Customer Reviews

Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It isn't always easy to prepare menus and cook food ahead of time, but if you can do it, then you're on your way to healthier eating. Dr. Sears explains his "diet" better to non-medical people in this book. This isn't a high-protein diet or a no-carbs diet as some of the other controversial diets are and some critics claim this to be. It really is a healthy way to eat. I work for a doctor whose specialty is type 2 diabetes mellitus, and limiting those refined carbohydrates is proven to help those with all forms of insulin sensitivity. Limiting refined sugars and increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, adding the heart-healthy HDL cholesterol via monounsaturated fat, and eating sensible amounts of low-fat protein will help anyone maintain or lose weight, control blood sugar, and stay healthy with more energy. I lost 20 lbs., with 4 inches reduced from my stomach, and I didn't even have to exercise. Imagine if I had added some walking or other activities! Dr. Sears's suggestions I try to incorporate into my daily life, even those times when I am not as strict as I should be. I would highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with a weight problem or just anyone wanting to be healthier.

This is certainly a program that can be made difficult. Some of the other zone books have recipes that would require you to be a math whiz or an expert chef, and have tedious measuring. This book helps and mostly makes it simple.

For me it is life changing. I have ALWAYS had late evening sugary, breaded, fatty junk food cravings like ice cream and chips an all kinds of overpriced sugar-laced worthless garbage foods. (and always in super large abnormal quantities) And for years I usually gave up and just ate anything I wanted. (I'd be willing to wager that most of you reading this knows exactly what I mean to just "give up" when it comes to food) And gained lots of weight. Then I found this book. To me it is like what methadone is to a heroin addict. (for those that don't know, methadone is a drug to take the edge off of the withdraws from heroin without the euphoric high) And for those fellow sugar/carb addicts, you probably know what I mean. If you follow this plan correctly, it REALLY WILL take away those terrible binge cravings. It may take a little patience, and possibly some time (usually one to three days), but it will work.

This is not easy unless you make it simple for yourself. Getting started is a bit difficult because it usually requires a change of eating habits, which is not easy, To make it easy for me I had to pick out about 5 or 6 recipes I could EASILY make in a short amount of time. This book has some that I like and they are simple. The zoneperfect site also has some recipes that are easy to make as well. (those are FREE!) For the days that I just don't want to fix anything, I have bought a whole bunch of the zone prepackaged bars and meals and other foods. At first, they were not the best in the world and a bit pricey, but I really wanted this thing to work and after a while I started to like them.

The great thing is after about 2 or 3 days I really look forward to the afternoon snack and the zone bars and everything else and it's working great. The energy is amazing. It gets easier and better the longer you follow it. And you can add some other recipes if the others get old. I DO NOT have any more late cravings or afternoon sugar binges. And that is worth almost anything to me.

I think it comes down to how bad you want it to work. After I started to read the book, I began to believe what the author was saying because it just made sense. I have tried many other diets, and this program really isn't a diet and isn't extreme like a lot of those other fad diets. This one just seemed right. When I began to visualize craving free evenings and wearing 34 pants again, I just decided to do whatever it takes to MAKE it work for me. The thought of being in a swim suit comfortably outside in a large crowd just really started to overcome all of the barriers. ALL WITHOUT the hunger pangs. Thanks to Dr. Sears, I have gone from 44 pants to 40 and am 100% confident I'll be wearing those old 34 silver tabs that I wore many years ago. (I have them out for motivation)

YOU CAN DO IT TOO. AND IT IS GREAT!!!!!

I bought Mastering the Zone and never read Entering the Zone. I found it completely easy to read and user friendly. I read it one Friday night and applied it the next day. It's super simple. It explains blocks and in the back of the book, shows the quantity you can have of certain foods per block. It's even talks about adjusting the diet to meet your personal requirements.

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.

I've tried all kinds of diets and none of them have worked long term. I tried eating "in the zone" in principle, using the basic concepts, but not actually counting blocks. I lost 25 pounds in less than a year. My goal was to see if weight could be lost and if I could increase my energy with a busy schedule... just like my patients. It WORKED! This is now the only "healthy lifestyle" way of eating that I recommend to my patients. You may lose weight with other plans, but statistically you won't keep it off. Other diets slow down your metabolism, this one speeds it up. Medically/physiologically the Zone makes sense.

I've lost count of how many times I've seen the Zone described as a high protein/low carb diet, lumping it in with Atkins. In fact, you eat more carbs than protein on the Zone, and it is protein adequate, not high protein. I've lost 45 pounds on the Zone, my cholesterol went down, my good cholesterol went up and my triglycerides went down. My bodyfat percentage went from 40% to 25%. My energy level has increased, I don't get that afternoon slump, and I need less sleep at night. The block measurements become second nature once you become familiar with the portions of your favorite food. You can eat anything if you balance it correctly, though of course, some foods are better for you than others. I can't recommend this program enough. And Mastering the Zone is the most user friendly book of all the Zone books. There are also websites that are very helpful for people who are learning about the program. For those of us who were lucky enough to stick with it, we have been rewarded with weight loss, increased energy and better health. And unanimously, we say that this is not a diet for us but a way of life.

I have been doing a lot of on-line researching and reading of these reviews regarding the Zone "diet" plan. I have only spent a couple weeks in and out of the Zone (I love pasta, so I'm getting the rest of it out of the house so I can do a real "sample" after it and the temptation is gone). But during the day, at work and school, I've never felt better. It's at night I crash after eating my pasta and very little protien.

I don't know how much of the cravings for food at that point is psychological, which the Zone books never mention. They say that you control your hormones, you control your cravings. It's not as simple as that...there are lots of people who are body dismorphic and eat for reasons other than their brain pinging them because they're hungry. Perhaps I'll make my millions writing a follow-up book, but I digress...

However, after reading every review for "Enter the Zone" (which I believe is just the same as "Mastering the Zone", the latter of which I did buy, which I believe has more practical advice on how to make things work than the theory in "Enter...") I am fairly convinced that all but two of the negative reviews are from people who either didn't read the book, didn't get what was written, or they were simply stating that they didn't want to live this way. Two reviews make me wonder. One speaks to the shoddiness of his research reporting -- which I agree upon, but maybe it's glossed because the reading public can't handle reading that boring stuff. The other is about the Zone being a low-calorie diet and that being the only reason you lose weight on it, makes me wonder. It wasn't the "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" review...sure, a calorie is a calorie, but insulin, different macronutrients and so forth are not the same, so I disagree with that reviewer. But the idea that this only works as a low-calorie diet...I'm not sure....I am eating more bulk with not a lot less calories than I was before. So I'm still willing to give it a shot.

Basically, this is a nutritional plan for a lifelong change that includes food in moderation. I also don't see in the Zone books that they are so facist that they don't recognize that "stuff happens" and people will get off the Zone with some meals, but you can always go back with the next. Unfortunately people are too often "all or nothing" fanatics who don't realize that we aren't perfect machines and sometimes our psyche requires something our body doesn't. They look at the Zone and think that if you're not fanatical, it won't happen at all. After thinking about it, the Zone is really rather stress-free and forgiving...it's really how much discipline to be conscious about your food and activity that should be watched out for. You mess up, you can always be conscious the next meal. And with time comes the habit, in my opinion.

I will remain skeptical, but that's me. I can't be otherwise until I've given it a shot. I used to be 350# grossly obese, and after a year of getting more active and eating in moderation before, I came down to 225#. I still have oversized love handles, and I want to tighten that up and lose the rest of the pounds, but the last year or so has been stressful and I have only been hovering and gained a couple pounds back. So we'll see if the Zone leaves me with more energy I had before and convinces ME to be more conscious of my food choice.

I would recommend, finally, not to buy more than one of the books (probably "Mastering") as they all appear to be saying the same thing. It's just not money conscious. Or if you do, buy them used. Barry Sears has turned into a marketing empire, and I think the message gets lost somewhere in there. Most of the information is on his website, as well, so buy one book and just look at the website.

(ATTN Liz from England who posted on 7/11/02: the answer is 11 blocks minimum because otherwise you will be too hungry [approx. 100 calories per block].)

If you haven't read any Zone books, this is a good place to start. The first book (Enter) The Zone, lays out the author's history and a lot of biochemical explanations for trying to manage your insulin levels by restricting your carbohydrate intake. It contains a set of recipes and food lists. If you're not a science type, you'll find Mastering the Zone more accessible than the first. The book uses a more commonsense approach to the diet, and the food lists are updated and corrected. It does get a little tedious hearing the phrase "just like your Grandmother told you" over and over again, but all diet books involve a certain degree of preaching.

The bigger question, perhaps, is which low-carb diet is best for you? Contemporary choices include Atkins New Diet Revolution, Sugar Busters!, Protein Power, Carbohydrate Addicts' Diet, Potatoes Not Prozac, Glucose Revolution... I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Of these, Atkins is undoubtedly the best known and most controversial. An Atkins dieter, unlike a Zone dieter, pays little attention to counting blocks (grams) of protein and fat, and instead adheres to simple rules about carbohydrates. You should definitely take multi-vitamins on an Atkins diet, but the success of the other low-carb programs casts some doubt on the fine attention to ratios demanded by the Zone diet. In his book on aging, Sears argues that the Zone diet, because it is a calorie-restricted diet, has a good chance of extending your life. I guess I won't know for another 40 years <grin>.

If you have a good budget for books, it makes sense to get a few of these titles (most are available in inexpensive paperback format). Some also might be more appropriate than the Zone for people with special needs. For example, if you have struggled with alcohol, you should look into Potatoes Not Prozac, a diet developed originally for recovering alcoholics to help keep their beta endorphin levels balanced. Author Kathleen DesMaisons generalized the diet for everyone she defines as "sugar sensitive" (I think this includes us chocoholics). If you are a bodybuilder, take a look at Protein Power, which has special rules for maximizing growth hormone levels. (For many years, the Eades, authors of Protein Power, and Sears shared the same ideas, but there have been splits on various points that might sound trivial but make a big differences to the respective authors.) If you like your diet books simple, positive, and reassuring, Sugar Busters! is a good choice. It also has some dynamite-sounding New Orleans recipes.

As they say on the Internet, "hope this helps"! And "Just Do It."

A friend recommended this book to me because of the great results he'd had following it. I bicycle quite a bit, and had been on a very high complex carb, very low fat, protein--what's that? diet for several years. My "healthy" diet gave me low cholesterol (154), but I had extremely high triglycerides (382), low HDL (30), low LDL (48). In short, this shows impending heart disease. Doctor's advice? Exercise. Well, I was already doing that. I cut out even more fat. I was constantly hungry, had headaches, and rarely felt terribly well.

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.

For all you yo-yo dieters out there, you must try the Zone. It really works for me. I lost 35 pounds in 6 months and have kept it off for 2 months. The Zone is very flexible and I don't find it difficult to stay on with having to cook for a family. Above all, the weight loss was painless and I feel so much better. I love my nighttime snack...every night I have a gin & diet tonic with lime, string cheese and almonds! Dr. Sears also has two websites that are very informative and supportive. You should check them out. I was a carb addict before I started zoning and had to "tweak" the zone so that I wasn't craving carbs. I ended up decreasing one carb and adding 1-2 fats per meal which worked for me. Have fun with this...you'll be suprised how fast it works!

I checked into The Zone due to health reasons. I presented the eating plan to my doctor and he was very enthusiastic for me to get started. Like I said, I'm doing this for health reasons and the fact that I have dropped 10 pounds at the height of the holiday season is just a bonus! It's easy to eat this way. At first I was intimidated by the measuring of food and getting the hang of Dr. Sears' "block" food value regimen but after a few weeks it has become easy for me to eyeball foods and know what and how much to have. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to lose some weight, be healthier, feel better and especially those who are headed down the road to Type II Diabetes! Great book, but more importantly it's an excellent healthy eating plan!