New Book on Volumetrics in Eating Well

[valchemist]

I was just reading an article on Volumetrics in the new issue of Eating Well.

I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of Volumetrics or tried it. Or if anyone has any comments on it, in general.

Apparently there is an older book (published in 2000) on this topic that was very well received, not just by the "masses" but also by the medical community.

Now there is a new edition that is more of a "user's guide" and an eating plan that follows the principles in the original book.

Here is one review/summary...

Dr. Barbara Rolls is one of the leading researchers on weight management. Through her studies she has been able to demonstrate that people can eat hundreds of calories less per day, lose weight and not feel deprived. Dr. Rolls shares her work in her new 316 page hardcover book, "The Volumetrics Eating Plan".

The secret is what Dr. Rolls calls, "volumetrics". With volumetrics you are not micromanaging your nutrients ie eating no fat or eating a high protein diet, nor are you giving up favorite foods like chocolate, bread or cheese. With volumetrics you learn to choose foods that will help you control hunger, lose weight yet not be "on a diet".

In studies Dr. Rolls conducted she discovered the foods that provide the most "bang" for your calorie buck. In her first book "The Volumetrics Weight - Control Plan" she described the science behind her research. In this book she goes further and describes how to implement these techniques in your daily life.

Dr. Rolls found in test studies that subjects could eat up to 800 calories LESS per day and not even notice the difference if they made the right choices.

You will learn how to choose the right foods that will help you lose weight without dieting and feelings of depriviation. Volumetrics involves energy density. Dr. Rolls categorizes foods according to their density. Density is based on amount of calories per gram of food. These categories range from Catergory 1 the least energy dense (green beans, celery, lettuce etc.) to Catergory 2 (olives, ketchup, rice etc.) to category 3 (raisins, hard pretzels, oil packed tuna etc.) to catergory 4 - high energy dense foods (bacon, butter, pecans etc.) If you select the lower energy dense foods most of the time and add in select portions of the high energy dense foods you will lose weight. Though it sounds complicated, Dr. Rolls explains it so thoroughly its very easy to understand and once you get the hang of it, you will know exactly what foods to choose more of and whant to choose less of.

Dr. Rolls includes a number of delicious recipes also. Her Thai Chicken Salad is perfection! Other yummy recipes include oven roasted potatoes, shrimp creole, stir fried turkey with crunchy veggies, pork chops with orange soy sauce and charlie's greek salad.

She also includes a simple walking plan that will enhance your weight loss even further. Simple ways to increase your steps. Dr.Rolls teaches you how to determine your baseline walking and work up from there. A nice bonus to the book!

The beauty of "The Volumetrics Eating Plan" is you learn how to incorporate all the foods you love like chocolate, cheese, pizza etc volumetrically so you can eat them and lose weight!

older book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060932724/qid=1110288957/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-5011204-7290532

new book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060737298/ref=bxgy_cc_text_a/102-5011204-7290532

[sherri]

Hi Val
I read Barbara Rolls Volumetrics when it first came out and was surprised that the concept did not catch on (I guess because it is not a quick fix). I thought it was a great book with very useful suggestions. I am happy to see the book getting some press. I will have to check out the newest version. I am an RD and I really think that this plan is sensible and practical. Thanks for posting about it!

[SueK]

When her first book came out there was a lot of local press coverage since she is a faculty member here at the university. The concept definitely seemed sound to me, although I never did read the book, but read a lot of reviews about it.

I'm thinking about picking up her new one, at least from the library, to check out the recipes.

[cniles]

She was profiled in our local paper today and there was a brief discussion about her book. Sounds like it makes sense to me. I think I'll be looking at this.:)

[Grace]

This isn't all that new - anyone remember Susan Powter? The blonde lady with the buzz cut who always shouted with the Stop the Insanity infomercial? She promoted the same exact thing. She had big tables of food with all kinds of examples - a tiny portion, maybe 100 calories of say, chocolate, and then next to it, a HUGE pile of say beans that also was 100 calories. She always promoted choosing high volume foods.

I also think it's a good concept, except that I don't think that all calorie dense foods are bad. We need fat in our diet, and since I've gone back to eating fat, I eat much, much less overall and I feel a million times better. I think that lowering my own fat intake so much made a lot of negative changes in my body - lower concentration abilities, worse overall feeling of well-being, lower ability to handle stress, etc. But of course I do believe that eating lots of fruits and veggies and beans is a great thing. Just not to the exclusion of everything else - but she may not be promoting that anyway - I haven't read her book (I did read the EW article though).

Editing to add - OK, I read the stuff Val posted above - it looks like she says you should eat from all 4 "groups", so that sounds to me like it's a good, solid program.

[Valerie226]

I've been doing my version of volumetrics forever. I'm always hungry and a nice full plate of food is appealing. for me, that always includes a large salad or fairly plain vegies and fruit. I think I got the idea from Weight Watchers or other behavior modification techniques. Dean Ornish's "Eat more, Weigh Less' has a similar approach but his stuff is too low fat and I found the recipes unpalatable.
I'm not sure if it's the large volume or the chewing (takes longer) but filling a big section of my plate with low calorie density food works for me. Your plate looks full cause it is full. Psychologically that works for me. I feel deprived if I eat some puny little frozen dinner even if it has adequate calories. Lots of chewing slows you down so you have time to feel satisfied before eating too much. I used to eat more calorie dense food too fast & consume too many calories before I realized I was satisfied. Contrary to what she says, I think drinking lots of water helps, and I also non creamy soups.

[stephanie678]

I have the original Volumetrics book and I really like it. I agree that the reason it did not catch on is that it is not a quick fix. I'm not sure if I agree with her occasional fat-free emphasis, but I do like the idea of "volumizing" meals with extra fruits and veggies or starting out with a salad or soup. I remember wishing that the book had more recipes. One of our favorites from the original book was Peanut-Chicken Stew - it's fantastic. I'll post it if anyone is interested!

[valchemist]

thanks for everyone's comments. I decided to order the new book.

stepahnie, I would love to see that recipe if you have the time to post it.

[sherri]

Hi Val,
Glad you decided to get the book. I am going to have to break down and buy it again. I have the old version, but really want the updates. I would post the recipe for Stephanie, but unfortunately our books are all boxed up...ugh. Anyway, thanks for "reminding" me about this book! I just got my Eating Well yesterday so I haven't had time to read it.

[stephanie678]

Here's the recipe - I'll put some notes at the end.

Peanut Chicken Stew
from The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 1/2 c. canned fat-free chicken broth
3/4 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups cut fresh green beans
2 cups sliced fresh spinach
3/4 c. diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons reduced-fat smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Hot sauce to taste
Garnishes: 1 tablespoon each sliced green onion, minced cilantro, finely chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts per serving (optional)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add chicken; cook until chicken loses its pink color, stirring frequently. Add broth, sweet potatoes, and beans to saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach and red bell pepper; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, lemon juice, and hot sauce until blended; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with toppings, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings of 1 3/4 cups each

Calories: 330 Energy Density: 0.8 Carbohydrate: 39 g. Fat: 7 g. Protein: 29 g. Fiber: 7 g. Sodium: 708 mg. Good source: protein, fiber, vitamin C.

Main Dish Variation: Ladle each serving over 1/2 c. cooked rice. Calories: 435

My notes: I have used frozen spinach and green beans with a shorter cooking time and the result is fine. I use Asian chili-garlic sauce for the hot sauce. I always buy regular peanut butter because the calorie count is virtually the same. We usually serve it over brown rice, which I'm sure would change the calorie/fiber count a bit. We love the garnishes and don't mind salted peanuts. Last, I have to admit that my 3 tablespoons of peanut butter are quite well-rounded!


If anyone tries this recipe, I hope you'll enjoy it - we love it!

[valchemist]

thanks, stephanie. looks like my kind of recipe. I will try it.

[wallycat]

I have heard of this some years back but have not heard of this book.

In theory, this is a great way to eat because you are forced to eat things that are high fiber/water and fill you up short term with few calories. THis would mean high veggie diet, which is awesome.
The downside is that you'll be eating more frequently....not bad in and of itself.

For me personally, I have a hard time staying full as it is, so even though I include lots of veggies/high volume-type foods, I still include higher fat things (nuts, cheese, etc.) so that I only have to eat every 2-3 hours :rolleyes: :D ;)