You’ve got a half hour for lunch and the only
restaurant close enough to make is the McDonald's down the street. A
crisis of conscience arises as you struggle to choose between blowing
your diet with a super-sized value meal or Plan B: starvation.
You deserve a break today so we are serving up
some great news: the Zone plan will let you have your McDonald's and
eat it too!
You order a Chicken McGrill and a salad. You put
the chicken on top of the salad and keep a quarter of the bun as a
giant crouton. Voila! You’re in the Zone and following one of the
hottest and most effective weight loss regimens around.
Forget about what you may think you know about
the Zone and the work required to balance out your meals. There’s no
need for scales or measuring cups. All you need is your hand and a good
eye to coordinate permanent weight loss, hormonal balance, overall
wellness and prevention of heart disease and diabetes.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re dining in the
comfort of your home or if you're out on the town -- you can stay in
the Zone by following Dr. Barry Sears' super simple advice for slimming
success.
Picture an empty plate. Now, divide it into
thirds. One third will be covered with low-fat protein (enough chicken,
lean ground beef or shrimp to fit in the palm of your hand without
being thicker than your hand) and two-thirds fruit and vegetables
(broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, apples, strawberries, etc.). Round
off your meal with a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, such as
olive oil, slivered almonds or guacamole.
Yes, it’s that simple.
Since first introduced by Dr. Sears in 1995, The
Zone has been a huge success. Some of its biggest backers have been
major celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston, Madonna and Demi Moore.
Dr. Sears, a former MIT researcher, says his diet is safe, effective
and certainly no trendy, fly-by-night fad.
One of the major misconceptions held by dieters
is that the Zone is too complicated. Dr. Sears says that reputation has
haunted him since his book was first released to the general public.
The problem: his first book was written for cardiologists. Dr. Sears,
who holds more than 12 patents for cancer treatments and the dietary
control of hormones, used scientific lingo and mathematical equations
to discuss every last detail of the Zone.
The current version of the Zone has been tamed
and is understandable to everyone. Dr. Sears' newer Zone books break
down his diet formula much like his recommended foods break down
insulin levels. From A Week In The Zone (HarperCollins) to The Top 100
Zone Foods, Dr. Sears is always taking strides to ensure his weight
loss approach is user-friendly for all dieters.
The Zone tackles what Dr. Sears believes is the
major cause of the spiraling obesity plague: excess insulin. In
layman’s terms, the Zone is a dietary strategy to keep the hormone
insulin in a zone that’s not too high and not too low. This is
important, Dr. Sears says, because excess insulin makes you fat and
keeps you fat.
Dr. Sears believes the underlying reason for our
extra weight could very well be too many grains and starches in our
diet. He says potatoes, rice, breads and breakfast cereals are all
unfavorable carbohydrates that can elevate your insulin level. The
trick of staying slim is how you treat your carb intake.
“You don’t have to avoid these carbohydrates
completely,” Dr. Sears tells eDiets. “Treat them like condiments, not
as a primary source of your meal. Eat significant amounts of fruits and
vegetables at the same time. Balance off with an adequate amount of
protein, and you have the guidelines for lifelong weight control. These
are all the rules you need to control insulin."
Once you get your insulin level in the Zone, you
won’t feel hunger for the next four to six hours after you eat. You
won’t experience those in-between-meal hunger pains or carb cravings,
because you won’t have the excess insulin levels that make you hungry.
Dr. Sears says if your meals are hormonally correct, you’ll also enjoy
peak mental acuity.
Dr. Sears says within the first two to three
days of following the Zone, your ability to think clearer will be
significantly enhanced. Within three to four days, you’ll notice a
surge in energy. By day 7, you’ll notice your clothes beginning to fit
better, because you’re shedding visceral fat, the dangerous fat that
sits around the belly. By following the Zone, you’re going to think
better, perform better, look better and feel better.
The best news of all: Dr. Sears’ amazing plan
just got better. You can now get a personalized Zone diet from the
leader in online weight loss programs, eDiets.com.
“Even though the rules to the Zone are very
simple, an online dietary program helps generate new meals and tells
you exactly what to buy," he says. "This will always be a great aspect.
People only have to eat the foods they like to eat.
"That’s the power of eDiets. People are given an
unlimited number of meals and options so they don’t have to think any
harder as to what they eat.
“Another aspect is that any lifestyle change
usually takes a year to integrate into the rest of your life. The
support groups are so important. It takes time. Losing weight is hard.
Keeping it off is even more difficult. You have to find support people
who have gone through the same trials and tribulations to give you the
constant support basis.
"eDiets gives tremendous benefits even with a
simple program like the Zone. It keeps people focused and motivated
towards their long-term goal, which is a longer and better life.”
To get your copy of Dr. Sears' book, A
Week In The Zone, click here.
Back to The
Zone Diet Plan .com