Drop drop 2 sizes fast with these foods that fire up your burn
Fire Up Your Meals
Eating requires lots of energy if you choose the right foods. These four types of Active Calories stimulate your body to burn more calories. (Bonus: They also curb your appetite.)
Chewy Foods (lean meats, nuts, whole fruits and vegetables)
These calories make your body work right off the fork. To maximize the chew factor, choose food in its most whole state—a tuna steak instead of canned tuna, apples instead of applesauce.
Hearty Foods (fruits, vegetables, brown rice, whole grains and cereals)
In addition to being chewy, these Active Calories are packed with fiber, take up more room in your belly (compared with other foods of the same number of calories), and leave less room for second helpings.
Energizing Foods (coffee, black and green tea, dark chocolate)
You can get metabolism-boosting caffeine in coffee and black tea; just be careful not to load them up with milk, cream, or sugar. Green tea doesn't have much caffeine but does contain catechins, an antioxidant that raises resting metabolism by 4% (about 80 calories a day). Dark chocolate contains both catechins and caffeine, but stick to 1 ounce per day to limit fat and calories.
Warming Foods (peppers, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, cloves, mustard, vinegar)
Dieters taking capsaicin, the chemical that gives peppers their burn, doubled their energy expenditure for several hours after eating, according to a new study from UCLA. Even mild peppers contain compounds that help erase up to 100 calories a day by binding to nerve receptors and sending fat-burning signals to your brain. Not much of a pepper person? Cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and garlic help too.
Power Up Your Plate
Despite all the talk about calories, you won't be counting them on this diet plan.
You should consume all four types of Active Calories each day. You'll eat mostly Chewy and Hearty foods, plus at least one Energizing or Warming food. You can have a daily snack that contains at least one type of Active Calorie food. Healthy fats such as nut butters, avocados, and salad dressings can also help boost fat burn; just limit them to 1 tablespoon for nut butters and salad dressings and 1/8 of an avocado. And drink two glasses of water with every meal to prevent digestive problems from all the protein and fiber.
Your 5-Day Meal Plan is on the next page. Remember, the more Active Calories you include in your diet, the more calories you'll burn and weight you'll lose.
Protein (1/4 of your plate) boosts postmeal calorie burn by 25 to 30% and keeps you satisfied longer than carbs or fat. The result: You can lose nearly a pound a week without doing anything else.
Fruits and vegetables (1/2 of plate) up your calorie burn by 20%. They're also lower in calories and higher in fiber than other carbs, so they digest more slowly to keep you full longer. Vegetables are so rich in Active Calories that you can eat as many as you want.
Foods high in fiber (1/4 of plate)—whole grains, legumes, and starches such as potatoes and corn—fill you up faster and give you a bigger bump in calorie burn (10%) than refined carbs like white bread.