Using Essential Oils for Weight Loss - A Beginner’s Guide To The Phenomenal Powers Of Essential Oils: Essential Oil Recipes For Weight Loss, Aromatherapy, Stress Relief And Anti-Aging (2016)

A Beginner’s Guide To The Phenomenal Powers Of Essential Oils: Essential Oil Recipes For Weight Loss, Aromatherapy, Stress Relief And Anti-Aging (2016)

Chapter 1. Using Essential Oils for Weight Loss

Essential oils are usually all about aromatherapy for calming, stress relief and for generally feeling good. Weight loss is among the long list of benefits from using essential oils, though most people are not aware of it. Essential oils can help in effective and safe weight loss, if done right with the right oils.

Grapefruit Essential Oil

This oil is more commonly used as a disinfectant and antiseptic. Grapefruit essential oil can help with weight loss. Its crisp, uplifting sweet aroma helps to achieve desired weight. It works through the following effects:

Curbing cravings

Boosting metabolic rates

Increasing energy

Increasing endurance

Reducing accumulation of fat over the abdomen

Grapefruit essential oil helps in weight loss because of the natural compounds it contains. These compounds help in the various steps towards achieving desired weight. One of these compounds is nootkatones. This natural compound stimulates AMPK, an enzyme in the body that controls energy levels and metabolic rates. When nootkatone activates AMPK, chemical reactions in the skeletal muscles, liver and brain are sped up. This reaction improves physical performance, increases endurance, reduces weight gain and decreases body fat. Exposure to grapefruit at least 3 times per week at 15-minute intervals showed can reduce appetite and accelerate weight loss.

Another compound in grapefruit that can help with weight loss is limonene. This promotes lipolysis in the body. This process involves breakdown of body fat and proteins, which contributes to weight loss.


Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon essential oil is obtained by cold pressing lemon peel. This oil has a clean, refreshing pick-me-up scent with an overtone that’s slightly sour.

This is another essential oil that can help you lose weight. This goal is achieved through these actions:

Suppressing weight gain

Increasing energy levels

Enhancing mood

Relieving pain

Lemon essential oil contains the chemical compound limonene. This has very powerful fat-dissolving effects in the body. If used together with grapefruit, there’ll be greater fat burning and more weight loss.

Mood enhancement contributes to weight loss. Aside from improving negative feelings, the levels of norepinephrine are increased. This is a stress hormone and a neurotransmitter that plays important roles in the fight-or-flight mechanism. Increased levels of norepinephrine promote better oxygenation of the brain tissues. With this, cognitive function improves.

Other functions of the brain are also improved such as better heart rate regulation. This results to increased heart rate and better blood flow. These conditions help the muscles to work better and faster. When the muscles are functioning better, it will be easier to perform exercises that can burn all those excess fats. Lemon essential oil also helps in relieving muscle fatigue and soreness after an exercise.


Peppermint Essential Oil

The minty freshness of peppermint oil makes it among the favorite essential oils of all time. This oil contains the compound menthol that has a cooling and calming effect.

Peppermint oil helps the body by:

Reducing appetite

Improving digestion

Elevating mood

Increasing energy

Increasing mental alertness

Peppermint essential oil contains as much as 70% menthol. For centuries, this oil is used for medicinal purposes, particularly for relief of digestive problems like indigestion. It can also relax the muscles and relieve soreness and pain. If mixed with caraway oil, peppermint oil can ease the stomach muscles. This mixture reduces bloating and improves bile flow. These helps improve food digestion and movement along the gastrointestinal tract. Food passes through the tract faster.

This essential oil has natural suppressant effects on appetite. One study found that just inhaling the scent of peppermint oil lowers hunger levels. There are fewer calorie consumed too. The participants of this study inhaled the scent of peppermint oil every 2 hours.


Cinnamon Essential Oil

This essential oil is taken from the leaves and the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, Cinnamomum sp. The scent of cinnamon essential oil is warm and sweet.

Benefits in the body include:

Improvement in insulin sensitivity

Better regulation of blood sugar levels

Reduction in inflammation

The effect of cinnamon oil on insulin has a huge impact on weight. Insulin is a hormone that plays a major role in regulating blood sugar levels. It converts sugar in the blood into energy that can be used by the various tissues. Or, it can convert sugar in the blood into fats to be stored within the tissues. If insulin sensitivity happens, the cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. Instead of burning some of the sugar in the blood, the body mistakenly store most of it as fats.

Weight gain happens and attempts at weight loss become difficult. Insulin resistance leads to higher blood sugar levels that trigger higher insulin production. Both these conditions worsen insulin resistance and increase the risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon extract improves the sensitivity of the cells to insulin, promoting better regulation of blood sugar levels. The improvement in how the body uses. Metabolizes and stores sugar can help in regulating fat storage and promoting better fat burning.

Inflammation also plays a major role in weight gain. Acute inflammation is beneficial in the body. It protects the body from further injuries. It is also among the vital initial response to infection. Chronic or prolonged inflammation is a threat to the tissues in the body. To protect itself, the body pads the different organs. The padding is created by accumulating more fat around the organs. And because the accumulated fat serves as a protective padding, any attempt at burning them (i.e., exercise and diet to lose weight) will prove to be almost impossible.

The body will not easily give up its protection, unless inflammation goes away. Cinnamon helps in this concern. This fragrant essential oil can inhibit the release of inflammatory molecules in the body. This is a very important step towards reduction of inflammation. Once inflammation subsides, the body will be more willing to shed the fats.


Other essential oils to try

Aside from the discussed essential oils above, there are more essential oils out there worth trying. These essential oils are just as effective as the ones discussed above in promoting weight loss.

Fennel

Bergamot

Sandalwood

Celery seed

Cloves

Tangerine

Orange

Mandarin

Lemongrass

Ginger root

Spearmint

Eucalyptus

Patchouli

Cypress

Juniper berry

Laurel

Rosemary

Jasmine

Hyssop

Ototea

Rose geranium

Lavender

How to Use Essential Oils to lose weight

Safe use is just as important as choosing the right essential oil. Inhalation is the most common method of use. It is also the least risky. Some essential oils may cause allergic reactions when applied directly to the skin. Never ingest or add to food.

Topical use can be safe as long as the essential oil is properly diluted with carrier oil. Test for allergic reactions through a patch test before applying to larger skin areas. Avoid getting the skin applied with essential oil exposed to direct sunlight. This is most important when using citrus essential oils. Avoid direct sunlight from 12 to 18 hours after applying the oils to the skin.

Massage oil for fat reduction

Mix 5 drops each of cypress, lemon and grapefruit essential oil. Dilute with ¼ cup of almond oil. Massage over areas like the thighs, upper arms and over the belly.

Anti-cellulite rub

Mix 10 drops of grapefruit essential oil and 5 drops of rosemary essential oil. Add 2 drops each of ginger, peppermint and cypress essential oils. Dilute with carrier oil such as olive oil, jojoba or almond oil.

Rejuvenating bath

Prepare a warm bath. Add 5 drops each of ginger, sandalwood, grapefruit, lemon and orange essential oil.

Appetite suppressing diffusion

Combine 40 drops of mandarin essential oil to 20 drops of lemon oil, 12 drops of ginger oil and 12 drops of peppermint oil. Add a small amount of the oil blend to the diffuser.

Metabolism-boosting soak

Prepare a warm bath. Mix together 2 tablespoons jojoba oil, 10 drops each of rosemary and cypress oil, and 8 drops grapefruit essential oil. Add this oil blend to bath water.

Craving-curbing salve

Combine ½ cup of olive oil, 80 drops fennel essential oil, 40 drops bergamot oil and 24 drops patchouli essential oils. Use this to massage the abdomen.