info on The Zone diet 40-30-30

R

RhiannonW

Cathlete
I'm searching for a diet that will give me optimal energy and mental alertness. Any ideas?
I was reading The Zone by Barry Sears. I was feeling hopeful until I began reading labels. The Zone diet suggests lowering carbohydrate intake. According to food labels the only foods with low carbs are tuna and peanut butter, unless I prepare and cook everything I eat. Nearly all food labels list a 1:4 ratio of Protein to Carbs. The Zone recommended ratio is closer to 1:1.

1) Anyone have any thoughts, good or bad, on this particular theory in general?
2) What other foods are low in carbs(convenient food that wouldn't need to be prepared and cooked from scratch?
3) Any other suggestions for diets that would meet my goals?
4) Any suggested suppliments I should take?

Thanks for your time and thoughts.
 
The Zone is a fabulous diet but if you follow it to the tee I think you will go crazy. I did. YOu really have to measure all of your food in the beginning and you do have to cook all your food. I still do basically the zone I just am not as strict and I don't ever get 30% fat a day it's usually around 15-20% fat. Basically if you include a protein, a carb and a vegetable at every meal and then with two meals have some fat I think that is good. Cooking your own food is really the only way to go. There is so much crap in the food you buy at the grocery store. I stick with egg whites, chicken breast, fish, lean red meat, any vegetables, some fruit and brown rice and this seems to be working for me. If you have the time and patience the zone is great, it gives you a lot of energy and definitley lose some fat but it is really time consuming.
 
I just read a great book by Robyn Landis called "Body Fueling". It's not a diet at all. It simply teaches you how the body uses food for fuel and how to eat to optimize fat loss(instead of storage)and get more energy in your life. She discusses all "diets" and explains why we need to eat more! After I read it I felt a bit silly being drawn in by all these diets over the years. She "Fueled" for 2 years before writing the book. She lost 15 pounds of FAT but gained 15 pounds of muscle. She went from a size 8 to a 2/4. She says she could have lost it faster if she'd of really pushed herself but she didn't want to.
It is such an informative book. I really recommend it. I've been "fueling" for the past week now and am amazed at how much more energy I have for my workouts and life in general.
She says to eat more carbs(about 65%), keep fat percentage to 10-20 and protein(about 25%). Hope this helps! ;-) Susan
 
I recently read a book by Brad King called Fat Wars. It was given to me by a friend of my DH who is a licenced nutritionist. I always had lots of questions for him about what to eat, when to eat ... all that and he got the book for me for Christmas. It has answered so many questions. Brad King has a web site as well http://www.fatwars.com.

Brad follows the 40-30-30 concept and he believes in eating 4-6 small meals a day. I eat 5 small meals a day (2 of which are protein shakes) and haven't found it too difficult. The more you stick with it the easier it gets. You do have to measure everything though.

I am not looking to loose the weight quickly as I have convinced myself that I didn't gain it quickly. I was looking for something that I could stick to as a way of life and this seems to have done it for me. If I feel like straying a bit on the weekends I do. I have found that since I have been eating 5 smaller meals a day even when I stray I don't eat as much because I simply can't. It is definately worth checking into.
 
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