This may shock you but one of the fastest ways to lose fat fast is to increase how much you’re eating. Yes, I know it sounds too good to be true. Are you envisioning Bon Bons and Doritos?
No Bon Bons or Doritos for you! Sorry. Actually, nope, not even sorry. You don’t want that junk that’s just going to make you feel like a cranky bump on a log. You don’t need it. You deserve more. A lot more.
Yes, it is true you can eat more and weigh less. In fact this is one of my favorite rules of weight loss.
Confession: I am a Volume Eater. What does that mean? It does not mean I’m a Compulsive Overeater, although I can see how the two sound similar.
A Volume Eater is someone who eats large amounts of nutrient dense, low calorie food in one sitting for the purpose of fueling one’s body. Yes, that is me. Give me a full plate or a full bowl and let me watch some Real Housewives. And please, do not talk to me or text me during this time. Thanks.
Again, Volume Eating means filling a plate or bowl with low calorie, nutrient dense food, NOT JUST ANY FOOD. This food will feed and fuel you and leave you feeling full and very satisfied. If I eat a small plate of just a few bites of food, even rich, high fat foods, I do not feel that full or satisfied. I feel like I want more, like I did not get my fair share. This can even get me into trouble, actually. If I’m out for Thai food and I try to eat a small plate of phad thai, it’s all over. I load my plate over and over and I don’t ever feel full. Big plates of carbs do nothing to fill or fuel a volume eater.
If you’re strategic about Volume Eating, you can eat a ton of food for very few calories and feel awesome afterward. And this can lead to a significant amount of weight loss. In fact this is an excellent way to go about losing baby weight or mommy weight, in general. But it is all in the strategy and your course of action. I know people who weigh out how much veggie volume they eat each day. Not a bad idea. These folks are the leanest, meanest ladies I know. Have you ever tried to eat 3-6 pounds of veggies in a day? I know, it sounds insane. But it’s actually not that bad of an idea.
I do not weigh out my veggies. But here is what I do and what I recommend you do, in terms of Volume Eating:
1. Have a large serving of veggies at every meal. If possible, make the veggies the cornerstone of your meal. For me, half the blender of my protein smoothie is filled with spinach. At dinner, my main course is usually a salad of some sort or a veggie entree (a large serving of veggies with a side of protein and a smidge of fat)
2. Get creative about how you incorporate veggies into your meals. Saute them, grill them, bake them, boil them, steam them, eat them raw. And then season the heck out of them. I use sea salt, garlic, Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, Trader Joe’s South African Smoke, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, Gomasio, fresh ground pepper, coconut oil cooking spray, olive oil, sesame oil, toasted sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar and hummus as seasonings – ummmm, no, not all together. In lots of different combos, though.
3. Determine the lowest calorie veggies and buy lots of them. Here are some of my staples:
Asparagus (12 spears = 39 calories)
Beets (2 inch diameter beet = 22 calories)
Bell Peppers (1 entire pepper = 35 calories)Cucumber (entire cuke = 40 calories)
Broccoli (entire head = 110-150 calories, depending on size)
Brussels Sprouts (1 sprout = 8 calories)
Cabbage (1 leaf = 6 calories / 1 cup shredded = 17 calories)
Cauliflower (entire head = 120-150 calories, depending on size)
Celery (1 stalk = 5 calories)
Eggplant (1 cup cubed = 35 calories)
Green Beans (20 beans = 34 calories)
Kale (1 cup cooked = 35 calories)
Lettuce (1 cup shredded = 8 calories)
Mushrooms (1 medium = 4 calories)
Spaghetti Squash (1 cup cooked = 42 calories)
Spinach (1 cup cooked = 20 calories / entire bag = 50 calories)
Swiss Chard (1 cup cooked = 35 calories)
Tomatoes (1 cherry tomato = 3 calories / 1 whole medium tomato = 22 calories)
Zucchini (1 entire medium zuke = 35 calories)
You can see with these calories counts how you can eat a ton of volume for very few calories. So you will sit down with a very full plate of food, eat a decent sized meal and feel very full and content afterward. Note: I’ll be honest, I think mushrooms are disgusting. I just put those in there for you fungus lovers, as they are a great low cal choice.
4. Have some quick & easy go-to recipes. Here are some of my faves:
“Fries”
Veggie: I use asparagus or green beans for this
In a Zip Loc bag, toss veggies with few drops of olive oil and a dash of salt. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Salty and crunchy goodness. See post on Green Bean Fries for more details.
“Chips”
Veggie: Kale
Same idea as above: In a Zip Loc bag, toss torn or cut up kale leaves with few drops of olive oil and a dash of salt. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Salty and crunchy goodness. See post on Kale Chips for more details.
“Sweet & Sour”
Veggie: Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts
Saute veggie of choice in small amount of olive oil cooking spray and crushed garlic. Once veggies are about 90% sauteed, douse with balsamic vinegar.
“Sweet & Spicy”
Veggie: Kale or Chard
Saute veggie of choice in coconut cooking spray. Add a dash of garlic salt and red pepper flakes. “Curlier” kale holds the most flavor!
“Spaghetti”
Veggie: Spaghetti squash
Slice squash in half length wise, remove seeds and spray non-skin surfaces with olive oil cooking spray. Place face down on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Squash is done when a fork easily pokes through outer skin. Use a fork to scoop out the “spaghetti”. Add toppings of marinara and ground turkey and /or broccoli or pesto and broccoli and/or cauliflower.
“Rice”
Veggie: Cauliflower
Use a food processor to chop cauliflower into rice size bits. Saute veggies of choice in seasoning of choice and add “rice” in the last couple minutes to heat through, creating a low cal rice stir fry.
“Chow Mein”
Veggie: Broccoli
Julienne broccoli and saute/season. Add to sauteed or stir fried veggies of your choice to make in place of chow mein noodles. Note: many stores carry this as dry “broccoli slaw”, already julienned for you and all you have to do is cook it up (or eat it raw as a slaw, if that’s your preference.)
As you can see these options allow you get a ton of nutrient value for very few calories. That means you can eat a really decent sized portion. Because you will feel full, you will not need a big side of carbs. Because you ate high density food/low carb food, you will stay full for awhile and your blood sugar will stay well regulated. This is where you begin to burn fat and lose the mommy belly.
You may be concerned that you will miss your carbs, but many of my moms working on weight loss find they do not miss their carbs because this kind of eating is so filling and satisfying. Plus, you can always add a small side of carbs if you feel you need it for comfort.
Never fear, you can get all the carbs your truly need from a high veggie diet. For real. You do not need a side of rice/pasta/bread/potatoes at every meal. That’s just what your brain is conditioned to think because it’s what you always done.
All right and the biggest bonus of Volume Eating? This method of eating helps moms burn belly fat like crazy. that fat that is holding on to your belly and love handles for dear life is there primarily because of the food you put in your mouth at some point. This kind of eating will help you to start melting belly fat away and flatten your belly. I know – pretty awesome, huh. You’re welcome.
Seriously, though, I hope this helps you really look at the way you incorporate veggies into your diet. It can be so quick and easy and the results can be so great. So challenge yourself to try at least one of the recipes here in the next week. And be sure to report back and let us know how it went.
Here is a full meal plan for Volume Eating. Happy Veggie Loving!
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