Just as certain foods can cause us to gain weight there are other foods that we can eat that will actually aid in weight loss. The key to the success of these foods is to avoid the temptation to add things like cheese, butter, and sour cream to these otherwise healthy foods.

The way this process works is quite simple. Certain foods actually consume more energy when digesting than they actually contain. The result is a negative calorie situation that helps in your overall diet plan. For example if you eat something that only has 50 calories and the body takes 150 calories to digest it you would have a calorie deficit of 100.

When we say that a food is a negative calorie food this is not to say that it is without calories, just that the effect of consuming and digesting the food creates a negative calorie situation. For example, eating lettuce with no salad dressing will create a negative calorie situation.

Some of the foods that work in this manner include fruits such as apples, grapefruit, lemons, and strawberries as well as foods such as lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and green beans. There are many others as well which you can find just by doing a search on negative calorie foods. All of these foods will be plant based and as close to their natural states as possible. You will not get the benefit by eating the foods from a can as they have too many additives and sugars which counteract the benefit. So stay as close to fresh as possible.

When implementing the negative calorie foods into your diet and exercise program you must be careful not to eat only these kinds of foods. Your body still needs a certain amount of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates as well as the attendant vitamins and minerals that come along with them to work properly. The use of these foods is merely to aid in the dieting process and it is not healthy to eat only these foods. This bears repeating, DO NOT eat only these foods. Use them ONLY to add another dimension to your overall weight loss program.

As with any diet program your results will be enhanced by including exercise in conjunction with your diet. You should aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day and work up to an hour a day. This does not have to be done all at once. You can break it up into increments of three or four different segments until you have the stamina to accomplish it all at one time.