A friend of mine has lost 30 pounds in 2 months on the Zone Diet - without any exercise! This is a chart of his amazing progress:
He signed up with ZoneManhattan, which delivers 3 meals and 2 snacks each morning for $32.95. The Zone follows a 40/30/30 ratio program with 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% good fat to create a balanced diet that maximizes weight loss.
Everyone I know that’s tried Zone, has lost weight - and lots of it. No wonder Jennifer Aniston has followed the program for years. It’s also much less restrictive than Atkins or South Beach. Complemented with a regular exercise program, I think it’s a great way to jumpstart your wedding fitness plan. In fact, I’ve gained 10 pounds since the wedding and recently considered joining too!
What diet/exercise programs have worked for you?
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22 Responses to “Zone Diet”
I’m the friend. If you think that a full month is too expensive,, but you still want to lose weight before a wedding, you can do the diet for a week. I lost 8 pounds in the first week. I talked to the Zone guy yesterday, and he said that you lose a lot in the first week because the diet is low-sodium and low-sugar, so you stop retaining extra water.
in the past, eating 5 small and healthy meals, drinking lots of water, and speed walking a few miles a day have helped me lose weight. as i’m getting older, my old plan doesn’t seem to kick in the weight loss as easily. i just looked into a yoga studio and thought about taking a beginner’s class. any comments on yoga?
I hired a personal trainer. The thing is, he trains me online!
I am the type of person who has worked out for a few years and knew my way around a gym but didn’t want someone standing over me when I was there.
So my trainer sends me a new workout every day and he is available by telephone or email 24 hours a day. He also gave me a weekly meal plan complete with grocery list.
I am extremely happy with my progress! I have lost nearly 20 pounds of fat in 12 weeks and am seeing a big difference in the way I look since my “before” photos 12 weeks ago.
yeah, i think this is really expensive, but then again i’m so lazy, it might just be the thing.
back in law school, i did the Zone with food delivery and it definitely is great. something to note, is that the price (daily and weekly) is absolutely negotiable. i never paid “list” for it. nor did a friend of mine who just did it before her wedding.
i got sick of the foods after a while, but may do the delivery again closer to the wedding, because the portion control keeps me honest and strictly “on plan.”
I’ve always eaten healthy and exercised regularly, but I still didn’t feel good and no lbs came off. The same with my bf. So we took drastic measures and “shocked” our body by only eating fruits and vegies, brown rice, beans- with small 5 meals a day. The extra meals - snacks- help kick up your metabolism. We also continued to work out 3-4 times a week. After two weeks, we slowly
reintroduced all meats and we are still losing weight. This is more of a slower (healthier) weight loss and also trains you on how to eat healthier for the rest of your life.
The biggest thing with diets is, everyone wants a fast result diet, but once your diet served it’s purpose, most people go back to their old way of eating and gain bac what they lost and sometimes more.
As for yoga- I’m a big supporter of Bikram Yoga (hot yoga). You burn a lot of calories (about 600 per session) and makes you really flexible and more in tune with your body. Bikram also helps with various joint pains, indigestion, and some nerve problems.
I’m actually trying that Post cereals diet that I just discovered, only modified–I’d get soooo bored eating cereal 2x a day, every day, but I understand the importance of whole grains and dairy. So I have a bowl of either Bran Flakes w/ raisins or Frosted Shredded Wheat for lunch everyday, and a piece of fresh fruit. (that’s usually my lunch)
For breakfast I usually have a Weight Watchers breakfast bar (it’s got chocolate in it so it really curbs my cravings!); I got the recipe from my mom when she was on Weight Watchers about 25 years ago(email me if you’d like the recipe).
Then my third meal is usually my “indulgence” meal, but still sensible–a tofu “hot-dog” on whole grain bun with baked chips, spaghetti and marinara, or a salad with a tuna sandwich, etc. I drink water constantly and have a glass or two of skim milk with every meal.
Since I’m not eating junk 3x a day, every day, and I have a plan for what to eat when, I have found that my boredom eating has been cut down considerably. And I really can’t overstate how great those Weight Watchers bars are–I get to eat chocolate and peanut butter every single day!!!
I realize that this may be too “strict” or something for some, but I’ve found that I need that sort of discipline to stick with things.
Oh yeah and I have Taco Bell once or twice a week. ::embarassed grin:: We all need our vices!
My fiance and I have just decided to try and start eating healthier. I have collected a lot of different recipes from Everyday Food, Martha Stewart Living, and Real Simple magazines. Most of them are vegetarian, and run the gammit from entrees and side dishes to breakfasts and desserts. Hopefully cutting out a few of our meat meals a week, in addition to eating more low calorie fruits and vegetables will help kick start some weight loss as well as improve our skin, which is also one of our goals.
I truly believe there is a yoga program for everyone. If one “type” doesn’t work for you, try something else.
I practiced Bikram yoga for 3 1/2 years–it is definitely a challenging practice physically and mentally. You may need to take at least 3 classes to decide if you like it or not–why? The first class is usually spent just getting used to the heat. I don’t know about the 600 calories part (I never tried to verify this on my own)–they used to say 400 calories, but it probably depends on the person.
I now follow a more traditional Vinyasa practice–think lots of sun salutations. I find that I am building strength through it (plank position can be very challenging) and it helps me stay calm. (I changed because I needed a change–I still think the Bikram practice is great and I might still go back some day).
Any thoughts on Pilates?
Melanie - Where can we find an on-line personal trainer? That sounds like a great idea.
I’ve been doing Pilates and it’s been great. I’m toning up and looking more slim without getting too bulky from muscle. It’s a great workout for those who are looking to shed a small amount of weight like 5-10lbs and want to firm up and improve their posture. Not ideal for those looking to lose lots of weight, while it will help for sure, major cardio and eating well are much better starting point for that. I’ve also done Bikram yoga in the past which is great both for tone and for cardio, but boy is it torture. You feel incredible afterwards, but I found the heat often too much for me…
Hi P:
In response to your question - my trainer is in NY so you can train with him in person or you can do the online program. It is also very affordable!
His website is http://www.dreambodies.net
I can’t recommend him enough! I have 2 friends and a sister that have also hired him and we are all thrilled!
Good luck!
My hubby and I lost a bunch of weight doing Weight Watchers together before the wedding. He lost more than 60 and I lost 35! It’s so much easier to go it together than to go it alone!
I try to go for four 90 min sessions of yoga every week since I signed up for a monthly pass, but I don’t have any significant results yet (I’m only into my second week). Ashtanga, Vinyasa and basically any forms of power yoga are great fat/flab busters without adding bulk. Good for posture and helps to elongate the spine in the long term as well.
I’m doing the South Beach Diet, and I don’t find it very restrictive at all…just during the first two weeks. I can still have carbs, so I’m good. I’ve lost 70 pounds since December of 2005, and I’m still on the way down the scales. I wanna be looking good by the time I get married in Spring 09 (So at least I’ve got TIME on my side! LOL). I also do cardio workouts, and practice Yoga. Along with strength training (I do weight lifting). 
my FI and I are on the South Beach Diet. We love it. We started in march and he has lost 50 lbs. I am down 25lbs. We love it and have made the diet a way of life. We also got a dog so we walk nearly every day as well.
My dad is the total zone guru, and lost over 30 pounds on it over 3-4 years ago. He has kept all the weight off and still practices it. He has never done the delivery plans but has the cookbook and goes about it that way. I went on it for awhile in college and lost about 10 to 15 pounds, but fell off the wagon and had a hard time getting back on 
The zone perfect bars they sell at grocery stores and target are really tasty.
I have now been on a low cal diet for the last 3 months and have lost about 20 lbs. gotta shape for my sister’s wedding in sept
[...] Zone Diet by Mrs. Bee [...]
If anyone is interested, my yoga teacher does training through email. Just PM me. She is great, bc she does Yoga Fit & Pilates, so I feel like you lean down. (I tend to bulk up from typical gym exercise.) She also specializes in pre & post natal yoga for later…. Although, if you are doing email, it might be helpful to know the basics, first.
[...] For the past week, I’ve been getting the Zone diet delivered through Zone Manhattan. I wanted to lose a couple of pounds, and frankly, eating is a chore during the week since I don’t cook at all anymore and order in for every meal. The prospect of not having to think about food was very enticing. Plus BIL Bee lost 30 pounds in two months on Zone last year — check out his amazing results here! [...]
I’ve found that most of the brides that hire me for training, need help changing the way they think about food. It’s always my first task before starting any program. It’s so important to have a good basic knowledge of how your body processes food, uses energy and how it effects your body.
Not understanding how your body works is like saying that your planning on changing the transmission in your car but not reading any sort of instructions.
Knowing how your body works comes in handy when that piece of cake is staring you down and you know the details of the consequences.
Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
eeeek! that is soooo expensive! at first i thought that i did spend 30 dollars a day on food, but there is NO way that i spent 1000 dollars on food each month, just for me.
if i didnt have a budget to stick to, i might try it.