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What is Volumetrics?

Monday, May 07, 2007

May 7, 2007 (WPVI) -- There is no shortage of Americans trying to slim down. A recent survey puts the average weight loss goal at more than 30 pounds, but most diets are notoriously difficult to stick with long-term.

Volumetrics is endorsed by doctors and dieticians. It is even incorporated by other commercial weight-loss programs.

The latest edition of "The Volumetrics Eating Plan" was just rated the top diet book by Consumer Reports magazine.

What is Volumetrics? The surprisingly simple way to diet without feeling hungry.

No gimmicks and plenty of research is what you'll find in a food laboratory at Penn State University.

Here, nutrition science professor Barbara Rolls and her team have done one study after another to prove the eating plan called Volumetrics works.

Rolls says people eat about the same volume of food every day.

How dense it is in calories makes all the difference.

Dr. Rolls explained, "Fat packs twice as many calories into a food as carbohydrate or protein. Water has weight and volume, but no calories at all. When you eat water-rich foods, you are getting a bigger portion with fewer calories."

Dieters often start off a meal with a broth-based soup or salad to help fill them up.

"They get an extra course, and they end up eating fewer calories in the meal," said Rolls.

The plates are full of high-water content, low-calorie foods, especially fruits and vegetables.

The Volumetrics plan suggests this breakfast: Cheerios, half a cantaloupe, low fat yogurt plus skim milk and orange juice.

Rolls says all that adds up to 400 calories. The other choice: You could eat just 3/4 of a sticky bun!

Now, check out what's on the menu for lunch&

Dr. Rolls explained, "If you go the Volumetrics route, you get a chicken salad sandwich, whole grains a couple cups of veggie soup, strawberries and a diet soda."

For those same 500 calories, you could also hit a fast-food drive through, and eat just half of your cheeseburger, a small serving of fries and a regular soda.

Part of the secret is in how the food is prepared.

The chicken salad on the sandwich is made with low-fat mayonnaise, and contains extra celery and grapes.. Both are high in water, but not calories.

The pasta primavera dish that's served for dinner has also been tweaked: less pasta, a lot more vegetables.

You can have that pasta, a garden salad, raspberries and some chocolate pudding for the same amount of calories in this fettucine alfredo and slice of garlic bread.

"It explains to people how, when you are eating fewer calories, which is what you have to do to manage your weight, you can feel full and avoid feeling hungry," said Rolls.

Consumer Reports picked Volumetrics as the top book of 7 rated in the June issue, based on an expert-panel questionnaite and its own analysis of nutritional quality.

It saluted Volumetrics for encouraging "dieters to first take the edge off hunger by consuming a low-calorie soup or salad."

Lisa Jones, a registered dietitian, said she explains the program to a client this way: "We'll talk about what kinds of foods fit within the volumizing principles."

Jones suggests the nutrient-rich Volumetrics plan to her clients because its "eating right, not light."

"You don't feel hungry, so you don't reach for something you are not supposed to have," said Jones.

Beth Schroeck is incorporating Volumetrics into her life, step by step.

She keeps pre-packaged fruit to snack on and lean protein like fish in her freezer. She grills it for dinner, along with lots of vegetables.

Beth explained, "Do my clothes fit differently? Yes, they do. And I exercise a lot more now. I ride my bike to work."

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