I should not start running. That is idiotic. I have a liver problem, which is caused by my weight. Fatty infiltrates to my liver. It will stop working unless I do something. So I am not attempting a diet to get in shape. I am doing to save my life.

I am walking. Leslie Sansone has a number of walking videos. They are where I am starting. I can walk a mile in her video and break a sweat. This is more activity than I am used to doing in 15 minutes. I will continue everyday and then start doing her 2 mile and continue to 4 miles a day eventually.

The problem with diets for big eaters like me is portions. “Cut down on portions.” Go kill yourself. That isn’t going to happen. Volumetrics gives me ideas for large portions of low cal food. That does not taste like crap. South Beach tastes horrible. And don’t tell me I don’t know taste. I went to Paris, I have had the best food in the world, and I have thought about going back to culinary school. I can eat what I want, but if I use their substitutions I can eat larger portions.

Good luck to you losing weight, for whatever your reason.

Even if I get down to the ideal weight my doctor wants I will still have 25% BMI, though that is better than my current 34%.

Walking 2 miles isn’t going to get you very far if you want to be in shape.

Find a beautiful trail and start running as much as you can but don’t injure yourself and make sure to have fun.

If you get a running partner that’d be even better.

And they do also discuss protein. They’re actually not a pro vegetarian book. Again, they have no problem with people eating meat as long as they recognize what they eat and plan accordingly. That is, if you just ate 800 calories in meat, then you should probably lay off the additional 800 calories in fried potatoes on your plate and focus on those low energy density veggies instead.

Gal

The basic idea behind it is that people will eat the same volume (hence the name) of food every day. Since most people tend to consume too many calories, volumetrics would have them switch in lower calorie foods. That way they keep the volume but reduce the calories.

Note that they don’t recommend dropping calorie consumption really low. They provide guidance in picking out the right calorie level to sustain your body and then toss in some exercise on top to lose the extra weight.

Overall, I agree with Trent, it’s a very good plan. It’s not too preachy or regimented and it doesn’t tell you specifically what to do. Instead, it just teaches you the basics of nutrition and a healthy life style.

Gal

It also doesn’t seem like they put a lot of emphasis (maybe they do and it’s overshadowed by the vegetables focus) into lean meats. It is believed that around 30% of the calories from protein is used simply digesting it.

Too often I see people loose quite a bit of weight, but what they don’t realize is that they’re also losing muscle.

The problem with losing muscle is that if you deviate off your diet even slightly, the muscle loss will actually allow you to get more fat rapidly since their is less muscle to eat up what you put in.

Disclaimer, I’m not a trainer and this isn’t intended to be scientific .. just what I’ve grasped during my discussions with professional personal trainers.

The best weight loss book I ever read Ultimate Diet Secrets by Dr. Gregory Ellis. He’s a blowhard but if you sift out the facts from his book, it is quite an amazing read. I’d recommend the Lite version if you’re interested in ordering it.

One thing I appreciate about Volumetrics is that I can use the principles to make ordinary family meals healthier, then I can perform a couple of extra swaps to make my portions lower in calorie density (cauliflower instead of potato or rice, sauteed zucchini with tomato and a sprinkle of parmesan instead of another piece of lasagna). That way, I don’t have to make separate meals and everyone is content.

Volumetrics isn’t some radical, rigid plan. It’s all about moderation and eating the most tasty, quality food you can for the number of calories you should have — then moving your body to keep it healthy and burning that food efficiently.

You may have lost 11 pounds, but how much of that is fat versus muscle?

You certainly don’t want to loose muscle, try using a fat measuring caliper to track the fat/muscle you’re gaining/losing.

I’m curious if the book mentions this? If it does not make the distinction between loosing fat versus loosing muscle, I’d be suspicious of this diet book.