Negative Calorie Diet

Background

The history of the Negative Calorie Diet came from a Physical Readiness Training Coordinator from the US Navy. It was widely used to get new Army, Marines and Navy recruits into shape. According to their research, some food required a greater amount of energy to be consumed by the digestive system than the amount of calories they contain. It is classified as a catabolic diet wherein dieters are encouraged to eat certain food that are said to possess ‘negative calorie effects’ and eventually lead to weight loss. The plan claims to help dieters lose 14 pounds in 7 days and is considered as a sound, healthy and balanced diet without the outlandish fads. It is proven effective by many who have tried the diet plan.

The Negative Calorie Diet implies that losing weight revolves around the concept that all food have a calorie amount and calories burned should be greater than the amount of calories consumed. Based on their theory, negative-calorie food burn enough calories to cover for their own caloric levels and burn additional calories as well. Experts who support this theory focus on the enzymes produced by these foods as a result of how the diet plan works.

One example is when a dieter eats an apple. Eating an apple, which contains 50 calories, would require the body to burn more than 50 calories to completely process all the nutrients and vitamins in the fruit. Assuming that the person burns 25 calories with every apple he eats then the person’s rate of metabolism would increase. This is the reason why the Negative Calorie Plan suggests eating frequent healthy meals, along with the benefits of vitamins and minerals.

On the other hand, there are some areas for debate about this diet plan. The energy cost to digest and absorb food may depend on the percentage of the energy contained in a particular food, therefore, there is no such thing as food with negative calories. Many critics believe there is still no sufficient basis about the effectiveness of this diet regimen.

Pros

•    Plan includes an exercise component

•    Healthy food that burn fat are emphasized

•    Plan is fairly basic and simple

•    Promotes food rich in vitamins and minerals

•    Plan promotes weight loss

•    Fasting is not involved in the plan

Cons

•    Limited testimonials to prove results

•    Website does not provide sufficient information about the plan

•    Plan is only good for short-term weight loss and may be temporary

•    Inadequate amount of research or scientific basis to prove the theory of the plan

•    Not eating enough negative-calorie food won’t make the diet work

•    Food preparation such as cooking, adding butter and other ingredients can change the caloric intake of food

•    Diet is restrictive and would take a great deal of commitment

•    Low-calorie consumption in the diet can lead to starvation

•    Extreme restriction of calories can lead deficiencies on other nutrients

Food and Recipes

The Negative Calorie Diet plan generally advises dieters to consume food products that are nutritious and are believe to have a negative calorie effect, meaning they provide lesser food calories than what is needed to digest them resulting to net loss of calories. Combining these with good sources of protein would also help control appetite but would also maintain metabolism. The total calorie count is not diminished too much and the level of amino acid is also maintained, thus loss of muscle is limited.

Negative calorie food listed on the diet plan includes mainly vegetables and fruits such as onions, radishes, carrots, beets, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green cabbage, apples, pineapple, grapefruit, papaya, cranberries and many others. Vitamins stored in these food are believed to create a reaction with the body’s digestive process, thus leading to weight loss.

Exercise

The Negative Calorie Diet eBook gives a detail of three exercises that are designed to keep dieters in shape and even keep their metabolism in gear. These exercises are recommended to be performed thrice a week for as little as 15 minutes. The eBook also shows how these exercises are done. It is also believed that these exercises can also firm up and tone almost 85% of the body’s muscles.

Expense

The Negative Calorie Diet eBook can be downloaded and costs $24.95. Generally, it is affordable and inexpensive. For those who prefer a traditional book, Neal Barnard’s “Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight” is available for $12.95.

Conclusion

Though many have tried the Negative Calorie Diet and were successful in doing so, the diet plan remains to be a controversy due to the lack of scientific proof to support the claim. Many diet experts say eating lots of negative calorie food should only be a part of a balanced diet, together with proper exercise programs.

Have You Tried The Negative Calorie Diet?

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