Intermittent fasting has massive health benefits and certainly recommended for a weight loss boost when following the ketogenic diet. This post will guide you through how to use medium chain triglycerides (MCT) while intermittent fasting.
Does MCT Oil Break Intermittent Fasting?
Any caloric intake either via food or drink will break a fast. This includes MCT Oil, even if you consume it in black coffee. Some argue that consuming less than 50 calories during the fasting period is okay. As such, MCT Oil added to your morning coffee is the most common way to consume during intermittent fasting.
MCT Oil and Intermittent Fasting
MCT oil is used as a part of intermittent fasting by mixing it in coffee every morning. This can be done even when you are fasting with a cup of plain black coffee.
Consuming MCT oil by mixing it in coffee helps ensure that your body can get through the long hours of the fasting period with less difficulty.
When you drink this coffee, your body will receive a signal of satiety. You will no longer feel hungry. You will be able to increase the duration of your fast for a few more hours to achieve maximum fat-burning advantages.
Because most of the benefits associated with intermittent fasting are due to autophagy, this extension of your fast using MCT oil-enriched coffee will make a big difference.
You may drink black coffee with one teaspoon of MCT oil in it instead of eating a meal. This amount of MCT Oil will help support ketosis, mental clarity and energy to keep you active during the fasting period, ensuring that body fat is reduced.
The added ketones to your diet help to suppress your hunger hormone, known as ghrelin. Cholecystokinin (CCK) is also increased signaling to your body that you feel full.
Coffee With MCT Oil During Intermittent Fasting
Here are some general instructions on how to use coffee with MCT Oil while intermittent fasting. The most popular type of fasting is the 16/8, where you have an 8 hour eating window and 16 hour fast.
Assuming you ate your last meal at 8pm at night, you would fast until 12pm the following day.
Step 1
Finish your dinner before 8 pm, and refrain from eating anything later that night. You can continue to drink water.
Step 2
If you are hungry in the morning when you wake up, emulsify one tablespoon of MCT oil in plain coffee and drink this. Don’t add any sugar, cream or milk unless they are zero carbs.
The more calories you consume, the less beneficial the fast will be.
Be sure to buy good quality coffee beans. Cheaper versions of coffee can destroy the positive effects due to the presence of mycotoxins in them. We recommend Bulletproof coffee . You may have another cup of this coffee, but it must be before 2 pm.
Step 3 (optional)
Work out.
This step is not required; however, it will help you lose weight and gain muscle. If you wish to exercise, try weight training before breaking your fast in the next step.
High-intensity weight training sessions are best for building muscle on keto.
Step 4
Eat a normal keto diet from 12pm to 8pm (or 11am to 7pm), whatever eating window you choose.
When you start to eat, this is your eating window for the day.
The number of meals you consume and the total amount of calories you eat are irrelevant, as long as you are following the ketogenic diet.
Step 5
Once you have reached the end of your eating window, refrain from eating anything else for the next 16 hours.
Continue to stay hydrated by drinking water. If you really feel you need something other than clear fluids, this is where you can incorporate MCT oil into your coffee.
Combining medium chain triglycerides with intermittent fasting can improve your brain function, keep your hunger pangs at bay and keep you focused until your reach your eating window.
Although MCT Oil contains fats and technically breaks a fast (any ingestion of calories will), our bodies process the medium chain triglycerides differently to other fats consumed in traditional diets. The fatty acids are directly broken down by the liver and used to produce ketones for your body.
Reasons to Consume MCT Oil During Intermittent Fasting
Here are the reasons you should be using MCT oil during intermittent fasting:
1. It affects mTOR
mTOR refers to Mammalian Target of Rapamycin which is related to a mechanism by which the muscles of your body increase their protein synthesis. This mechanism is inhibited by coffee and exercise, causing it to “spring back” and lead to a greater muscular buildup.
There are three different things that can affect your mTOR levels: exercise, coffee, and intermittent fasting. Using this coffee combined with intermittent fasting on a 4500-kilo joule diet even with no exercise has been said to yield exceptional results in terms of fat loss.
Because plain intermittent fasting does not include the use of coffee, it possibly affects one or two of the mTOR triggers. Intermittent fasting combined with MCT oil-enriched coffee may turn out to be better as it uses all three mechanisms that directly affect mTOR.
Additionally, consuming black coffee with MCT oil does not affect your fast. You will not only enjoy the benefits of MCT oil , but you will also take full advantage of the fasting as well.
2. MCT Oil Promotes Ketosis
Intermittent fasting alone has the power to induce ketosis (the fat-burning mode) in your body.
However, this state of ketosis is extremely sensitive. The ingestion of even a slightly higher amount of carbohydrates can throw you out of this state immediately.
Using MCT oil together with intermittent fasting will not only promote your body to produce more endogenous ketones, but it also provides a highly efficient source of fuel for your brain.
3. MCT Oil is Beneficial for Your Brain
Let’s be honest. You are not a professional athlete, a model, or a superhuman. Fasting throughout the day may make you feel hungry, cranky, and lazy all the time.
Adding MCT oil to your fasting routine can help charge up your body. Consuming it every day helps you to stay fueled and to get through the day more easily.
4. MCT Oil and Caffeine Helps Boost Metabolism
Another reason why you should add MCT oil to your daily diet is its metabolism-boosting abilities.
This effect cannot be achieved via fasting alone. An increased metabolism will make sure you maintain your weight and avoid unnecessary fat gain.
Will MCT Oil Break Intermittent Fasting?
Technically, any source of calories will break a fast, including MCT Oil – if you have too much.
A small portion of MCT Oil (such as one teaspoon) mixed into unsweetened black coffee should not disturb your fast.
Be sure to refrain from eating carbohydrates, proteins, adding milk or cream to the coffee, or anything that will have an effect on your insulin levels. As soon as your body requires an insulin response, your fast has broken.
Will adding protein to my coffee break intermittent fasting?
Yes. Eating too much protein can take you out of ketosis. Be careful not to consume too much of it. This includes adding collagen and protein powders to your coffee. You do not want to do this during a fast.
Can I Have Bulletproof Coffee When Intermittent Fasting?
A fat fast is when you drink coffee with added MCT Oil and grass fed butter or ghee, otherwise known as Bulletproof Coffee.
Please note, the calories in the oil, butter and/or ghee combined will affect your body’s autophagy process by slowing it down; but the fat helps keep your brain fueled and your body in ketosis.
MCT Oil, butter and ghee do not affect your insulin levels and therefore some argue that keto coffee such as bulletproof coffee, or keto coffee bombs do not break a fast.
Whilst technically, any ingestion of more than 50 calories is likely to break a fast, it is the way your body processes MCT Oil, butter and ghee that is important.
It is also important to note we have not mentioned using coconut oil in your bulletproof coffee here. Coconut oil will break your fast. Use a high quality, preferably C8 MCT oil in your coffee instead of coconut oil.
What is the Best MCT Oil for Intermittent Fasting?
My favorite MCT Oils are:
- Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil (100% C8 Oil)
- Kiss My Keto 100% C8 MCT Oil
- Perfect Keto Softgels
- Kiss My Keto MCT Capsules
Click here to read my detailed review on each of the above medium chain triglyceride products and why they are my preferred choice for the ketogenic diet.
Conclusion
Using MCT oil during intermittent fasting is a smart way to double the benefits of fasting. Additionally, MCT Oil during intermittent fasting makes the process of fasting easier and more tolerable.
If you are someone who has a hard time fasting for long periods of time, consider using MCT oil every morning in the form of this MCT-oil enriched coffee.
