The Zone???

aimeefit

Member
Anyone here on the Zoe or 40/30/30 eating plan?? I've been on it for a week now, and I'm loving how I feel! I've even lost 1.5lbs!! I'm just wondering what kind of results you all got on it. Thanks for any info!!

Aimee
 
I did the zone a couple of years ago. Lost 10lbs. It got to boring and when I started eating breads and things the weight came bac.. If you can stick to it , it is ok.
 
Atkins?

Is the Zone like the Atkins diet?? A few of my coworkers started Atkins. I could not do it because they basically just eat protein. No office bagels or doughnuts (my weakness on Fridays- today- I just had 1 of each!), no bread, potatoes, etc. Some fruit and veggies are out too. And I can't imagine eating out!

They have lost weight, but I'd rather be 5lbs heavier than have no energy, a strict, boring diet, and a headache from not eating carbs! Some of them don't even work out because they have no extra energy at night!

I think if you do one of these diets, you should modify it so you can stick to it a little easier, and so it's more healthy. Never cut out a food group (especially doughnuts! HAha!)
 
RE: Atkins?

Thanks guys! No the Zone isn't like Atkins. To me Atkins is nothing but a precomp diet. Seriously, I had NO energy while precomping, very, very hard to make yourself workout.
The Zone has you eat 40% of your cals from carbs, 30% from fat and protein each. My workouts have been better, more energy and stamina. So far I'm really liking it! The plan I'm following says, that if you want dessert(cake is a BIG weakness for me!!)Just don't eat bread or potatoes with your dinner. Eat broccoli instead. Or another steamed veggie that's nonstarchy. I do get to eat bread on this. Rye or wheat and that's ok with me. I've even got pancake and waffle reciepes! I'm having a hard time getting used to including fat at every meal. Goes against everything I've ever been told, but it seems to work for me. I think I'll stay on it for a while and see how it goes. Thanks for the info!!

Aimee
 
RE: Atkins?

Hi,

What are you eating for your protein source? I ordered some boxes of the zone perfect bars and I got a free tape with the Zone guy explaining what to eat, and it seems like you have to eat a hunk of meat at every meal. That is my problem with the Zone. Are you getting lots of variety? And if I can pry, what about fiber?
 
RE: Atkins?

My protein sources are chicken, turkey, tofu, eggs, cottage cheese, and powdered protein. Oh yeah, and fish. I rarely eat beef, but it is listed as acceptable as long as it's lean.
Kelly, are you at the weight that you want to be or did you stop losing before you reached your goal??
I went off of it yesterday, had a bridal shower to go to and they had cheesecake and regular cake(Why, oh why, do people always serve my weakness at parties??) This morning I'm achy and bloated! I can't even get my wedding ring off! For me this is proof, that this may be the eating plan for me:)!

Aimee
 
Aimee:

On the Zone, how does it monitor the caloric intake. Like with WW, it's points. Other types it's calorie counting. Atkins, it's carbs are off limits. What is it for the Zone?

Thanks.

Keta. :D

[link:home.attbi.com/~marwrihu/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html|Home Page]

[link:mykbtfit.net/|KBT Forum]
 
High protein diets suceed because they are low in overall calories. But people have a hard time sticking to them because they limit foods you can eat. Also low carb intake dehydrates you and water is heavy so you are definitely lighter but the road to health requires fat loss, not water loss. So beware of high protein diets! They increase the work for your kidneys, promote kidney stones, thin your bones, raise your blood fats and are generally unhealthy! Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair and to synthsize enzymes and hormones but carbohydrate is a much better fuel for a busy life style. Eat a diet loaded with fruits and vegetables. Eat lots of whole grains and very lean protein sources in moderation.

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
The cals that I take in are between 1300-1500/day. This equals to, on a 1500cal day, 150gr of carbs, 112.5gr of protein, and 50 gr of fat. For me, being a bodybuilder, this is not high protein. Precomp, I was taking in up to 200gr/protein/day. Now that's high protein:)!! Seriously, I like this plan and don't feel deprived or dehydrated on it. It stress that you drink about a gallon of water/day. I really like this plan.
 
You know that the FDA's guidelines on protein are between 15% - 30% of your daily calories from protein. The more that I'm finding out about the Zone, the more it would appear to be a decent diet to get started with.

Now, my own personal opinion for what works for me, the protein and the fat is too high . . . but just as you, you're into body building . . . you're goals and needs are different than mine. I've had my gallbladder removed and fat and my body just don't get a long at all. I'll get physically ill for days if I eat too much fat.

But then again, before my gallbladder was removed, one of the first changes I made to my diet was reducing the fat from an average of 45% down to 30%.

I too, would like to know what is a typical day of eating for you. I think it would be a good education for me.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Keta. :D

[link:home.attbi.com/~marwrihu/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html|Home Page]

[link:mykbtfit.net/|KBT Forum]
 
Saturated and trans fats are very damaging to the heart and limiting fruit and vegetable intakes correlates with a rise in cancer rates. But 50 grams isn't too bad as long as it's the right kind of fat and sat and trans fat intake is only about 10 grams or less. I strictly avoid trans fats. I just got the Healthy Kitchen cook book by Andrew Weil and Oprah's Rosie. Looks promising. I aim for 55 to 60 percent of my calories from carbs. There's so much science to back it up. Whereas, there aren't too many studies backing up Dr. Sear or Dr. Atkins's. Just alot of anecdotal evidence. Competivie body building is a world unto itself though and one I don't understand, so I can't say what's the best diet there. But for long term good health, I favor a high, carb, moderate protein, moderate fat intake.

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
Bobbi,

I'm right there with you. 20% protein, 20% fat, 60% carbs and of course . . . >= 25 grams of fiber. Must have my fiber.

This is what I was thinking . . .

Diets in general, there is so much stuff out there that it becomes overwhelming and it shuts a lot of people down and some go for the extremes . . . stomach stapling.

I was thinking that a lot of the anecdotal evidence is designed to continue this confusion such that people will still be able to buy more and more diet products and do dads. So, if there is a plan out there that allows people to get started and then tweak it such that it’s more customized for them . . . that may be a good way to start.

There are so many people who just do not want to count calories. I saw a program on 20/20 about stomach stapling and how the people were eating 10,000 calories a day. After the surgery, they are now down to 1,500 calories a day. People can achieve that without stomach stapling but they don’t want to take the responsibility of journaling and obtaining the education to obtain their success. They’d much rather have someone come up with a diet and be told what will work so that way they don’t have to own the responsibility.

I have a couple of people I’m working with right now that are just starting out with this stuff and they are so frustrated by all the diet messages that it’s hard to keep them grounded and patient. So, I was think that maybe finding a good diet to start them with to learn about eating that isn’t overwhelming and then make tweaks to it that will increase their ability to succeed may be a good idea. Right now, I’ve gotten two that I generally start people on, and I’m wonder if the Zone may be one of those too that could be used as another option.

What do you think . . . not about the Zone, but about the general direction of education?

Oh, and I’m a big one too on the trans fats and saturated fats, really big!

Thanks for your contribution and helping me with this.

Keta. :D
[link:home.attbi.com/~marwrihu/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html|Home Page]

[link:mykbtfit.net/|KBT Forum]
 
Aimee,

I lost about 15 pounds (fairly quickly) with this method and then I got to a standstill. It might have been that I had to slack up on exercise because of my back...maybe, maybe not. Right now I am basically doing the same thing except I am allowing myself a few splurges on the weekend. I have lost about 3 more pounds which took me a little over a month to lose but I cannot seem to make anymore progress. I've added in heavy gym weight lifting in hopes it will help to break my plateau. I only have about 10 more pounds to go so I am sure that is yet another reason that I am having it pretty rough. Any suggestions???

Kelly http://www.sgtfuzzbubble99.homestead.com/files/Smilies/De_Niro/eeyore.gif
 
Hi guys! Ok, this is a typicall day's food intake for me.
Breakfast- oatmeal with skim milk and blueberries and 1/2TBsp natural peanut butter
Snack- balance or zone bar
Lunch- turkey breast sandwhich with lettuce, tomato, onion, and 1 Tbsp mash avocado
Snack- tofu, blueberries, or pineapple, skim milk, and ice (shake)
Dinner- eggplant parmensan- broiled eggplant with 2tsp olive oil, low fat mozz. cheese, and parmensan cheese.
Snack-ok, this one is a treat, cocoa peanut butter balls. choc. soy protein powder, cocoa, natural pb, and oatmeal. A little splenda for sweetness.
Kelly, nope no suggestions, I trying lose my last 5lb.
As for exercise- I exercise 2-3 times/day at 30-45min a time. Yes, I know this is a lot, but as it was stated earlier. We're a breed unto ourselves.
I think everyone is different and we just have to experiment with what works best for each of us. That's why there's so many different diets out there. What works for some will not work for others. We are unique. That's all I'm doing. Just experimenting until I find the perfect eating plan for me:).

Aimee
 
Your diet looks good, Aimee. Nutritious. Are you strength training heavily? I have been running between 22 and 27 miles a week and I love the high carb diet with moderate protein and fat. I strength train but and love it but I'm a hard gainer and kind of ectomorphic. I know a gal who went on a high protein diet and ate the fattiest proteins you could imagine with no fruits or veggies. She actually lost! I should have known you'd keep your diet healthy since you're an avid Catheite and aren't we all a bunch of health nuts?

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
Yep!! That's one of the reasons why I love this site!! We're all health nuts who understand each other! My DH would rather something taste good than be healthy. That's ok once in a while, but I'd rather feel good, you know?
I do lift pretty heavily. Actually I do 3 days heavy, 1 day off, 3 days light, 1 day off. I've found I respond pretty good to it. Not dragging and sore all the time. Plus I can really blast the bodyparts I'm working on my heavy days like this! I sure wish I could run like you!! I just hate to run! I'm a walker at heart. My main cardio is step and kickboxing with walking and yoga thrown into the mix and I'll run every once in a while, but I never like it. How do you do it??

Aimee
 
You know, you either are a runner or you aren't! I just loved it from the first moment I tried it. I find walking very trying since I have to concentrate to maintain a pace. Running's a no brainer. I'm off with my head in the clouds and always feel wonderful afterward. It's the strength training and stretching I have to force myself to do! It's like you said, we are all so different. The key is finding that something you love. My sister used to be an avowed walker and she took up running a few years ago. She's so into racing that we have been doing races weekly! I think we are crazy but it's so much fun. We just completed two uphill (or should I say up mountain?) races and are signed up for two more in April, including the Race For The Cure this Sunday. It keeps me motivated to keep training! I'll be glad when June rolls around since I live in Tucson and it gets too hot to race and I can retire until the fall! :)

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top