Anyone here on Zone diet?

It seems to be an interesting approach. I was wondering if anyone tried
Zone diet, researched it, had a friend or relative on it, or
experienced in one way or another. I am curious  about any
thoughts or info you can provide. Thank you!  

never heard of it

def. heard of it, but don't know much about it.  it's anti-sugar, right?

Jennifer Aniston swears by that diet, I never tried it but I am very curious about it there's a book on it I know.But I think that it divides ur food into percentages.. like 40% protein or something not sure

Hi, I have been using the tools here for a while and reading the boards but never posted before... I have done the Zone before and it worked really well for me.  The best way to find out about it is by reading one of the many books on it. 

The principle is with every meal to create a ratio of one part unsaturated fat, two parts lean protein, and three parts carbs.  Most of the carbs you eat are either vegetables or fruit, because it encourages you to avoid processed carbs like bread and pasta.  I felt very healthy when I was on it but being a carb lover I missed the comfort food feeling of eating pasta, etc.  Now I try to stick with eating mostly vegetables and lean protein but don't follow the zone to the letter.  I think by following it for a while, it got me into the habit of eating more healthily.  Also you may find it is hard to eat enough protein with every meal, I did.  Hope this helps.

great thanks!

Arutledge, this is very interesting. On the zoneperfect site, there is a different ratio of the 3 nutrients:

What is a Food Block?
The block system was developed to make entering the Zone easier. A ZonePerfect Food Block is made up of a mini-block from each macronutrient category (carbohydrate, protein, and fat). One ZonePerfect Food Block equals 9 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat. By balancing your mini-blocks in a 1:1:1 ratio, you can easily attain the proper caloric ratio of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat without having to measure grams.

So, I am a little confused. Is it just the same thing said differently? Or, are there several different ideas on how to reach the 40-30-30 balance? Also, I know that's too much but if it is possible, what sources (books, online) would you recommend to check out?

Thanks a lot for the info! And, congrats on your success!!! How long did you follow the diet?

Yes, the book I looked at had a few different ways of calculating the amounts of fat, carbs, and protein.  I just went to the bookstore and bought a paperback on the Zone, I think it was called Enter the Zone but I'm not sure.

I guess the main thing I got out of it was to try to eat more protein and to try to minimize processed carbs, for example, we know from counting calories here, that you can eat as much broccoli, green beans, spinach, strawberries, salad, etc. as you want and not take in many calories.  The one problem I ran into was from eating too much fiber!  I also ended up eating a lot of grilled meat, beans, skim milk, cottage cheese, etc.

After a while I did get tired of eating all those vegetables.  I followed the diet strictly for about 3 months two years ago and lost about 15 lbs.  I've been trying to follow a more relaxed version of the zone for the last few weeks to try to lose about 5 lbs. but it is still too early to see how well it is working!

What stars do or don't do in terms of diet and nutrition should not be taken into consideration (not saying you are, just making a statement).

It is much easier to follow any type of diet when you can have your own personal trainer, personal chef and have the luxury of time and money.

I'm more interested in things that concern regular people.

I live in NYC so they have a Zone delivery thing here. You can probably look up the site.

I did it before my wedding. They deliver it to your door and it was quite easy and good-fish, fruit, pancakes, cheesecake... Lots of protein and fiber(too many salads though) - well balanced- I lost about 14lbs in 6 weeks.

I would do it again, but it is very expensive. They cook the food daily and deliver it by 5am so it is always fresh. You literally don't have to think of a thing, meaning if you are trying to learn new habits, you probably won't.

For a big event or for someone who is very busy- it's wonderful. But if you want to make a life difference, it's probably better to focus on changing your daily habits. Hope that helps

I tried the zone diet, but it was a pain in the ass.

I mean, come on-one third of a freaking banana?

now I just try to have a little protein with my carbs-way less work.

Yeah, I tried it. The only problem with it is you are constantly having to do math to figure out your portions. If you ever went out to eat, you're screwed. I think it is geared for people who cook everyday (or have someone do it for them!).

Never even heard of it, I don't like to follow diets. :/

I have been on the Zone delivery for a few weeks. I like it for many reasons.

1. 1200 a day- no thought involved.

2. I learned about portion sizes - how much I should eat, In the past I'd always eat big portions, so this helps.

3. I feel like I get a present each day I wake up in the morning and there is my food all ready for me.

4. It may be 36.00 a day, but it helps me not to eat out with friends during the week, and I always spend more then that on a meal in LA.

5. Gives me a break from the Grocery store and cooking.

I've got 9 pounds to go.. I'll let you know by the 4th of july if I reached my goal!

I've been on the Zone diet since March 21st.  I've lost 15 pounds and 5" off my waist and I wasn't grossly overweight (5'5" @ 148#'s down to 133#'s).  Normal caloric intake was probably north of 2200 and I've been averaging about 1320.  The diet is sort of complicated so it takes quite a bit reading and studying to understand the concepts and apply them.  However, I took the effort as a challenge and have made it a fun exercise.  I enter everything I eat into the calorie-count system and track my macronutrient ratio's (40:30:30, Carbs, Proteins, Fats).  I also track my weight and activity progress.  Past month averages ....

Fat - 29.0% (1,358 grams)
Protein - 29.3% (3,088 grams)
Carbohydrates - 41.6% (4,382 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0% (2 grams)
Other - 0.0%

Daily Calorie Intake - 1,319 cals
Daily Sodium Intake - 2,355 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 42 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 181 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 10 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 25 grams

The books "Enter the Zone and Mastering the Zone" will help a great deal.  You'll need a good kitchen scale to start to get familiarwith proportions (the whole 40, 30, 30 thing) and expect your grocery bill to double, eating healthy is expensive.  Once familiar the scale becomes less necessary.

I have several observations that I think are most important about the diet. 

1. It's been around a while so there's plenty of written and web information to gain guidance from as you work through various questions that come up.  The books mentioned are great resources.
2. The concept makes a great deal of scientific sense ... the eating habits you develop will stabilize your insulin levels and insulin production making this diet a very good choice for diabetics or those genetically prone to type II diabetes like myself (and not bad for just about everyone).
3. It's a complete change in your way of change with a great deal of learning about nutrition required, therefore you will be a much smarter food consumer having practiced this diet than ever before.  This may be the single most important reason to go through the process (ie. learning about the Zone).
4. If you choose to use the Zone, don't be surprised if you feel poorly the first few to 10 days as your body gets used to the drastic change in eating habits, it went away for my wife and myself after about day 10.
5. There are numerous ways to structure a healthy diet, the Zone provides the knowledge base and tools for one particular way.  In my case, I think it has been an effective tool and as a result, my eating habits have been changed for the rest of my life.  To me, that has been the most important aspect.

 

I

It seems to be working for a man in Mexico named Manuel Uribe:

Link

My bridesmaid is on that diet and has lost 30 pounds in 3 months. She loves it!!! Her whole family is eating it with her and have lost a ton of weight. I think her husband has lost over 40 pounds, and her daughter has lost quite a few inches as well.

They love it so I am thinking it may be great for some people. I have thought about trying it, but think I would have a hard time sticking to it. Counting cals works for me because it doesn't change the way my famiy has to eat and I refuse to cook two meals a night. So not going to happen!

Good luck - I hope it works wonders for you.

I plugged in my menu that the zone delivery is bringing me and it looks to be under 1200 cal. today is only about 900ish. So I called them to ask how many ounces and what brands they are sending. Has anyone had similar experiences with the amount of calories they give? I also requested no wheat or beef so maybe that is why it is less calories? not sure.

oh and thanks Bdmor, cause the first 10 days I was so tired too, and I thought you were suppose to have more energy?

 

I've been shooting for 30/30/40 percentages of fat/protein/carb based on the Oxidizer test and just realized that is comparable to The Zone. Using tools at zonediet.com, I learned that I needed 11 blocks which calculates to 869 calories and seems way below what I've been told to eat here.  Quite confusing.