The Volumetrics Eating Plan; the low-energy density diet

At its most basic level, the only way to lose weight is to consume less calories than you burn. To burn more calories one must increase physical activity but there is often a limit (both physical and logistical) on how much people can do. Thus the burden for losing weight falls on figuring out how to take-in fewer calories. Not surprisingly, calorie restriction is more difficult than it sounds which is why the majority of diets fail over the long-run.

Because weight loss is such big business, there is a tremendous financial incentive for diet plan promoters to over-promise what their diet programs can do versus competitors. The claims and counter-claims can make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. The best way to deal with this is to look at the credentials of people behind the diet and to find a good third-party analysis from a trusted source.

One of the more reliable and interesting diets is the The Volumetrics Eating Plan which is based on the work of Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, Director of Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Pennsylvania State University. Among Dr. Rolls' many accomplishments, she has been a Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, occupant of the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutrition, and Past-President of both the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. In short, she knows her stuff.

Her assessment of weight loss is that any diet that requires individuals to eliminate food groups, be overloaded with rules, or stop eating before satiety is destined to fail over the long-run. Statistical analyses of diet attempts support this assertion. Instead, Dr. Rolls advocates a plan that promotes eating foods that control hunger by giving one a sense of feeling full but with minimal calorie intake. In other words, calories will be controlled not by limiting portion size through sheer will power but instead selecting foods that satisfy your hunger at a lower calorie count than you might otherwise feel full. Vegetables, reduced-fat products, and low-fat cooking techniques are all emphasized.

But does it work? The book lays out a very strong case comprised of both science and common sense to explain why it does. But you should not take their word for it. Instead, the June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports has done the analysis for you and states: "Recent clinical trials show [Volumetrics has the] best overall weight loss of any diet evaluated."

Those are strong words and from a credible source but there is a difference between what happens in a clinical trial and what your specific experience might be. Consumer Reports notes that while they judged the recipes appetizing they were also "somewhat time-consuming to prepare." The book also touches on exercise (largely by encouraging walking) but successful weight losers will likely want and need a more disciplined exercise approach. (As we've noted, people in middle age and beyond need to incorporate resistance training into their exercise for a variety of reasons beyond just dropping a few pounds).

The best diet is the one that works for you. Statisticians are backing Volumetrics so it should probably be on the short list of eating plans to evaluate as you make your selection.

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