Habits and Hustle - Episode 458: Volume Eating Secrets: How to Eat Massive Portions Without Gaining Weight

Episode Date: June 13, 2025

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 and use code Jen for 20% off Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off  TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here, code Jennifer20 for 20% off.  David: Buy 4, get the 5th free at davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle. Find more about Liron Kayvan:  Website: https://www.beyondfitnessla.com/  Instagram: @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

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it! 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. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to thank our sponsor, Momentous. When your goal is healthspan, 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 Momentus. 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 under the sun because they believe in nailing the basics with rock solid consistency and those basics are protein and creatine. Momentous sources create pure, the purest form of creatine. Momentous Source is Creopure, 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. Jen for 20% off. Livemomentous.com. All right. Welcome to Fitness Friday with Lirun as my partner in crime. Again, thank you for being here. Thank you. 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?

Yeah. Oh, you do? I mean, I can suss it out. Okay, well, I'm going to 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. Because it works, 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 in like four seconds and then it's gone. And I'm like, even though I know maybe I am full,

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- Well, I mean, that's true. There's just more to the story than that. Yeah, there's more to the story than that. But you can overeat healthy food is my point.

You can overeat healthy food is my point. Like you can overeat healthy food. Like people are like, oh, you can't gain weight from just eating, you know, blah, blah, blah. But yeah, you can. Like I know, cause like I said, I'm a volume eater and I eat really fast, really fast. I can like slam down three pounds of grapes in three minutes.

And people are like, yeah, yeah, sure you can, blah, blah. That sounds great. 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 try to like, kind of like,

I have all these like strategies and like tricks to my brain of like what I can eat. Cause I like so much food in terms of like that, that issue. What if there was a better way? What's your better way? Um, tell me, I'll tell you some of my tricks. Okay. What I do to feel full.

I step on like bone broth or chicken broth. Oh, can I just intersect here? No, let me, you asked me for my strategies. No, no, no, no, no, but this is on your point. I see it right now. I'm looking at it. I see your little bone broth in the corner. I do that because a hot beverage takes longer to drink

than a cold beverage, which is why I don't love having smoothies. It's clever. 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 30 minutes or so.

So that's one strategy. Big volume salads. That's why I have these trough, 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. So you get your steaks well done. Steak well done for sure. 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. Well, clearly something you're doing is working because you're in great shape. Yeah, I have all these tricks. I make my breakfast in the morning. I also think it's really important when you're a volume eater and you have big appetites, you got to plan ahead a little bit or else 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, as part of, what do you

call it? It's like, what's the word? You're trying to slow down your eating. Well, no, I know that, but there's a word. Like if I'm cutting my food and it's taking me more time. Mindful? Being more mindful. Okay, fine. Because I eat big portions, I have to be careful of what I eat and how I eat it. Okay, what are you going to say?

What if you had a better way? What's your better way there, buddy? I've been like this my whole life. You're going to tell me? Okay, what are you going to say? What if you had a better way? What's your better way there, buddy? I've been like this my whole life. You're going to tell me? Okay, tell me. Look, what you're doing is working to a point. Like you're in good shape and therefore- It's hard though.

Yeah. So you're going to be a little bit less motivated than someone who is completely, it's not working at all. You know, someone's a hundred pounds overweight. They're going to be more motivated to find a different weight. In your position, 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 has this same issue. That we are programmed to be fat slobs. That our genetics...

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. There's people out there very upset. 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, any excuse, I would do it. Okay, so let me get around to the point. I want to say this, I've trained my brain to know that that's not going to get me to where I want to 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 going to say.

You sure? Go ahead. Are you ready? Yes. So this idea that you are wired wrong, okay? That 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 dieting in particular and being in shape has to be a struggle. I used to think that way. 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 how I look now, but in the past few years, my whole kind of, it was a big paradigm shift. That's not the way we're wired.

Actually, our wiring is perfect. We do crave the foods that are healthy. We do crave the foods that are healthy. We do crave the foods that are good for us. We can be in optimal shape, meaning your best body, and eat the foods that you like and enjoy your food. And you really don't need discipline. Now that's a 180 on how the fitness industry sees things. 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 it's not like, this is not like one size fits all. I think 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.

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. No, I get, 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. 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, 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, like, oh yeah, like if we don't deprive ourselves, then we won't want it as much. And 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- 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 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. Okay. What are you talking about? Fundamentally, what I'm talking about is like chemically, our bodies are craving nutrients. And until we get those specific nutrients, our bodies will crave and ask for more and more and more. And you can eat.

Oh, that I agree with. You can eat till your gut is split open. You're right about that. And unless you're getting these key nutrients, you're not going to be sated. That's true. key nutrients, you're not going to be sated. So going with your satiety and finding ways to satiate yourself is the best way to stay lean. No, I agree. That's 100% true. You need nutrients. 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. It won't. Have the real thing all the time. You will eat less. That's another strategy

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

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

That's what I'm talking about. And it was it? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Yeah, no, I... The real thing. I agree. That to me is like, that is 100 percent true. 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.

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, slobby piece of shit, and that you don't have to fight your body constantly, and you don't have to suppress yourself, you need to understand that's not enough, right? 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. Of course, there's a lot to learn. 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'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 do work out a lot because I love the feeling afterwards. Not the feel, I don't love the feeling before.

That's so important. I love the feeling afterwards. And I've now trained my brain for the delayed gratification. 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, you think about how you feel when you leave the gym.

And if that's your focus, you'll never have a problem with it. No, I never focus on how I feel before. Never. I always focus how I feel after. That is like the number one... Number one mentality shift. ...mentality shift. And it works every time.

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snack and you're good to go. I love that it's so easy to prepare and you can incorporate with literally every busy lifestyle. So if you wanna make getting fiber easy, visit BioMe, that's B-I-O-M-E.com and enter code Jennifer20 for 20% off your first order of daily prebiotic fiber. That's BioMe.com codeifer20 for 20% off. Grab it today. Okay guys, we've got to wrap this. So wait real quick. Oh yeah. You asked me, you asked me a

couple times about my bone broth. Oh, you're so cute. Thanks. You brought this for me? It's homemade. Wow. And this is what a great- All the bits and the chunks in there. And we just talked about bone broth.

Totally. Mm-hmm. It was meant to be. It's like destiny spontaneously. Well, I hope you like it. Thank you so much. You're very welcome. You guys have to follow Leroyne at beyondfitness.com.

Beyond Fitness LA. Beyond Fitness LA. Well, I hope you like it. Thank you so much. You're very welcome. You guys have to follow Leroyn at beyondfitness.com. Beyond Fitness LA. Beyond Fitness LA. Yeah. 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. Me too. Thank you. Thank you for having me.