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Our Reviewer Says ...
"Those who hate to give up certain foods may find the Zone worth the effort, since nothing is deemed totally off limits."
At a Glance
Most diets ask you subtract calories or fat from your meals, but with the Zone Diet, the key to losing weight starts with knowing how to divide your meals. According to its creator Dr. Barry Sears, your body's metabolic functions are most efficient when every meal follows a ratio of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat (40-30-30). Sears says this combination helps stabilize your hormones, placing your body in what he calls "the zone". By balancing out your hormones, your body releases less excess insulin into your bloodstream, which has been shown to contribute to weight loss. The diet also claims that eating this way lowers your risk of developing other chronic diseases.
Checklist
- Cost: Moderate to very expensive. If you stick with the recipes they recommend, your food budget should be moderate. However, if you choose to use their brand of supplements, nutritional bars and shakes your expenses can rise fast.
- Meals Provided: No, but several companies offer "Zone-inspired" meals. Zone Chefs delivers frozen and/or fresh Zone-based meals which range from $25 to $40 for a one-day supply.
- Diet Duration: Ongoing. There are no phases, levels or stages, but you're encouraged to follow its principles for life.
- Fitness Requirements: The diet doesn't recommend any specific exercise regime. However, doing some form of moderate exercise for thirty minutes, 3 to 5 times a week is recommended.
- Time Commitment: Serious. Having to divvy each meal appropriately is time consuming, but there are also certain rules on when you should eat. You must eat within one hour of waking, then every 2 to 2 ½ hours after that.
- Eating Out: Difficult. Dividing meals into the 40-30-30 ratio usually means ordering off the menu. You will also have to skip any sauces, gravies or anything that loaded with carbs or fats that could throw off the balance.
- Alcohol: Yes -- roughly one drink a day.
- Vegetarian-Friendly: Depends. Because the diet requires 30 percent of your calories come from a protein source, avoiding meat is tricky but can be done. In earlier books, dieters weren't given as many non-meat protein options, but Sears has added more veg-friendly options in later books, like the Soy Zone.
- Strict/Flexible Eating Plan: Very strict. You must ensure that each meal (and snack) breaks down proportionally by a ratio of 40-30-30, which requires much planning.
More Info
Online:
Zone Diet
Books:
Mastering the Zone
Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes
The Top 100 Zone Foods
