The approach can be particularly useful for men who want to lose weight without constantly feeling as though they’re eating tiny portions, according to Joey Gochnour, RDN, NASM-CPT<\/a>, registered dietitian nutritionist at Nutrition and Fitness Professional.<\/p>\n Here’s what you need to know.<\/p>\n What Is the Volumetrics Diet?<\/p>\n The Volumetrics Diet was developed by Barbara Rolls, PhD<\/a>, a nutrition researcher at Penn State University. Rolls later outlined the approach in her book, The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n The basic idea is to keep you feeling full while reducing your overall calorie intake. Most weight-loss diets ultimately rely on maintaining a calorie deficit<\/a>, but the Volumetrics approach places particular emphasis on choosing foods that allow you to eat larger portions for fewer calories.<\/p>\n ‘If you fill up on low-calorie, healthy foods, you won\u2019t feel as hungry as you might on most other weight-loss diets,’ says Sonya Angelone, RD, PhD<\/a>, dietitian and former spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n Regular exercise is also encouraged alongside the eating plan.<\/p>\n How Does the Volumetrics Diet Work?<\/p>\n The diet encourages you to eat more foods with a high water and fibre<\/a> content, including soups, stews, fruit and vegetables. These foods physically take up more room on your plate \u2013 and in your stomach \u2013 without necessarily delivering a large number of calories.<\/p>\n ‘This diet is based on the calories per gram of food or energy density,’ Angelone explains. ‘Foods that contain more water and fibre will have a greater volume with fewer calories so that you can feel fuller on the larger volume while naturally eating fewer calories.’<\/p>\n The diet leans heavily on fruit, vegetables, lean proteins<\/a>, pulses, whole grains and other fibre-rich foods. Alongside potentially making a calorie deficit easier to maintain, many of these foods provide protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals that support wider health.<\/p>\n What Can You Eat on the Volumetrics Diet?<\/p>\n Technically, no food is completely off-limits. Instead, the Volumetrics Diet divides foods into categories according to their calorie density \u2013 calculated by dividing the number of calories in a serving by its weight in grams.<\/p>\n You’re encouraged to eat more foods with a low calorie density and smaller portions of foods with a higher calorie density.<\/p>\n Mike Kemp<\/p>\n What Does a Day on the Volumetrics Diet Look Like?<\/p>\n Here’s an example of a full day’s eating on the Volumetrics Diet, according to nutrition experts.<\/p>\n Breakfast<\/p>\n Vegetable omelette with a side of fresh berries or melon.<\/p>\n Lunch<\/p>\n A large rocket salad with sliced cucumber, grated carrots, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, grilled chicken and around half a cup of cooled roasted potatoes with a vinegar-based dressing, served alongside a bowl of vegetable soup.<\/p>\n Snack<\/p>\n Plain fat-free Greek yoghurt with berries and watermelon.<\/p>\n Dinner<\/p>\n Baked cod with brown rice, roasted vegetables and fresh fruit such as melon, berries or grapes.<\/p>\n What Are the Pros and Cons of the Volumetrics Diet?<\/p>\n One of the biggest advantages is the lack of outright food restrictions. The approach can also encourage eating habits that are more realistic to maintain over the long term than highly restrictive crash diets.<\/p>\n ‘This diet is intended to make permanent changes to your food choices, not just while you are losing weight,’ Angelone says.<\/p>\n Gochnour also points to the evidence supporting the basic principles behind the approach.<\/p>\n ‘Eating high water, high fiber foods is evidence-based weight loss and fullness guidance, not fad,’ he says.<\/p>\n\n
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