Weight Loss Resources
Hundreds of articles about weight loss ...
What makes you feel full - calories or how much you eat?
I was just wondering.. what makes you feel full? Is it the calories, weight or physical amount? Just a thought - sometimes it feels like I've hardly had any food but the calorie amount is enormous!
Our expert says...
That?s an interesting question, and the answer - as I think you?ve discovered - is that it's not calories that make you feel full! Instead, scientists looking at the area of satiety have discovered that most people eat a similar volume or weight of food every day and it's this rather than the number of calories, or the grams of fat, protein, or carb that fills you up. It's a concept called energy density or volumetics and it means that by changing the type of food you eat you can automatically make it easier to feel satisfied.
For example, some foods, such as desserts, chocolate, burgers and chips, as well as many other processed foods, are high in energy density. This means that a small volume of that food has a large number of calories.
Alternatively, some foods ? such as vegetables and fruits ? have low energy density. These foods provide a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories.
Two factors play an important role in what makes food less calorie packed and more filling:
* Water. Many fruits and vegetables are high in water, which provides volume but not calories. Grapefruit, for example, is about 90 percent water and has just 39 calories in a half-fruit serving. Carrots are about 88 percent water and have only 52 calories in 1 cup.
* Fibre. High-fibre foods ? such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains ? not only provide volume, but also take longer to digest, making you feel full longer.
In practice, eating a diet that includes more of these means eating more fruits, vegetables, soups and whole grains. Low fat dairy products and low fat proteins (chicken, fish) also have a relatively low energy density. If you?re interested in following this concept more (it works well with the calorie counting food diary approach at this site), look out books on the subject of Volumetrics, by Dr Barbara Rolls, available from amazon.co.uk
Disclaimer
You are advised to seek medical advice before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle with an aim of weight loss. This website and the content provided should not be used by persons under 18, by pregnant or nursing women, or individuals with any type of health condition, except under the direct supervision of a qualified medical professional. The information contained in these articles, and elsewhere on this website, is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to replace, and does not constitute legal, professional, medical or healthcare advice or diagnosis and may not be used for such purposes. Continue...