10 Snacks That Burn Fat

Whether lying awake in bed at night when hunger pangs strike, or at a social gathering where snack plates are circulating, most of us have experienced food cravings that are just too hard to resist. When the time comes to choose your snack, are you prepared to make the right decision? More specifically, are your prepared to reach for a food that will actually burn more calories than it contains? These types of foods, called negative calorie foods, have so little energy that your body uses more energy to digest and absorb the nutrients than the food actually contains! Switching to negative calorie foods for the majority of your snacking, combined with a solid exercise program, can enable you to literally watch fat melt away! This article is going to give you a jump-start on your nutrition with 10 negative energy snacks that will boost your metabolism and burn loads of calories.

1. Cabbage. I suggest supplementing a daily salad with sliced cabbage strips, or finding a healthy cabbage salad recipe.

2. Celery. Drenched in peanut butter and raisins does not count.

3. Cucumber. Sliced cucumbers make a great addition to any salad or stir-fry.

4. Carrots. Again, sliced on salad, or eaten raw, if you prefer.

5. Tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are great snacks, or stack them on a healthy sandwich with lettuce (another negative calorie food!).

6. Blackberries/Raspberries/Strawberries. Great for snacking raw, or throwing into a blender or a bowl of oatmeal.

7. Grapefuit. A bowl of fresh grapefruit on the breakfast table is a smart addition.

8. Watermelon/Honeydew/Canteloupe. Again, good for smoothies, nice for breakfast, great for snacking.

9. Peaches. Throw into a ziplock bag for a convenient snack at work or travel. Just remember napkins.

10. Mandarin oranges. Wonderful on salads, or with a meat such as chicken.
So how does it work? Basically, your body's response to the presence of these foods results in the production of digestive enzymes, which act like small engines to break up carbohydrates, protein, and fat. However, because of their specific vitamin and mineral content, the enzyme response to these foods is so great that there are enough engines to not only break down the negative calorie food, but also additional calories that are present in digestion. So a 5 calorie piece of celery may take 30 calories to burn, resulting in a negative 25 calorie intake. Amazing! You can e-mail me with questions at elite@pacificfit.net. Remember to train smart!

Head trainer Ben Greenfield runs the online training website Pacific Elite Fitness, and holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sport Science and Exercise Physiology, as well as certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA-CPT & CSCS). For over 6 years, Ben has coached and trained professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes, and helped hundreds of individuals achieve their personal fitness goals. For more information on online personal training and fitness, contact Ben at elite@pacificfit.net.

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10 Easy Tips to Help You Lose Weight This Week

With so much nutrition and diet information roaming through the media, it can be difficult to differentiate what is real and what is glitzy media hype. As a personal trainer, nutrition consultant and fitness competitor, I have had to sift through my fare share of fitness magazines, nutritional seminars and college courses. I have condensed and refined the mountain of information into a manageable top ten list. The following is a list of the 10 most successful methods of losing 5 pounds in one week without a dramatic lifestyle change:

Tip 1: Stop counting calories
This may make anyone who has ever dieted laugh in disbelief. Remember when reduced fat and no fat foods were the focus in the diet industry? Do you also remember that reduced fat foods sold like crazy while the obesity epidemic spread like wildfire? New research shows that calorie counting, like reduced fat foods, is not the end-all solution to losing weight. Scientists suggest that what you eat may be just as important as how much. Foods that are rich in nutrients and low in carbohydrates and sugar are key for effective weight loss. Try replacing tortillas with lettuce leafs and potatoes with a green vegetable for starters.

Tip 2: Drink more water
Yes, you've heard that drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day is crucial for your health. Drinking water can also help you lose weight. Drinking water before a meal takes up space in your stomach, making you feel full sooner. Simply drinking one glass of water before your meal could help you cut up to 100 calories or more per meal.

Tip 3: Eat more meals
That's right, another suggestion against what has become industry standard. I'm not suggesting eating more food, I'm suggesting more meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a snack between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and dinner. Planning your meals and snacks can help you reduce those impulse high-carb snacks that can slow any diet progress. The key is to accelerate your metabolism and replace sugary and high-carb foods with nutrient rich meals and snacks to stave off hunger cravings.

Tip 4: Include protein
Jeff Hample, Ph.D., R.D., a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association says that, "Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so you burn more calories getting rid of them." In addition to burning more calories, amino acids help aid in recovery from cuts to muscle damage. Protein contains the building blocks for our body and is typically low in fat and calories.

Tip 5: Get some rest
Research shows that people who get adequate sleep lose weight easier and quicker. Lack of sleep can cause hormonal imbalances causing weight gain. People with inadequate sleep tend to snack more and have irregular eating and exercise habits. Recommended sleep for adults is between 6-8 hours.
Tip 6: Track your progress
Monitoring your weight loss can help you stay motivated and keep to your diet. Track where the weight is coming off with a fat caliper or weigh yourself regularly. Even blogging or posting your progress on your Facebook will help you stay committed because you know people will be counting you. This way family and friends can provide supportive comments when you do well.

Tip 7: Cook your food
Cooking what you eat makes you mindful of what you are putting in your body. The act of cooking itself burns calories. Cooking your food and healthy eating begins with learning about nutrition, which will make future diet choices easier.

Tip 8: No more soda
Did you know that just one 12oz can of coke has 39 grams of sugar! That can alone is enough to stall any diet. Sodas and many of the most common drinks available at a gas station or grocery store are loaded with hard to digest, diet-killing sugar. Try to incorporate green tea (excellent for added weight loss benefits) or calorie-free flavored water drinks into your diet if you need to satiate your sweet tooth.

Tip 9: Eat healthy fats
Now you're probably wondering, who is this guy? First don't count calories, then eat more food and now I want you to eat fats? Before you grab the bacon, I am referring to the healthy fats. That's not a typo, there are such a thing as healthy fats. Denying your body of healthy fats can disrupt your hormone levels and increase your hunger cravings. Healthy fats are found in foods like nuts, eggs, seeds or avocados. Try eating these foods for the between meal snacks mentioned in tip 3.

Tip 10: Don't eat foods from a can or box
Most of the foods that are processed and preserved tend be high is sugar, sodium and carbohydrates. By eating whole, fresh foods from the grocery store you can cut away huge amounts of excess calories and sugars. You may even find that fresh food really does taste better.
Eating healthy shouldn't feel like a chore. You don't need to make a dramatic lifestyle change to see results. Simply following these 10 tips for losing weight this week can help put you on the track for long-term success. For more information on weight loss and living healthy, visit http://www.platinumbodyperformance.com. Good luck with your weight loss journey.

Ryan L.W. is a Certified Personal Trainer and fitness competitor. Author of various articles on weight loss, sports supplements, fitness and general health. Ryan currently advises on health and nutrition for various companies and people on the west coast U.S.A.

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