The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories

by Barbara J. Rolls

Book Overview

Ranked as one of the best diet plans by US News & World Report: A plan to lose weight that puts the focus on feeling sated and satisfied with fewer calories; author Barbara Rolls has earned the author the Obesity Society Presidential Medal of Distinction for her work in research and outreach.

From nutrition expert and author of the hugely popular The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan, comes an illustrated eating plan based...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060737301
• ISBN13: 9780060737306
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Best Diet You Never Heard Of

I read about this diet in a Newsweek article and I'm glad I investigated further. This Volumetrics plan is the most sensible and useful one I've found. This newer book contains recipes that don't require a lot of exotic ingredients and are easily used if you are on Weight Watchers or South Beach too, but the Volumetrics plan is easier to shop for and more satisfying. The book also contains useful guides for how many calories you should cut in order to lose weight, how to measure portions etc. and other similar info found in many other diet books, but the title really says it all - you really do feel full on fewer calories, but you do it by eating a wide variety of good, easily available foods. I've lost an average of 2 pounds a week on this plan and it has been the easiest to stay with I've tried (and I've tried them all).

It Works!

I have been following the Volumetrics plan ever since I got the book two months ago. What a pleasant surprise - an eating plan that actually works and is very easy to enjoy. I've lost 14lbs so far! I don't have to deprive myself of the foods I love - and I feel full for longer on less calories. The recipes in the book are fabulous - especially the Buffalo Chicken Wrap which is out of this world! It's amazing that making a few simple changes to our regular eating habits can have such a significant effect.

A life-changing approach: I lost 220 pounds!

I began following Volumetrics in April, 2001. Four years later, I have lost 220 pounds! The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan gave me everything I needed to overcome obesity: a comprehensive guide to good nutrition; a clear explanation of the science of satiety; and a host of delicious recipes to try. I have been able to stick with Volumetrics all this time because I don't feel hungry or deprived. In fact, I would say that by managing my hunger and helping me achieve a normal weight, Volumetrics has given me my life back. This new Volumetrics book is a wonderful complement to the first one. It includes more detail on how to implement Volumetrics successfully, along with menu planners and beautiful color photographs of 125 new recipes. I've actually given The Volumetrics Eating Plan to several friends who don't need to lose weight but do like to cook. I only wish it had been available when I started my own Volumetrics eating plan four years ago (and I'm not just saying that because my testimonial appears on page 5!) The reviewers who gave the book one and two stars, respectively, don't seem to understand the program. One reviewer complains that the book is "bad science based on a fear of dietary fat calories." In fact, Volumetrics recommends that 20-30% of daily calories come from fat. That's well within accepted guidelines, and ensures both good nutrition and good taste. I eat butter, eggs and cheese (in moderation), and I've lost weight steadily while feeling satisfied on Volumetrics. A second reviewer complains that Volumetrics is the same as 99.99% of the diet books out there. I strongly disagree. I tried numerous diets over several decades and never understood the connection between energy density and satiety until Volumetrics explained it to me. Finding out that I could lose weight without being chronically hungry was a revelation! I recommend Volumetrics to anyone struggling with obesity. (...)

Common Sense Approach Kicked Up a Notch

Recently on the cover of US News and World Report, the Volumetrics Eating Plan reaches out as the latest pathfinder in the new frontier of common sense dieting for life as "pioneered" by Dr. Will Clower in his eye-opener to faux foods and their negative impact on the American diet, "The Fat Fallacy". Unlike Mireille Guiliano of "French Women Don't Get Fat" fame, author Barbara Rolls has all the right nutrition-savvy credentials, which will definitely appeal to those lifetime strategists needing a nod from the medical community. As different as Guiliano and Rolls are in terms of in-the-trenches experience, both books have the same message, albeit Guliano's formats hers as a memoir with recipes and Rolls provides a more theoretical approach again with the requisite recipes. During numerous trials, Rolls noticed that despite the macronutrients involved, (the current trend in dieting divides everything into three groups: carbohydrates, protein and fat) people still ate the same amount of food each day. What was different and what caused people to gain weight was that they ate different caloric amounts. Rolls realized that since people eat a specific volume of food daily, if they chose foods that would provide that same comfortable volume with less calories and more nutriments, weight loss would be achieved and easy to maintain without calorie counting. Rolls suggests making up a large portion of one's diet with category 1 foods: foods that have fewer calories in a serving than their weight in grams -- most water and fiber rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy product fall into this category. Rolls defines 4 categories, touting also a more expansive enjoyment of category 2 which includes foods with calories equal to or slightly greater than their weight --- ie., fish, chicken without fat or skin, potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, and low-fat salad dressings. The usual suspects like beef, cheese, pretzels, full-fat salad dressings, chips, cookies,ice cream, bacon, oils, and french fries that have two or more times as many calories as their weight can still be eaten, but need to be controlled. Think of it this way: if you started off your meal with a fruit salad of sliced apples, strawberries and pineapple slices, you immediately have moved the gauge in your brain's satiety monitor towards the 'full' position. You have also provided your body with water, fiber and vitamins. If you followed this starter with a small bowl of soup containing all sorts of vegetables, chicken pieces and stock, you are providing your body a variety of nutrition form different sources. Finishing with a smaller cut of fish or chicken or whatever, only stands to reason - you are already "full" and your need to eat more dissovles as your brain registers the fact that you have provided your body enough nutriments. Bottom line: Common sense epiphany whose positive functionality is demonstrated by years of observation and test studies. High calorie no-

Volumetrics - Have your cake and lose weight too!

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! She also includes several weeks of menu plans. These are simple to understand with easy to find ingredients. One drawback is that a whole weeks worth of menus are on one page so its a bit hard to read. Other than the weekly menu plans which are squished on a page, the rest of the book is generously