The Zone Diet

The premise of the diet is to promote a healthy hormonal balance to regulate the body's insulin levels. Dr. Sears, the founder of the Zone Diet, identifies insulin levels as the determining factor in losing weight, not will power. By controlling the insulin levels, individuals have the opportunity to maximize their weight loss and energy levels. Dr. Sears refers to non-starchy vegetables, when selecting vegetables. Some of these include eggplant, onion, mushroom, cauliflower, and nearly every green vegetable grown. When it comes to proteins, look for lean meats. Nuts and natural nut butters are great options for everyone, including vegetarians interested in trying this diet. his diet is a healthy plan that is suitable for diabetic, pregnant and nursing women too.

Dr. Sears uses the 40/30/30 ratio to balance the body's insulin levels and this combination has proven effective in weight loss at a reasonable rate. With the proper balance, calories are used more efficiently within the body, so it doesn't have to store all extra calories as fat. Sears believes consuming fat is vital in losing fat. As ironic as it may sound, monosaturated fats leave you feeling full and slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the bloodstream. Another important piece in this program is eating 3 meals and 2 snacks every day. Even if you don't feel hungry, it is important to keep this regime as it maintains the balance within the body. You may notice an increase in energy levels, due to this balance. Not feeling hungry is a good signal you are on the right track in keeping the balance and losing fat.

In comparison, the Zone Diet is identified as a low carb diet, but not as restrictive as some others. Some other low carb diets focus on high protein intake, and not the combination of foods to create the hormonal balance. Also, starchy carbohydrates are not forever eliminated from your menu. After the initial two week jumpstart in reprogramming the body, you can introduce these carbs in a useful manner. Once you learn how foods work with your body, you can make better decisions about what you consume. When you incorporate these sugar-based starchy foods like bagels, rice, pasta, potatoes, and breads you should limit your serving sizes and make some trade-offs in meal planning. If you really want to eat a slice of chocolate cake for dessert, hold off on eating the dinner rolls at the beginning of the meal. If you get off track, don't beat up yourself; just get back on track at your next meal.

What can you expect to lose by following this low carb lifestyle under the Zone Diet? On average, each month you may expect to lose 8-10 pounds. Within the first week of the diet, you may lose water weight and fat attributing to 4 pounds. From that point on, you should expect to see a loss of 1.5 - 2 pounds per week, which is a healthy amount to lose. Besides the number on the scale, you may be more impressed with the true test of fat loss in the way your clothes begin to fit during the second week into the program.