by Karen Lirio

What would you say if I told you that you need to eat lots to lose lots?!

The digestive system is a complex combination of mechanical and chemical processes that are designed to work together to control nutrient intake for optimal health. There are different schools of thought regarding what makes us eat, what makes us stop eating, and what controls our metabolism, but there is an undeniable correlation between the stretch receptors in our stomach and our body weight.

There is little doubt that our stomachs contain stretch receptors that play a major role in signaling to our brain when we are full and should stop eating, but more interestingly there also appears to be a connection between the activity of these stretch receptors and our metabolism. Some experts actually believe that food volume, rather than calorie intake, is the major contributor in determining our metabolic rate. Whether or not this is entirely accurate, eating voluminous amounts of low calorie food, as opposed to smaller amounts of high calorie food, is a proven weight loss method.

The biggest attraction of a volume diet, the one that got your attention, is that you get to eat lots of food and still lose weight. The trick is to find, and stick to foods that are low in calories but fill you up.

Fats are the most calorie dense food group, containing 9 calories per gram, and should be the first thing on your hit list when changing to a volume diet. It is recommended that the average person keep their fat intake to between 20 and 35% of their total calorie intake. When you consider that the typical Hungry Jacks offering has between 51 and 72% fat, then it’s easy to see how many of us may be exceeding this recommendation.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and therefore also needs to be closely monitored. When you consider that for the same number of calories as two bourbon & cokes you could be enjoying a steak with salad and a baked potato, a night on the “piss” can be worse than an all you can eat buffet.

Carbohydrates and proteins contain only 4 calories per gram and should therefore make up the majority of your volume diet. Ensuring that you chose lean meats and carbohydrates full of water and fibre will add even more “bang for your buck” by increasing your food volume even further without adding any additional calories.

To put things in perspective for you, foods with lots of volume but very few calories include fruit, vegetables, skim milk (and other low fat dairy products), wholegrain bread, rice, pasta and cereals. Low volume, high calorie foods include cakes, biscuits, chips, chocolate, sweets, butter and oils.

You don’t need to deprive yourself of all high calorie foods to get and stay lean of course, you simply need to chose them thoughtfully and consume them in moderation. Know that if you chose to eat a piece of chocolate instead of your mid afternoon apple, that you need to stop at 15g to consume the same number of calories.
A volume diet is not hard to follow, it is simply a matter of educating yourself and making good choices. A simple trick that you can use in your cooking for example, is to replace the oil, butter, eggs, and cream with skim milk, egg whites, yogurt, and applesauce.

Barbara Rolls, PhD (Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Penn State University) published The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan in 2000 promoting the benefits of eating for volume. Here are her top tips to help you eat more to lose more:

1. Eat Your Veggies - Make salads, grilled or steamed vegetables and fruit salads the primary focus of your meals. Produce provides a lot of nutrition and few calories. Fill your plate with watery vegetables like lettuce, spinach, zucchini, peppers and celery. Three cups of fresh baby spinach leaves contain only nine calories, and take a long time to eat. Vegetables and fruits also contain a lot of fiber, which helps keep you full. Be aware of starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and peas, which are more calorie-dense and can pack on the pounds when eaten with abandon.

2. Eat Some Lean Protein - Accent your meals with some lean protein. 85g of proteins with low calorie density like chicken breast (skinless) or fish can satisfy your daily protein needs but not break the calorie bank. For example 85g of boneless chicken breast roasted contains 140 calories, while the same amount of a beef rib eye steak contains 225 calories. You could eat another ounce of chicken and still eat fewer overall calories than you would with the steak. Vegetarian protein options also work on a low-calorie, high-volume diet. Tofu and beans provide a wealth of nutrients, but both possess fewer calories per weight than fattier options.

3. Eat Your Appetizers - Choose clear soups or green salad before your main meal and you may eat less overall. These low-calorie foods fill you up and satisfy your need to chew without creating a huge calorie overload. Barbara Rolls, Ph.D, who wrote the book Volumetrics Weight Control, researches the concept of calorie density. A number of her studies focus on pre-meal choices and overall calorie consumption. She has found that you will eat less at any one meal if you first eat a snack like an apple, clear soup or salad.

4. Think Before You Eat - Pay attention to your food choices. Reading nutrition labels and determining calories per portion can help you make smart decisions. Cookies, candy, cakes, chips, nuts, oils and other fats tend to be very high in calorie density and small servings can be less satisfying.