MCT Oil – What Is It?
Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) occur naturally in small quantities in a variety of foods. In cow's milk, MCTs account for 20% of the total fatty acid composition. They are very hard to find in suitable quantities in regular foods. To get pure MCTs, they are prepared from coconut oil (a source of MCTs) and are then fractionated or hydrolyzed (enzymatically broken down from "long chains" of regular fat into "medium chains" of healthy fats).
Regular fats are long chain triglycerides (LCTs) which are C-16 to C-20; 16-20 carbon units long, a measurement of the length of the fatty acid chain. The MCTs obtained from fractionation consist of predominantly C-8 fatty acid chains (8 carbon units long), with lesser amounts of C-10, and trace amounts of C6:0 and C12:0. C-8 is the preferred length of an MCT fatty acid chain. MCT Supreme 100® contains up to 60% more C-8 than regular MCT oils on the market, making MCT Supreme 100® the purest MCT oil you can use. One tablespoon of MCT oil delivers 15 grams of this unique "fatless fat" and contains only 120 calories. MCTs are not drugs and have no pharmacological effects. They have been used safely for over 50 years in hospital nutrition where patients need caloric energy to recover from illness or surgery.
MCTs & Dieting
Most weight loss diets leave you gasping for energy. Low carb and low fat diets just do not provide enough fuel to give you the energy to exercise and often make you unpleasant to be around. Bodybuilders (the ultimate dieters) use MCTs while dieting to provide the missing fuel normally consumed in the form of carbs and fats. You get the energy, with zero carbs plus MCTs help you actually burn fat too! MCT Supreme 100® was specifically designed for people who want to be as lean as possible.
The Perfect Fat
What if there was a fatless fat? A fat that gave our bodies what they NEED from fats and carbs (energy), but without that fat ending up on your belly or you hips? MCT (medium chain triglyceride) Oil harnesses the full energy density of regular fat (twice the energy of carbs) but it is not stored as body fat. In fact, of all the dietary fats available, MCTs are the only fats that give us energy and are also thermogenic (caloric burning)– they actually promote fat burning! MCTs do not convert to body fat the same way regular fats and carbohydrates do.
The molecular structure of MCT Supreme 100® results in it being metabolized differently than conventional fats. Instead of being transported to fat depots for use as energy later, MCT Supreme 100® is transported directly to the liver to be used for energy now – it starts to be burned immediately to produce energy, like carbs. But MCT’s are not carbs so they don’t have the diet problems associated with the fattening carbs such as starch and sugar!
MCTs Turn Up the Heat
MCTs are burned rapidly in the liver and some of the energy is released as body heat in a process known as thermogenesis. The thermogenic effect is probably the most important reason why MCTs do not get stored as bodyfat. Instead, excess calories from MCTs are converted to body heat, increasing your metabolism and this means you burn more calories per hour. This explains why calories from MCT Supreme 100® contribute less to fat stores than an equivalent number of calories from conventional fats or carbohydrates. Scientific studies have shown that when lipids exactly like those in MCT Supreme 100® are used in place of carbohydrates, body fat stores are lower, and fewer carbohydrates are converted into fat, even in the presence of insulin.
NOTE: Insulin is an anabolic hormone which is released from the pancreas in response to an increase in blood glucose [sugar]. Insulin causes cells to absorb glucose and amino acids, thereby stimulating growth. Unfortunately, insulin also causes fat cells to absorb calories from glucose and fatty acids, stimulating fat storage. Fat storage enzymes are less active when lipids like MCT Supreme 100® are added to the diet, even under conditions of insulin stimulation.
MCTs Accelerate Low Carb Results
The leanest athletes on the planet, bodybuilders, have used low-carb diets for years. When you reduce carbs you in turn reduce insulin (remember, insulin promotes fat storage) and activate the carnitine shuttle. The carnitine shuttle is a transport system which increases the burning of bodyfat for energy. Carbs can inhibit this carnitine shuttle. This is why not much body fat is burned for energy as long as carbohydrate fuel is available. During low carb diets the carnitine shuttle shifts into overdrive – switching on the bodyfat burning mechanism.
The problem with low carb diets is energy. Carbs supply fast energy and promote fat storage. Normal fats provide long lasting energy, but do it slowly. MCTs on the other hand are the best of both worlds! They are not a carb (so they promote fat burning) they are a longer lasting energy source than carbs, and they also provide energy rapidly, unlike other fats (but just like a carb)! All this while MCTs are also stimulating your body to burn calories through thermogenesis. MCTs are likely the perfect source of energy for any diet, but especially for low carb diets!
MCT Oil – How to Use It
MCT Supreme 100® is the purest MCT oil available. It's designed to be used WITH food. Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) to your favourite protein shake, sprinkle it in your salad or on your baked potato, and use it for baking (not frying) or any number of ways. Use 2-4 servings a day. For the first 3 days, just use a half serving (1/2 tablespoon) only twice a day, so your stomach gets used to the purity of MCT Supreme 100® – never take it by itself without any other food, as it may cause mild stomach cramping. Most dieters will cut down on carbs while using MCT Supreme 100®.
MCT Oil – Buyer Be Aware
MCT Supreme 100® is guaranteed 100% pure MCTs (pure C-8 and C-10 fatty acid chains with a trace of C-6 & C-12 chains). Cheaper brands may label their product as 100% MCT and as "fractionated oil", but they have been found to be normal coconut oil – not MCT oil at all. PVL is 100% quality every time, and in fact every product we make is designed to be used by ourselves too. To be 100% sure you get what you pay for, choose PVL – the PVL name is your assurance of quality.
THE MCT OIL GAINING DIET
If you don't have the right tools you'll never do the job right. Just try and build a house with a shovel – it can't be done. The same goes for trying to build a larger more muscular body; it pays to be prepared. The first thing you should do is buy yourself a good rice steamer, 4 or 5 medium sized reusable plastic storage containers, and 2 or 3 large shaker cups that don't leak. Every night you will be making rice, and every morning you will be making protein shakes.
What I've done is provide myself with 6, sometimes 7 medium sized meals per day (no meal greater than about 600 to 750 calories). If I ate this many calories in just two or three sittings, I'd definitely bulk up, but I'd also resemble a super sized bowling ball. Our goal is to keep our bodies in a perpetual anabolic state by releasing calories steadily throughout the day. This gives your body a chance to use the bulk of the calories for muscle repair and growth, as opposed to it burning your muscle stores for fuel.
Meal 1:
14 to 16 ounces skim milk*
40 g of protein powder (Whey Gourmet or Stacker)
1 small handful of frozen strawberries
1 to 2 tablespoons of MCT OIL
Meal 2:
1 to 2 cups rice
4-6 ounces corn
1 can of salmon, or tuna (packed in water)
1 to 2 tablespoons of MCT oil
Meal 3:
14 to 16 ounces of skim milk*
40 g of protein powder (Whey Gourmet or Stacker)
1 to 2 tablespoons MCT oil
Meal 4:
1 fist sized portion of extra lean ground beef
1 large baked potatoes or a fist sized portion of pasta
1 cup of steamed veggies
1 to 2 tablespoons MCT oil
Meal 5:
1 to 2 cups rice
4-6 ounces corn
1 can of water packed tuna
1 table spoon salsa
1 to 2 tablespoons of MCT oil
Meal 6:
14 to 16 ounces of skim milk*
40g of protein powder (Whey Gourmet or Stacker)
1 to 2 tablespoons of MCT oil
*If you are lactose intolerant, you can substitute soy milk for skim milk or just add another 20g of protein to water.
This diet is going to all about feel. You can get a good feeling for how many calories you need in as little as one week. Adjust each meal equally if you’re going to increase or decrease your calories. Once you’ve chosen to commit to gaining muscular weight, the biggest factor in success (or failure) is consistency.
STICK WITH IT, BE CONSISTENT AND RESULTS WILL COME!
