Alcohol: Consume with meals and limit to one drink
per day for women; men should consume no more
than two drinks daily.
Water: Water consumption is a key component of the
Volumetrics eating plan. It recommends women drink
at least 9 cups daily, whereas men should consume 12
cups daily. Water can come from foods or beverages
and should replace sugary drinks in the diet.
To manage weight, dieters should also get at least 30
minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most, if not
all, days of the week. Resistance training should be
included twice a week. Rolls recommends walking at 3
to 4 miles per hour as an ideal choice for most people,
even those who have substantial amounts of weight to
lose. Dieters should also focus on reducing the overall
amount of time they spend in sedentary pursuits, such as
television watching, and increase physical activity by
gardening, house cleaning, or other non-sedentary
activities.
Volumetrics offers specific tips on how dieters can
lower the energy (calorie) density of their food intake
while maintaining satiety. For example, when choos-
ing a sweet snack, a dieter may opt for grapes over
raisins. For 100 calories, a dieter can eat nearly 2 cups
of grapes, compared to only 1/4 cup of dried raisins.
Choosing the grapes would be a better Volumetrics
choice because a person is more likely to feel full
longer due to the grapes’ increased water content.
Although dieters do not need to change every-
thing about their diets, following the Volumetrics rec-
ommendations and eating more meals and snacks
lower in energy density will help a person enjoy rea-
sonable food portions while controlling calories, Rolls
says.
No foods are forbidden on the Volumetrics plan,
but fried foods, sweets, and fatty foods should be
limited or avoided. Volumetrics also suggests that
people limit ‘‘dry’’ foods, such as crackers, popcorn,
and pretzels, since these foods are higher in calories
and provide little satiety.
A sample menu on the Volumetrics plan might
include:
Breakfast: Oatmeal: 1-1/3 cup oatmeal made with
water; 1/2 medium apple;1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tea-
spoons brown sugar; 1 cup nonfat milk; 1/2 grapefruit;
Coffee or tea
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad: 3 ounces grilled
chicken breast; 3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce; 4
slices red bell pepper; 2 tablespoons crumbled blue
cheese; 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts; 2 tablespoons
light dressing; 1 whole wheat pita bread; 1 cup sliced
strawberries
Snack: 1 cup Cheerios; 1/2 cup nonfat milk; 2/3 cup
fresh blueberries
Dinner: Steak Fajita: 3 ounces grilled sirloin steak; 1/2
cup green pepper; 1/2 cup onion; 1 tablespoon reduced
sodium soy sauce; 2 tablespoons salsa; 1/2 cup
shredded Romaine lettuce; 1/2 cup diced fresh tomato;
2 tablespoons nonfat sour cream; 1-10 inch flour tor-
tilla; 1/2 cup corn; 1 cup diced cantaloupe
In addition to nutritional recommendations, Volu-
metrics provides lists of very low-energy-dense foods,
low-energy-dense foods, medium-energy-dense foods,
and high-energy-dense foods to help dieters decide
foods to incorporate or avoid in their eating plan. In
Volumetrics: Feel Full on Fewer Caloriesand other
publications, Rolls includes sample menu plans based
on daily caloric intake, recipes, serving size recommen-
dations, and cooking tips and techniques.
The Volumetrics publications also address the
issues of emotional eating and encourage dieters to eat
a variety of foods to enhance satiety and pleasure. The
authors cite a study at Tufts University in Boston that
found that overweight people eat a wide variety of
energy-dense foods, but normal-weight people con-
sume a variety of foods that are lower in energy density.
Volumetrics also addresses a variety of dieting
myths and common questions, such as:
Is skipping meals OK?
Will frequent meals help me control hunger?
Should I avoid eating after 8 p.m.?
Should I eat more slowly?
Volumetrics avoids gimmicks and promises of
how much weight readers can lose, maintaining that
‘‘We can’t guarantee that you’ll lose weight and keep it
off.’’ The authors also acknowledge that ‘‘changing
your eating habits is very difficult’’ and that ‘‘if your
overeating is rooted in deep emotional causes, you will
need to address these issues, perhaps with a therapist,
before you are ready to adopt the eating style.’’Function
People who wish to lose weight or maintain their
current weight can use the nutritional principles of
Volumetrics to achieve this goal.Benefits
In addition to helping people lose weight, Volu-
metrics may also be beneficial for people with condi-
tions that may aided by eating higher-fiber diets, suchVolumetrics