This sounds like really easy for some of you, but most people gain back weight after losing it… So let’s see what it really takes:

To lose one pound of fat, realistically, you need to burn about 3000 – 4000 calories on top of your current daily activities. Now that numbers sounds huge, so here’s how you can do that systematically (in 3 simple steps):

1. Calculate your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate -  Your BMR (in calories) is the amount of energy that is needed for your body to perform its basic functions like breathing and digesting. So that is the basic amount of calories that you need in a day.
2. Start a Weight Loss Journal -  By keeping track of what you do + what you eat everyday (like exercising in the gym – e.g. running, 20 mins, what you had for lunch – e.g. chicken pie, coke, etc.) you would know how much calories are going in and out each day.
3. Watch Your Daily Calories In vs Calories Out – So the formula is really BMR +(plus) Calorie Burning Activities -(minus) Food Intake = this total, if negative, it means you’re most likely gaining weight, and if positive, it means you are putting in effort and probably starving but you are going to lose weight!

So how do we lose that one pound of fat in one day?

Let’s say your BMR comes to 1600.  And your food intake is around 2000 calories.
So the calorie burning activities need to total up to at least 4000 calories in order that one pound of fat.

Finding it difficult to reach that goal in one day? Break it down and set a realistic goal. Always set a goal that is achievable, so set your goal to make that pound of fat go away in 3 or 5 days instead. Whatever your weight loss goal is, you will find that you always need to practise the above 3 steps, some discipline and plenty of action!

You will find a free list of negative calorie foods below, but first let’s consider what this means. There is no such thing as a negative calorie – a calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. So when people talk about negative calorie foods, this just means a food whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains.

For example, if you consider water to be a food, then cold water is certainly a negative calorie food. It contains no calories at all and the body has to expend energy to bring it up to blood temperature. So every time we drink a glass of cold water we burn up a couple of calories and lose a little weight. But there are very few foods like this. Most foods that are on the list do not really use more calories than they add, or if they do the effect is negligible … until you remember that at the same time the body expends energy just to keep alive and breathing. Celery for example does not give us enough calories to cover both the energy that it takes to digest it, plus the energy that we expend even when we are doing nothing. So that is why people call it a negative calorie food.

Negative calorie foods are most attractive to anorexics. A negative calorie diet would obviously result in starvation in the long term and nutritional deficiencies can occur surprisingly quickly. The calories burnt usually come from muscle mass, and the result is debility and wasting.

A more healthy way to use a negative calorie diet is as a form of fasting or detox. It is something you can do for one to three days right after the Christmas season or another time when you have been eating a over-rich diet. Provided you are otherwise healthy it can be a great way to clean out the system. However it is still best to take medical advice before attempting this.

If you decide to use a negative calorie detox, keep the following points in mind:

1. It is never a good idea to eat huge quantities of one type of food, especially fruits. A lot of foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed to excess. For example, the acid in grapefruit and pineapple can damage your stomach lining. Other foods put an excessive burden on the liver or may cause diarrhea. So try to use all the different foods in small quantities.

2. Do not spend all day eating. You will just become bloated and feel sick. If you are only doing this for a couple days, you should not feel too hungry. Plan four or five salad meals each day, and let your digestion rest at other times.

3. You will feel more satisfied if you eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. You will also use more calories that way. So if the foods can be eaten raw, that will be more effective than cooking them. Foods like carrots and beets will also be more satisfying if you eat them grated.

4. Schedule time when you do not have any important commitments. As with fasting or any kind of detox, you may suffer some uncomfortable symptoms including headaches, tiredness, depression and irritability. If these become severe, stop the diet and see a doctor.

5. When you end the detox, plan a gradual return to normal eating.

If all the above points are checked and passed, then let’s move on to the list of foods. Here’s my free list of negative calorie foods:

* Apples
* Asparagus
* Beets
* Blueberries
* Broccoli
* Cantaloupes
* Carrot
* Cauliflower
* Celery stalk
* Celery root
* Cranberries
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Endives
* Garden cress
* Garlic
* Grapefruit
* Green beans
* Green cabbage
* Lamb’s lettuce
* Lemons
* Lettuce
* Onions
* Papayas
* Pineapples
* Prunes
* Radishes
* Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Tangerines
* Tomatoes
* Turnips
* Zucchini

6-inch Jared Sandwiches with 6 grams of Fat or Less (values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives.)

Ham (Black Forest) – 290
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast – 310
Roast Beef – 290
Subway Club – 320
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki – 370
Turkey Breast – 280
Turkey Breast & Ham – 290
Veggie Delite – 230

6-inch Sandwiches (values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles, olives and cheese.)

Chicken & Bacon Ranch – 580
Cold Cut Combo – 410
Italian BMT – 450
Meatball Marinara – 560
Spicy Italian – 480
Steak & Cheese – 400
Subway Melt- 380
Tuna – 530

4-inch Sandwiches / Subway minis (values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles, olives and cheese.)

Tuna (with cheese) – 320
Ham (Black Forest) – 180
Roast Beef – 190
Turkey Breast – 190

Jared Low Fat Footlong Sandwiches (values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives.)

Footlong Ham (Black Forest) – 570
Footlong Oven Roasted Chicken Breast – 630
Footlong Roast Beef – 580
Footlong Subway Club – 640
Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki – 750
Footlong Turkey Breast – 560
Footlong Turkey Breast & Ham – 580
Footlong Veggie Delite – 450

Jared Salads with 6 g of fat or Less (values include lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olives, carrots and cucumbers. Values do not include dressing or croutons.)

Ham (Black Forest) – 120
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast – 140
Roast Beef – 120
Subway Club – 150
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki – 210
Turkey Breast – 110
Turkey Breast & Ham – 120
Veggie Delite – 60

Salad Dressing
Fat Free Italian – 35
Ranch – 320

6-inch Double Subs (Double Meat) (values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives.)

Double Ham – 350
Double Oven Roasted Chicken – 400
Double Roast Beef – 360
Double Subway Club – 420
Double Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki – 480
Double Turkey Breast – 330
Double Turkey Breast & Ham – 360
Double Chicken & Bacon Ranch (includes cheese) – 710
Double Cold Cut Combo (includes cheese) – 550
Double Steak & Cheese – 540
Double Italian BMT (includes cheese) – 630
Double Meatball Marinara (includes cheese) – 860
Double Subway Melt (includes cheese) – 490