Zone diet ZONE - minus 2-6 kg (shrimp, turkey, beans, cutlets)

This diet course was developed by Dr. Barry Sears back in 1966, but it is still popular today. It was practiced by many celebrities: Madonna, Demi Moore, Winona Ryder, Renee Zellweger and others. The diet zone is calculated for one week. During this time, the plumb line can reach 4 kilograms. But some are interested in the Menu Zone diet for the month. Nutritionists prohibit following this diet for so long. The essence of the course is to control the ratio of nutrients and limit the volume of portions consumed. Each meal should consist of 30% fat, 30% protein and 40% carbohydrates.

General rules

American biochemist Barry Sears believes that a state of hormonal balance can be achieved through diet - thus losing weight and maintaining weight at the achieved level. This is possible only by maintaining an optimal level of insulin , the increase of which he calls the main enemy of the figure, since its function in the body is to convert carbohydrates into fats and store them “in reserve.”
After careful testing, the Zone nutrition program he developed was “launched” into mass use in 1984. Its main principle is a balanced intake of carbohydrates (they should be 40%), fats (30%), and proteins (30%) at each meal. The biochemist calls this amount of necessary nutrients the protein, carbohydrate and fat zones, respectively. It is this ratio that he considers a “favorable zone” for the body. Following the zonal proportion will not cause insulin spikes, and carbohydrates, fats and proteins, without accumulating, will be used by the body for its needs. In this case, the body will use both incoming calories and expend accumulated energy reserves in the form of fat. Oddly enough, insulin production and its level within 4-5 hours after a meal are influenced not only by carbohydrates, but also by proteins.

Thus, the Zone diet provides for a careful preparation of the diet, taking into account the ratio of essential nutrients. Despite the fact that the main culprit for elevated insulin levels is carbohydrates, you don’t need to completely give them up. They should come with every meal, but in limited quantities.

The same applies to fats - the body needs them. Fat does not increase insulin levels and also promotes rapid satiety. It is better if these are monounsaturated fats, which are vital (they are found in fatty fish and nuts). Our body needs it.

A key element of the diet is adequate protein intake. It is possible to correctly calculate its amount only by taking into account height, weight (without fat tissue), volume, and level of physical activity. After this, you need to determine the amount of fats and carbohydrates. If we take average data, it is enough to consume 75 g of protein daily for women and 100 g for men. The diet focuses on protein foods with low fat content.

With all this, it is necessary to monitor caloric intake. For women, the minimum limit is 1100 kcal, and for men 1400 kcal. If you don't consume enough calories, you will feel constant hunger, irritability and decreased performance. This diet is more of a lifestyle that you can stick to constantly. However, you can try eating this system for two weeks and lose weight by 2-3 kg.

Nutrition rules

Five meals a day (3 main and 2 additional meals). You need to eat every 4-5 hours, regardless of the presence of hunger or its absence. Organize breakfast an hour after waking up, lunch at a time convenient for you, dinner 2 hours before bedtime. Arrange small “snacks” at your own discretion and opportunity. Start every meal with protein dishes.

Use a portion measurement system: protein foods should fit in the palm of your hand, and carbohydrate foods (vegetables) should be the size of a fist. There is enough fat if you add nuts to salads, if there is fatty fish in the portion. Or take 1-2 tsp. olive oil for vegetable salad.

Maintain a drinking regime (1.5 liters of liquid). Drinking water 30 minutes before meals can dull your appetite and thus reduce the portion of food you eat.

For the convenience of preparing a diet, the doctor has determined zone blocks for proteins, fats and carbohydrates. One block contains approximately 7 g of protein, 9 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of fat.

One protein block can be represented by:

• 25 g shrimp;
• 25-30 g lean meat;
• 100 g low-fat tofu cheese;
• 50 g low-fat cottage cheese;
• 1 whole egg or 2 whites;
• 30-40 g of fatty fish (salmon, salmon, tuna, trout).

One carbohydrate block (mostly low glycemic index ):

• a glass of steamed or fresh vegetables;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 1 raw carrot;
• 1 peach, lemon or plum;
• half an apple, orange or grapefruit;
• 15 g cereal;
• 0.25 cups mashed potatoes.

One fat zone block:

• 1 tsp oil (olive, peanut);
• 3 olives;
• 1 tbsp. l. low-fat sour cream;
• 1 tbsp. l. avocado pulp;
• nuts (2 cashews, 3 almonds, 6 peanuts).

If you adhere to the diet very strictly, then according to this scheme, for one block of fat you need to take one block of proteins and one carbohydrate block. For a small snack, it is enough to take one block of all products: 50 g of low-fat cottage cheese, three almonds and one peach. Lunch will be more saturated - for example, two blocks of all products: 60 g of boiled meat, 2 cups of steamed vegetables with 1 tsp. olive oil. It will probably be difficult to master three blocks: 100 g of vegetables, 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 cups of vegetables. Dinner may well consist of products taken in 2 blocks of each.

The developer of this nutrition program claims that regular physical activity is of great importance in controlling insulin levels. If going to the gym is difficult, start with regular walking and gradually increase its duration. Then you can add strength training.

Health

While the Zone Diet is often used as a tool for weight loss, it was originally created primarily to improve health markers. Therefore, if you follow the instructions and maintain a calorie deficit in order to lose weight, the zone diet can also qualitatively improve your well-being.

Thus, it optimizes body weight, provides glycemic control, allows you to control waist circumference and inflammatory markers in people with type 2 diabetes.

Authorized Products

• Fats include olive oil, avocado, nuts and fatty sea fish.
• You can eat lean meat, poultry, egg whites, cottage cheese, and fermented milk drinks.
• Green vegetables and herbs, it is not recommended to eat a lot of legumes, since carbohydrates predominate in them, which violates the correct proportion.

Table of permitted products

How to cook?

Dietary nutrition according to the “Zone” method assumes the presence of individual cooking characteristics. You need to immediately remember that only grilled, steamed and water bath dishes will be beneficial for the body when losing weight. It is worth eliminating excessive amounts of salt and spices during cooking, because they only slow down metabolic processes, accumulating unnecessary liquid.

You can also cook dishes in the oven, since in such conditions all the taste and beneficial properties of meat, vegetables or fish that will be needed in the process of losing weight are preserved. There are many recipes that can be prepared as part of this weight loss technique, we’ll talk about them later.

Fully or partially limited products

• Starchy vegetables: potatoes, boiled carrots, beets, cauliflower, zucchini.
• Fruits high in fructose: bananas, grapes, melon.
• Sources of glucose and fructose are fruit juices.
• Bakery products made from white flour, sugar, sweets, chocolate.
• Cereals (limited), breakfast cereals and ready-made cereals.
• Solid fats.
• Carbonated drinks.
• Fatty and smoked meat, fast food, sauces.
• Alcoholic drinks.

Table of prohibited products

Restrictions

The zone diet includes a specific list of foods that are recommended to be followed. Here is a sample list of products.

• Proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, grouper, halibut, lobster, shrimp, egg white.
• Fats: almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, olive oil, avocado, tahini, pistachios, sesame oil.
• Carbohydrates: asparagus, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, lentils, pumpkin, zucchini, apples, berries, grapes, oranges, peaches. Slow-digesting grains such as barley and oatmeal are also acceptable.

Menu diet zone (Meal mode)

Try to think in advance and create the right diet for yourself, taking into account the necessary composition: protein, carbohydrate foods and fats. An approximate menu for a zone diet is given; you must more carefully calculate the BJU for your weight and level of physical activity. Usually a 1:1:1 block is taken for a snack (you can leave this ratio for breakfast if you are not hungry). Lunch and dinner are denser, so they contain blocks in a ratio of 2:2:2 or even 3:3:3, depending on appetite. However, if you want to lose weight, optimal portions should fit in the palm of your hand.

Who is it best for?

The Zone Diet is best suited for people who care about how and what they eat in order to optimize the quantity and quality of food they eat, and enjoy a structured and fully planned diet.

Blocks, determining the time of eating, at the same time give a complete picture of the amount of food and macroelements entering the body. And alternating the number of blocks in meals structures the daily diet, which is very useful. The list of products focuses on the quality of the diet.

Advantages and disadvantages

Fat Burning

The Zone Diet has been widely studied in the medical literature as a promising weight loss method. Over decades of research it has been improved, and today it is quite applicable for losing weight and burning fat.

Compared to other popular weight loss methods and fat-burning diets, the zone diet provides results that are not only no worse, but either similar or even often more promising, making it an extremely effective way to lose weight for many.

Diet Zone, reviews and results

The diet is designed in such a way that insulin remain at approximately the same level and the person does not feel hungry. This is a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet and most experts believe that a more rational proportion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats is 15-55-30, rather than 30-40-30. Therefore, it is considered unbalanced and unsuitable for constant nutrition. As a short-term diet, it has a right to exist. You can alternate staying on this diet for 10-14 days with a balanced diet for the same time.

After two to three days, you will notice a significant reduction in sugar cravings and increased mental focus. After five days, you will feel an influx of energy and completely forget about hunger. On average, weight loss begins from the sixth day. After two weeks, you will notice that your clothes begin to fit much looser.

Unfortunately, reviews about this diet are not so common. Perhaps this is due to the fact that she is not widely known in Russia. Therefore, it is not possible to draw any conclusions about its effectiveness. You can only rely on the results of famous foreign actors who supposedly adhere to this diet (perhaps more than one).

• “... I liked this method. I followed the diet for a whole month and lost 5.5 kg. This is despite the fact that I adjusted the calorie intake, as sometimes I increased the portions. I ate 5 times sometimes 6 times and tried to eat small portions. But, as I said, it didn’t always work out. I made sure there was protein at all times and supplemented it with fruits or vegetables, nuts or vegetable oil. I tried not to fry the meat, but to boil or bake it without fat. I also reduced the amount of salt. Since losing weight without sports is problematic, I added fitness classes. Within a month I became so involved that I decided to continue exercising so as not to gain back the lost weight. The difficulty for me was that I needed to calculate the nutrition for 1400 kcal, and also calculate the required amount of dietary supplements.”
• “... I read that many foreign celebrities “sit” on it, if you believe the press. I think that she is not the only one in their arsenal. I decided to try it, but it was difficult for me to calculate the BZHU and by the end of the first week I switched to a regular weight loss diet. She left something of her too. I think that the disadvantage is precisely that you need to constantly calculate the content of BJU, adhere to the portion size, and also not exceed the calorie content. I stayed on the approximate version (probably cutting back on carbohydrates) for two weeks. She tolerated it normally, but increased the portions and ate more than my palm and fist. As a result, in two weeks the result was insignificant - 2.5 kg.”

Fitness trainer's opinion

The effectiveness and safety of the Zone diet has been clinically proven. This is one of the few diets that American nutritionists recommend as universal. The Zone teaches you how to eat properly, but there is a problem: reading Barry Sears’ book or numerous descriptions of the diet, you will understand little, it is written too complicated. Those who want to try the Zone for themselves should look for diets from the book by Barry Sears or use the example above. Even if you “roughly” estimate the contents of the products, the result of losing weight will be more stable than if you eat only buckwheat or carrots. In general, a table of the chemical composition of food and a kitchen scale are the best friends of Zon who is losing weight on a diet.

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