Eating for volume doesn’t mean eating until you go deaf. Eating for volume is a strategy to maximize the amount of food you can eat while simultaneously keeping your calorie intake as low as possible.

If you want to shed weight or fat you have to reduce the amount of food you eat. You need to drop enough calories to put yourself into an energy deficit. Calories are energy. People hear low-calorie and immediately think, “eat less food”. That is not the case.

You can eat larger portions of foods and still lose weight and fat. You’ll just have to make smarter food choices and “eat for volume”.

I make huge salads with grilled vegetables. I eat oatmeal with blueberries every day. I make french toast with high fiber bread and egg whites. (Five slices comes in under 500 calories.)

I also eat a huge bowl of popcorn every night just before bed. It takes me 30 minutes just to get it all in me.

I eat until I’m full because I turn up the volume.

You can fill your belly up with nutritious vegetables without losing your waist line.

Foods higher in fiber are often more filling, bulkier, and lower in calorie.

Add them to your stir fry, your omelettes and your pasta dishes to make them more satiating.

Here are some examples of high fiber foods:

• Broccoli (34 cal)

• Cauliflower (25 cal)

• Brussel Sprouts (43 cal)

• Asparagus (20 cal)

• Leafy Greens like Spinach, Kale, Bok Choy, Arugula and Lettuces (generally from 15-50 cal)

• Artichokes (47 cal)

• Mushrooms (22 cal)

• Whole Green Beans “haricots verts” (31 cal)

• Turnips (28 cal)

• Cabbage (25 cal)

• Bell Peppers (20 cal)

• Carrots (41 cal)

• Zucchini (17 cal)

• Hard Squashes like Acorn (40 cal), Butternut (45 cal), or Spaghetti (31 cal)

• Cucumber (16 cal)

• Tomato (18 cal)

• Pickles (11 cal)

• Sauerkraut (19 cal)

Volume, that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

Turn it up!