College can be a fun time filled with friends, eating, drinking, and going out (and of course studying). Even though it can be so much fun, the freshman 15 can hit you hard and before you know it, your going out clothes might not even fit you anymore. Luckily, coconut oil has been proven to help people lose weight and belly fat because it speeds up your metabolism

Claire Waggoner

A lot of people who try to lose weight think that they need to cut out all fats from their diet but this is not actually the best way to lose weight. It is important for your body to consume some good fats, like those found in coconut oil. Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, which are sent straight to your liver from your digestive track where they are used for energy.

yogurt, milk
Jake Multer

Studies of these medium chain fatty acids have also proven that they reduce our appetite, which means we will eat less and therefore lose weight. 

In one study, 40 women were given either two tablespoons of coconut oil or soybean oil for 28 days. They were also told to walk more and try to eat less. The results showed that both groups lost weight (about two pounds), but the group of women who had the coconut oil lost more weight around their stomach, while the soy bean group had more fat around their stomach. 

potato, sweet, sweet potato
Haley Durham

In order to get more coconut oil into your diet, you can either drink two tablespoons of coconut oil like they did in the study, or you can try to incorporate more coconut oil into your meals. If you are looking for some recipes, check out this article, which will teach you how to make carrot cake granola, sweet potato fries, and more, all of which have coconut oil in them.