The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan

Barbara Rolls, PhD, and co-author Robert Barnett present Volumetrics, a long-term, sensible approach to weight loss based on the breakthrough concept that you can feel full while eating fewer calories.

With Volumetrics, leading nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, has devised a plan to give people what they′ve always wanted: a way to lose weight while still feeling full and satisfied. By concentrating on energy density (the amount of calories in a given volume of food) and its relation to feeling replete, Rolls and co-author Bob Barnett guide the reader towards a more rewarding and manageable lifetime approach to eating - one that doesn′t include deprivation. Unlike many fad diets, their ideas are based on a solid body of scientific research, revealing the many factors that determine how much we eat, and hence how much weight we gain. From this research, Rolls and Barnett have created a clear program with tasty recipes, menus, and eating recommendations that can help anyone lose weight safely and effectively.

Do you overeat because you don't feel satisfied or full? Volumetrics is based on "the science of satiety"--what researchers have learned about the food choices that make people feel full. The authors teach you how to eat low-calorie-dense, high-volume foods so that you feel like you've eaten plenty, even though you've eaten fewer calories. You'll lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived.

Here's an example of how volume affects eating. Raisins are dried grapes. But 100 calories of raisins fill only one-quarter cup, while 100 calories of fresh, whole grapes fill one and two-thirds cups. You'll feel satisfied after one and two-thirds cups of grapes, but if you're eating raisins, you're likely to keep filling your mouth. The point is not to stop eating raisins (or chocolate, cheese, or other high-calorie, low-volume foods), but to realize that you're likely to take in many more calories before your body tells you you're full. If you're trying to manage your weight, eating more low-density foods (lower-calorie foods that have a lot of volume) will make you feel full while you drop pounds.

Barbara Rolls, a respected and well-published food-nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University, and food writer Robert Barnett explain energy density and how to use this concept to lose weight. They include the scientific evidence about how low-density (low-calorie, high-volume) foods make you feel satisfied, the best (and worst) foods for a satisfying, lower-calorie diet, a menu plan, an exercise plan, and environmental influences on eating. You also learn which foods are easiest to overeat. This is not a fad diet--it is logical and scientifically based, yet easy to understand and put into action. --Joan Price