Zone Diet
 

Hi
I'm a 41 year old male 5'3 and currently 161lb. I was 165 at the start of 2011 so the regime I was following is showing modest gains.

However... my trainer is putting me on a strict Zone Diet for 1 month starting next weekend. He wants to boost my fat loss to improve my training results.

Does anyone have experience / advice about this diet. I reckon I can handle it for the required month but it's too strict to do full time.

Hey, good for you changing things up a bit--the trainer sounds like a good idea.

I don't follow the Zone, but I DO follow their recommended calorie mix of 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat and it seems to work pretty well for me.

Give it a shot and let us know your results.

Regards,
Michael

I did the Zone for a year about 10 years ago and lost 70 pounds while working out with a trainer twice a week and the the other 5 days on my own. Its really not hard to follow once you figure out the blocks.

Yes, I used to follow the zone (for about 5 years actually)...I gave myself one day where I would eat foods a little heavier on the carbs (pizza is my favorite food) even :)

I was at my lowest adult weight ever, and felt the best I had ever felt in my life!

Sadly, after a few years in college, I got away from following it but I do try to stick with it when I can these days - I just need a little more motivation because for me it takes a LOT of planning ahead :)

It's actually not all that hard to follow...especially if you are going with the plate/eyeball method - place 3-4oz. piece of protein on your plate, fill the rest up with veggies (and some fruit if you want), and then have a sliver of fat...

The Zone has recently revamped their web site and took down their forums temporarily, otherwise I would say you could visit their forums there for some more detailed advice. They do have a Facebook page though and I believe their recipes are still on their main page. It's definitely a good idea to get some recipes ahead of time because I've found it's not incredibly easy to just throw a zoned meal together when you're out and about ;)

Let me know if you have any more questions, I can definitely help out :)

Thanks for the responses, guys. I do have a follow-up question...

I do have one question... a lot of the Zone quantities for carbs are measured in cups, which I guess is a US thing because we don't really have them in the UK (We measure veggies by weight, not volume).

I read that a cup is equivalent to 8 fluid ounces. Is that right? Because I'm on a 4 block routine, so 4 x 8 fluid ounces is a serious pile of veggies and just looks too much.

If I remember correctly a 4 block meal is the whole meal 1 cup of cantalope was 1 block. I had a sheet of what was what....i will try to find it for you...

Thanks Steve,

I've already got the sheet. I just need to be sure what a "cup" is.

Geoffers - you are correct, a "cup" would be equivalent to 8 fluid ounces :)

Editing to add: I just saw that you mentioned that would be a serious pile of veggies, and you are CORRECT! Many people complain that on the zone they simply cannot finish all of their food - lol :) So much for being starved on a diet.

One good way to get some cut down on quantity is to add in a bit of favorable fruit along with your veggies, so like apple or orange/mandarin slices. The other items that REALLY help out are legumes. Chickpeas/Hummus are great in some hardboiled eggs as a snack :)

Jennybeeb is correct. If you keep the grains and breads a special treat, there is alot of food to eat, by staying away from the "expensive" foods. Looking over these sheets has me thinking of going back on again!!!!!!! Enjoy!

Thanks guys.
An apple a day keeps the bulk veg away!!