Episode 458: Volume Eating Secrets: How to Eat Massive Portions Without Gaining Weight

Can you eat huge portions and still stay lean? In this Fitness Friday episode on the Habits and Hustle podcast, Liron Kayvan and I dive into volume eating strategies and the psychology behind food cravings. We discuss practical tricks for people who love to eat big portions, why hot beverages beat smoothies for satiation, and the fundamental mindset shift that separates fit people from those who struggle. Plus, we explore whether our bodies are naturally wired to crave healthy foods or if discipline is always required. Liron Kayvan founded BFLA in 2019. He's a NASM Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Transformative Life Coach. Liron has competed in Amateur MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Rugby and has been a Fitness Coach for over 10 years. What we discuss: Volume eating strategies for big appetites Why hot bone broth beats cold smoothies The "horse trough salad" method Planning ahead to avoid food emergencies Well-done vs. rare foods for slower eating The real vs. fake food satisfaction principle Why almond milk might be sabotaging your goals Calories in vs. calories out reality The paradigm shift: craving nutrients vs. fighting cravings Delayed gratification mindset for exercise Focus on how you feel after workouts, not before Thank you to our sponsor: Momentous: Shop this link https://www.livemomentous.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorDUIZz3psr1Qsq_n1yE8_6JTq_QUFabOO9lH65HDEXCIoJOPLj and use code Jen for 20% off Therasage: Head over to therasage.com http://therasage.com/ and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com http://truniagen.com/ and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www http://www/.magicmind.com http://magicmind.com//jen and use code Jen at checkout. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here https://bio.me/?utm_source=Jennifer, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. David: Buy 4, get the 5th free at davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle http://davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle. Find more about Liron Kayvan: Website: https://www.beyondfitnessla.com/ Instagram: @beyondfitnessla https://www.instagram.com/beyondfitnessla/ Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Hi guys, this is Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

• 0:08Jen Cohen?

  Hey friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle Podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up.

• 0:30Jen Cohen?

  Before we dive into today's episode, I want to thank our sponsor Momentous. When your goal is health span, living better and longer, there are very few non-negotiables. One of them, quality. And when it comes to supplements designed for high performers, nobody does it better than Momentous. Momentus goes all in on NSF certification, which means every single batch is tested for heavy metals, harmful additives, and label accuracy. And that's why they're trusted by all 32 NFL teams and top collegiate sports dietitians across the country. Here's the thing, they don't sell every supplement

• 1:11Jen Cohen?

  under the sun, because they believe in nailing the basics with rock solid consistency, and those basics are protein and creatine. Momentus sources Creapure, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available, an absolute must for both men and women who want peak physical and cognitive performance. So if you're serious about leveling up, go to livemomentous.com and use code GEN for 20% off. Just act now. Start today. GEN for 20% off. livemomentous.com.

• 1:55Jen Cohen?

  All right. Welcome to Fitness Friday with Lirun as my partner in crime. Again, thank you for being here.

• 2:02Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 2:02Jen Cohen?

  Okay, you know what? Let's just talk. I want to talk about just overall like food and fitness and all the things, okay? I'm a volume eater. Do you know what that means?

• 2:12Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 2:13Jen Cohen?

  Oh, you do?

• 2:14Speaker 02

  I mean, I can, I can suss it out.

• 2:16Jen Cohen?

  Okay, well, I'm gonna say what it is for people who don't know. I love to eat. I love food. I love, I think about food all the time. I like talk about food all the time. And because of that, I like have to like eat big, I like, I love big portions. And so I have to be very cognizant of what I eat. So I eat like massive salads, like out of a horse trough, right? And love like tons of lettuce.

• 2:39Speaker 02

  I used to do that.

• 2:40Jen Cohen?

  It work, because you know, it tricks your brain to feeling and to thinking that like you're eating a lot of food. And like, it lets your brain kind of catch up with your stomach in a way, right? I'm not great with just eating like steamed vegetables and a piece of chicken because I'll gobble it up. It's like four seconds and then it's gone. And I'm like, even though I know maybe, maybe I am full. My body, my brain doesn't tell my stomach I'm full. So I'll want to have seven more chicken breasts. And at the end of the day, it's calories in, calories out. Yes, not 100% that in terms of like, but it pretty much.

• 3:16Speaker 02

  I mean, that's true. There's just more, more to the story than that.

• 3:19Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, there's more to the story of that. But you can overeat healthy food is my point. They could, you can overeat healthy food. Like people like, oh, you can't get, you can't gain weight from just eating, you know, blah, blah, blah. But yeah, you can. Like, I know, because like I said, I'm a volume eater and I eat really fast, really fast. I can, I can like slam down three pounds of grapes in three minutes. And people are like, yeah, yeah, sure you can, blah, blah.

• 3:46Speaker 02

  Sounds great.

• 3:47Jen Cohen?

  I can. Yeah. I can eat a watermelon in like four minutes. And that's a ton of sugar, right? So yeah, it's not as same as eating a Mars bar, but it's the same concept, right? So I, I try to like, kind of like, I have all these like strategies and like tricks to, for my brain of like, what I can eat because I like so much food in terms of like that, that issue.

• 4:09Speaker 02

  What if there was a better way?

• 4:11Jen Cohen?

  What's your better way?

• 4:15Jen Cohen?

  Tell me, I'll tell you some of my tricks, okay, that I do.

• 4:17Speaker 02

  Okay, tell me a trick.

• 4:19Jen Cohen?

  I sip on like bone broth or chicken broth.

• 4:21Speaker 02

  Oh, oh, can I just intersect here?

• 4:23Jen Cohen?

  No, let me, you asked me for my strategies.

• 4:25Speaker 02

  No, no, no, I know, but this is on your point.

• 4:26Jen Cohen?

  I see it right now. I'm looking at it. I see your little bone broth in the corner. I do that because A, a hot beverage takes longer to drink than a cold beverage, which is why I don't love having smoothies.

• 4:40Speaker 02

  That's clever.

• 4:41Jen Cohen?

  I don't love having smoothies because you can, I can drink a smoothie in four and a half seconds and be starving. So that does not work for my archetype. It does not work. But if I had like a hot bone broth, it will take me at least thirty minutes or so. So that's one strategy. Big volume salads. That's why I have these trot, horse trough salads. Big, big, big, tons of lettuce. Another trick. I do love to have food that's very well done because it takes longer to eat.

• 5:15Speaker 02

  So you get your steaks well done?

• 5:16Jen Cohen?

  Steak well done for sure.

• 5:19Jen Cohen?

  Yeah. But like I said, even I love steak, but I need to have, I have to have it on a bed of lettuce, even with my vegetables on the side, because I will gobble it up. Like, that's why I said, if I just have steamed vegetables and just a piece of meat, it's not going to satiate me.

• 5:32Speaker 02

  Well, clearly something you're doing is working because you're in great shape.

• 5:36Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, but I have all these tricks. I make my breakfast in the morning. I also think it's really important when you have, when you're a volume eater and you have big appetites, you've got to plan ahead a little bit, or else you'll get, you'll get yourself into a bad situation. I have the same breakfast every morning. I make these eggs, but I make it into a pancake with cheese and I make it really well done. So I'm like, it's like a whole, I'm eating it like as like, um, as part of, um, what do you call it? It's like, what's the word?

• 6:04Speaker 02

  You're trying to slow down your eating.

• 6:05Jen Cohen?

  Well, no, I know that, but there's a word. Like, if I'm cutting my food and it's taking me more time.

• 6:10Speaker 02

  Mindful?

• 6:11Jen Cohen?

  Being more mindful. Okay, fine. Because I eat big portions, I, I have to be careful of what I eat and how I eat it. Okay, what are you gonna say? What's it, what if you had a better way? What's your better way there, buddy? I've been like this my whole life. You're gonna tell me? Okay, tell me.

• 6:27Speaker 02

  Look, what you're doing is working to a point, like you're in good shape and therefore.

• 6:32Jen Cohen?

  It's hard though.

• 6:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, so you're gonna be a little bit less motivated than someone who is completely, it's not working at all. You know, if someone's a hundred pounds overweight, they're gonna be more motivated to find a different way. In your position, you are, you know, you are in good shape. But my philosophy is very, very different than the traditional fitness philosophy. I think that way of seeing food, which is really, I'm talking about the fundamental philosophy of it. The idea that we are programmed, and this is nothing special about Joan Cohen, because everyone, everyone has this same issue.

• 7:11Jen Cohen?

  Yep.

• 7:11Speaker 02

  That we are programmed to be fat slobs, that our genetics.

• 7:16Jen Cohen?

  I'm programmed to be a fat slob. Oh, no. By the way, that's like, I say that all the time. Like, if, just give me one good reason and any moment, I would be happy.

• 7:26Speaker 02

  There's people out there very upset.

• 7:28Jen Cohen?

  No, I am. No, they shouldn't be upset because if I can do it, anybody can do it. Because I love food. I love, like, my favorite thing in the world is pizza, chicken fingers, french fries, watching Netflix. Like, if I could be a big fat slob, trust me, I, any excuse, I would do it.

• 7:49Speaker 02

  Okay, so let me, let me get round to the point.

• 7:52Jen Cohen?

  But if this was, I want to say this, I've trained my brain to know that that's not gonna get me to where I wanna be. So I have all of these methodologies in place to prevent me from going down that road. And that's why exercise has been my savior, because that was the keystone habit that changed and reconfigured how I think and basically reprogrammed my brain. Now you can say what you're gonna say.

• 8:19Speaker 02

  You sure?

• 8:20Jen Cohen?

  Go ahead.

• 8:20Speaker 02

  Are you ready?

• 8:21Jen Cohen?

  Yes.

• 8:22Speaker 02

  So this idea that you are wired wrong, okay? That you, your brain, your body, your taste buds are all wrong. That you want to eat the foods that are fattening. That only delicious foods are fattening and all fattening foods are delicious and so on and so forth. And that like dieting in particular and being in shape has to be a struggle. I used to think that way. I used to be that way. And I looked not that different from my look, how I look now. But in the past few years, my whole kind, it was a big paradigm shift. That's not the way we're wired. Actually, our, what our wiring is perfect. We do crave the foods that are healthy. We do crave the foods that are good for us.

• 9:05Speaker 02

  We can be in optimal shape, meaning your best body, and eat the foods that you like and enjoy your foods. And you really don't need discipline. Now, that's a one eighty on how the fitness industry sees things.

• 9:21Jen Cohen?

  Could I, let me tell you something. I don't agree with a lot of that. I think that, I mean, that's not true. I can agree with that to some extent. But I do think that not, it's not like, this is not like one size fits all. I think our, everybody's brain is wired differently. And it will come down to what your goals are for you and how determined you are to achieve those goals. And I think you have to rely on not motivation, but discipline. And because of that, you got to build your discipline. So I think that for me, I think the thing is because I force myself to do all these hard things that I don't really necessarily want to do.

• 10:05Jen Cohen?

  But it's now trained me to have the discipline enough so I can keep on going day in, day out, even when I don't want to. Because the outcome is much better than what it would be otherwise.

• 10:16Speaker 02

  No, I get, I, I do get that. I do get that. I'm just saying that is going to be successful up until a point. But there is something beyond that.

• 10:24Jen Cohen?

  And I agree, and I've tried these things. Like I've tried what you said, like they had this thing. You know, the big thing was like you have one day where you eat whatever you want. And that doesn't work for everybody. If I had that one day where I can eat whatever I want. And when I do, I become like a massive pig. And once that, once that, that train has left the building, good luck. It's really hard to kind of wheel me in. So I feel it's better to, yeah, I do. I, of course I do that. Don't get me wrong. I do it all the time. But I have yet to, I'm just being, I'm talking real talk here. I find it really hard to have that over, that mentality that you're saying that, oh yeah, you know, like if we are, we should just be like,

• 11:08Jen Cohen?

  like, oh yeah, like if we don't deprive ourselves, then we won't want it as much. And I, I get all that. This is like, I do this on my podcast every, people say it all the time. But I don't think psychologically that actually.

• 11:20Speaker 02

  Well, look, some of those people are bullshit, right? Some of that is bullshit. Some of that is this kind of hippie sort of progressive. You know, like, oh, we're just, we have to feed our inner child. And it's this like really overly emotional like bollocks. That's not what I'm talking about.

• 11:36Jen Cohen?

  Okay. What are you talking about?

• 11:37Speaker 02

  Fundamentally, what I'm talking about is like chemically, our bodies are craving nutrients. And until we get those specific nutrients, our, our bodies will crave and ask for more and more and more. And you can eat.

• 11:52Jen Cohen?

  Oh, that I agree with.

• 11:52Speaker 02

  You can eat till your gut is split open.

• 11:57Jen Cohen?

  You're right about that.

• 11:58Speaker 02

  And unless you're getting these key nutrients, you're not gonna be sated.

• 12:03Jen Cohen?

  That's true.

• 12:04Speaker 02

  So, so going with your satiety and finding ways to, to like satiate yourself, right? Is the best way to stay lean.

• 12:15Jen Cohen?

  No, I agree. That's 100% true.

• 12:17Speaker 02

  You need nutrients.

• 12:18Jen Cohen?

  So I'll even say things like, I used to do this, like have fat free frozen yogurt instead of having ice cream. That doesn't work.

• 12:25Speaker 02

  It didn't work.

• 12:26Jen Cohen?

  Have the real thing all the time. You will eat less. That's another strategy of mine. Like, don't try to like, don't try to short circuit or hack it by saying, I really want ice cream. So I'm going to have this fat free frozen yogurt because you'll never feel the same satisfaction. And you'll still be craving what you're craving. Also, our bodies crave fat, right? And if you take the fat out, they're replacing that fat with sugar, which is actually does your body worse harm.

• 12:53Speaker 02

  You will not be able to keep up a zero fat, zero sugar, zero salt diet.

• 12:57Jen Cohen?

  Oh, I agree. That to me, that, by the way, that's not one of my strategies. I think I eat like full butter. I eat, I, I, I'm now actually going back, um, the pendulum now is swung where I was eating, drinking almond milk all the time, thinking that was the right thing. I'm now going back to whole milk.

• 13:12Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 13:12Jen Cohen?

  Because to me, it's much more satiating.

• 13:14Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 13:15Jen Cohen?

  And it, was it?

• 13:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

• 13:18Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, no, I.

• 13:18Speaker 02

  The real thing.

• 13:19Jen Cohen?

  I agree. That, that to me is like, that is a hundred percent true. But we were, we were kind of saying different things. I just got, I just was on my little ivory box there, talking, yelling at you. Okay, but that's true.

• 13:31Speaker 02

  But it's a key thing for people to understand, like fundamentally, like starting, you know, your starting point is going to dictate your finishing point. Like, if you start with this idea that you're not a fat, s- s- s- s- sloppy piece of shit, and that you're, you don't have to fight your body constantly, and you don't have to suppress yourself, you need to understand, like, that's not enough, right? That, that isn't enough. You need to understand the details. And so there's much more to learn about nutrition, and fitness, and health, and so on and so forth.

• 14:02Jen Cohen?

  Of course, there's a lot to learn. This, this episode wasn't about the science behind it. It's more about the fact of like, human nature, and sometimes how we're just, we, we, we're wired. And I think it's like, even people like, people look at me and they're like, oh, you're so fit. Oh, you're like this, like, you love to work out. You, you work out all the time. Okay, I, I do work out a lot because I, I love the feeling afterwards, not the feel, I don't love the feeling before.

• 14:27Speaker 02

  That's so important.

• 14:28Jen Cohen?

  I love the feeling afterwards, and I've, I've now trained my brain for the delayed gratification.

• 14:33Speaker 02

  That's the biggest mindset shift that people who are struggling to get into fitness and get working out, need to have that mindset shift that you just said, where instead of thinking about how you feel when you go to the gym,

• 14:45Jen Cohen?

  No, I say it all the time.

• 14:46Speaker 02

  How you, you think about how you feel when you leave the gym. And if that's your focus, you'll never have a problem working.

• 14:51Jen Cohen?

  No, it's always, I never focus on how I feel before.

• 14:54Speaker 02

  Never.

• 14:54Jen Cohen?

  I always focus how I feel after. That is like, the number one.

• 14:59Speaker 02

  Number one mentality shift.

• 15:00Jen Cohen?

  Mentality shift. And it works every time.

• 15:03Speaker 02

  Every time.

• 15:10Jen Cohen?

  Let's quickly talk about a health issue that affects almost all of us. Fiber deficiency. Did you know that 95% of people don't get enough fiber in their daily diet? I was shocked when I learned this because fiber is truly the foundation of overall wellness. It's not just about keeping our digestion smooth and regular, although of course that's super important, but fiber also nourishes the good bacteria in our gut. It supports a balanced microbiome, helps us feel fuller for longer, which makes managing our weight even easier, and it even improves our energy by optimizing nutrient absorption and stabilizing our blood sugar.

• 15:50Jen Cohen?

  That's why I am really excited to share Biome's Daily Prebiotic Fiber with you. This product makes meeting your daily fiber needs simple, enjoyable, and super effective. With eight grams of fiber per serving plus gut-friendly prebiotics, it's designed to close that fiber gap in your diet and support your digestion and gut health every single day, and it fits effortlessly into your routine. Just mix it in the morning smoothie, or tea, or coffee, or afternoon snack, and you're good to go. I love that it's so easy to prepare and you can incorporate it with literally every busy lifestyle.

• 16:28Jen Cohen?

  So if you want to make getting fiber easy, visit Biome, that's B-I-O-M-E dot com, and enter code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your first order of Daily Prebiotic Fiber. That's Biome.com code JENNIFER20 for 20% off. Grab it today.

• 16:57Jen Cohen?

  Okay, guys, we gotta wrap this, so.

• 16:58Speaker 02

  Wait, real quick.

• 17:00Jen Cohen?

  Oh, yeah.

• 17:01Speaker 02

  You asked me, you asked me a couple of times about my bone broth.

• 17:04Jen Cohen?

  Oh, you're so cute. Thanks. You brought this for me?

• 17:07Speaker 02

  It's homemade, yeah.

• 17:08Jen Cohen?

  Wow, and this is what a great.

• 17:09Speaker 02

  All the bits and the chunks in there.

• 17:11Jen Cohen?

  And we just talked about bone broth, totally.

• 17:14Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 17:15Jen Cohen?

  Like.

• 17:15Speaker 02

  It was meant to be.

• 17:16Jen Cohen?

  It's like destiny, spontaneous, like spontaneously.

• 17:20Speaker 02

  Well, I hope you like it.

• 17:20Jen Cohen?

  Thank you so much.

• 17:22Speaker 02

  You're very welcome.

• 17:22Jen Cohen?

  You guys have to follow Luron at beyondfitnessla.com.

• 17:25Speaker 02

  BeyondFitnessLA.

• 17:27Jen Cohen?

  Beyond Fitness L.A.

• 17:28Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 17:28Jen Cohen?

  He's a real treat. He's a great guy. He's a fitness person. He's got two kids. And he's my friend who I love to banter with on this show. So thank you for being here.

• 17:39Speaker 02

  Me too. Thank you. Thank you for having me.