Greetings all,
My healthcare provider has recently moved me from the Atkins to the Zone Diet. The Zone Diet is not the easiest Diet to work with. I figured that since the Zone Diet is very close to the Low Carb Diet - there might be a few of you that have Zone Recipes to share.

If you have Zone recipes, would you please forward such, or contact me directly.

PS: This website is amazing. I think it is the best Low Carb website I have ever seen. Though I have to be a Zoner, I will be using all the great support this site has to offer and look forward to making some new freinds. Amazing work and congrads.

Hi Zone!

I have been doing a version of the "Zone" that has yielded amazing results! Pick up a used copy of The Formula, by Gene and Joyce Daoust. It is the Zone: simplified!!!! It has wonderful recipes and tells you exactly how much of each recipe to eat. The book also explains (in wayyyyyyyyy less technical detail) why you store fat instead of burning it.

If you like that book, you might want to pick up a used copy of Fat Burning Nutrition and The Formula 101, both by the same authors. Fat Burning Nutrition was their first book and has lots of good info also. The Formula 101 has tips and tricks to help you stay on track.

I got all my Formula books used online. I liked The Formula so much I got another copy that was hardcover!

Also, if you have some kind of nutrition software (I have Life Form) or if you use a program like FitDay, you can enter in all your food choices and just by looking at the little pie shape, you'll be able to tell whether you are in the 40C/30P/30F range or not. I do NOT use the block, 1-2-3 or point method when figuring out my meals. I use the gram method (from my software) and I have found that to be the simplest for me since I don't have to convert anything!

I started with Carb Addicts, then Atkins and then moved to 40/30/30. The "Zone" has been the best move I ever made! After a bit of tweaking, I find that I am best at 35/35/30. My software helps me stay in this range.

When I started this nurition program in October of 2005, my stats were as follows:
Weight: 153
Chest: 42
Waist: 37
Hips: 40
Bodyfat: 37%

Now, my stats are as follows:
Weight: 120
Chest: 37
Waist: 28
Hips: 34
Bodyfat: 23%

The "Zone" keeps my portions in control, my appetite under control, allows me to eat good carbs and the bonus is that my moods are very stable. I do NOT have any cravings, even though I am eating about 100-150g of carbs per day!!!

AND...there are NO forbidden foods. Yes...I understand that Dr. Sears breaks down his plan so that it shows "favorable" and "unfavorable" food choices, but The Formula shows you how you can enjoy REAL food without getting caught up in the (dare I say...) 'copyrighted' hype of the good Dr. While I have immense respect for the research that Dr. Sears has brought to the public, I live in the REAL world and I like to eat REAL food! Besides, since his original work was published, he has released several books with changes and adjustments. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he continuously updates his work, but I simply don't have time (nor the inclination) to re-program my brain everytime he decides that in this book this type of dried bean is favorable and in the next book, it's unfavorable. Ughh...so frustrating!

To get you started, here is an excellent breakfast that will keep you in the "Zone" for hours! Due to your starting weight, you may have to double this recipe to be sure that you get all your nutrients.

Donna's Protein Pancake
2 oz. 'light' cream cheese (1/3 less fat) - softened
1 TB vanilla whey protein powder
1 pkt. Splenda
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup egg beaters (egg replacement)

In a small bowl, mush around the cream cheese until creamy. Add the remaining dry ingredients until well mixed and finally, add the eggs. Continue mushing around until you have a smooth batter.

Using non-stick butter pan spray, spray a small skillet and heat over medium heat. Pour the batter into the pan. Allow to cook until the top shows little bubbles and is rather "set." Also, check the underside for a light brown color. Once the top is "set", flip the pancake over and continue cooking for a few more minutes or until the bottom is a light brown color. Slide onto a plate.

Butter lightly with your choice of real butter of non-hydrogenated margarine, 1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries and sugar free syrup. (NOTE: I like to sprinkle additional Splenda on since I don't like the fruit "swimming" in syrup.)

Yield: 1 serving
Cals: 277
Carb: 23g (29%)
Fiber: 4g
Pro: 22g (33%)
Fat: 11g (38%)

As you can see, this macro (ratio) is actually 29C/33P/38F. Don't worry about the discrepancy. It is close enough!

Also, be sure that you eat enough calories while following this program and do NOT try to reduce the carbs or you will sabotage your body's acclimation process which is very important in the beginning.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Oh, I forgot to mention.

My husband is also following the plan and he has dumped 62 lbs. and his bodyfat % is now 16%!!!!! I can't even tell you what it was before! His cholesterol profile is wonderful and his trig levels went from 217 to 82! His Dr. is AMAZED!

WOW

Donna, thank you for such a great post. I woke up in the middle of the night and found myself here.

I will search those books out in the morning. Like you I buy used books now. Why not? :-)

The block method is also something that I have never liked. This was one of the reasons, I decided to build a website. The concept works - it just need to be easier --- and it looks like you have found a path.

thanks
J
Funny enough, the biggest problem I am having; is learning to eat more often. I use to be a one meal a day person.

J,

Considering your starting weight, you should be able to easily divide your meals into 6 per day. I know that the book recommends 3 meals and 1 snack, but you may want to up that amount.

Once you understand why your body stores bodyfat rather than using it for fuel, this will all make perfect sense. It has to do with insulin secretion and keeping it at a steady place.

My DH who was taking medication for his Type II diabetes, is now totally off his meds with because of this program.

Like you, the 'block' thing is just too danged confusing. The Formula books are an excellent starting point for simplifing the entire concept and their recipes are actually good...well, except for the split pea soup...blech! You can even make Formula desserts and because they're balanced, you can eat them for snacks!

There are NO forbidden foods with the Formula. There is only modification. If you are really sincere about dumping this weight once and for all, this plan will absolutely, positively work for you.

I will try and dig up some of my own recipes to post here later.

Hi Donna,
Talk to me about living in the world of grams. Never working at a gram level before. It sounds a bit complex. Yet you seem to have mastered it. Advice?

I have NYC for software, but it doesn't do the pie charts - going to look at the two you mentioned.

The software I need should be able to convert recipes into the proper balance too from just being general recipes.

J
I greatly appericate your posts

Ok...the world of grams is not really complex IF you start using it from the beginning. Remember, everytime you pick up a can of tomato sauce or a loaf of bread, the nutrition is already broken down into grams for you.

Software will also do that so you can plan your meals and recipes accordingly. Fitday is FREE, but it is a bit cumbersome to use as it does not allow you a lot of latitude to make your own recipes and seperate your day into meals. DietPower is a payfor software program, but that too is rather cumbersome as you have to drag and drop food and you can't just enter quantity, you have to select quantity, etc. The LifeForm from Fitnessoft, is a payfor program, but it also tracks all your info including your workouts, your measurements, your nutrients, your calories. You can enter separate meals and you can view them by each food, meal, day or week. On your profile page, it tells you what your BMR is and how many calories you burn with exercise. It is also intuitive as it anticipates what you are typing in and completes it for you and allows for ANY quantity. Way easier, but it is a payfor.

In the LifeForm program, I enter the food items to create a recipe and then determine the number of servings. The program will tell me the complete nutritional breakdown including a pie chart for the macros. That protein pancake recipe I gave you is one that I got from another message board and I tweaked it so that it would be balanced, by simply manipulating the ingredients. It orginally used whole fat cream cheese and a whole egg. It also didn't include the generous serving of strawberries. So I started with the basic recipe and then adjusted it to reflect the lite cream cheese, eggbeaters and strawberries. Voila...a perfectly balanced meal!

When you do the Formula, there are some convenient charts in the book that direct you to which plan you should follow. A man of your weight would begin with Plan E. The book would suggest that you start with Plan D, but I think you could easily find your way to start with E and then move to D after a while. The E plan is based on approx 2,250 calories per day which is broken down into 226gCarbs/170gProtein/75gFat. When you divide this by 3 meals and 1 snack, it works out to be:

Breakfast: 534 calories
Lunch: 662 calories
Snack: 388 calories
Dinner: 662 calories

I still think that you should break this down further so that you are eating every three hours like 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm. Divy up your calories so that you will feel satisfied during the day and not ravenous by dinner. For the sake of simplicity, here is what I would suggest:
Meal 1: 350 cals
Meal 2: 400 cals
Meal 3: 450 cals
Meal 4: 350 cals
Meal 5: 450 cals
Meal 6: 250 cals

A simple way to convert would be to take the Plan E recipes and simply eat half of the serving and save the other other half for a later snack or meal. OR, if you have software that can figure the exact macros for you, you may want to enter in all the food to get more precision.

Once you get the hang of seeing the way the food is split up, things will get easier.

Once in a while while traveling, I have to eat on the road and fast food is sometimes my only option. When I have to do that I usually stop at a Burger King (ok...don't stone me to death!). I order their Tendergrill chicken sandwich, throw away one half of the bun and order a side salad with low fat dressing. This meal comes in at about 400 calores and is a little high on the protein side, but it is fairly well balanced and I don't get knocked out of the "Zone." Pretty much, any chicken dish will be a good way to balance a meal on the road.

Getting back to the grams; I made up a chart to remind myself of how I can figure things out for myself when I read a recipe.

A meal consisting of 400 calories will have this breakdown:
Carbs: 40g
Protein: 30g
Fat: 12g

Notice that the carbs will always be 10% of the total calories.
Notice that the protein will always be a little less than the carbs.
Notice that the fat will always be a little less than one half of the protein grams.

If you can remember this, you will be able to do it in your head eventually. But I cannot recommend the software enough! It has been a real saver for me and using it has kept me consistently in the "Zone."

Here is another favorite recipe of mine:

Peachy Orange Smoothie
4 oz. frozen peaches
1/3 C. fat free yogurt
3 TB vanilla whey protein powder
1 tsp. flax oil
1 tsp. frozen OJ concentrate
2 tsp. sugar equivalent
2 TB sliced almonds
Few drops of almond extract

Blend on high until smooth. Makes 1 serving. Per serving:
Cals: 309
Carb: 31g (31%)
Fiber: 8g
Pro: 26g (35%)
Fat: 11g (34%)

Notice that I like to keep my carb ratios a little lower than 40/30/30? With all the tweaking I've done, I know that this is what works for me.

I'll keep digging up more recipes that might help you. What specifically are you looking for? Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner? I don't usually do desserts so I can't really help you there. How about a gooey chocolate protein bar recipe that you can make yourself?

Let me know.

Hi Donna,
I find it amazing that you have this down so well. And thanks for being so open with your knowledge. That smoothie looks so good. :-)

Thanks for the info on the software too. Its always good to know what works and what doesn't - there is one more I have been looking at. I'll find it and post a link later.

I have a few dining out tip sheets. Have a look at them and let me know if anything fails. I'll post one per day.

McDonald’s

* Egg McMuffin or Sausage McMuffin with egg.
* 2 orders of scrambled eggs with cheese and English muffin.
* 1 regular hamburger with double meat and garden salad with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette
* Chicken McGrill Sandwich and garden salad with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. Discard top portion of the bread and eat open faced.
* Grilled chicken and bacon ranch salad, low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing, fruit and yogurt parfait with granola.
* Grilled chicken California Cobb, low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing, fruit and yogurt parfait with granola.

This seems so much more do-able now :-)

J

Hi Donna,
Just ordered all 3 books. Got a great deal. Paid more in shipping than for books. Got all 3 for $0.75. gotta luv it :-)

J,

You will soon discover that I am not a "hard-core" Zoner. I feel strongly that even though it is very easy to succumb to the temptation of 'unfavorable' foods, it is far easier to binge when one is deprived of them. With that said, I can tell you one simple fact:

Bodyfat loss is COMPLETELY controlled by your nutrition program.

With that said however, we are all human and need to feel that we have at least some control over our choices at some point!

Considering that you would like some choices in the fast food realm, here is what I've come up with:

Customized like this:
*Egg McMuffin with extra cheese and extra canadian bacon 370 cals 27 g. carbs
*Egg McMuffin NO butter, extra egg and extra cheese 410 cals 27 g. carbs
*Scrambled eggs with cheese on the eggs, bacon, english muffin NO butter 430 cals 30 g. carbs
*Scrambled eggs with 2 orders bacon, english muffin NO butter 440 cals. 30 g. carbs
*Regular cheeseburger with 1/2 bun discarded and side sald with NO dressing 368 cals 34 g. carbs
*Chicken McGrill meal PERFECT! Approx 450 cals. 40g. carbs
*Grilled chicken and bacon ranch salad with 1/2 pkt of low-fat dressing, snack size fruit and yogurt parfait with NO granola
*Grilled chicken California cobb with 1/2 pkt of low-fat dressing, snack size fruit and yogurt parfait with NO granola

There is a great resource out there called The Smart Carb Guide to Eating Out: Fast-Food and Family Restaurants (hundreds of options to keep you on your smart-carb diets including The Zone, South Beach and 40/30/30 plans) by Tracy Jones. I got mine for .01 at a used book store. I think it cost me 3.50 for the shipping!!! I keep it in my glove box and use it when I'm on the road. Of course, fast food is always changing, but this guide gives you some great guidance to this kind of eating and if you must, then why not do it in balance?

If you were just tossing out those menu ideas from your head, you are already thinking in the "Zone." You seem to realize how you need to balance a meal in order to maximize the food value. A little tweaking on your part will help you to stay in the "Zone."

If you want to eat at Subway, try a 6" roast beef sandwich loaded with lots of veggies, double meat NO cheese and light mayo. Yummy! 400 cals. 40g carbs

Yes...it is quite doable!

By the way, I see that you have already lost 50 lbs. I just want to say WTG!!! You are well on your way to losing another 50!

And of course, you know that if you are truly invested in trying this WOE, you will be amazed at how much you have to gain in fat loss and self confidence. Yes...the "Zone" can be quite complex, but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to master it. A few tips and tricks...you'll be golden!

WOW!!! That IS a super deal. I'm telling you...you're gonna make short work out of this AND reap all the extra benefits!

So did you decide what recipes you're looking for?

Here ya go J

Guilt-free Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray
Oat flour to dust pans
1/3 cup oat flour (2C)
21 grams chocolate protein powder (3P)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoon fructose (1 1/2C)
1/3 cup low-fat milk (1/3 C, 1/3 P)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (2/3C)
1 whole egg (1P)
1 1/3 teaspoon olive oil (4F)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Oil 4 muffin tins. Dust tins with oat flour to prevent sticking.
3. In a bowl, sift oat flour and protein powder. Add baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and fructose. Sift and set aside.
4. In another bowl combine milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Whisk with a fork. Add to dry ingredients and stir until evenly mixed.
5. Fill each prepared muffin tin about halfway.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Servings: 1 breakfast entree (4 blocks) or 4 snacks (1 block each).

Easy Breakfast

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup cooked steel-cut oats (1C)
1/2 cup blueberries or fruit of choice (1C)
1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt (1P, 1C)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (2P)
Flavoring (lemon, vanilla ) to taste
Spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg...to taste)
1 packet Stevia
1 tablespoon silvered almonds (3F)

Heat oats. Blend together yogurt, cottage cheese, flavoring, spices and Stevia. Layer into a serving bowl the oats (press flat), fruit, and yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with almonds.

Breakfast for Nonbelievers

1 glass of milk-1 protein, 1 carb
3 slices of turkey bacon-1 protein
1/2 cup slow cooked oatmeal, sprinkled with cinnamon-1.5 carb
Omelette:
1/4 cup egg substitute or 2 egg whites-1 protein
1 cup mushrooms-1/4 carb
3/8 cup onion-1/4 carb
Zone Dressing:
1 teaspoon olive oil-3 fat
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Garlic, basil, and oregano to taste

Make the bacon and oatmeal to your liking. To make the omelette, put the onions and mushrooms in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and pour the Zone dressing over them. You can add more vinegar if you wish; I like to add some water to the skillet to aid in cooking. When the veggies are sauteed, turn up the heat to high, add eggs and scramble the whole thing together.

I use this meal to convince friends that the Zone can taste good and fill you up. I give my male friends a double helping of the omelette and 2/3 cup oatmeal to make it a four block meal.

I also like to cook up huge batches of oatmeal, refrigerate it, and warm up just the amount I need, either in the microwave or quickly on the stove. It's a real time saver!

you guys are the best :-) ... thanks Surfer

Donna,
I downloaded Life Form today. Nice program, and I see where the world of grams comes in now.

Calc'ing out my meal and actually planning a meal is going to be new to me. As of this moment, its something I've never done before, at first pass it seems like its going to be a pain. But, if I'm going to make this new lifestyle happen -- this is something I'm going to have to master. Its funny - the little voice is saying forget this stuff ..... run and eat something bad for you.

But thank wholeness, the big voice is jumping in NOW and says - you silly man. Do you want to change your life or not. 10 minutes after you eat that bad stuff, you're system is going to feel sluggish and then there is the guilt too. So, you big baby why not just do it right?

My Doc nailed me good, I told her .. but I can't have this and I can't have that. She looked at me, as if I was demented. And told me, as she was laughing -- don't worry you'll find other stuff you'll like. Her statement was so basic and simple - I just had to laugh --- she's right of course.

Donna, I’m going to keep it simple at first and just add these recipes here into the software --- to get a feel for it.