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Enter the Zone  
Brief Synopsis of the Zone Diet by Barry Sears, Ph.D. 

Favorite Quote: "To complete a Zone - favorable meal, always add fat." (if you say so . . .)

The Zone Diet Basic Theory:

This weight loss plan is based on finding the Zone – the mysterious, but very real state in which the body and mind work together at their ultimate best. Every meal and every snack you eat should have the desired balance of macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fats. What you are trying to achieve is a precise ratio of protein to carbohydrate, keeping the total calories at any one meal to 500 or less – 100 or less for snacks. Never go more than five hours without eating a Zone-favorable meal or Zone-favorable snack

The Zone Protein Prescription

The first step in the Zone diet is to know your daily protein requirement. The book provides a chart for calculating your daily protein requirement based on your percentage of body fat and your level of physical activity. Think of your total protein requirement as protein blocks, each block consisting of 7 grams of protein. If your daily protein requirement is, say, 75 grams, then this would be equivalent to 11 protein blocks (simply round off to the nearest whole number). Spread your protein requirement evenly throughout the day, over three meals and two snacks.

Zone Diet Friendly Carbohydrates

For every protein block at a meal or snack, simply make sure that you eat one carbohydrate block. One carbohydrate block is 9 grams. So at each meal or snack you'll be consuming a little more carbohydrate than protein, but not much more.

Be especially careful about what type of carbohydrates you eat.  Unfavorable carbohydrates should be used in moderation and in much smaller amounts than favorable carbohydrates.

• Favorable carbohydrates – fiber rich fruit and vegetables
• Unfavorable carbohydrates – bread, pasta, grains, corn, potatoes, and high-glycemic fruits and vegetables, like papayas, bananas, corn, and carrots – as well as fruit juices. 

The Zone Diet Fats

To complete a Zone-favorable meal, always add fat. The Zone diet rule on fat – restrict bad fats (arachidonic acid and saturated fat) and get most of your daily fat intake from good (monosaturated) fat

• Good fats – olive oil, canola oil, olives, macadamia nuts, avocados

• Bad fats – egg yolks, organ meats (like liver and most deli meats), and fatty red meat. 

Each fat block contain approximately 1 ½ grams of fat.  A Zone-favorable diet is a low-fat diet. For every protein block in a meal or snack, just add one fat block. Typical fat blocks – 3 olives, 1/3 teaspoon of canola oil, ½ teaspoon natural peanut butter

Rules of the Road to Reach the Zone

1. Know how much protein your body needs. Never consume more protein than your body requires. And never consume less
2. Every time you eat, make sure you maintain a 1:1 ratio of protein to carbohydrates blocks
3. Spread your protein requirement throughout the day in three small Zone-favorable meals and two-Zone favorable snacks
4. Never let more than five hours pass without eating a Zone-favorable meal or snack. (You’re only as good as your last meal, and you’re only as good as your next meal. The best time to eat is when you are not hungry.)
5. Make your protein choices low-fat
6. Make your carbohydrate choices from favorable carbohydrates (fiber-rich vegetables and fruits).
7. Make your fat choices from monosaturated fats
8. Try not to eat more than 500 calories per meal or 100 calories per snack.

The Zone Diet Protein – Carbohydrate – Fat Balance

• Breakfast – 3 protein blocks, 3 carbohydrate blocks, 3 fat blocks

• Lunch – 3 protein blocks, 3 carbohydrate blocks, 3 fat blocks

• Late Afternoon – 1 protein block, 1 carbohydrate block, 1 fat block

• Dinner – 3 protein blocks, 3 carbohydrate blocks, 3 fat blocks

• Late night Snack – 1 protein blocks, 1 carbohydrate block, 1 fat block

Barry Sears, Ph.D. 1995. New York: Regan Books

Information provided on this website is not meant to replace the services of your physician, but only to act as an educational tool. The diet summaries are by no means a substitute for reading the actual diet programs, but rather are synopses of basic principles meant to pique your interest and help you select a diet. Be sure to consult your physician and read the entire diet book before beginning any weight loss program.