I've been an Atkins girl most of my adult life, going on, going off, etc. I'm currently at my heaviest weight and wondering if Atkins is the right approach for me. My body functions best when my carb intake is lower, that I know.

My best friend had cancer this year and when talking to her specialist about what she should do to lose weight because she is insulin resistant the doctor told her she should do "The Zone". I agreed to do it with her for support but I'm worried there may be too many carbs involved. I've tried doing research but I really would like to get the perspective of those of you here.

Thanks!

Since you've not really stuck w Atkins, The zone might just be an option.
There is a lot of counting involved but, like any other plan, when you get the hang of it, you should be able to eyeball.
There are plenty of peop that have had success w The Zone.

If all that counting drives you crazy, South Beach might be an option.

I thought the Zone was about 40% calories from CHO with 30% fat and 30% protein. If I assumed I have a 1700 maintenance calorie requirement (assuming a 169lb male) then 40% of that would be 680 calories from carbs or 170 net grams of carbs. That's more net carbs than I probably eat in a week.

In addition, most low carbs recommend correspondingly high level of fat, unlike The Zone. The Zone may be a healthy, effective diet but if it is I don't believe it is due to any characteristics it shares with low carb diets.

Disclaimer: I've never done The Zone or even considered doing it.

Honestly after reading some of the books I really don't want to do it. I think I'm going to have to break my promise She does know I have problems processing starches so I'm sure I can get her to understand why I don't want to try this. I'll make the promise that we'll lose the weight together instead!

Sorry...duplicate post

Hi Lori,

Although most of the 'Zone' books don't discuss this, the Zone can be customized to meet your requirements. I did Atkins for a few years and I think I lost a TOTAL of 7 lbs. Being 5' tall, I found out that I was consuming waaaay too many calories doing Atkins. I started the 40/30/30 plan and the weight just melted off.

I use a nutrition software program that allows me to enter all my foods and then I can adjust the values by adding or subtracting items to get to the correct macronutrient ratio for ME. I do best on a 30%carb/30%protein/40%fat split and I tailor my meals to meet this ratio.

There is nothing difficult about the Zone (40/30/30), but you should NOT use Dr. Sears books....too complicated and technical for most people. Get to a used bookstore and purchase any (or all) of the books written by Gene and Joyce Daoust...40/30/30 Fat Burning Nutrition. Definitely made my Zone journey easy and very effective.

I realize that this is an old thread, but I was looking for Zone threads and this was the first one I found. Most of the carbs on the Zone is not from starchy foods but rather from low glycemic vegetables and fruit. I lost 50 pounds doing The Zone whereas I couldn't lose with Atkins. Unfortunately, I have gained most of it back. Went off The Zone and am now paying the price. The Zone is for a lifetime not just until you lose weight. It helps your health in so many ways. Lowers BP, keeps your heart healthy, helps prevent diabetes... and if you are overweight - if you follow the plan correctly, the weight melts off.

Never tried the 'Zone' but did read the book years ago. The 40/30/30 split would work well for an active person IMO. Good luck with the Zone, I hope it works well for you again.
May try something close to the 40/30/30 split, sort of a moderate carb plan. Certainly would offer a broader selection of foods than other plans. Portion control maybe a little tough, will see.

Thank you for the well wishes. It is already working well for me again. It never fails me, never... and that is why I love this program, it works!

Actually portion control isn't the hard part. The hard part is picking and choosing so that you can actually finish a meal. Believe me, you will be very full. But you won't get hungry again for 4 to 5 hours (or longer) with a full meal. With a snack maybe in 2 to 3 hours. The cravings go away also. I didn't find that to be so with Atkins. It's all about balance and keeping insulin under control.

Is there somewhere I can find the food list for the Zone without buying any books?

hi Puffypants (love that nick ),

Here's some basic information about using The Zone "food blocks" system to get you started .. http://www.zonediet.com/tools/zone-classic.

Another idea is to check your local library. You can borrow a copy of the Zone book without having to buy anything. If your local library doesn't have it on the shelf, ask the librarian if they have an inter-library loan service

Best of luck to you


Doreen

Thanks, Doreen!