Barry Sears designed the Zone Diet program to maintain one’s insulin level within stable limits – "in the zone." This program claims that a carefully planned and balance meal of fat, protein and carbohydrates allows the dieter to stay in the zone.
The Zone Diet is not considered a high-protein diet because it encourages consumption of sufficient amounts of low-fat protein.
Unlike other diet programs that increase risks of ketosis due to low-Carb intake, the Zone contains enough carbohydrates to prevent this condition.
The dieter’s serving and portion sizes are restricted. With daily menus containing 1200 to 1500 calories, it is enough to keep your body sustained.
The Zone Diet divides the food into blocks.
For instance, one block of protein consists of 7 grams of low-fat protein such as skinless chicken, egg whites, soy, fish or lean meat. Each of this protein blocks should be balanced with a carbohydrate block that contains 9 grams of complex Carbs with fruits and vegetables.
To control blood sugar levels, each carbohydrate block and protein block must be eating along with 1.5 grams of fat.
To sum it up, all meals or snacks follow this exact proportion: 1 carb block + 1 protein block + 1 fat block.
Every meal, a typical female should consume about three blocks of each nutrient. Whereas an average male should eat around four blocks per meal.
Since the Zone encourages taking two snacks per day, the dieter avoids hunger.
Once participating on the Zone Diet, timing should be everything. Since it is required to eat six times a day, meals are closer to each other. Once you have set your schedule, you should abide by it (hungry or not) to ensure the best results.
Eating at the same time each day trains the body’s insulin balance. A dieter should be disciplined enough to follow a meal routine.
The Zone program also offers pre-packaged foods that include boxed meals, bars and shakes.
This program will result in positive weight loss in the short term. However, there are no available studies yet as to the efficiency of following the diet in the long-term.
