Certain foods can boost metabolism and promote increased calorie burning.

Air popped popcorn
Four cups of popcorn made without butter, oil or salt have only 100 calories and one gram of fat. Compare that to potato wafers which have about 600 calories and 40 grams of fat.

Almonds
The essential fatty acids in almonds can help raise the body’s metabolism. However, almonds are best eaten in moderation because they are high in calories.

Apples
This low-calorie fruit is high in fiber, and the body must burn calories to break down. Since apples are slow to digest the stomach stays full for longer, reducing hunger pangs. The pectin found in apples can prevent the absorption of too much fat. Pectin is also an appetite suppressant.

Avocados
Avocados contain a sugar called mannoheptulose that helps lower insulin levels to help prevent the body from storing fat.

Beans
Low in fat and high in protein, beans keep the stomach full for longer, and the body must burn extra calories in order to process this fiber-rich food.

Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium which is required by the body to make thyroid hormones that are responsible for a healthy metabolism.

Broccoli
Broccoli contains calcium and vitamin C. Calcium acts as a metabolic trigger, while vitamin C helps the body absorb more calcium.

Bulgur
Bulgur is a form of whole wheat. It contains a large amount of fiber, which helps prevent blood sugar from rising rapidly and speeds up the digestive process.

Carrots
are a vegetable superstar. They are one of the world’s best sources of vitamin A and carotenes, which are good for vision. Carrots, along with onions, are can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Cauliflower
Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, which is a cancer-fighting nutrient. Cauliflower also contains folate and vitamin C, which can be useful for promoting weight loss. Eating foods with more vitamin C help the body burn more fat during exercise.

Celery
The digestive process involved in breaking down celery actually burns more calories then the celery contains.

Chicken
Chicken, especially the breast, is one the leanest cuts of meat. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice that can help the body metabolize sugars more efficiently. Cinnamon can also help lower cholesterol.

Curds
When made from skimmed cow’s milk, curds contain only 56 calories and are a good source of protein, calcium and vitamins.

Coffee
Coffee contains caffeine which boosts thermogenesis. However, it is advisable not to exceed 3 cups a day, as caffeine can have side effects.

Grapefruit
This diet fruit can lower insulin levels in the body that trigger the storage of fat. In addition grapefruit is rich in fiber, and extra calories need to be burnt in order to break it down.

Green Tea
Green tea is the main source of epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. This catechin can accelerate the metabolism, causing the body to burn more calories.

Jalapenos
The capsaisin found in jalapenos promotes thermogenesis and speeds up both heart rate and metabolism.

Kale
Kale is a great detoxifier and blood cleanser. This vegtable contains many anti-oxidants.

Oatmeal
Because the body requires considerable time to break down the fat-soluble fiber in oatmeal, it can lower insulin levels and speed up metabolism as a result.

Onions
Onions can help lower blood sugar and can contribute to overall gastrointestinal health.

Soup
Adding water into a food makes it more filling than just drinking water separately. The water in soup promotes a feeling of fullness, but without the extra calories.

Soy Milk
Soy milk is loaded with calcium, which helps boost metabolism. It is best to avoid the sweetened varieties of soy milk.

Spices
Spices like chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers or mustard can increase fat burning by 8 to 20% for up to 3 hours.

Spinach
In addition to speeding up calorie burn spinach is a good source of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, iron and vitamin C. At only 7 calories per cup spinach makes a great topping to any salad or other side dish.

Sprouted pulses
When pulses are sprouted, they gain vitamins and fiber. Eaten raw sprouted pulses are good for slimming. Moong, for example, sprouts quickly and tastes good raw. A 50-gram serving has about 140 calories.

Tuna
The high protein content of tuna promotes the development of more lean muscle which helps the body burn more fat. It is also believed that the leptin contained in tuna will help to speed up metabolism and help burn body fat even faster.

Turkey
This protein-rich low fat meat can help build lean muscle tissue, which is very efficient at burning calories.

Yogurt
The high levels of protein present in low-fat yogurt require a lot of energy for digestion. In addition, the pro-biotic cultures found in live yogurt help regulate the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract.

Here are some of the things that will help with weight loss after Christmas:

Drink more vegetable juice. One of the main advantages of drinking fresh vegetable juice is that it is low calorie with no fat. You will be drinking a concentrated cocktail packed with the minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Fresh juice acts as an appetite suppressant, and is therefore very useful in a weight loss diet program. Try drinking a glass of fresh juice before your main meal, and experience a rapid decrease in appetite. Vegetable juice has far less sugar than fruit juices and about 50% less calories. Try carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when hunger pangs strike.

See also Juicing Tips for Weight Loss

Try a quality fat binder. Fat binders combine with the dietry fats in the stomach, and prevent them from being digested, absorbed into the bloodstream and stored in the body. A major problem with many fat binders is that they cannot differentiate between “bad” saturated fat, and “good” poly and monounsaturated fats. These fat binders may prevent the body from absorbing and utilizing enough of the beneficial fats. Some fat is required in the diet to maintain key bodily functions. Binding of good fats would not appear to be an issue with Proactol. Proactol is an effective weight loss product clinically proven to bind bad dietary fats, reduce calorie intake from fat and suppress appetite. It has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

See also Is Proactol a Miracle Pill?

Shopping. Buy more low fat products.

Food preparation. Steamed vegetables are healthier than fried vegetables and less fattening.

Eat a little slower and chew well. Chew your food a bit longer. This will aid digestion and help you get more flavor from the food. It will also reduce the impact of eating smaller portions.

Move your body. Any movement and exercise is better than none. Park your car, or get off the bus, further away from your destination than you need to. Try walking an additional 15 to 20 minutes more every day.

Plan your snacks. To avoid out-of-control snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day. Choose snacks that are filling, but not sugary or fatty.

Regaining hard to lose pounds is one of the most frustrating occurrences for slimmers.

Here are 5 simple tips to avoid regaining lost weight:

Take rapid action

It is natural for weight to fluctuate a few pounds, but if you see the weight scale rise 4 pounds, take action fast! Renew your commitment to your weight loss program and stay focused.

Plan your snacks

To avoid out-of-control snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day. Choose snacks that are filling, but not sugary or fatty.

Drink more juice

One of the main advantages of drinking fresh juice is that it delivers micro-nutrients to the body, and is low calorie with no fat. You will be drinking a concentrated cocktail packed with the minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Fresh juice acts as a healthy appetite suppressant, and is therefore very useful in a weight loss diet program. Try drinking a glass of fresh juice before your main meal, and experience a rapid decrease in appetite.

Vegetable juice has much less sugar than fruit juices and about 50% less calories. Try carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when hunger hits you, and feel those food pangs melt away.

See also Top Juicing Tips for Weight Loss

Avoid trigger foods

Different foods are tempting to different people. If all you have to do is look at certain foods to find yourself wanting to devour them, then avoid them. These are called trigger foods because they can trigger overeating or binges. If you have to have these foods for other members of the household, keep them out of sight.

Try a quality fat binder

Fat binders combine with the fats ingested into the stomach, and prevent them from being digested, absorbed into the bloodstream and stored in the body. A major problem with many fat binders is that they cannot differentiate between “bad” saturated fat, and “good” poly and monounsaturated fats. These fat binders may prevent the body from absorbing and utilizing enough of the required beneficial fats. Some fat is required in the diet to maintain key bodily functions. This would, however, not appear to be an issue with Proactol. Proactol is a weight loss product clinically proven to bind dietary fat, reduce calorie intake from fat and suppress appetite. It has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

See also Is Proactol a Miracle Pill?

If you are looking to lose some weight, juicing is an option worth considering. A major benefit of juicing is that it delivers micro-nutrients to the body, and is low in calories with no fat. You will be drinking a concentrated cocktail packed with minerals, vitamins and enzymes.

To peel or not to peel

If the peel is edible, such as with carrots, then it is best to buy organic and to scrub the skin, rather than peeling it. Ideally it is best to buy organic vegetables as these can be washed and not peeled. There are many nutrients just below the skin which may be lost when vegetables are peeled. If you buy non organic produce, however, then peeling may be the best option.

Alternatively, non organic vegetables can be washed in a solution of water and apple cider vinegar. To do this, half fill a sink with water, add a cup of cider vinegar and soak the vegetables for 15 minutes. Scrub if necessary and rinse well.

Juicing releases nutrients in a more digestible form

A significant amount of the beneficial nutrients in vegetables are held within fibre. This fibre is not broken down efficiently by the body and is excreted along with the goodness it contains. When vegetables are juiced, nutrients are released from the fibres and made available to the body in an easily digestible form.

Juices contain phytochemicals

Vegetable juice contains plant chemicals known as phytochemicals. The health benefits of phytochemicals include removal of carcinogens from the body, and protection of cellular DNA, and protection against cancer causing substances. These phytochemicals are found in a wide range of vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, garlic, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, chives and cauliflower.

As well as phytochemicals, vitamins are found in juice. For example, carrot juice is a good source of vitamin A, peppers of vitamin C and Pumpkin of vitamin E.

Storage of juices

It is best to drink freshly squeezed juices straight away as they may lose some nutrients and enzymes if stored. If you do have to make them in advance, add a few drops of lemon juice to help prevent oxidation. Juices should be stored in a sealed flask in the fridge.

Juice as an appetite suppressant

Fresh juice acts as a healthy appetite suppressant, and is therefore very useful in a weight loss diet program. Try drinking a glass of fresh juice before your main meal, and experience a rapid decrease in appetite.

Vegetable juice has much less sugar than fruit juices and about 50% less calories. Try carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when hunger hits you, and feel those food pangs melt away.

Juicing works best with a healthy diet

Rather than concentrating on juicing exclusively for weight loss, focus on juicing for health. In other words, make a commitment to incorporate juicing into a healthy eating program you can follow – and it will certainly contribute to a healthier, slimmer you.

Juicing does not have to be expensive

If you decide on the juicing option for weight loss then with the help of a relatively inexpensive centrifugal fruit and vegetable juicer, such as the Breville Juice Extractor 800JE, or the Jack Lalane Juicer, you can be drinking a glass of fresh juice within seconds.

Drink a variety of vegetable juices

When making juice, it is important to use a variety of vegetables, in order to provide your body with a broad spectrum of vital nutrients. You will find that having at least one glass of vegetable juice per day, will contribute to weight loss in the long run, if combined with a healthy diet. It will also help you to maintain your weight loss, once you have reached your target.

Carrots
Carrot is the most used vegetable for juicing. As carrot juice is sweet, celery juice is often added. Benefits of juicing carrots include improved eyesight and reduced pain of stomach ulcers.

Cucumbers
Cucumber juice cleans your kidneys, can lower high blood pressure and improves skin problems. Add cucumbers to your home juicing machine when you are also making carrot and celery juice. Cucumber is valuable for reducing the strong flavours of some other vegetable juices.

Beets
Beet juice is very strong and more palatable when mixed with celery, carrot, cucumber, or asparagus juice.

Parsnips
Parsnips are often overlooked when it comes to juicing. Parsnip juice is sweet. Try mixing it with other juices such as apples, spinach and celery. Parsnips contain far less calories than carrot juice and so is a valuable ingredient in juice recipes for weight loss. This vegetable is a good source of folic acid, potassium, sulphur and vitamin C.

Tomatoes
The tomato was once considered an aphrodisiac. In 1995, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study which showed an association between consuming a diet rich in tomato-based foods and a decreased risk of prostate cancer. Researchers believe that Lycopene, an antioxidant nutrient found in large amounts in tomatoes, may be responsible for this potential protective effect.

Juicing can boost vitality

A big advantage in juicing for weight loss is that your well-being will improve, and you will experience a boost in vitality. Many people have found that drinking fresh juice improves their immune system function and digestion.

More information on juicing

Many books give advice on juicing for weight loss, for example “Juiceman’s Power of Juicing” by Jay Kordich.

Before you start a juicing for weight loss program, it is always advisable to consult a health practitioner first if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, nursing, or have any illness.

See also: Lose Weight with Celery

An effective way to begin losing weight is to make small, rather than big changes in the way that you go about achieving it.

Here are some of the things that you may want to consider doing a little differently:

• Shopping. Buy more low fat products.
  
• Food preparation. Steamed vegetables are healthier than fried vegetables and less fattening.
  
• Smaller portion sizes. Even if your diet is healthy, eating too much of it is not. Try reducing the portion sizes a little.
  
• Eat a little slower and chew well. Chew your food a bit longer. This will aid digestion and help you get more flavor from the food. It will also reduce the impact of eating smaller portions.
  
• Dining out. Try more vegetarian dishes, particularly in Tai and Chinese restaurants. Or why not have a salad as a starter and something lighter for the main course.
  
• Move your body. Any movement and exercise is better than none. Try walking more often.
  
• Turn off the TV and computer - and get outside more often.