Eat
plenty of food—as much as you’re eating now, or even more—and still shed
pounds. Seems like an unlikely weight-loss plan, right?
Luckily, it’s
not too good to be true: Developed by Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a professor of
nutritional sciences and obesity researcher at Penn State, the well-researched
Volumetrics diet was named the number-two best diet for weight loss and tied
for the number-five best diet overall (out of 40 diets) in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diet Rankings. It received
high scores from nutrition experts for being safe, effective, and sustainable
in the long run.
And, yes, it centers on one fairly simple idea: filling up on fewer
calories. “The main claim, and premise by which the Volumetrics diet works, is the
satiety claim,” says Lisa Davis, Ph.D., chief nutrition officer at Terra’s Kitchen.
The primary focus is filling up on foods that are naturally low in
calories and high in fiber or water—think fruits, veggies, and soups.
“Since carbohydrates and proteins both provide four calories per gram, and fat
provides nine calories per gram, you can eat more [carbs and protein] without
the excess calories,” she explains, noting that people following the
Volumetrics diet can expect to lose up to two pounds per week.
Of course, like most things in life, there’s more to the Volumetrics
diet than meets the eye. We talked to a few registered dietitians to get the
low-down on this eating approach.
The
Volumetrics Diet Menu
If diets with strict rules and restrictions make you crazy, here's your
reason to celebrate: You don't have to count calories, measure food, or log points on the diet.
"Volumetrics is not a precisely prescribed diet plan, but rather a concept
and overarching nutritional approach,” says Paul Salter, R.D., nutrition editor
for Bodybuilding.com and founder of Fit In Your Dress.
Related: What Is A Ketogenic Diet
On
the Volumetrics diet, food is divided into four groups, he explains. Your goal:
Eat mostly foods in groups one and two, be mindful of portion sizes of
foods in group three, and minimize choices of foods from group four. And
nothing is completely off-limits.
1.
Group
one: non-starchy fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk and broth-based soup
2.
Group
two: starchy fruits and veggies, grains, breakfast cereal, low-fat meat,
legumes, low-fat mixed dishes like chili and spaghetti.
3.
Group
three: meat, cheese, pizza, french fries, salad dressing, bread, pretzels, ice
cream and cake.
4.
Group
four: crackers, chips, chocolate candies, cookies, nuts, butter and oil.
Here's what
you might eat in a typical day on the Volumetrics diet, according to Salter:
·
Breakfast:
Vegetable omelet with side of whole-wheat toast
·
Morning
Snack: Low-fat Greek yogurt with fruit
·
Lunch:
Lean meat chili with beans and vegetables
·
Afternoon
Snack: Air-popped popcorn (no butter) with glass of milk
·
Dinner:
A piece of fish, steamed veggies, quinoa
Does
The Volumetrics Diet Really Work?
Of
course, the million-dollar question: Is it legit? According to solid scientific
research (including a 2016
meta-analysis of 13 studies that found a link between
low-density foods and weight loss) and well, good old-fashioned common sense,
it works. “One of the main reasons why people break their healthy eating is
because they get hungry,” says Julie Upton, R.D., a registered dietitian and
co-founder of Appetite for
Health. Since you're still eating a high volume of food on the
Volumetrics plan, you avoid those diet-busting hunger pains.
Hundreds of
other nutrition studies back this up. In a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
researchers randomly assigned 97 obese women to either a low-fat diet or a
low-energy-dense, low-fat diet that emphasized fruits and vegetables. After a
year, both groups lost weight, but the fruits-and-vegetables dieters lost even
more—14 pounds compared with 11 pounds. The researchers deemed low-energy-dense
diets an effective way to drop pounds and keep them off.
A 2005 study
published in Obesity Research,
co-authored by the Volumetrics diet creator, Rolls, suggests that a diet high
in low-density foods and soup, a staple on the Volumetrics eating plan, leads
to substantial weight loss. Another study of
186 women found decreasing energy density is a way to prevent weight gain and
obesity in both the short and long term.
Another perk
of the Volumetrics diet: “The majority of low-calorie, high-volume foods
are nutrient-rich, and therefore positively impact your health in a
variety of ways,” Salter says.
Are
There Any Disadvantages?
Now,
if alarm bells are ringing in your head, you're not alone. As we've written
about before, not all high-calorie foods are "bad" for you.
In fact, plenty of foods that are high in calories and fat are essential for
good health, such as nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish.
One potential
drawback to this diet is that it recommends a very low consumption of nuts and
seeds (since they are calorically dense), Davis explains. "Nuts and seeds
provide monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids; both beneficial for
cardiovascular and cognitive health."
Plus,
like many diet plans, it can also be difficult to dine out on the Volumetrics
diet, since so many restaurants and food services prepare their food
with high-calorie, high-fat butters and oils, Davis points out. But no foods
are 100 percent prohibited on this diet—it's more about putting the principles
into practice.
Want
to Get Started?
First,
you'll want to check out Rolls' book, The
Ultimate Volumetrics Diet. Then, you'll want to make meal prep your
BFF. "Buy all of your produce and prep a lot of it over the weekend,"
Upton suggests. You'll also want to find some great soup recipes.
"Broth-based soups are very low in energy density and if you eat them
before a meal, they can help you eat less," she says.
"Planning
out your meals for the week ahead of time will be crucial to your
success," Salter adds. "Try to keep some high-volume, convenient
foods handy too, such as fresh fruit and plenty of low-fat dairy. Once you
return from grocery shopping, make food prep a priority so that there’s no
thinking required at meal times—all you need to do is heat and eat!"
Related: New Nordic Diet? What Is It.
Finally,
while it's not an essential component, the diet plan does encourage more
movement throughout the day. There's no rigorous exercise program, but it does
suggest simply increasing the amount of steps you take per day with the end
goal of reaching around 10,000 steps, Davis says.
The bottom
line? If the thought of prepping and eating more low-density foods, skipping
calorie counts, and simply moving more sounds doable, you may be the perfect
candidate to give the Volumetrics diet a try.
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