The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan acknowledges the need to consume fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight. To prevent hunger and help you stick to the plan, the diet teaches you how to choose foods that fill you up on fewer calories.
Rules
The Volumetrics diet advises you to take in 500 fewer calories per day than your body needs to maintain its current weight. To determine this number, you multiply weight in pounds by 12, 14, 15 or 17, depending on your gender and activity level. If you're a moderately active woman, for example, you would multiply your weight by 14.
Foods
The Volumetrics diet does not forbid any food groups, but it does emphasize bulky, low-calorie foods such as soup, vegetables, fruits, beans and cooked grains. If you base meals around these foods instead of more calorie-dense items like fats, cheese, bread, sugar, nut butters and meat, you can create a larger, more satisfying portion size with fewer calories.
Research
Many scientific studies show that the volume of a meal, not the total calories, makes people feel full and satisfied. For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend eating guidelines similar to those found in the Volumetrics plan: Eat filling, low-calorie foods to control appetite and reduce overall caloric intake -- without making a tally at each meal.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Energy density but not fat content of foods affected energy intake in lean and obese women; Barbara Rolls, et al.; May 1999
- CDC: Can Eating Fruits and Vegetables Help People Lose Weight?
- "The Volumetrics Eating Plan"; Barbara Rolls; 2005
- USDA 2010 Dietary Guidelines
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