In November I posted a tweet looking for thoughts on switching from regular, black coffee to Bulletproof. Popular in the Keto community, Bulletproof coffee is typical coffee made creamy through the addition of butter and MCT oil…it is said to aid weight loss efforts and increase mental clarity. The optimism from my twitter community towards switching or sticking to what I was already doing was mixed and I was hesitant to fork out ~$15 for MCT oil based on the lack of a clear recommendation. In the end I decided to split the difference, opting to try incorporating heavy whipping cream into my morning coffee routine. After 6-7 weeks doing that, here are my thoughts:

First Impressions

First off, I find the addition to be absolutely delicious. I shake the carton every morning, pour a bit of that creamy goodness in my mug, and then brew a Keurig pod. The result, typically, is something resembling a frothy latte from Starbucks or Dunkin…for a fraction of the cost. All other factors aside, this is a delicious cup of joe.

But what about the more important stuff, like…

Weight Loss?

I started this experiment prior to the onset of the holiday season, some cheating definitely overlapped. At times, though, it appeared that my weight loss WAS accelerating, perhaps tremendously so. At other times there appeared to be no positive impact and may have even been causing a plateau. There are a myriad of factors that go into gain, loss, and maintenance — the best I can say is that the anecdotal evidence is inconclusive and requires more testing. 

Mental Clarity and Appetite

A lot of blogs and tweets relating to Bulletproof and/or coffee with added fat use phrases like “dialed in” and “crushing it.” Have I felt more focused? I’d tend to say yes, I have felt more focused and have experienced less “mental fog” during this time. The weather has also been cooling lately (my favorite time of year) and I’ve taken some time off for the holidays…so other factors COULD be at play. Consider this though: I’ve definitely felt a reduction in morning and afternoon hunger and I’ve been able to extend my fast by at least 25-45 minutes, on average. Does this reduction in cravings create this clarity on its own? Or are they separate factors? I can’t say for sure. What I can say, affirmatively, is that my cravings and mental fog have decreased. Take that for what you will. 

So What Now?

I believe the reduction in cravings and mental fog are real, genuine benefits of adding full fat dairy to my coffee. That said, weight loss is the lens through which I judge all of my eating decisions, and I don’t have enough evidence to yet say this is or is not working for me. My plan is to continue the experiment, perhaps indefinitely, until I’m able to conclude that adding the dairy is detrimental. I’m leaning towards the assumption that the full fat dairy is creating a “value add” scenario, but we’ll have to see. In any event, it’s definitely been a delicious experiment and I believe it’s worth trying for those that are curious.