Bigger Plates, Smaller Waists - Jacked Nerds Issue #011

👋 Welcome Back, Jacked Nerds!

Warmest welcome to the 237 new readers who hopped on board last week! Stoked to have you join the community 💪.

I finally finished my review of Kellogg’s Eggo Protein Waffles. My girls and I crushed through 12 waffles one morning in the name of science…and of course for all of you 😄.

Check out whether I gave them a thumbs up, and what my girls favourite flavours were! (This is not sponsored)

Today I’d like to talk about something that sounds like a paradox but might just be the cheat code your fat loss journey’s been missing:

Eating more to lose fat.

Okay, not more calories—but more volume.

It’s called volume eating, and it’s a strategy that helps you feel fuller, longer, without blowing through your calorie budget.

If you’ve ever finished a meal, sat back, and immediately thought, "That’s it?", volume eating is worth your attention.

And volume eating isn't just for those eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. I eat around 2,500 calories a day and I use volume eating consistently as a way to feel fuller for longer and get my micronutrients in.

Read on for my volume eating go-tos and ideas.

In today's issue, you'll find:

• 💡 What is Volume Eating?

• 🧠 Best Practices for Volume Eating

• 🍊 Foods That Pull Their Weight in Volume Eating

• 💬 My Volume Eating Go-Tos

• 🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

• 🧅 My Favourite Recipe of the Week

• 📣 Share with a Friend!

• 🧠 Final Thoughts

💡 What is Volume Eating?

Volume eating is all about maximizing the amount of food you can eat for the least amount of calories—without starving, suffering, or shrinking your meals down to sadness-sized portions.

Imagine a bowl filled to the brim with colourful veggies, your favourite roasted starchy veggies, lean protein, and a low-cal flavour bomb…versus a palm-sized slice of pizza that clocks in at 400 calories.

Volume eating chooses the big bowl.

Every. Time.

The science behind volume eating is strong:

• Stomach stretch triggers satiety: High-volume foods physically fill your stomach, signalling fullness to your brain before you overeat.

• Slower eating boosts fullness hormones: Crunchy, fibrous foods take longer to chew and digest, giving your body time to register satisfaction.

• Fibre and whole foods stabilize blood sugar: Slow-digesting carbs (like beans, whole fruits, and starchy veggies) paired with protein and a little fat lead to smoother energy and reduced snack cravings later in the day.

• Low energy density = more food for fewer calories: Foods like vegetables, lean protein, and fruits let you eat big without blowing your calorie budget.

• Big portions satisfy your brain too: Visually abundant, flavourful meals feel more indulgent, even when they’re calorie-conscious.

🧠 Best Practices for Volume Eating

Like any strategy, volume eating works best when you use it intentionally. Here are the steps I follow without turning it into a chore or math problem:

1. Build your meals around high-volume foods first. Start with starchy root veggies, broth-based soups, or fibrous greens. These foods are the foundation.

2. Add lean proteins to lock in satiety. In Jacked Nerds Issue #005, I wrote at length about protein. Protein is the repair droid of your body. Combine it with volume foods and your stomach won’t go scanning for snacks an hour later.

3. Keep fats and simple carbs present—but in balance. Volume eating isn’t about avoiding fats or simple carbs. But because they're more calorie-dense, use them like sidekicks, not main characters. Think: avocado slices in a big salad, or a drizzle of olive oil over roasted veggies.

4. Don’t over-rely on artificial sweeteners or “diet” hacks. Yes, there are plenty websites and resources that tell you to use these “sugar-free jello” and “low-cal syrups” hacks. They can work for some people. But my first principle is always to aim to build your volume game around whole foods that you enjoy eating.

5. Prep in bulk to avoid friction. When you’ve got chopped veggies, cooked rice, grilled chicken, and a low-cal sauce ready to go, assembling a volume meal becomes easier.

   👉️ Ingredient prep is my preferred methods to go. I spend a couple of hours every Sunday to get ingredients ready for me and my family. If you need help getting started, check out my Jacked Nerds Meal Prep Guide. It breaks down exactly what to prep, how to keep it simple, and how to build high-volume meals without getting bored.

🍊 Foods That Pull Their Weight in Volume Eating

Some foods are the MVPs of the volume game. These are the types of foods you’ll see again and again in high-volume meals:

🥦 Veggies: Zucchini, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cabbage, Broccoli
🍓 Fruits: Strawberries, Watermelon, Blueberries, Oranges
🦐 Lean Protein: Egg Whites, Chicken Breast, Shrimp, Turkey, Tofu
🍠 Starchy Veggies: Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Corn, Butternut Squash
🌽 Other Volume Champions: Popcorn, Rice Cakes, Greek Yogurt

The trick is combining textures and flavours. A massive bowl of plain steamed broccoli? Boring. But roasted broccoli with garlic salt, a little balsamic glaze, grilled chicken, and a sprinkle of cheese? That’s a level-up meal.

And don’t forget the power of flavour bombs. These are small, calorie-light additions that make a huge difference in how satisfying your meal feels. Think: pickled onions, chili crisp, hot sauce, kimchi, mustard, fresh herbs, garlic paste, or a splash of vinegar. When you’re eating big portions of low-cal foods, bold flavours help fight palate fatigue and keep meals exciting.

💬 My Volume Eating Go-Tos

Here’s the typical make-up of my volume-focused meals:

Lean protein: Usually 150 to 200g of grilled chicken thighs, BBQ chicken breast, lean ground beef, or rotisserie chicken when I'm feeling lazy.

Roasted starchy veggie: My go-to is sweet potato or mini potatoes. I always leave the skin on for more flavour, texture, and fibre. Usually around 150 to 200g of these.

Two types of veggies: My go-to’s are bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus. I eat around 100g to 150g of each per meal. The aim here is volume, but also fibre and micronutrients (e.g., Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamins A, C, K, B, etc.).

A flavour bomb: Pickled red onions, Sriracha, light drizzle of hot honey BBQ sauce, etc. My pantry is also stocked with Trader Joe’s seasonings.

Extras: Depending on the day and the macros needed, I’ll add avocados, edamame, or corn niblets to my meals.

So all told, this is between 600g to 800g (or 1.3 to 1.7lbs) of food! It’s high-volume and packed with protein and micronutrients that keeps me full and satisfied for hours.

💬 Looking for More Inspo?

If you want recipes, food swaps, and recipe inspos that will fire up your next grocery run, check out r/volumeeating on Reddit. This subreddit is a goldmine. It’s people like you and me, experimenting and optimizing in real life, exchanging tips and advices to help everyone level up their volume-eating game.

🫵 Your Action Step of the Week:

This week, don’t overhaul everything. Follow the tips I shared and my examples, and build one intentionally high-volume meal and observe how you feel, both physically and mentally.

This is all about making incremental changes to your habits. If you find yourself fuller, more energized, or less snacky afterward—you’re already leveling up.

Reply and tell me what you built—I’d love to see it or help you tweak it.

🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

For my 3D printing nerds and miniature lovers, Smoggy3D on Reddit built a website that can generate 3D printable cities. It is not the most detailed, but it is still incredibly cool to just put in an address and instantly generate a 3D model of an area of your choosing.

Try it for yourself! 👉️ Map2Model

🧅 My Favourite Recipe of the Week

You might be thinking, “Pickled veggies, Dave? Really? 🤨”.

Yes, pickled veggies. I always have some pickled veggies on hand as my “flavour bombs”. When used right, these bold-flavoured sidekicks can level up your meals like no other.

My go-tos are pickled red onions, daikon and carrots. They are incredibly easy to make, store and will elevate your meals like no other.

Here is a simple pickled red onion recipe I use to pickle almost everything, that will take you minutes to make. The base recipe is incredibly easy. I will say I have tried to add garlic and peppercorns to the pickling process, but didn’t love the flavour.

Give it a go and spice up your meals!

📣 Share with a Friend!

I hope you’re getting real value from this newsletter!

If you are, it would mean a lot if you shared it with a friend, family member, or anyone you think could benefit from the frameworks and tips I share here.

Thanks so much for being part of this — I appreciate you! 🙏

My mission: 10,000 like-minded legends in the Jacked Nerds crew by end of year.
Help me get there 💪

🧠 Final Thoughts

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of overeating, constant hunger, or food guilt, volume eating might be the mindset reset you need.

It’s a way to feel full, satisfied, and still make progress—which for many of us is what’s been missing from past diet attempts.

Try it out for a few meals this week. Make one dinner that’s mostly plants and lean protein with a massive portion size and see how you feel. You might be surprised how easy it is to eat more while weighing less.

Catch y’all in the next one! ✌️ 

Dave Chen
(aka your Jacked Nerd guide)