I dont follow volumetrics the book, but when I am eating healthily it is very similar. Lots of veggies that really bulk out a meal for very few calories. Salads, soups, etc.

The problem comes when I go off plan. My stomach isnt shrinking, its stretching. Now when I DO have a binge I can do so much more damage. I can eat more without feeling any physical discomfort.

hmmmm.... of course the IDEAL solution would be to figure out why I binge and stop that

Not really looking for any suggestions, just making an observation.

I run into the same problem! 19/20 meals I eat at home - control the calories, fill up on tons of veggies, and yes, have giant portions. For the 1/20 meals I eat out, I have to be SO careful not to overeat...my home portion size is WAY different from what I should be eating in a restaurant.

Still, I'd rather than 1/20 meals be a little high than to feel like I'm getting starved the other 19/20, ya know?

I also load up on tons and tons of veggies. But luckily, I'm still at the point when I do go off plan, planned - or unplanned, that I simply can not eat as much as I used to. Or even close. Or even close to close. And boy, it's a good thing. It amazes me. Even if I want to keep going, I simply can't. That's just how much pain my stomach gets into. I know though, that if I keep pushing it - that my stomach WILL start to stretch again. And that TERRIFIES me.

Interesting observation. I've simply gotten used to eating less food! I fill up a LOT faster now--I couldn't eat a full meal at most restaurants if I had to.

Here's an interesting study:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...articlekey=648

It says that stomach capacity may actually shrink, but also stretch sensors in the stomach become more sensitive again, when one reduces food intake.

Jay

Interesting article, Jay!

Yes, interesting article.

It doesn't surprise me though. I am well aware of just how much my stomach has shrunk. The only thing that does surprise me, is that there were such drastic results in only 4 weeks time. The truth is, it could have been that quickly for me, though I doubt it. I just don't remember.

I'm surely though, that just as quickly as it shrinks, it can EXPAND once again - just as quickly. My luck - probably quicker.

It may depend if you practice volumetrics with 3 largish meals per day or if you spread out using small meals during the day. I personally use the smaller meal per day method and it is hard for me to eat a lot when I eat out because I'm used to smaller meals.

I don't follow volumetrics but I do tend to eat a lot of fiber (A LOT) and things that volumetrics teaches.

Hey rockinrobin,

I think there were such drastic results in 4 weeks' time because it was a pretty drastic program--600 cals a day! Of course, the participants were under medical supervision. And, the average weight lost was a bit over 18 pounds in those 4 weeks, which is pretty darned swift.

It would be interesting if they do a follow-up study on the same people to see what happens to them afterward.

But it does show one reason why gorging oneself is such a bad idea...

Jay

Ennay, I've noticed the exact same thing and has been a niggling worry recently. I don't specifically follow volumetrics, but I do eat as large a quantity of food as I can within my calorie budget (so, many, many veggies). It's all very well and good when there are plenty of veggies to fill up on, but when there aren't, well, I eat rather alot. Actually, I suspect that, cup for cup, I eat more food now (and certainly more often) than I did when I was overweight.

Well and lets compound my "problem" with marathon training and nursing. In August my maintenance calories were around 2700/day. Even spread out over 6-7 meals it was A LOT of food. Coming back down to earth has been really hard.

But I have noticed times when my normal breakfast stuffs me and times when my normal breakfast ...I am starving by 8 am.

I rarely eat out, or when I do, there is a salad bar, so I am not really sure what would happen. I do have to say that filling up on veggies, soup etc a la volumtrics has made loosing weight much less painful, mentally and physically than other diets I have tried. I can see myself eating this way forever. I can't see myself eating thimble sized portions forever.

I probably eat more volume of food than I did before I started loosing. It might be all in my head, but I feel like having a stomach full of spinach, bean sprouts and tomatoes makes me less likely to want to binge on something calorie dense. I also think that not letting myself get too hungry is very important. I guess, like a lot of things, it's a trade off.

Ennay, it must have been fun eating 2700 calories a day.....sigh.

Sadly, when the body NEEDED 2700 calories a day it WANTED 3500. It really wasnt as much easier as you would think.

Volume has always been a problem for me. I want to eat. Alot. All at once. And spread out over several times a day. I just want to eat like a horse!

I need a way of convincing all the parts of my brain that I don't need to be constantly stuffing my face with a ton of food.