In the Zone!
August 29th, 2008 @ 3:04 pm by Mrs. Bee
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!
Each delivery consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks that follow the 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 30% fat ratios. I always wondered what the food tasted like, so I’ve photographed 2 days worth of food below. This diet is tailored to my weight, activity level (I do weights 2x a week and cardio 2x a week), and desired weight loss goal. Mr. Bee, who’s doing this with me, gets a lot more food than I do.
Breakfast: 2 whole wheat pancakes (slightly smaller than the palm of my hand) with roasted bartlett pears, raspberries, turkey bacon and cottage cheese; Snack #1: Cubes of cheese with apples, grapes, celery and carrots
Lunch: grilled chicken breast with garden veggies; Snack #2: blueberry muffin with yogurt
Dinner: lime seared tilapia w/ red rice and roasted veggies; Another Dinner: golden grouper with grilled veggies
Snack #2: pear and berry panna cotta; Lunch: golf shrimp w/ pasta provencal
Snack #1: feta & veggie salad; Breakfast: steel cut oats with cinnamon roasted apples and turkey bacon
Thoughts on the food:
- I really enjoy the food!
- The first couple of days you’re really hungry because the portions are pretty small. But now I’m used to it and the amount of food is more than fine for me.
- Breakfast typically consists of waffles/pancakes or eggs.
- Lunch typically consists of a protein like chicken/shrimp/beef with veggies.
- Snack #1 is usually veggies and Snack #2 is always a sweet snack.
- Dinner is usually fish (there are chicken and beef dishes but far less).
- You can customize the meals to exclude anything you don’t like.
So far, I’m really happy with the Zone Diet (even though I haven’t lost any weight yet, but that’s probably because I’ve been cheating a ton 
). It feels healthy, it’s convenient, and it’s not hard to stick to because the food actually tastes pretty darn good.
If you have any questions about Zone, please feel free to ask and I’ll try to help.
Have you ever tried the Zone or similar diet? How did you like it?
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23 Responses to “In the Zone!”
That looks delicious– I’m very intrigued, although I feel like I have to cook with all the new cooking stuff I got for the wedding! Is it expensive?
it’s about $32 a day if you do it for a month. they charge more if you do it for 2 weeks or 1 week.
Not bad since I spend about that much on food anyway.
Neat!
For anyone looking to lose weight- I can’t speak highly enough of Weight Watchers. I did the online version and lost over 15 pounds easily. Better than that though, I’ve changed my life and the way I think about and interact with food. I couldn’t be happier about it. (And I’m going to look great in my dress!)
@Sarah: I also did WW and lost weight - I liked it the most out of any diet I’ve done b/c it teaches you a relationship w/ food that can last LONG after you’ve reached your goal weight, you know to help you stay @ your goal weight 
The lady in my office also did the ZONE and it worked great for her - she bought a book w/ recipes etc so she could also make food herself.
i would totally be into a program like that! i always want to eat healthier but never know how to and this takes your program takes all the guess work out of it. $32 a day isn’t too bad either. do they have programs in cali like that?
That sounds like a great plan, Mrs. Bee! I don’t cook either (really, I need every pot in the kitchen to make a hot dog) so this is really something I am going to look into. I have been doing South Beach for about 3 years now, but Im looking for a change. Thanks for the info!
The food looks yummy! Please tell me you are recycling all the containers…my green hearts hurts at the thought of alal the trash
i’m so jealous of you new yorkers who have access to this kind of thing! i live in indianapolis and spend about the same amount on food every day (i don’t cook during the week), but it’s all junk. 
let us know how it works out in terms of weight/how you feel…the food looks delicious!
WHOA - i am totally jealous! except i don’t think i can pay $32.95! and the pics look great…i’m not looking for weight loss but more of “toning”. i found out my body fat % and it shocked me compared to the days i hit the gym so i’ve been told if i want a difference i need to go 6 times a week burning 600 calories…
Its more expensive in L.A. its 39.99 per day plus a 3.00 day for delivery! Too expensive for me.
@PrettyKitty: Hey PrettyKitty - Maybe over time, they’ll come up with metal returnable containers we can return at the end of each day. In the meantime, we definitely recycle!
Does anyone know whether a similar plan is available in San Francisco?
@pinkyp: http://www.zonesanfrancisco.com/
most major cities should have it. there are several different companies so read reviews to see which one has the best food.
I think it’s quite pricey, almost 1000 dollars a month just for one person. I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t spend 32 dollars a day on food. And the major pitfall of these meal plans (nutrisystem, zone) is that, once you stop getting the meals, you end up going back to your old eating habits and and you gain the weight back. But I guess if you can afford it indefinitely, it should work. The food does look good and high quality.
The food looks really good, though its most definetly out of my budget. @jibi: You could do this for 2 weeks until you get the hang of it, and then you can build your own meals. You just have to do it.
thanks for the advice, mrs flamingo. i guess people could use it as a starting point to jump start their weight loss. ultimately, long term weight loss is about forming healthy relationship with food (portion control, making the right choices without depriving yourself, etc) and turning them into habits (a tall order!). it was hard in the beginning, but i try to cook healthful meals and pack lunch whenever i can. when i’m really pressed for time or lazy, i resort to lean cuisine frozen entrees (which are, in a way, a poor man’s version of diet meal plans). it’s been 3 months, and i’ve lost 15#s. i hope i don’t revert to my old ways after the wedding!
When I was on the Zone I felt so much better mentally. I lost weight, but generally just felt better overall. I still follow the general guidelines.
Another option is Jenny Craig. A lot of the food is frozen, but surprisingly is pretty good. I did it almost 7 years ago when I was in college and lost 35 pounds in 4 months and have kept it off. I think I averaged about $70 a week at the time. Disclaimer: I had REALLY bad eating habits in college - think lots of fried foods, eating out a lot, ice cream 1-2x/day, dorm food, etc. Having pre-prepared/pre-portioned meals that all I had to do was microwave was really easy and made it easy to stick to. Plus having weekly meetings with a consultant kept me on track. They really do a good job weaning you off the program and teaching you how to do it on your own once you lose the weight. It doesn’t work for everyone but did wonders for me.
I second Jenny Craig. I did it over a period of about 6 months and lost 50 lbs. I have kept it off for about 6 years now (I did it after gaining the freshmen/sophomore 35 in college) and just did it again with my FI to loose another 7 (he lost 20). It is great because it teaches you what portion sizes are supposed to be and setting your body into a routine of eating frequent, small meals. They wean you off of it by having you plan meals on your own as you get closer to your goal weight.
I did Seattle Sutton’s Healthy eating — you pick up meals (or have them delivered) 2x/week. It was not very expensive, I think it was around $120/week.
They were calorie/fat/carb balanced… I did the 1500/day plan.
It was SO convenient and the food was pretty yum!
what about drinks and stuff? (fat free milk)
and fruits and veggies? unlimited?
are you not supposed to eat ANYTHING except for what they give you?
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!
Oh my gosh, that looks amazingly yummy! So jealous of all your tasty food!