Today I’m going to teach you how to fill up on lower-calorie foods to lose more weight, without ever feeling hungry.
If you’re a big eater, the concept of volume eating will help you lose weight (and keep it off) without any the hunger and cravings often associated with fat loss dieting.
Does the idea of eating tiny meals and never feeling full make you feel kind of… sad? You CAN eat large amounts of food and still lose weight! Read on to learn how to use food volume to your advantage.
Food Volume For Dieting
Plenty of people love to eat large amounts of food. There’s something about the look, feel, and experience of filling up on food that is comforting and pleasurable.
But when you are dieting, the idea is to eat less of course.
But remember…you need to eat fewer calories, not necessarily less food. If you choose your foods wisely, you can still eat a significant amount of food (enough to satisfy your eyes and stomach) and still be in a calorie deficit.
Why Does Food Volume Work?
Volume eating is more than a comforting trick or an embedded habit. There is a physical reason behind eating a lot of food. When we eat enough to “fill up”, gastric stretch receptors in the stomach and intestine send signals to the brain which tell us that we’re full and can stop eating now (Bonus: Check out my post on the best fat loss foods HERE). (1)
You can achieve that with calorific foods or with smart, healthy choices – the effect on your brain is the same (2) but of course the big difference will be in the calories you consume.
How To Choose Volume Foods
Vegetables, berries, protein, fibre, and water are key to volume eating without excess calories.
That much is common sense. What might not be so obvious is how to do it.
Creating volume meals:
Salads – Create big salads with leaves, grated vegetables, plenty of heavy (watery) vegetables like cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, radishes, and some lean protein (chicken, tuna, prawns, low fat salad cheese). If a salad is truly healthy, you can eat huge amounts for very few calories. Avoid oils, heavy dressings, and fatty choices of protein.
Stir-fries – Use the same structure as for a salad: plenty of vegetables, leaves, and lean protein. Use spray oil rather than pouring oil from a bottle.
Smoothies – This magical method of making a protein shake will fill you up for less than 150 calories. You’ll need a blender. Add ice, water, a scoop of protein powder and the special ingredient – a pinch of xanthan gum. This will create a thick, spoonable smoothie with ice-cream texture for the same calories as protein powder. You can add frozen berries or fruit for a bit more bulk.
Prep methods – grate vegetables, add more water to soups and stews, and whip air into sweet treats to create more volume without extra calories.
If you want to transform your body but don’t want to feel like you’re on a diet, get in touch.
I help people find sustainable ways to get in the shape of their life – and stay there.
In health,
Coach Joseph Webb.
‘The number one rated Personal Trainer In Henley and Oxfordshire’
References for today’s blog post:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13222282/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114115918.htm
