This high-protein oat recipe uses one surprising ingredient to make breakfast more filling

Calories in, calories out. In theory, weight loss really is that simple. But, if you’ve ever tried to stick to a calorie deficit, you’ll know the hardest part isn’t the meal prep or motivation – it’s hunger. And according to PT Bethany Dobson – who has a cool 1 million followers on Instagram – that’s exactly why so many of us fail at the first hurdle.

Dobson has been sharing her no-nonsense fat loss recipes online – and says she’s currently 4kg down since starting a fat loss phase, but admits she’s ‘always hungry’. This is why she focuses on meals that actually keep her full all day long – and swears by ‘volume eating’ (basically eating large plates of food while keeping calories low), admitting that without volume eating, she wouldn’t ‘last more than a day’ trying to diet.

Her current go-to recipe? A surprisingly simple high-protein, high-volume breakfast designed to keep you full right through to lunch. But there’s a twist...

Dobson explains that while oats are often seen as a go-to healthy option for breakfast, small portion sizes can leave you feeling hungry just an hour after eating – especially when you’re in a calorie deficit and trying to lose weight.

In a recent reel, she points out that ‘35g of oats is not a lot’. She adds that while carbs shouldn’t be eliminated entirely – we all need carbohydrates to fuel the brain, nervous system and muscles – lower-carb approaches can sometimes support fat loss.

So, the question is, how do you make a small bowl of oats feel significantly bigger (without adding extra calories)?! The answer? Adding grated courgettes, of course.

Dobson jokes that this is the point where people either ‘scroll on’ or decide to lean in and trust the process – because her solution of adding courgette to bulk out her morning bowl of oats does sound, admittedly, a tad questionable. ‘I can literally see your eyes rolling right now through the screen,’ she laughs.

And yes, it’s worth recognising that there is something a little reminiscent of the 2014 clean eating era about adding courgette to oats. But unlike the days of cauliflower pizza bases and sweet potato brownies, Dobson isn’t claiming that anyone needs to eat courgette oats to lose weight; she’s simply suggesting that if you feel hungry while dieting, adding volume to your food is one way to stay fuller for longer.

Dobson adds that while fruit is potentially also a good option to bulk up your oats, ‘calories still add up,’ which led her to consider experimenting with veg. ‘Carrot? Absolutely not with chocolate. Cucumber? No. Courgette? HOLD ON’, she writes.

Her logic is surprisingly simple – ‘We put courgettes in our lunch and our dinner to increase the volume, I want to increase the volume of my oats, so why don't we just try courgettes?’ She explains that half a courgette is only 15 calories, but ‘quadruples the volume’ in our bowl.

She added that the result was surprisingly effective, saying, ‘And wowwwww!!! It makes the oats ridiculously thick, creamy and volumised without changing the taste,’ and concluded that she’s now ‘fully addicted’.

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Volume eating is all about maximising portion size while keeping calories low, helping you feel fuller for longer. According to Dobson, this approach has completely changed her relationship with dieting.

She says volume eating includes ‘all the components needed to keep our satiety levels high’ and credits it with helping her lose 4kg without feeling deprived.

Previously, she says she struggled with constant hunger, overeating and finding diets impossible to maintain. But eating larger, more filling meals has made the process feel far more manageable.

‘Volume eating allowed me to eat huge amounts of food,’ she explains.

366 calories | 29g protein | 41g carbs | 11g fat

Ingredients

• 35g oats
• 30g chocolate protein powder
• 200ml almond milk
• 1/2 courgette (grated)
• 5g cacao powder
• 50g mixed berries

Method

1. Weigh out 35g of oats in a bowl
2. Pour over 100ml of almond milk and add 100ml of water
3. Grate half a courgette directly into your oats to increase the volume
4. Put your bowl of oats into the microwave for one minute
5. In a separate bowl, measure out 30g of chocolate protein powder (either whey or vegan), then add 5g of cacao powder and 100ml of almond milk and mix together until you have a smooth protein batter
6. Remove your oats from the microwave, add your chocolate protein batter and stir it all together
7. Top with 50g berries