Tell me about coconut oil and metabolism

[sheryl]

In the fall I talked with a woman who owned (or currently owns) a health food store and she mentioned that coconut oil revs up the metabolism.

 

I have coconut oil and stopped using it b/c of it's high fat content.   Isn't it high in sat fat?

 

Maybe I should use it again.  What do you health-minded wtm'ers say?

 

She said take 1 tablespoon daily. 

 

How can you take "oil" when it solidifies?   

[whitestavern]

I'm no health expert, but as I understand it, it does boost your metabolism. Not all sat fats are created equal. Plant sat fat is supposed to be heart healthy and have a positive effect on cholesterol. I make bulletproof coffee, adding a tbs of coconut oil and a tsp of grass fed butter in my coffee ( I blend it in my nutribullet). I know lots of people who use it in place of butter on vegetables or put it in their oatmeal. That way it melts. In the summer it's a liquid so you could just drink it.

[fraidycat]

Healthy fat is good for you, your brain, and for satiating hunger (makes you feel full faster and longer).

 

I just eat the "good" coconut oil straight off a spoon because I can not make myself cook with it. It has no flavor, but the scent ruins food. It's okay in baking, though.

[klmama]

Healthy fat is good for you, your brain, and for satiating hunger (makes you feel full faster and longer).

 

I just eat the "good" coconut oil straight off a spoon because I can not make myself cook with it. It has no flavor, but the scent ruins food. It's okay in baking, though.

 

I can't taste or smell it at all in baked goods, but I've discovered that people who hate coconut can taste it just fine.  Twice I've brought "those wonderful cookies" to events, only to have some child quietly ask their mom to finish the cookie because of the coconut. 

[Denisemomof4]

I was vegan and and low carb for a year and a half. I had smoothies every day with garlic and coconut oil. My cholesterol remained high after a year and a half, and the only thing that made sense was that the coconut oil made it high. I'll never know whether or not I'm right in believing this, but I only use it sparingly now.

 

I want to use it with turmeric and black pepper for health reasons but am still nervous about using it regularly again.

 

I loved it use it with a little salt in place of butter

[fraidycat]

I was vegan and and low carb for a year and a half. I had smoothies every day with garlic and coconut oil. My cholesterol remained high after a year and a half, and the only thing that made sense was that the coconut oil made it high. I'll never know whether or not I'm right in believing this, but I only use it sparingly now.

 

I want to use it with turmeric and black pepper for health reasons but am still nervous about using it regularly again.

 

I loved it use it with a little salt in place of butter

Interesting idea. Did you cholesterol only go up after you started using coconut oil? Or after you went vegan/low-carb? Or did you do those things to try to lower cholesterol? You said it remained high, so I'm not understanding how coconut oil plays into this correlation/causation.

 

Also, has it gone down since you stopped using it? Or only use sparingly? Any other lifestyle/diet changes coinciding with this?

 

And, have you seen the information that high cholesterol levels are not a major player in heart-health? Especially that statins are way overprescribed, based on faulty studies to that effect. Cholesterol is a symptom of your body attempting to repair itself, not a cause of the problem. People with seemingly low or normal cholesterol levels still have heart and stroke problems, too.

Edited March 10, 2016 by fraidycat

[Denisemomof4]

I just assumed the lifestyle change would obviously lower my cholesterol, and I assumed that by it remaining unchanged that the coconut oil was likely the culprit.

 

I haven't had it checked in almost two years. I have always refused statins.

 

I did NOT know high cholesterol was a way of the body trying to repair itself. I will need to look into that.

[fraidycat]

I can't taste or smell it at all in baked goods, but I've discovered that people who hate coconut can taste it just fine. Twice I've brought "those wonderful cookies" to events, only to have some child quietly ask their mom to finish the cookie because of the coconut.

I can definitely smell it, but I don't mind coconut in sweet stuff, so it's fine. Since taste is so closely connected to/requires scent to work properly, I can definitely understand people who don't like coconut turning down foods with coconut oil. The scent would be enough to put them "off the food".

[sheryl]

thanks all!  denise, thanks for your input.  did you already have high cholesterol levels?  f...cat, you are right, statins are over-prescribed.  I continue to work hard at lowering my levels natural (within healthy range) b/c I don't want to take statins. 

 

so, the idea is coconut oil is sat fat an contributes to high cholesterol?  eggs are high in cholesterol but I've been told here and by my nutritionist that I can eat as many eggs as I like b/c it won't really "add" cholesterol to my level.  does that make sense?  I forget how she worded it but I was fascinated b/c I like eggs and eat a lot of them and when I do I lose weight (a bit).  the body naturally makes cholesterol but she said the chol in eggs will not harm me.  I wish someone knew what I was trying to say and help me out.  LOL!  :)

[Denisemomof4]

I did read that the old advice of cholesterol in eggs being bad was in fact wrong. Apparently they are completely healthy.

 

I have battled high chilesterol for years. I was also on blood pressure MEDS from the time I was 32 years old and rail thin.

 

Have your natural remedies lowered your cholesterol at all? The raw garlic apparently did nothing for me unless the coconut oil kept my cholesterol level high. Which remedies are you trying?

 

Fraidycat, I did read there is no link between high cholesterol and heart disease. I do worry because my dad had his first (of four) heart attack at age 27, had high BP and high cholesterol so I worry because I really want to be around a long time for my kids. I'm almost 53.

[sbgrace]

My son has a metabolic disorder that affects certain kinds of fats. Coconut is probably the healthiest fat for him.

 

However, it definitely raises his LDL cholesterol significantly. I did some research, and this should probably be expected based on what I read. Some people don't think high cholesterol is bad. I didn't want to take the risk. That said, I think his triglycerides were ok.

Edited March 10, 2016 by sbgrace

[fraidycat]

Sheryl, I understand what you're trying to say. Dietary cholesterol does not directly cause out to produce more cholesterol any more than eating muscle meat makes us muscular. ;)

 

Denise, I totally understand the worry. My grandmother had her first of many heart attack in her thirties and passed away in her early sixties. My Dad (son of that grandmother) has has bypass/arterial scraping surgery - though surgeons were stunned at how healthy is actual heart was - no attacks. He also has high BP (medicated) and refuses statins (thank goodness).

 

It is because of known health issues (and no major progress/cures via allopathic meds that I can see in the past 40ish years- my lifetime) in my family -both sides- that I study a LOT on diet, lifestyle, and mental/spiritual health as a path to health. Call me greedy, but I'm trying to keep my parents around for a long time as well as make myself and kids as healthy as possible. Humans survived for a long time without western medicine. I'm grateful for it, but also try not to rely on it more than absolutely necessary, KWIM? My other grandmother was the poster child for prescription painkiller and drug addiction. She had back problems, thyroid issues, and was type 2 diabetic. She was never treated via diet changes, mental health counseling (for depression), or massage/therapy. But every time she went to the doc (often) she'd come home with a new or renewed prescription. Which would interact and cause more problems. I'm on a lifelong journey to "know better and do better" than that.

Edited March 10, 2016 by fraidycat

[Laurie4b]

I use it sparingly. It's a medium chain triglycerid. Most saturated fat is long chain. Supposedly, that makes a difference. :)  Ds chemist is not here to explain this to me and in any case is not a nutrition guy. Again, supposedly, the medium chain triglycerides are processed directly by your liver. I'm a bit of a skeptic about it, but like I said, I do use it, just in moderation. 

 

If you want to rev up your metabolism, exercise will do it for you. Building muscle turns up your metabolism b/c muscle needs more energy than fat cells. Aerobic exercise also turns up your metabolism for a couple hours after exercising. 

 

Foods that contain capsaicin (the stuff in hot peppers) increase metabolism and have anti-inflammatory effects. 

 

Letting yourself get a little dehydrated will slow your metabolism so keep the liquid intake up!

[gardenmom5]

Healthy fat is good for you, your brain, and for satiating hunger (makes you feel full faster and longer).

 

I just eat the "good" coconut oil straight off a spoon because I can not make myself cook with it. It has no flavor, but the scent ruins food. It's okay in baking, though.

 

essential fatty acids are crucial for boys - they actually need 3xs what girls need.  it directly affects the development of the corpus callosum - which facilitates communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

 

eta: I had one dr tell me for illness and electrolyte replacement - coconut water works as well as pedialyte.

Edited March 10, 2016 by gardenmom5

[sheryl]

Thank again to ALL! 

 

I've also heard (as a few of you mentioned here) that coconut oil is a medium chain.  They "may" make a difference.  Do you think it's "maybe" that each person may process it differently?  My husband consumes WAY TOO MUCH sugar/carbs and does not gain weight.  He is healthy. 
 

My sugar level is high/borderline and I'm trying to lower through diet and exercise.  I MUST watch my carbs.

 

I'm an exerciser.  It used to be "a little dab will do ya".....remember the commercial decades ago?  When I was younger I could exercise, call it a day and lose weight/maintain.   Oh no, not now.  Each decade I have to exercise more, eat less.   So, now I exercise 45 minutes a day/6 days a week.  Aim for 1/2 my body weight for water consumption.

 

Cut waaaay back on the carbs and PRAY!  

 

Do you think people metabolize/process coconut differently?   Just food for thought......pun intended LOL!  :)

 

 

PS....F...cat - that's exactly what I'm trying to say.  That's it.

 

Someone asked me my routine:   diet, exercise, WATER, green tea daily, b.p. med but not statins.

 

Diet doesn't sound like a big deal but it is.   There are restrictions!  Going out to dinner once in a blue moon and ordering fried zucchini fries (had those last night when dh and I went out to enjoy my birthday dinner) is ok but not daily.  The cheesecake we "shared" was ok but not daily.  OTOH, people who have good cholesterol levels should still watch their food intake to avoid type 2. 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by sheryl

[Soror]

I generously use coco oil for cooking but I think purposely eating tablespoons of the stuff probably isn't the best idea and I've noticed no correlation with metabolism. I don't think it is some magic bullet maybe some find that it keeps them full and they don't eat as much but at 120 cal per TBS that is equivalent to a whole lot of low starch veggies- better to me would be making up a big plate of those veggies and using 1/2 TBS of the oil, so you get good fat and some nice filling fiber.  I've read good things about coco oil and its effect on the brain so I'm happy to use it for a good chunk of my cooking. My cholesterol levels are picture perfect- good cholesterol is high and my bad is low. From what I've read when dh's cholesterol was too high I'd bee on the watch out for carbs and sugars when looking at cholesterol levels(even the mainstream info from his health center talks about carb levels and cholesterol)- his dropped like a stone going low carb.

Edited March 10, 2016 by soror

[sheryl]

Right, not a magic bullet.  However, if it helps to boost metabolism - why not!  Maybe I'll start with less per day and monitor my levels.  Maybe I'll try 1 - 1.5 teaspoons.  If my levels go up then I'll know.  If not, I may venture out to 2 t. daily.  Considering....

[gardenmom5]

when you exercise - do you focus on cardio - or building muscle?   muscle burns calories, the more muscle, the more calories burned.

[Mom22ns]

I did read that the old advice of cholesterol in eggs being bad was in fact wrong. Apparently they are completely healthy.

 

I have battled high chilesterol for years. I was also on blood pressure MEDS from the time I was 32 years old and rail thin.

 

Sheryl, I understand what you're trying to say. Dietary cholesterol does not directly cause out to produce more cholesterol any more than eating muscle meat makes us muscular. ;)

 

So, I'm going to try to take on the issue of cholesterol in light of the What I say vs What He Hears thread. Cholesterol is an important substance in our body. It is necessary. Like many things we need, too much is bad. The thing is our bodies produce it. Very simply, Cholesterol levels are controlled by a feedback loop that senses when there is enough and reduces production. However, for someone like Densiemomof4, odds are the feedback loop is broken. There are two choices here. The first is like when you tell your husband dinner will be ready in 5 min and he decides to hop in the shower or run to the autoparts store. You said it, he heard you, but he didn't respond in the way you intended. In body this equates to their being enough cholesterol in the blood stream, the body senses it, says it, but doesn't stop producing it. The other choice is like when you call him to dinner and he is in the other room watching TV and never hears. In this case you failed to communicate the message right? The body can either not sense the cholesterol is too high or not send the message to stop it. 

 

So, what does that have to do with dietary cholesterol? Dietary cholesterol can make it into the blood stream. If your bodies feedback loop works properly, your body will still sense when there is enough and reduce its production to match. For those with a healthy feedback loop, dietary cholesterol isn't a problem because their body will adjust. They can eat healthy fats like coconut oil and not be concerned about it raising their cholesterol. However, if your feedback loop is broken. Eating dietary cholesterol has the potential to raise your cholesterol levels even higher. 

 

Does that help any? It has nothing to do with whether or not coconut oil helps metabolism. (I can't tell that it does for, but that is the current buzz). I hope it does shine some light on why it might be ok for some, but maybe not such a good idea for other to eat it.

[sheryl]

Kristen, yes, I exercise - fast walking 3x, biking 2x, dance aerobics/zumba (once a week).   Dumb bells - 3x/wk but at 10 lbs.  It was my understanding that women who don't want to bulk up like a man should lift lighter weights/more reps/sets.   Men lift heavier weights fewer reps.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll increase "weights" and/or rep/sets.

 

Debbie, Wow, that was amazing.  I got that picture story.  :)    It does go back then to perhaps each person processing it differently. 

[VaKim]

  It was my understanding that women who don't want to bulk up like a man should lift lighter weights/more reps/sets.   Men lift heavier weights fewer reps.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll increase "weights" and/or rep/sets.

 

 

Not true! Here is only one of a billion articles on it. 

[EmseB]

 Dietary cholesterol does not directly cause out to produce more cholesterol any more than eating muscle meat makes us muscular. ;)

 

 

I wish this could be put on billboards all over the place.

 

Making everything low-fat has been so damaging.  And it is so ingrained in our thinking as "healthy".

[Soror]

Kristen, yes, I exercise - fast walking 3x, biking 2x, dance aerobics/zumba (once a week).   Dumb bells - 3x/wk but at 10 lbs.  It was my understanding that women who don't want to bulk up like a man should lift lighter weights/more reps/sets.   Men lift heavier weights fewer reps.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll increase "weights" and/or rep/sets.

 

Debbie, Wow, that was amazing.  I got that picture story.  :)    It does go back then to perhaps each person processing it differently. 

 

 

Not true! Here is only one of a billion articles on it. 

A MILLION times this! Don't be afraid of the weights. You aren't going to accidently turn into some crazy musclebound women without a LOT of work, a good diet and some luck. Building strength is good for you in so many ways, truly you don't even need weights, I do all body weight stuff and am plenty challenged (I mean try some pull-ups, push-ups and 1 legged squats there is enough progressions of bodyweight stuff to keep one busy for a long long time). I'm trying to hulk up a bit, I wish it was easy to do!!

Edited March 10, 2016 by soror

[SeaConquest]

If you want to substitute coconut oil for less healthier oils (shortening, margarine, corn oil, etc.) in your cooking, by all means, go for it. It is a healthy substitute. 

 

But, don't fall prey to the coconut oil = miracle weight loss woo that is floating around the interwebs.

 

My favorite demo of this phenomenon:

 

https://www.facebook.com/awakenwithjp/videos/1252399798109213/?pnref=story

 

To increase your metabolism, lift weights (!!), get in regular cardio, eat frequently, drink enough water, and, if you are ok with chemical support, and have normal blood pressure, ask your doctor for an rx for phentermine. It's been on the market forever, has a good safety profile overall, is cheap as a generic, and is effective for most people. 

[TranquilMind]

I did read that the old advice of cholesterol in eggs being bad was in fact wrong. Apparently they are completely healthy.

 

I have battled high chilesterol for years. I was also on blood pressure MEDS from the time I was 32 years old and rail thin.

 

Have your natural remedies lowered your cholesterol at all? The raw garlic apparently did nothing for me unless the coconut oil kept my cholesterol level high. Which remedies are you trying?

 

Fraidycat, I did read there is no link between high cholesterol and heart disease. I do worry because my dad had his first (of four) heart attack at age 27, had high BP and high cholesterol so I worry because I really want to be around a long time for my kids. I'm almost 53.

Yep.  They lied to us for years about the eggs.  I consume a LOT of eggs and always have, and have lowish BP. 

 

Cinnamon lowers BP, along with a few other spices and herbs. 

 

Our parents' generation ate a lot of packaged, chemical foods, which were new, post war.  Remember all the "convenience" foods?   Maybe that contributed.  I don't know.  Similar history in my family, but not that young.  Yikes. 

[redsquirrel]

I dunno, over the course of 2 years I started my day with a tablespoon of either grassfed butter, coconut oil or MCT oil, or a combination of two of them. I would usually eat one for about 6 months or so, then switch to the other and then try blending two and then trying another one etc.  It was in coffee, so the whole 'bulletproof coffee' thing. To be clear, I didn't think it was actually going to do the things it said it did, but I liked it, and I was hoping it might 'wake up' my metabolism. So, I plopped a tablespoon in my coffee and then put the whole thing in the blender and whipped it up.

 

 I didn't do what some people i know did and that was put a quarter of a cup of butter/coconut oil/mct into like 24 oz of coffee and drink that over the course of the morning. They were all like, "wow, I'm not hungry and I am only having coffee and coconut oil"  well, no duh you aren't hungry, you just ingested 400 calories of fat!  That is a lot of calories to suck down on your commute, when you usually just have coffee for breakfast.  No, I kept it to 100 calories because that is reasonable for my weight.

 

I didn't increase my overall calorie intake, I just counted the calories in the tablespoon of the oil towards my daily allotment. The only thing I saw was my weight going up. I got none of the purported health benefits. Over 2 years I went up about 10lbs.  Now, there absolutely other reasons that happened. But, I did keep my exercise level up and tracked my food etc.  Once I cut back on my over all fat intake and cut my carbs back severely, my weight dropped back down.

 

 

[Murphy101]

I can't taste or smell it at all in baked goods, but I've discovered that people who hate coconut can taste it just fine. Twice I've brought "those wonderful cookies" to events, only to have some child quietly ask their mom to finish the cookie because of the coconut.

I'm soso with it, but dh and a couple of my kids can't stand it. I find either people really notice it and want to spit it out or they don't notice it at all.

 

Coconut is GOOD fats. Good fats boost your energy considerably, help with brain development and function (anyone else looking for all the help they can get to reduce mommy brain fog?), can help level hormonal mood swings, and help the heart fight bad fats.

 

I try, and often fail, to get at least a thumbs quantity of good fats in every meal.

When I do, I notice a major change.

When I don't, I lack the energy and brain stamina to notice much of anything beyong everyone being really annoying.

 

I think learning about how vital good fats are is probably THE most important thing I learned from doing whole30.

[Soror]

My friend uses virgin coco oil in everything and has acclimated to the taste at her house last time she made scrambled eggs with it- GAG- I could barely choke them down and I eat a lot of coco oil. I do not used the coco flavored stuff for everything however, I have expeller pressed too, some things should not taste like coconut.

[Murphy101]

Gag. Eggs with coco oil would be really gross to me too.

[Laurie4b]

Kristen, yes, I exercise - fast walking 3x, biking 2x, dance aerobics/zumba (once a week).   Dumb bells - 3x/wk but at 10 lbs.  It was my understanding that women who don't want to bulk up like a man should lift lighter weights/more reps/sets.   Men lift heavier weights fewer reps.  I don't know.  Maybe I'll increase "weights" and/or rep/sets.

 

Debbie, Wow, that was amazing.  I got that picture story.  :)    It does go back then to perhaps each person processing it differently. 

 

That whole thing is a myth. Women do not bulk up without really working at bulking up (like powerlifting) and many cannot do it even if they try. The reason is because we don't have much testosterone. 

 

Lifting light weights for lots of reps gives you some muscle endurance but doesn't increase amount of muscle. And if you keep doing the same weight, your body gets used to it and it doesn't really do much for you after a while. 

 

The places where you will get the most bang for your buck in terms of increasing your muscle mass is lower body. You can start with body weight: squats, lunges, glute bridges.  

 

The book, "New Rules of Lifting for Women" or "New Rules of Lifting for Life" or the newest iteration, "Strong" will give you the knowledge base to increase your muscle mass. 

[sheryl]

thanks everyone.  too many for me to reply to each one but I do appreciate each contribution! 

 

I did not know that about weight lifting.  That is new to me.  I won't be afraid to go heavier dumbbells.  With that said, form is important and I understand that adding a rep or two or a set to achieve "beginning burn" is optimal.   Is that right?

 

Laurie, thanks for the references.  Will look into them this weekend.
 

[JadeOrchidSong]

Momto2Ns,

I have been eating coconut oil and my bad and overall level jumped a lot, my bad from 80 something to 142! I wonder if it is coconut oil, or simply menopause.

I have been actively exercising. So I really don't know if it is coconut oil or menopause.

[sheryl]

Momto2Ns,

I have been eating coconut oil and my bad and overall level jumped a lot, my bad from 80 something to 142! I wonder if it is coconut oil, or simply menopause.

I have been actively exercising. So I really don't know if it is coconut oil or menopause.

 

Just curious over what span of time?

[VaKim]

thanks everyone.  too many for me to reply to each one but I do appreciate each contribution! 

 

I did not know that about weight lifting.  That is new to me.  I won't be afraid to go heavier dumbbells.  With that said, form is important and I understand that adding a rep or two or a set to achieve "beginning burn" is optimal.   Is that right?

 

 

Also try slow lifting to make it harder. You will not be able to do as many reps, but it is still really hard.

 

http://www.webmd.com/men/features/want-more-strength-slow-down

[sheryl]

Also try slow lifting to make it harder. You will not be able to do as many reps, but it is still really hard.

 

http://www.webmd.com/men/features/want-more-strength-slow-down

 

 

Thanks so much for this.  Now this makes sense on the technique I heard years ago.   Something "like" 2 seconds up/out/whatever, pause at extension and 3-4 seconds down/in/whatever.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Just curious over what span of time?

My last cholesterol check up was 3 years ago. I have been cooking with coconut oil for over 3 years. I eat more amount more regularly in the last year. I had check up in January and the number jumped a ton from 3 years ago. Meanwhile I am officially in menopause. My last period was in early August. So I don't know if it is menopause related,

[MSNative]

Lifting- try using a band or tube. You work the muscle on the way up and on the way down. More bang for your buck. Plus one tube can be used for upper body, lower body and incredible for core work. Small and light enough to throw in your suitcase on trips...just keep it in an easy to access place if you are going carry on. It must show up oddly on the security scanner so I offen get asked about it.

 

I wouldn't think in terms of beginners burn. Get a sheet of paper and write down your reps, sets and weights for each exercise. Keep track of your workouts every time. I find that is much more motivating for me- looking to see how far I've come etc. I like to work to fatigue. If I can do three sets of 8 with a particular weight too easily then it's time to up the weights.

[JustEm]

I use coconut oil and olive oil for cooking. We haven't had any other oil in our house in 5 years, well we do cook with bacon grease sometimes actually. My numbers have always been phenomenal and still are. I do not eat coconut oil straight though.

[Tangerine]

I'm doing a personal experiment actually.  My one year old is on the GAPS diet, and since he's nursing, so am I.  I received some input that I should not let him have coconut oil right now, and work it in later. (It's a bacterial die-off thing...that part is a long story).  I was losing weight like MAD.  Like half a pound a day.  And I was eating primarily soup, so, I suppose that made sense.  I started gaining weight back fast when I eliminated it from my diet.  Like 5 pounds in 3 days.  I was mighty displeased.  I'm doing an experiment where I'm not changing anything but reintroducing the coconut oil to my own diet. It's been 3 days and I've lost 3 pounds again.  It's so weird.  We will see if it was a coincidence.

[Laurie4b]

thanks everyone.  too many for me to reply to each one but I do appreciate each contribution! 

 

I did not know that about weight lifting.  That is new to me.  I won't be afraid to go heavier dumbbells.  With that said, form is important and I understand that adding a rep or two or a set to achieve "beginning burn" is optimal.   Is that right?

 

Laurie, thanks for the references.  Will look into them this weekend.

 

 

 

I've never heard of "beginning burn!"  I generally don't burn doing lifts, though I sometimes hit muscle fatigue. Sometimes, I'll have sore muscles the next day, but that's my body rebuilding and that's a good thing!

 

What you want to shoot for rather than burn is the number of reps that will get you toward "fatigue." You will know if you hit muscle fatigue because your muscle just won't work anymore (for a brief time!) . I experience that in push-ups, for instance. I am working my way down an incline so that I can do a real toes to floor (not knees) push up!  RIght now, I can do 1-2 push-ups with my hands about 8 inches from the floor. Then,.... my muscles cannot do another one. So I move up to a slightly higher elevation and do a couple, then finish a set at a still higher elevation. 

 

But... in a lot of exercises, you don't want to get to full fatigue, just approach it. You will know you are getting close to fatigue when you slow down (not on purpose) or it's harder to hold your form. At that point, stop. What you want is to hit that point at about 8- 10 reps. (When you are working at 15 reps, you are working on endurance not so much strength)  That helps you figure out whether you are using enough weight or doing a hard enough variation. (There are some muscles like the rotator cuff muscles that you want to work for endurance not to fatigue. They are tiny and don't increase much in size, but you really need them in top form!)  Does that make sense? You are looking for signs of fatigue not pain.  After you near fatigue, you can rest for 30-60 sec and your muscles will be recharged for another set. (You can also do another kind of exercise in between) So if you are up to 10 reps and your body is "Latidahtidummdummdum!" you know to increase the difficulty on your next set or workout! 

 

Push-ups and planks work your whole body. There are many variations of each---both variations that help you get there (like push-ups on an incline or planks on your knees) and variations that make it harder once you're there. No weights needed. You use your own body resistance. 

 

There is a book called, "You Are Your Own Gym". http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0345528581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457799454&sr=8-1&keywords=own+gym  ( I see that he now has a book aimed at women; they are probably nearly identical.)   Anyway, he developed training for elite military using only one's own body as the "weight." (This is inexpensive! haha. Dumbbells are not cheap!) He has a progression for each type of exercise.  You might see if your library has it or if your local bookstore has a copy you can look at. 

 

You can go on sites like http://Prevention.com, http://health.com, http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/ ,   http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness and click on their fitness or workout portions and see many types of strengthening exercises. Many have videos or kind of flipping pictures so you can see how it's done.  Youtube is another good source to make sure that you have your form right. (I will search an exercise with the phrase "proper form" like "squats proper form." Quite a few videos are by physical therapists. Others are by personal trainers but it's pretty easy to sort through those to figure out who you trust. Just watch a few for any given exercise.) 

 

If you start out doing squats (body weight then you can progress to doing them holding a dumbbell) and glute bridges, those two exercises will work the front and back of your legs and butt. (It's important to keep front and back balanced.) If you do push-ups and a pull exercise (since you have dumbbells, a row is a good "pull") you will keep the upper body balanced. Also, the pull exercises are very good for posture. Add in planks and you have a 5 exercise pretty complete beginner's workout that will keep you working for quite a while without having to purchase more equipment. 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Laurie4b

[sheryl]

wow, kudos to all of you and your replies.  these are all so very helpful and, laurie, thanks for the links and detail.  I have to admit I get a little confused with all of the exercises out there.

 

I have bands and tubes and used them consistently for a period of time until my body got used to the exercises.  I don't know what else to do.  I have an exercise ball but can't use it on our house b/c we don't have the room right now (purging/packing/selling house). 

 

I like planks a lot and used to do lunges and squats.   I think my form is off on these.  I've banged up my left knee 8 times or so in 10 years.  I'd love to be able to bend it again.  One of my goals is to be able to cross my legs again, y'all!  HELP!  And, to bend my legs back from a standing/stretching position !  

[Murphy101]

Just a note of warning, most olive oil being sold is a fraud. It's literally relabeled variety of veg oils with flavoring added. It's BIG money to do this bc olive oil sells for so much more. Shopper beware.

 

I use olive oil, just research which to buy and which is currently under investigation.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if its a problem in coconut oils too.

[sheryl]

I didn't know that, Murphy, regarding olive oil.  Do you have a link?

[Murphy101]

I didn't know that, Murphy, regarding olive oil. Do you have a link?

http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/tag/olive-oil-fraud

 

 

The only reason I mentioned it, aside from people should get what they pay for, is because if someone is finding their blood workups are coming back worse, especially if their bad cholesterol is significantly worse, then I'd start to suspect either they had something else going on or maybe what they were eating isn't what they thought it was.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Murphy101