Zone Diet

With the holidays coming up and all the food stuffs we will be consuming at work and at home got me thinking that our clothing will probably feel the effects of eating to much. To add to it there will be stress over whether or not we have all the food stuffs for Thanksgiving, starting our Christmas shopping, or other end of year holiday, bills associated with all the shopping, and any other stress that may occur. So I started thinking of ways in which our waistline could be reduced or maintained, and the ideas that I came up with were relaxation, exercise, and a healthy diet.

I'm sure your thinking healthy diet? During this time of season? Oh and you can't forget we are in the age of choosing to up-size our meal at fast food restaurants. I will be the first to admit that I am one of many Americans who is long over due on losing a few extra pounds. So my question is what is the best way to go about losing weight? Do we run to the store and buy that new product we saw on television that says it will not only help you lose weight but make you look good? Does our government need to get involved and restrict our consumption of certain things (like New York tried to do with soda)? Do we go about it on our own and cross our fingers and hope something happens?

Being the skeptic that I am about products I see on television, I opted to go talk to my primary care physician about losing some weight. Knowing that there are many "diets" out there like Atkins, Nutrisystem, and all the rest, the one that my doctor suggested was The Zone Diet. There are books by Barry Sears, PhD that covers this particular diet. So I read the books, even looked this particular diet up on the web, www.zonediet.com, and was even a bit skeptical. I found more information about this diet at http://www.zonedietinfo.com/, so if you have more questions from reading this post, you can check out what is said on these websites.

What I found out through my reading and web research about this particular diet, is that you don't have to give up the foods you love to lose weight. You just have to make sure you are eating the right foods in the right combination and portion. Which in turn boosts your metabolism. The positive effects of this diet is that you experience mental clarity, less fatigue, and enhanced health. With our population becoming more and more overweight, it puts us at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and who knows what else. As an individual who is prediabetic, controlling my blood sugar is a must, and the one way my doctor has suggested is through my diet. To do that I need to eat smaller meals more frequently, and The Zone diet does a good job of portion size, and incorporating snacks in between your main meals.

After several months of trying out this diet I realized that I had lost about 6 pounds the first month, and about 15 pounds overall. Those first 6 pounds I lost was water weight, and as I continued through the next several months several of my co-workers noticed my clothes were getting baggy (and who doesn't like to get noticed for losing weight-confidence booster!). I will say that this isn't an easy diet to be on. You have to work at making sure you have the right ratio of carbs, fat, and protein. If I was ever stuck on what to fix or didn't have any ideas, the one thing I liked about this diet was that you could jump on the website and look for recipes. There are all kinds of recipes for breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner. One of the recipes that I really enjoy is the Chicken Fajitas. Not only is this recipe wonderful and extremely easy to make, but I don't have to go out to eat and spend $10-$12 for this meal and feel like I have to eat the entire thing.

Please note: Before going on any diet or trying to lose weight through any other method, please consult with your physician. They are one of the greatest assets we have concerning our health as an individual. They will know your health and what would be the best route for you to take concerning weigh loss.