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He describes biological markers of aging and mechanisms of aging. He also gives a short course in hormones, which are strongly involved in aging.
Sears explains his anti-aging pyramid, which consists of meditation, moderate exercise and his Zone diet. Unlike the US Department of Agriculture food pyramid, which put bread, grains and starches at the bottom, to be eaten in big amounts, Sears' pyramid puts these at the top, to be eaten very sparingly, to reduce insulin secretion.
Insulin is so important to his Zone diet that he devotes an entire chapter to its effects on the body. He also devotes a chapter to cortisol, a hormone important in stress reactions. Plus, he has a chapter about eicosanoids, which are hormones that are very important in coordinating important body functions.
Insulin strongly affects the output and mix of eicosanoids. Since maintaining the correct amount of insulin in one's body is fundamental to his Zone diet, Sears gives a list of 14 different signs that one has the right amount and kind of eicosanoids active in one's body.
These signs consist of such varied things as hair strength and texture, appetite for carbohydrates, length of time of appetite suppression between meals, sleeping time and grogginess on awakening.
If all of these 14 different signs have the right status, it's an indication that one has had the right amount of insulin in one's body recently.
Sears ranges widely enough to get into trouble. For example, he recommends Coleus forskohli as an anti-cancer agent. Actually, it's catnip for some kinds of cancer.
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No, Barry Sears isn't a wonderful speaker. But the information on these tapes will change your life if you do everything he says. It's *not* hard, people.
If you are frustrated with fad diets, don't worry: This isn't a fad, and it's not really a "diet." Diets are temporary; the Zone system is a nutritional program founded on moderation and legitimate nutritional principles. I became an instant evangelist for the Zone, and I'm 99% certain I'll live with it for the rest of my life.
By the way, the Zone is not anything at all like the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet is a dangerous fad diet that has many horrifying side-effects, like gaining an astronomical amount of fat after you quit and return to your "normal" eating patterns. I know this from first-hand, precision observations. However, you can follow the Zone your whole life and get excellent results with many positive side-effects.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and buy this.
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For one, it's very similar to the Atkins diet in that it is very low carb and high protein. For a week this might give you a jump start but for the long haul it's far from ideal. For another, the protein sources are quite limited and the recipes and meal plans are VERY RIGID. ...
The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of just 1 star is that there IS some valuable information here. Adding flax and borage oil to your diet is a very healthy choice. Omega-3 oils and fatty acids are proven to aid in weight loss. Cranberry juice mixed with water (unsweetened, as she said) and lemon juice are both good for your kidneys and liver which aids fat loss.
The author is on the right track in some places, but I am extremely disappointed that she went for the gimmicky ultra-strict quick fix low-carb idea rather than being a bit more flexible and health-conscious.
In it's rigidity, it is not going to be as feasible in the long term for most people as it sets people up for failure either due to the complexity or the costs. It would be especially hard for families with children, as it would mean two separate plans for each and every meal. And if you're strapped for time or on a budget, forget it. The reviewer who said that this is like a full-time job is absolutely right. That is NOT necessary for effective weight loss!
A better idea would have been to emphasize the omission of unhealthy foods (caffeine, white sugars, white flours, excessive dairy, pasta, over-processed foods) and the inclusion of healthy foods (omega-rich healthy fats and oils, whole grains such as organic whole wheat, brown rice & quinoa, lots of low-glycemic fruits, plenty of vegetables). Teaching better overall health habits and food choices will help you lose weight and keep it off a lot more easily in the long run...
BUT, the food that she wants everyone to buy can get costly, hard to find and I don't really eat some of the stuff that she recommended. For example she says to try and get fresh veggies and organic fruit. But, I'm a poor college student, so I just made my own adjustments. I alternate between eggs and protein shakes in the morning for breakfast. I bake chicken the night before and I buy the pre-made salad at the grocery store and have a chicken salad everday for lunch (it's only for two weeks) and for dinner I just steam some frozen veggies that I got from the grocery store freezer at about $1.00 per bag and bake some kind of meat. And I have fruit for snacks, even grapes and bananas which I don't think she recommends. I'm almost a vegetarian so I don't eat alot of meat, my meals consist of about 75% veggies. Eating too much meat can make a person constipated anyway. Also, the long life cocktail in the morning always makes me want to gag.So, I just take psyllium pills or I just mix the powder in some water. It tastes sooooo much better and it's soooo much easier to swallow.
Also Recommended: Greater Health God's Way
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After following the Zone diet for just two days, I felt great and was never hungry, in fact had trouble eating all the food sometimes. I've never felt better in my life. I've been on it almost two weeks now, and have lost over 3 pounds, all from my waist, that I'd never been able to lose before no matter how much I biked. I have far more energy for bicycling than I previously had, and my physical condition has greatly improved. I require less sleep and am less tired than I was before. I know my next blood test will be next to perfect. I'm on the Zone for life. It's simple, the basic principles to follow are summarized in five sentences. I've never really "dieted" before, just modified my food choices and behavior. Unfortunately, I'd been doing it all wrong. Now I know what's right, thankfully not too late.
Here's my sample menu. This is for 13 blocks of protein:
Breakfast:
Smoothie
1 c. yogurt
1 c. milk
1 c. strawberries
1 c. raspberries
2 envelopes of splenda
1 oz low fat cheese
12 almonds or 24 peanuts
Lunch:
4 oz Chicken
4 c. salad
1 T. ranch
3 c. mushrooms
1/2 c. grapes
1/2 c. pineapple
Snack
1oz cheese
1/2 apple
3 olives
Dinner
5oz fish
2 c. green beans
2 c. salad
1 T. ranch
1/2 apple
1 c. strawberries
Snack:
1oz beef
1/2 c. grapes
3 almonds
Not too shabby, huh? The above is only 1600 calories, which is what my hubby is on. I'm on 9 blocks, which is 1000 calories and still TONS of food, since I have a lot to lose and want to do it quicker.
If you want to feel GREAT, eat great and look great, I highly recommend this book and this diet as your lifetime way of eating.
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1) This is *not* a crash diet.
2) This is *not* a starvation diet.
3) You get to eat *normal* food. On the down side, you *do* have to give up certain dishes (pasta, rice, and breads, for example)... but on the other hand you get to eat plenty of chicken, beef, turkey, cheese, eggs, bacon, tuna, salmon, cod, as well as plenty of vegetables and fruits. (And for you veggies out there, you can do the Zone diet, too. Just substitute soy protein for the meats and fishes, and take your vitamins, and you're in the club!)
4) The Zone diet is easy to follow. Sears' book is filled with sample recipes for meals, but really, you don't need to follow them. Just flip to the end of the book where he lists all the recommended Zone foods and combine them to make up your own recipes.
Here's how the diet works. There are three categories of foods that you need to eat at every meal: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats (all listed in the back of the book). If you're a man, pick 4 choices (called "blocks") from each category. If you're a woman, pick 3 choices (or "blocks") from each category. Then combine them anyway you choose.
Example: guys, for breakfast, three strips of turkey bacon equals 1 protein block. One egg also equals 1 protein block. So have two eggs for breakfast with three strips of turkey bacon and that's 3 blocks right there. Now add one ounce of low fat cheese (1 protein block) and you've met your protein requirement for that meal.
Now add an apple (2 carbo blocks) and an orange (2 carbo blocks) to your bacon and eggs breakfast and you've met your carbo requirement for that meal.
For fats, just add a 1 1/3 teaspoon of sesame oil to your eggs while you're cooking them, and now you've got 4 fat blocks.
And that's it. You're in the Zone!
You can prepare all your meals that way. Don't feel you have to follow Sears' recipes to the letter and end up scouring your supermarket for obscure items like cilantro, dried tarragon, and shallots (say what?). So long as you only eat what's in the food lists and don't eat the *bad* foods, you'll do fine.
5) Be sure to drink plenty of water. This is crucial for the diet to succeed. If you need a break from tap water (or Evian, for that matter), you can have decaf. Just don't add more than a teaspoon of sugar to your decaf, or better yet use a substitute. Sugars are the one of the *bad* carbo blocks that you need to keep to a minimum.
Also, though it doesn't say so in the book, you are allowed to *occasionally* have a diet drink like Coke or Pepsi so long as it's sugar *and* caffeine free. (I got this last part from Sears' web site, in case you're wondering.)
So while decaf and the occasional diet drink are OK, you should still make sure that most of your liquid intake comes from water. And lots of it.
5) Once you're on the diet, there *will* be a few times each day where you're feeling a little hungry. But a little hungry is one thing and famished is something else... and I've said, on the Zone diet, you don't walk around feeling like you're starving.
For me, the rumble-in-my-tummy feeling usually kicks in about an hour before each meal. If lunch is at 12:00 P.M., my stomach will start grumbling around 11:00 A.M. Late afternoon, my stomach will start grumbling again, but the Zone diet allows me one late afternoon snack each day, so that tides me over till dinnertime. Then, before bedtime, my stomach grumbles one last time, but since the diet also allows me one light bedtime snack (say, a small piece of fruit and a slice of cheese), that tides me over until the next morning.
But for the most part, I don't walk around feeling hungry. In fact, after my first few days on the diet I already lost my cravings for fatty foods like potato chips and pretzels. So since I don't miss what I can't eat, that's what keeps me "in the Zone".
Bottom line: the Zone diet is highly recommended to anyone interested in losing a few pounds without going stark-raving nuts. At the same time, it's balanced enough that you can remain on it painlessly even after you've reached your "ideal weight". How many other diets can claim that? I plan to stay on it until I've lost at least another ten pounds. After that, who knows?
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Unlike what another person has said, I never found this book confusing at all, whereas my fiancee did. The reasoning behind the confusion, in my opinion, is because all of these magazines talking about some new "diet" using pastas and rice, and Boost with their "energy drink". For too long, we have been inundated with false information most likely from some company who's told the government that this is the right way to eat and lose weight. Thank goodness for this book. People can finally eat properly, and all based on scientific research. As well, I've also seen the ideas in real magazines such as "Muscle Media" and "Oxygen".
Now for the "but". I did not agree with the use of aspirin to lower cholesterol. When I got to that part, I read a few pages, and almost tore it out of the book. Why would I take such a drug to lower my cholesterol? What about the chances of getting addicted? With all the illegal drug addicts dying, there is never any mention of aspirin and tylenol addicts.
Finally, this book failed to mention that the best way to lose fat and increase metabolism, is to lift weights. Muscle is the best fat burner that nature has given us, and yet very few mention that.
Do you want real proof? Rush Limbaugh. This was the book that helped him slim down. I suggest you search the web and look at some before and after photos of him... Quite amazing.
If you're willing to actually work at becoming thin, and not complain about it, this book will help. If you're lazy, and think there is a miracle solution for weight loss that doesn't require work on some level, well... sorry. Stop blaming other people, this book or anything else. If you want to get thin, take charge of your life and read this book and follow it! It obviously does work! There is too much proof to back it up.
Have fun.
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And they are high dosages; the equivalent of a tablespoon of cod liver oil (2.5 gms of Omega-3s) just for maintenance, twice that for optimal cardiovascular health, double that and more for inflammatory pain and neurological conditions. All of these are explained in different chapters. At these doses you will want to get the regular blood tests that he recommends.
After reading his book I am convinced. Yet his recommendations won't be cheap. The oil he recommends, his own, will cost $[money] a month for the maintenance dosage. I look forward to seeing the results of adding Omega-3's to the Zone nutrition program.
Many of the concepts in the book are a little daunting at first. When I started following the ideas I had charts showing me the exact proportion of fat-carb-protein. Too confusing for my simple mind- I soon switched to Sears' recommendation of using one fist sized portion of protein to two fist-sized portions of favorable carbohydrates.
I've begun following his advice on Omega 3, although I most admit that I purchased the cheaper Omega 3 which he sells on his zoneperfect site...and it is significantly more convenient to buy online which eliminates frequent searches of the store shelves.
I also love the ZonePerfect bars which can be purchased quite cheaply on sale (and at some of the wholesale clubs).
The end result of my focus on diet? 30lb weight loss in about 4 months. This was helped along by a regular exercise plan.
I strongly recommend this book even if you only use it as a kicking off point for upgrading your diet.