The Zone: A Dietary Road Map to Lose Weight Permanently : Reset Your Genetic Code : Prevent Disease : Achieve Maximum Physical Performance (Hardcover)

by Barry Sears (Author), Bill Lawren (Collaborator) "Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes right?..." (more)
Key Phrases: activated essential fatty acids, bad eicosanoids, good eicosanoids, Stanford University, University of Texas, Marv Marinovich (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Barry Sears looks at why Americans still have dietary problems in spite of following the advice of experts. Challenging the current recommendations for a high carbohydrate diet, Sears looks into man's history as well as the diets athletes succeed best on, to build a new dietary picture. Anyone looking for better health through an improved relationship to what they eat should put this book on their list.

From Publishers Weekly
Ciao pasta, good-bye bread, rice and other "bad carbohydrates," which can include carrots, cranberries and corn. It's time to truck in the proteins. Sears, a biochemist, crowns years' worth of research into the effects of food on hormone production and metabolic activity with a program that will lead to "optimal health," peak performance (the zone of the title) and, not incidentally, weight control. Citing the importance of eicosanoids, a class of hormones that figures critically in metabolism, Sears has worked out an approach to eating that reduces one's daily production of insulin and, at the same time, draws on stored body fat for energy. A formula for calculating an individual's Lean Body Mass is tied to an estimated Physical-Activity Factor and used to establish one's daily protein requirement, which can easily be as much as 70 grams for a moderately active, middle-aged woman with 25-35% body fat. Recommending a diet that tightly balances the intake of protein, good (low-glycemic) carbohydrates and a moderate amount of monounsaturated fats, Sears is among those current weight-control specialists (e.g., Drs. Rachael and Richard Heller and Stephen Gullo [see Notes below]) who observe that there are many "insulin-resistant" Americans for whom the new food pyramid recommendations, heavily weighted with "high-density, high-glycemic carbohydrates," can be unhealthy. "Zone-favorable" recipes and food-count tables are included. BOMC and QPC alternates; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (May 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060391502
• ISBN-13: 978-0060391508
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

355 of 359 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great diet - don't start with this book though, May 12, 2002

By	"sugarkanedc" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

After a lot of encouragement from my mother, who has been following the Zone for two years, I decided to try this diet. I've been on it for 3 months and I've lost 28 pounds and 2 clothing sizes without really changing my modest exercise habits. I eat half as many calories as I used to, but I'm not hungry. I used to have terrible insomnia, often getting no more than 4 hours of sleep a night - that has vanished along with my nearly-constant heartburn. After two months, my blood cholesterol dropped from 200 to 180. I have energy to burn. I take a Cheat Day on Sundays when I eat all the evil things I've been craving that week - croissants, Nutella, McD's sausage biscuits, creamy desserts - and by the end of the day I feel so draggy, dehydrated, sinus-y, that it's a relief to wake up Monday morning and go back onto the plan.

So, why don't I recommend this book? It was the first book Barry Sears (co-)wrote about the Zone, and it reads like an infomercial. The writing style is... loud. It is also poorly organized, jumping around from biochemical jargon to little tidbits of practical advice to anecdotal evidence to health claims for different conditions. And finally, this book doesn't provide any information beyond the very basics about how to actually follow the plan. If you are already convinced (perhaps by all these glowing reviews) of the benefits of the Zone and want to jump right in, the more comprehensive Mastering the Zone with its tons of practical tips is a much better place to start. If after beginning the diet you want more background information about how it works, then pick up this book. The one good thing about the early book is the more gourmet recipes (like the lamb with herbed cheese on zucchini-and-squash "pasta" - mmmm!). There are more recipes in Mastering the Zone, but for my taste they stick too strictly to the glycemic-index guide and also try too hard for one-pot meals; I've never used them.

An issue to look out for: I found that the body fat tables in the back way overestimated my fat weight, which meant an artificially low food intake level. After a couple of weeks hovering on the edge of hunger, I got my body fat percentage measured on a machine at the employee wellness office at work and got a result of ten percentage points less! I raised my food intake and continued losing weight at a healthy clip, with no more hunger pangs. I suspect that the bodyfat-table problem may be why a few reviewers here felt hungry on the Zone. The tables probably underestimated their lean weight, resulting in recommended food intakes that were too low.

The bottom line: even if all the health claims aren't sound, this is a balanced low-calorie diet that's easy to follow indefinitely without hunger, and what can be wrong with that - unless you are Nabisco Foods or something? Just try to start with Mastering the Zone instead.

566 of 589 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5+ years of trying to follow The Zone regarding weight loss., August 10, 2000

By	I.H. (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

I am a 23 year old female who exercises 3-5 times a week, cardio and weights.

One thing I've noticed from reading these reviews is that many, if not most, of the reviewers have only recently read the book and begun to apply the concepts. (with a high rate of success, not to doubt.) I am adding my experience because I have been attempting to follow this eating plan for 5+ years for the purpose of losing body fat.

I read THE ZONE when it was first published and went on the diet hard-core, because it made so much sense to me. I had previously had NO success trying to lose weight on the traditional low fat/protein - high carbohydrate diet illustrated by the ridiculous, industry driven "food guide pyramid." (Let's face it- do you think Nabisco would be very happy if the U.S. Surgeon General made an announcement that Wheat Thins really aren't good for you?)

I did lose weight when I began to follow The Zone eating plan strictly. I was absolutely thrilled. I must say, I was a bit obsessive. However, over the past five years, I have struggled with my weight fluctuating 15 lbs. I have a hard time with what Dr. Sears protests regarding two things, now that I've been familiar with applying the concepts in this book for so long:

1) Lack of hunger/ food cravings: Even when following The Zone to a *T*, I experience intense carbohydrate cravings and get hungry between meals, usually after 3 hours at most. It is not my so-called improved hormonal balance that Dr. Sears speaks of that keeps me on track, but my sheer willpower.

2) Permanent weight loss: I was 18 when I began The Zone. I am now 23. As stated earlier, my weight has fluctuated +-15 lbs. over the past five years. It must be noted that over this time, there has not been *one single thing* that I've put into my mouth that I've not considered the "Zone" repercussions of. The bottom line is, that if I slip a bit, I readily re-gain weight. This is easy to do, because The Zone is in essence a very calorie restricted diet. Although Dr. Sears says that no foods are "forbidden," the Zone sharply limits several foods that many people really like.

In sum, I am very happy for the many people who have recently gained considerable success following The Zone balanced eating plan. However, my caveat is that I have doubts regarding the ability of most people to follow it for the rest of their lives. I know I have, thus far. I never feel really fulfilled. I am not satisfied by the size of the fat blocks which the diet prescribes for my height/ body weight. If I follow the Zone very closely (and I've had a LOT of pracice) I'm very frequently half hungry and miss many specific foods.

Good luck to all. If you've had a similar experience, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

205 of 214 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eating program that finally works!, July 21, 1999

By A Customer

For the last 10 years, I've struggled with my weight, always needing to lose between 10-20 pounds of fat. About two months ago, I started eating more vegetarian meals. I did start to feel better and experienced reductions in sugar cravings. However, my weight wasn't coming off as quickly as I wanted even though I was exercising 4-5 times a week and was not eating that much "junk." Then I discovered the Zone. What a difference! My sugar cravings are gone (I still enjoy chocolate but don't eat much of it), and my energy levels have sky-rocketed! I don't use a scale, but people have asked me if I've lost about 10 pounds, and this is only after two+ weeks on the diet. And I can lift heavier weights in the gym and exercise for longer periods of time! Best of all, I am no longer a slave to constant hunger; I am now in control. THANK YOU, Dr. Sears. I will never eat a protein-free meal again. Just say no to pasta, bread, cereal, rice, and sugar-laden, refined foods! By the way, the naysayers either didn't read or understand the book, haven't tried the Zone, or did not follow it correctly (you need to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables).