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Type ‘volume eating’ into your TikTok search and you’ll be met with thousands of videos of very slender-looking people telling you that this diet is the key to getting lean. The secret, they say, is to stock up on foods high in water and fiber, so you feel full—even though you’re consuming very few calories. On paper, it sounds pretty simple. Fruit, vegetables, broth-based soups, and lean proteins are all part of the mix.
Though the concept is guiding people toward nutritious fare, our experts are still skeptical it will offer lasting healthy habits and results. Here’s why.
Does volume eating help you lose weight?
In theory, filling yourself up with food that won’t pile on the pounds sounds like a sure-fire way to lose weight without being hungry all the time. But does it work? “To a degree,” says BANT-registered nutritionist Mays Al-Ali. She explains that people who drink more water and eat more fiber-rich foods do tend to consume fewer calories, so in some cases, that might lead to weight loss.
Steele Williams, a personal trainer and co-founder at TrainFitness who specializes in body recomposition, points to a year-long study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this study, women categorized as obese were split into two groups. The first group cut fat from their diet and lost 14 lbs. The second group cut fat and also ate more fruit and vegetables. “The second group lost 3.3 lbs more, while reportedly feeling less hungry,” Williams says.
But that doesn't mean loading up on less-calorie-dense foods is a foolproof route to getting lean: “Hunger hormones, blood sugar, sleep, stress, and muscle mass all influence fat loss,” Al-Ali explains. “If volume eating means you’re under-eating protein, fat, and total calories, you can end up with rebound hunger, cravings and a stalled metabolism.”
Eating more fiber, fruit, vegetables, and drinking more water can only be beneficial. And, as Al-Ali points out, these foods tend to support gut health and long-term wellbeing. But the risk is not getting a well-rounded diet that provides the things we really need. “Men who train regularly still need enough protein, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3s, and healthy fats, which support muscle, testosterone, mood, and recovery,” she says. A plate that’s all bulk and no substance won’t deliver.
Smart choices can help you avoid that. Another US survey, this one from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that, in a controlled study, people eating fewer calories per gram of food had a higher intake of vitamins C, A, and B6, iron, calcium, potassium, and folate than those eating calorie-dense foods. Again, it comes down to quality over quantity.
Does volume eating provide the energy we need for exercise and recovery?
Very bulky, low-calorie meals can leave you full but under-nourished. Training needs enough overall energy, around 0.73 to 1.00 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight if you’re building or maintaining muscle, and enough carbohydrate to refill glycogen.
“Chronic under-fueling shows up as flat workouts, poor sleep, slow recovery, low mood, lost muscle and a higher injury risk,” says Al-Ali, who suggests adding in energy-dense whole foods like eggs, oily fish, oats, rice, potatoes, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Williams agrees that volume eating generally won’t cut it when it comes to driving your workouts. He points to a statement from the International Olympic Committee which warned that under fueling over a prolonged period relative to an athlete’s training can harm both performance and health. “Low availability of carbohydrates was noted as a growing concern,” Williams points out, adding that “while this research was athlete-focused, it is still relevant to anyone who is training hard on a low-calorie diet.”
What’s the final verdict?
The final message from our experts is: proceed with caution. “Volume eating shouldn’t be treated as a diet, but it’s a great tool for people looking to lose weight or not overeat,” says Williams, adding that a solid guide for most people is a palm-sized piece of lean protein, a fistful of carbs, and the rest of the plate filled with vegetables. Just beware the risks of modeling your food intake based on EDM-soundtracked TikTok videos. “If you have low energy or feel like your training is suffering, eat a little bit more,” he says.
Al-Ali agrees volume eating has benefits but is flawed as a guide for your nutritional needs. “I like the principle of eating more vegetables and fiber, but I don’t like it when the goal becomes eating as much as possible for as few calories as possible,” she says.
Rather than restricting yourself, our experts agree that you need to eat to be strong, energized and properly nourished—not just full.
A version of this story originally appeared in British GQ.