now i'm on this weight training programme and no fruit, I'm getting physically stronger definitely (chin ups reps are increasing) but i'm cranky as hell!

The other week i was crashing even after eating a meal and miserable too, i 'caved' in and had 2 oranges and it was like night and day, i felt amazing again. my mood literally changed in 2 minutes. I'm still new to weight training so i am curious and wanted to know if anyone else has had similar experiences and people's thoughts on fruit.

Hi forum,

After lurking for a while I've decided to make my 1st post, so hi everyone!

Along with a designed workout routine and what to eat, I've been told to cut out fruit to reach my goals by my trainer (and snack on almonds instead). Just to add i'm vegan (soy-less too) and trying to eat as much whole foods as possible.

I'm currently trying to reduce bodyfat from 14% to 10% and build muscle in the process. So my question is, is fruit all that bad for building mass and fat loss?

Thanks