Weight Loss Wednesday zero calories

ZERO Calories ?????

When I saw my doctor a few years back she politely handed me a pretty glossy sheet of paper with lots of fruits and veggies on it and suggested I give it a try. At the time I just could not wrap my brain around changing my habits. It was a "no-calorie"  ( known as negative calories ) chart. Negative calorie foods are foods, which use more calories to digest than the calories food actually contains! Calories from these foods are much harder for the body to use. In other words, the body has to work hard in order to extract calories from these foods. Even though a food may contain equal amount of calories, much less of these calories can possibly turn into fat in negative calorie foods as fewer calories are actually available to the body. This gives these foods a tremendous natural fat-burning advantage. These foods help us feel fuller and can help to acheive our weight goals and maintain our weight. I hope this list encourages you!

Food          Calorie/serving

Strawberries  2 / each

Asparagas  27/ cup

Beets 37 / 1/2 cup

Broccoli 44 / cup

Cabbage 17/ cup

Carrots 21/ 5 inch carrot

Cauliflower  25 / cup

Celery 1 / 4 inch stalk ( wow I think I need to like celery more!)

Chili Peppers  18 / med. pepper

Cucumbers 14 / cup

Garlic 4/ tsp.

Onion 18 / 1/2 cup

Dried Chives 0 !

Papayas 55/ cup

Spinach  7/ cup

Oranges 45 / med orange

Pineapple 15 / ring

Turnip  17 / 1/2 cup

Zucchini 18 / cup

Apples 55 / 2 1/2 inch diameter apple

Cranberries 138 / 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Grapefruit 32 / 1/2 grapefruit

Lemons 2 / per wedge

Raspberries 1 / 10 fresh raspberries

Tangerines  37 / 1 small tangerine

 

Here are some zero calorie recipes.  ( really, honest! )

Zero Calorie Dressing

1/2 c. tomato juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp. grated onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt substitute
1/4 tsp. prepared mustard

Mix all ingredients in small jar with tight lid. Shake well until blended. Store - covered in refrigerator. Shake well before using. This recipe has only 30 calories. Most salad dressings have 1000 or more calories per cup.

Green Tea Freeze  This is great for that 3pm pick me up.

2 cups strong green tea

2 teaspoons sugar substitute

4 strawberries 

5 ice cubes (or 1/2 cup crushed ice)

 1 lemon wedge

Combine ingredients (except for the lemon) and blend well.

Add the lemon wedge to garnish.

Negative Calorie Smoothie

This seemingly high calorie treat is all negative calories!

5 strawberries

1 grapefruit

1/2 medium papaya

1/4 cup ice

Put everything in a blender and blend! (make sure to use the extra juice from grapefruit because that is the only liquid for the drink).  1 serving 154  calories

Negative Calorie Veggie Soup

Makes 6 servings  37 calories each

3 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups green cabbage, Diced

2/3 cup carrot, Sliced

1/2 cup onion, Diced

2 garlic cloves, Minced

1/2 cup green beans

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 stalks celery, Diced

1/2 bell pepper, Diced

1 cup mushroom, Sliced

1 cup broccoli, Chopped

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and simmer until vegetables are firm but cooked through.

Negative Calorie Mexican Soup

2 cups fresh green beans, cut into bite-size pieces

3 fresh garlic cloves, minced

2 small zucchini, cubed

1 cup tomatillo, chopped

1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

14 ounces canned Mexican-style tomatoes, Mexican-style preferred

1/2 medium poblano chile

1 medium Spanish onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

6 cups vegetable broth

2 roasted red peppers, packed in water

1 tablespoon chipotle chile in adobo

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Put snap beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatillos, jalapeno, diced tomatoes, green chili pepper, onion, green pepper, cumin, oregano and vegetable broth into a large soup pot.

Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor, and add to soup; stir to combine.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in salt, lime juice and cilantro.

Serving Size: about 1 cup.  67 calories

So here is how I did this week. I lost five pounds. My goal is life style change. Loosing the weight is great but I want to keep it off long after I have lost it.