Debunking the Myth of Negative Calorie Foods

Understanding Negative Calorie Foods
The theory of negative calorie foods posits that some foods, typically those high in fiber and water, expend more energy during digestion than the calories they contain. This concept has been widely circulated among those seeking easy weight loss solutions. However, scientific evidence supporting this theory is scant.

The Science of Digestion and Energy Expenditure
The body’s daily caloric usage is influenced by several factors:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The energy expended while at rest.
Physical Activity: Calories burned through movement.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): Energy used for digestion, which is only about 5% to 15% of total energy expenditure (Mayo Clinic).
Given that TEF constitutes a minor portion of daily energy use, the impact of consuming low-calorie or “negative calorie” foods on overall weight loss is minimal.

Commonly Cited Negative Calorie Foods
Foods often labeled as negative calorie include:

Celery
Lettuce
Cucumber
Berries
Apples
These foods are indeed low in calories and high in water and fiber, but they do not lead to significant calorie deficits by themselves.

The Role of High-Fiber Foods in Weight Management
While no foods truly have negative calories, high-fiber foods can aid in weight management. They increase satiety, which can lead to reduced overall calorie intake when included as part of a balanced diet. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that increased fiber intake can facilitate weight loss by reducing food intake overall.

Benefits of Fiber-Rich Foods
Increased Satiety: Helps in controlling hunger.
Lower Calorie Intake: Naturally lower in calories, supports a calorie deficit.
Nutritional Value: Provides essential vitamins and minerals.
Comprehensive Approach to Weight Loss
Relying solely on so-called negative calorie foods is insufficient for healthy weight loss. A holistic approach includes:

Balanced Diet: Incorporating a variety of food groups.
Regular Physical Activity: Essential for burning calories and building muscle.
Adequate Sleep: Important for metabolic health.
Stress Management: Can impact eating behaviors and body weight.
Practical Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle
Read Food Labels: Make informed choices about packaged foods.
Make Wise Choices at Restaurants: Opt for healthier menu items.
Consult Professionals: Dietitians and nutritionists can provide personalized guidance based on individual health needs.
Conclusion

The allure of negative calorie foods stems from the desire for a simple solution to weight loss. However, effective weight management requires a balanced diet, regular exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. Instead of searching for a magical solution, focus on establishing sustainable eating patterns and lifestyle changes that promote overall health and well-being.

For those seeking professional advice, consulting with dietitians and nutritionists can offer tailored dietary plans that align with personal health goals and nutritional needs.

When limiting beliefs get in the way of your success

Has this ever happened to you? Things are finally starting to fall into place. The phone rings, new clients show up and you start meeting joint venture partners to help grow your business. Yay! Things are looking up and then, it all suddenly falls apart. Clients don’t show up and meetings with potential partners are cancelled. What happened?
Sometimes, people who have made shifts in their mindset to attract clients still have some subconscious thoughts around not feeling that they deserve success. That means inside, emotionally, it’s like oil and water. The water part says, “Yay! I’ve got new clients, new partners and I’m making money!” Then you’ve got limiting beliefs represented by the oil part which says, “I don’t deserve to have a successful business.” As you can imagine, these two parts don’t mix well and actually can react to cancel each other out.

To help you get rid of those limiting beliefs, I recommend doing some personal work. You want to heal those feelings of not being deserving. To do this, you can try EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping), hypnosis, or other types of energetic healing. I’ve been doing this kind of personal development work for years to help me get me where I am today.

There’s a great book by Marianne Williamson called A Course in Weight Loss that can be very helpful. I haven’t actually used it for weight loss but for working through limiting beliefs and other personal development opportunities. She has lots of exercises that you can do with journaling that help tremendously. She touches on shame, people you haven’t forgiven, people you feel judged by and things like that which I found very, very helpful for letting go of limiting beliefs.

So, when you have bursts of excitement about new opportunities coming your way and they are followed by cancellations or people falling away for whatever reason, take the time to look within. Sometimes it’s just that kind of week. But other times, if you do the work, you will uncover limiting beliefs that hold you back from the success you crave and deserve. If this happens, don’t feel badly. Discovering what prevents you from attracting clients and finding success is the best way of working through it.

Your Client Attraction Assignment
If you are encountering these types of starts and stops in your business, I also recommend making a big list of all your beliefs and feelings. Write down everything that comes to mind about not deserving or being worthy of a solid business or anything you want in life. Get it all out so you know what you are dealing with and can start to let it go.

Dangers of Using Laxatives For Weight Loss

One popular weight loss supplements available in the market today take the form of tea. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter’s tea and others but all of them are actually the same. They may appear to be effective, but what is not seen may actually harm you.One of the effects of drinking dieter’s tea is frequent bowel movement. This gives people the feeling of body cleansing. These people may get toxins out of their body but it isn’t exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. These include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and are used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.Cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are recognized as laxatives available over the counter and are also regulated as drugs. Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not absorb significant amounts of calories taken in the body. The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines. If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, it can affect fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and loss of weight. Abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa. While weight loss can be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may also cause permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia. Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less expensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter’s tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.Women may even be more susceptible to the effects of slimming teas. Although they may are not known to interfere directly with the woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, they should watch out if drinking them causes them to rapidly shed off weight. It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive. One should be wary about these findings because the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, they commonly refer to the laxative qualities as “natural bowel cleansing properties” and not specifically use the word “laxative”.Some even use the term “low-calorie” on their labelling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.Adverse effects of misusing laxatives in the form of slimming tea generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. These include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding,electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (as much as for decades) due to the colon losing its function. It eventually led to surgery removing the colon altogether.