Unexpected but amazing results from the Zone.

by Ivan
(Austin, Texas)

I started off by weighing and measuring everything to fit the Zone proportions/blocks.

I did not reduce the amount of food of I ate, I just made it fit the Zone recommendation of 40/30/30 for carbohydrates/protein/fat.

Amazingly, I lost seven pounds the first week. That was unexpected.

After that, weight loss was around a pound every two weeks for the next few months. My weight loss itself stalled after three months, but my fat loss continued, which meant I was both losing fat and gaining muscle.

The amazing thing is that I did not reduce the amount of calories I ate -- instead, I only stayed true to the Zone blocks. However, the quality of the food I ate also increased.

I ate more vegetables and more protein based foods like meat and cottage cheese. After only a few weeks on the Zone, I realized that my diet had been over 75 percent carbohydrates, with almost no fat.

The Zone is not a low carb diet –- instead it is a “moderate carb” diet. It is also a “moderate fat” diet.

As Aristotle argued, moderation in all things –- and the Zone is moderation in diet. After reading several Zone books, I became aware of how my body needs dietary fat and that restricting fat from my diet and eating so many carbs caused my to have high insulin levels, which created a lot of body fat.

After three months, I didn't have to weigh and measure my food as much, because following the Zone became instinctual. The Zone is great, especially if you are physically active.

Note from Dr. Dan

Ivan,

Your story proves that losing weight is not just about "eating less and exercising more."

Without the right intake of healthy nutrition your body doesn't have a chance to get rid of the fat and heal itself.

It sounds like you've done a great job at getting yourself into shape.

Dr. Dan