Use Volumetrics!

Use the volumetrics approach to help you lose weight! This is a set of eating strategies to help you feel full on fewer calories. Basically you bulk up your meals with lots of vegetables and fruits. For example you can eat a salad with no fat dressing before your lunch and dinner or you can mix vegetables into your frozen diet entre after it is cooked. When eating keep in mind that 1/2 of your plate should be vegetables, 1/4 of the plate starches and 1/4 of the plate meat (3-4 ounces). Dr. Barbara Rolls, PhD has written several books on this approach including "Volumetrics: Feel Full On Fewer Calories" and "The Volumetrics Eating Plan".

In Barbara Rolls book, "The Volumetrics Eating Plan" she states:
"The Volumetrics Eating Plan: 1. Focuses on what you can eat, not on what you must give up. 2.  Is based on sound nutritional advice widely accepted by health professionals. 3.  Emphasizes that the only proven way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than your body uses as fuel for your activities. 4.  Stresses that when you are managing calories it is more important than ever to eat a good balance of foods and nutrients. 5. Teaches you to make food choices that will help control hunger and enhance satiety. 6. Shows you how to fit your favorite foods into your diet. 7. Reinforces eating and activity patterns that you can sustain for a lifetime of achieving your own healthy weight."

Barbara Rolls also states in her book "The Volumetrics Eating Plan" that: "you should choose “high-satiety foods.” The basics are simple: 1. Eat foods low in energy density. 2.  Choose foods high in fiber. 3. Eat adequate amounts of lean protein. 4. Reduce intake of fat." The lowest energy density foods are non-starchy vegetables and fruits, nonfat milk, and broth-based soups. Rolls recommends the following method to assess energy density,"To calculate the energy density, divide the calories by the weight: 60 calories divided by 28 grams equals 2.1 calories per gram."

Very Low Energy Dense Foods (0 to 0.6 calories per gram) 

• Chicken broth, fat-free 0.07
• Gelatin fruit-flavored, sugar free 0.07
• Cucumber 0.13
•  Celery 0.16
• Chicken broth 0.16
• Lettuce 0.18- 0.21
• Asparagus 0.24
• Mushrooms 0.27
• Broccoli 0.28
• Strawberries 0.30
• Grapefruit 0.30
• Fennel 0.31
• Green beans 0.35
• Cantaloupe 0.35
• Carrots 0.43
•  Peach 0.43
• Applesauce, unsweetened 0.43 
•   Italian dressing, fat-free 0.47 
• Orange 0.47
• Raspberries 0.48
• Low calorie sweetener 0.53- 0.56
• Blueberries 0.56
•  Apples 0.58
• Gelatin Fruit-flavored 0.59 
• Pears 0.59

Low Energy Dense Foods(0.6 to 1.5 calories per gram)

These foods make up most of what we eat—you can eat satisfying portions at the low end, but start portion control at the high end.

• Instant oatmeal, prepared with water 0.62
• Mayonnaise fat-free 0.62
• Yogurt plain 0.63
• Cottage cheese fat-free 0.65
• Grapes 0.67
• Beans, black 0.78
• Green peas 0.78
•  Corn on the cob (boiled, drained) 0.86
• Orange Roughy (broiled) 0.89
• Banana 0.92
• Beans, baked 0.93
•  Sour cream, fat-free 0.94
•  Shrimp, boiled or steamed 1.0
• Cottage cheese, regular (full fat) 1.0
•  Sweet potato, baked 1.0
• Olives 1.1
• Bran flakes with 1 percent milk 1.1
• Ketchup 1.1
• Potato, baked with skin 1.1-1.3
• Rice, white, long-grain, cooked 1.3
• Chili Con Carne 1.3
• Ranch dressing, fat-free 1.4
• Pasta, cooked 1.4
• Ham, extra lean, 5 percent fat 1.5
• Spaghetti with meat sauce 1.5

In my opinion the main tenant of the book is that you should eat more foods that are low in calories, but are bulky and filling (low energy dense). An example would be choosing steamed broccoli (7 cups is about 218 calories!) as a side on your plate vs. BJ's Potato Salad (1/2 cup is 220 calories) as a side. Which is more filling? and who can eat 7 cups of broccoli at one sitting anyway!?! But, that 1/2 cup of potato salad would be scoffed down in a few minutes! So, try volumizing your food and see what you think!