V0lumetrics
I participate in a chat on w@shingtonpost.com called the Le@n Plate Club. Not only is there a great weekly newsletter and column in the paper, but there is a live weekly forum to post comments and questions. I have really enjoyed reading and participating in this over the past few months. A few weeks back I made a suggestion for a low-cal dessert that I had stumbled upon and ended up winning one of the ‘prizes’ that is awarded each week at the end of the chat. Typically, the prizes are all fitness or weight loss related tools, books, dvd’s, etc. But since a few are on the prize list each week, I didn’t know what I would be getting until it arrived. Turns out I got a book called V0lumetrics and a pedometer (just a cheapo one, but it is the thought that counts). I started reading the book last night and couldn’t put it down. It really was a commonsense approach to weight loss.
Basically, this diet is all about losing weight without feeling hungry. It’s based on the concept of “energy density,” which means how concentrated the calories are in a portion of food. High energy density foods provide a large number of calories in a small serving, while low energy density foods provide a small number of calories in a large serving. The author claims that if you eat mostly low energy density foods you can eat more, satisfy your hunger, and still lose weight. For example, you can eat three chocolate chip cookies (53 calories each) or, for the same 160 calories, you can eat 1 1/2 bananas or two apples. The fruit will satisfy you more not just because you can eat more of it but because it’s high in fiber. Fiber and water both fill you up, while water dilutes calories per portion. The higher the water content and/or the higher the fiber content, the lower the energy density of the food and the more volume the food has, which affects how full you feel.
According to the author, we all tend to eat the same average weight in food every day, no matter how many calories the food contains. Their suggested approach is to eat the same volume of food but lower the number of calories by eating foods that are higher in fiber and water. If you do, you’ll consume fewer calories and lose weight without that empty feeling in your gut. Once you learn to think about the energy density of foods, you’ll be surprised by how much food you can eat. It seemed a little gimmicky to me at first, but on further inspection, it’s really the same message nutritionists have been preaching for years: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and beans, and eat less high-fat, low-nutrient junk foods, duh!
Generally speaking, I think that I have been using this approach since I started my journey in January. The only difference is that I do tend to add a few high energy dense foods to my meal plan since I worry a lot about volume too. Now my brain understands that it is all about calories, but I still see a huge portion and start to panic that it will ‘take up more space’. I haven’t finished reading the book (most of it is actually recipes and meal planning, which is cool). But I hope that it will help dissuade my concern about volume being a problem too.
Has anyone else read this? I would love to hear some other thoughts on it.
Basically, this diet is all about losing weight without feeling hungry. It’s based on the concept of “energy density,” which means how concentrated the calories are in a portion of food. High energy density foods provide a large number of calories in a small serving, while low energy density foods provide a small number of calories in a large serving. The author claims that if you eat mostly low energy density foods you can eat more, satisfy your hunger, and still lose weight. For example, you can eat three chocolate chip cookies (53 calories each) or, for the same 160 calories, you can eat 1 1/2 bananas or two apples. The fruit will satisfy you more not just because you can eat more of it but because it’s high in fiber. Fiber and water both fill you up, while water dilutes calories per portion. The higher the water content and/or the higher the fiber content, the lower the energy density of the food and the more volume the food has, which affects how full you feel.
According to the author, we all tend to eat the same average weight in food every day, no matter how many calories the food contains. Their suggested approach is to eat the same volume of food but lower the number of calories by eating foods that are higher in fiber and water. If you do, you’ll consume fewer calories and lose weight without that empty feeling in your gut. Once you learn to think about the energy density of foods, you’ll be surprised by how much food you can eat. It seemed a little gimmicky to me at first, but on further inspection, it’s really the same message nutritionists have been preaching for years: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and beans, and eat less high-fat, low-nutrient junk foods, duh!
Generally speaking, I think that I have been using this approach since I started my journey in January. The only difference is that I do tend to add a few high energy dense foods to my meal plan since I worry a lot about volume too. Now my brain understands that it is all about calories, but I still see a huge portion and start to panic that it will ‘take up more space’. I haven’t finished reading the book (most of it is actually recipes and meal planning, which is cool). But I hope that it will help dissuade my concern about volume being a problem too.
Has anyone else read this? I would love to hear some other thoughts on it.
posted by Nicole VA @ 10:30 AM
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