One of the hardest parts of dieting and losing weight is managing hunger. Eventually, all of us lose our resolve to eat healthfully and want to give in to our appetite—because we are starving!
I know firsthand how hard it is to overcome a voracious appetite, because I pretty much have to outwit mine on a daily basis.
I also hear this complaint from my clients day in and day out, and I give them this advice: Stick with unlimited fruits, vegetables, and at least three servings a day of whole grains, which help keep us fuller on fewer calories. Now, a series of articles in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition backs up what I’ve been recommending for years.
The studies focus on women’s weight changes over several years, and on a scientific term called “energy density.” Energy density is the calories divided by the weight of the food; foods with low energy density tend to be those that are heavy, or dense, but not high in calories.
How to eat big and lose
If you want to determine the energy density of the foods and beverages you’re consuming, here’s an easy way to calculate energy density based on the product label: Start by comparing the serving-size weight in grams to the calories.
- If calories are lower than the gram weight, the food is low in energy density.
- If the calories are equal to—or twice as much as—the grams, eat moderately and watch your portion size.
- If the calories are more than three times the gram weight, steer clear!
Next page: Why energy density matters
Comments (21)
I agree 100% with you about using low density foods to keep you full while you diet, however I question the inclusion of whole grains as a low density food.
Whole grain bread is much closer to high density foods (crackers, ice cream) than it is to low density vegetables (greens, broccoli, cauliflower)
Lots of good nutrients, but lots of calories
While whole grains are technically a higher density food as defined by this article, they absorb water in your stomach and expand, making you feel fuller.
Dr.
With regard to your previous answer: If the water was in the stomache in the first place it already occupied a volume. How does its absorbtion by bread increase the volume and make one “feel” more “full”?
Water volume has nothing to do with this. Foods made with whole grains have a low glycemic index which means glucose is released more slowly and steadily. This prevents your blood sugar from spiking. Since it takes more time to break down and digest complex carbs in whole foods, you feel “full” for a longer time.
I’m personally a big fan of oatmeal. Adding dried fruit (instead of sugar or syrup) is a good way to make it tasty.
I may be the odd-ball, but I lost about 10 lbs (all I needed to lose) and have kept it off by eating smaller amounts of higher density foods and avoiding carbs. If I’m hungry I nibble a piece of cheese, a handful of nuts or a hard-boiled egg.
I also believe that making peace with hunger is an important part of the equation – I have to spend a certain percent of the time actually hungry to lose weight and keep it off!
Finally, I identified my “trigger time”, when I eat more than I need, which is right when I get home from work. So now I set the timer for 30 minutes, and can’t eat until the timer goes off. By then the urge to eat has usually passed and I can wait until dinner. Good luck to all.
Tony – I assume your comment was supposed to be directed to Lisa and not myself.
To the best of my knowledge, it is the slower digestion time of the whole grains, combined with the stretch reflex of the gut that gives whole grains their reputation for producing ‘fullness’.
Just to be clear, I think that whole grain foods are far superior to most of the junk that makes up the Western diet. I just think that vegetables are far superior to whole grains.
Better glycemic load profile, more vitamins and minerals, fewer calories by volume…
“over a six-year study period, women eating a low energy-density diet GAINED about five pounds over six years, while those eating the higher energy-density diet gained 14 pounds” [emphasis mine]
So, even if you eat a low-energy density diet, you still gain weight. That has been my experience, as well. I have been a vegetarian for 27 years, and during that time, I have eaten MOSTLY fruits and vegetables. Yet, I have continued to gain weight over that time, and eventually became morbidly obese. For a while, I ate nothing but fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans — no meat, milk, dairy, oils, nuts, sweets etc. I lost maybe 5 pounds — and my blood sugar went way up.
Obesity is largely genetic. You can improve your HEALTH a lot by diet and exercise, but lifestyle changes, no matter how extreme, rarely lead to permanent changes in body shape and size.
First and foremost we must STOP eating things that are sold as food, but are not food. Anything processed has more chemicals, high fructrose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. These things are horrible and should not be allowed in food. The best advice I have gotten is the fewer the ingredients, the better. If you don’t recognize an ingredient as food, it probably isn’t. If your great-grandparents or grandparents didn’t eat it, (it wasn’t around 50 years ago), don’t eat it. Eat foods that you recognize are real, like fruit, vegetables, grains, etc. You can’t go wrong. Don’t eat “fast” food. Make your own cookies, breads, pies, etc. so you know what ingredients are used. I’ve done this for years and I feel like a different person.
Yes Obesity is genetic but to say that proper lifestyle and diet and exercise rarely lead to permanent changes to me is a cop out and a poor excuse to those people who simply don’t have the will power to keep a proper lifestyle. We can’t simply blame genetics on simple laziness
essene bread is great. I buy mine ready made (in Tuscon). I wonder what the points are. Less than plain wheat berries, becuase it is partly spouted.
sprouts are less points than grains. What is points of essene bread?
as far as grains go, forget those detoxing cereals (yea right, detoxing with milk)- although u could try it with juice- apple for instance if its not too much sugar u. anyways, ESSENE bread is the way to go: u can get the recipe online, you just sprout wheat kernerls for a day, grinf them, make them into a loaf (that’s all you need, but u can add other things for taste- nuts, dates, spices) and cook it for about an hr at 180 degrees. that is FULL grain, yummy, and much better than the cereals. believe me, you will be full, and visiting the toilet (that serves as a warning not to overdoit at the beginnign too:))
regards
thats totally right!! i think am gonna follow this rule! hell ya!
thats right
i tottalya gree i thik am gonna follow this advice!
I agree with Virgil It’s ludicrous to state that lifestyle changes seldom result in permanent improvement of body shape/size. It is not just what we consume, but also how much of it. Yes, there is an ‘obesity gene’… but even those who have this gene can maintain a healthy body weight with a bit of self-discipline. Everything healthy… and in moderation. And get that pulse rate up for 30min a day with some good weight bearing exercises thrown in. Simple.
I am a leader with Weight Watchers, which helped me lose 50 pounds in 2001. I’ve kept 40 off. Weight Watchers introduced the Core Plan (in 2003, I think) which is based on enjoying low energy density foods until you are satisfied. Members are given the food list and the tools to recognize when they are really hungry and how to eat until they are satisfied and not stuffed. There’s no weighing, measuring or counting on this plan. I love the Core Plan and find it helps me maintain my weight loss.
Weight Watchers has a food plan based on low energy density foods called the Core Plan. Members learn how to recognize hunger cues and their comfort zone-when they are overly hungry, satisfied/comfortable, or stuffed. The plan does not require that food be weighed or measured and there are no daily points to keep track of. I loset 50 pounds in 2001 following the Weight Watchers plan and primarily use the Core Plan to maintain my weight loss.
Low energy density foods contain fewer calories per gram. They tend to contain a lot of water, e.g., whole grains, veggies, fruits, beans.
Carbohydrates including those in fruits and veggies (yes, they are carbs along with protein), beans, and grains contains about 4 calories per gram. Fat contains about 9 calories per gram. Twice the energy density of an unrefined carb.
A calorie is a calorie, but you can eat twice the number of grams in carbs than fats for the same calorie count. In addition, carbs, even the refined carbs, tend to burn off as heat rather than be stored as fat. The conversion is pretty energy intensive. It’s the fat that creates the problems.
Research has shown your body fat is made up of the fats you eat–olive oil, canola oil, lard, chicken fat.
Fats in the diet also make it harder for insulin to do it’s job, leading to insulin resistance, which most Americans have to some degree. When your insulin levels are high, such as after you eat, your body shuts off it’s fat burners because the insulin signals that there’s plenty of available energy. However, your body continues to put the fat in your bloodstream in storage, leading to weight gain.
When you eat a vegan, no fat added diet, it’s hard to overeat because you reach satiation on fewer calories. And they tend to burn off as heat when you don’t have the fat in your diet to interfere with insulin and/or be put in fat storage while your insulin is doing its job.
In a vegan, no fat added diet, oils that occur naturally in the foods you eat make up about 10% of your calorie intake. A “reduced fat” diet in the US, however, usually means fats make up about 20% of your calories, which is not enough change to create lastng or dramatic results and still interferes with insulin.
There’s more to it than this, but this is the basics of why low energy density foods work, especially when you limit fats. That said, if you overeat anything, you’ll gain weight, and if you’re genetically programmed with a slow metabolism, foods will have a greater effect on you.
Most people’s problem is that we really need to learn how to eat. Include to each’s eatting life style the foods that give nutrition elements and try to avoid the rest.
First in response to Lydia, I’m 5,11 280lbs and have almost no will power, there is no way i can Quote “time actually hungry to lose weight and keep it off!” There are millions of people who cant do this but deperately want to lose weight. If we could just STARE down our hunger we would. Then just a comment on what Jeannie posted. Quote…”get that pulse rate up for 30min a day with some good weight bearing exercises thrown in. Simple.” Well NOT so simple really …if it were everyone could do it…i’m also disabled and cant run on a tread mill or lift weights.
This is in no way to ridicule any person because that are valid in a certain light.:)
I clicked on this link because it said “Stop Starving! Follow This Diet Rule to Stay Full and Still Lose Weight”
I think this is the only way some of us with an “Emotional eating disorder” can over come our weight. I’m going to try this starting today 10/15/08 and if this site is still avalable to post on….i will post again every 10 days to report results.
This comment is completely wrong:
“Yes, there is an ‘obesity gene’… but even those who have this gene can maintain a healthy body weight with a bit of self-discipline. Everything healthy… and in moderation. And get that pulse rate up for 30min a day with some good weight bearing exercises thrown in. Simple.”
Obesity gene, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, all kinds of issues that many, many people who struggle with keeping their weight down to a healthy level have and still, we eat right, exercise not 30 miutes a day with weight bearing exercises, but 90 minutes a day!! Hypothyroidism does not just affect people in their 50’s. I got mine in my late 20’s, and its permanent.
So, not simple and I agree with Judy, I definitely do not agree with Jeannie.
Good luck to everyone!