DiSpirito - The negative calorie diet : 10 all you can eat foods, 10 hard to lose pounds, 10 life-changing days

SMOOTHIES BREAKFAST SOUPS AND SALADS MAINS SNACKS DESSERTS Many years ago, I made a kerplunk in the cooking world by re-creating comfort foods like fried chicken, cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, and ice cream, devising recipes that were still delicious but lower-calorie, lower-fat versions of the originals. I didnt think anything of using processed cheese, artificial sweeteners, packaged pudding mixes, and zero-calorie additives to do so. The results tasted fantastic. Then I was hit with some major backlash from my readers and clients: Its not okay to cook with fake sweeteners, fake fat, or fake anything! they protested. I heard everyone loud and clear. I educated myself about what goes into processed foods and began to dismantle my nutritional orthodoxies faster than a car thief stripping a Porsche on a New York City side street at three a.m.

I realized that I needed more than my longtime strategy of downsizing calories and fat in order to stabilize my own weight and achieve excellent health. So I started to incorporate more organic, whole foods into my diet, namely in the form of fresh veggies and fruit and lean, clean sources of protein. The arrival point of my adventure turned out to be a whole new way of cooking that is even more delicious and satisfying than the fake food methods I had relied on in the past. Not only did I finally lose the extra 10 pounds Id been carrying around, but Ive found that eating whole foods actually makes me feel better than ever. With every book I write, my food philosophy continues to evolve. My nutritional recommendations have become a bit purer.

Ive become a stronger proponent of eating organic foods rather than mass-produced stuff grown in toxic soils, adulterated with chemicals, and concocted mostly for profit by our nations big food manufacturers. In many ways, Ive come full circle: The way I cook now is a total throwback to how I watched my mother and grandmother cook when I was a kid, using home-grown foods picked from our familys garden. Soon after I started eating this way, people I met through television appearances and other ventures began asking me to make and deliver healthy meals for them. I obliged, and before I knew it, I had the happy accident of a brand-new business. Over the last few years, Ive started to run a kitchen where a small staff and I cook organic, gluten-free, sugar-free, nutrient-dense meals for a handful of clients who receive customized programs based on their medical and nutritional needs. Its like running a restaurant again, but without some of the inherent hasslesand with much more nutritious menu items! The business has grown so fast that we recently moved into a larger facility with a bigger kitchen, and we can barely keep up with the demand.

The meals we make were initially based on the recipes from one of my recent books, The Pound a Day Diet, but then gradually evolved to incorporate more and more negative calorie foods. In the time since we launched, Ive observed amazing successes with our eating plans: Not only have my clients lost weight, but they love the food. Some have made such positive strides in their health that they were able to stop taking diabetes medications. Others report that their energy levels have skyrocketed and theyre less reliant on caffeine to get through the day. A few of my clients even asked if I was lacing their meals with energy drink additives! Through it all, I witnessed another little miracle: The Negative Calorie Diet had staying power. No one was falling off the wagon.

This was unusual, since there is a very high attrition rate associated with many weight-loss programs. Several years ago, the International Journal of Obesity reported that of the more than 60,000 dieters enrolled in a large commercial weight-loss program, only 13,000 people were still hanging in there at 26 weeks, and after a year, only 3,900 dieters were left. Thats a pretty high dropout rate, if you ask me. I dont have 60,000 dieters under my wing (at least not yet!), but those who are enrolled in my home food delivery program have a remarkable level of adherence. Most are still following the principles of my eating plan well into their second yearand maintaining their weight loss without feeling that theyre on a diet. Clearly, the Negative Calorie Diet is more than just a 30-day program; it is a whole new lifestyle.

At the end of 30 days, you can expect to be thinnerby 10 to 20 poundslook younger, have more energy, and feel healthier. Based on what Ive seen with my clients, you should also see measurable improvements in your digestion, blood pressure, blood sugar control, energy level, and laboratory blood tests (including cholesterol). Ive spent several years tweaking and evolving this eating plan and my negative calorie recipes, using myself and my clients as guinea pigs. Luckily, it wont take you that long because Ive tested everything for you. All you have to do is keep turning the pages!

F ROM now on, youre going to ask yourself one question before you eat anything: Is this a negative calorie food? If the answer is yes, then you know you can eat it because you know that the food in question is something that will nourish your body, supplying the energy and nutrients you need to stay healthy. You dont have to count how many calories it contains or portion out minuscule amounts of it.

You can eat it. Its that simple. If the answer is no, then you want to put that food back on the grocery store shelf, remove it from your pantry or fridge, or skip over it on a restaurant menu, because it is not going to provide nourishment for your body. And its certainly not going to help you lose weight. So what is a negative calorie food? Thats what Im going to show you in this book. Youre about to learn how simple and delicious it is to eat foods that naturally support your weight-loss efforts.

Negative calorie foods can help your body burn fat and lose weight. They can boost the rate at which your body burns calories, both temporarily and in the long run. And they can help you feel full after you eat themso you actually eat less food overall. GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES If you want to get in shape, you need to lose fat and build muscle. In order to burn that fat, youve got to maintain a negative calorie balance, which means that you consume fewer calories than you expend. Traditionally, a negative calorie balance is achieved by cutting calories so that your body taps into stored fat for energy.

But this approach, unfortunately, requires tedious calorie-counting and hunger-producing food restriction. In other words: a short-term diet that is doomed to fail. I wanted to figure out a better strategy for losing weight and reducing body fat. I wondered: What if there was a way to create a negative calorie balance without cutting calories but instead, eating as much as you want? Well, it turns out there isand the secret is eating real, wholesome foods. Negative calorie foods. Now, Im not a big calorie advocateI will never suggest that you count or track every calorie you eat.

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