Rating: 
Summary: Eh.
Review: "The Zone" is a good instructional manual for people who have extremely poor diets, but for the average person with a modicum of common sense, it's quite useless. This is the first diet "manual" I've read and no doubt it will be my last. I picked up a lot of good information reading "The Zone," and indeed, I did loose three pounds in about three weeks. Many of the recipes are tasty - if you have an hour to cut up eight cups of fresh broccolli, that is. But counting out the various "blocks" took an inordinate amount of time and energy from my already busy schedule. Once I replaced the time I spent planning Zone menus, grocery shopping, prepping my meals, and other minutiae with daily cardio exercise, *that's* when I started to notice results! Now I just follow a simple routine of limiting my caloric intake. One thing that was very misleading about "The Zone" is that the authors claim that the dieter should not feel hungry. Not so. Make no mistake: this diet hinges on portion control and calorie counting, and I, like many people I know who are on the Zone diet, was famished beyond belief, particularly during the first two weeks. Bottom line is, if one is healthy and fit, nixing carbs from your diet doesn't matter, 'cause ultimately, it's about how many calories you put in your body and how many you work off.
Rating: 
Summary: Are we reading the same book
Review: Are we all reading the same book?
Dr. Sears DOES base his work largely aournd the glycemic index! So much so that there's an entire chapter early in the book discussing nothing but the glycemic index, where foods lie on it and how to mange your personal glucose levels.
Sears began his reseach over 30 years ago when his male relatives were suffering from heart problems at young ages. He realized his fate, and didn't want to go the same way. He doesn't simply propose a "diet", and if you are looking for a diet rather than an understanding of biology, then this won't be helpful.
Sears managed the diets of Olympic and college athletes and teams over the years, developing an understanding of what it takes to enable a body to perform at it's peak. Realizing that everyone is different, his advice is to understand the systems and then provide the appropriate nutrition.
If you want to understand what each type of food provides from a nutritional standpoint, then to develop an approach that is specific to your life, Sears provides an education about what you're really eating and a simpler way of choosing foods.
Rating:
Summary: Never work for the long haul!
Review: First thing I want to say is this.... some of the reviews I read on Amazon seem like they are written by the employees of the publishers, or companies products trying to act like a real end user! Some are so obvious and others do a pretty good acting job ( should win an Oscar!)I am a 46 year old male. I am in good shape and I work out. I tried this when it first came out. Right after I tried Atkins before everyone else was doing it. My sister got a job at the Zone in Mass coincidently at the same time. There is so much marketing and sales there! Who can really eat like that. Counting blocks etc! It's ridiculous. It's way too tedious. I just read Body For Life and it is a pretty good book, but it pushes the supplements from the authors Company (EAS) and tries to make a cookie cutter approach to all people. However, For the most part, the book is the type of routine most people can use for the long haul. The long and the short of it I am concluding is to not do any type of EXTREME diets. Just watch your nutrition and calories for a few weeks by writing everything down until you are educated on what you are putting in your mouth. You will get the hang of it and you will not need to write things down once you have things memorized and know how to eat. You will be amazed at certain foods that you should stay away from and others that are wonderful. Actually Body For Life is a great starting point for this concept. You don't have to take any of the supplements they recommend since 98% of your problem is in the other stuff like eating and exercise. Take care of that 98%. The author gives a good road map and then you can tweak it to your own lifestyle. Get a personal trainer if you can afford it, even if you are experienced. I did, and it really motivated me after years of doing the same old routines. He also helped my with my nutrition questions. Bottom line is you have to have a slight caloric deficit ( you do not have to go around hungry all the time either ) , try to eat more than 3 times a day if your schedule allows. IF not then get some Protein Bars of fresh fruit (Yogurt, other healthy snacks) between meals so you don't get hungry and you keep your metabolic rate up. This is NOT rocket science. Sorry folks, there is no easy way out. You have to exercise, not just cardio, but some weight lifting if you want a nice physique and want to feel great.
Rating:
Summary: Never work for the long haul!
Review: First thing I want to say is this.... some of the reviews I read on Amazon seem like they are written by the employees of the publishers, or companies products trying to act like a real end user! Some are so obvious and others do a pretty good acting job ( should win an Oscar!) I am a 46 year old male. I am in good shape and I work out. I tried this when it first came out. Right after I tried Atkins before everyone else was doing it. My sister got a job at the Zone in Mass coincidently at the same time. There is so much marketing and sales there! Who can really eat like that. Counting blocks etc! It's ridiculous. It's way too tedious. I just read Body For Life and it is a pretty good book, but it pushes the supplements from the authors Company (EAS) and tries to make a cookie cutter approach to all people. However, For the most part, the book is the type of routine most people can use for the long haul. The long and the short of it I am concluding is to not do any type of EXTREME diets. Just watch your nutrition and calories for a few weeks by writing everything down until you are educated on what you are putting in your mouth. You will get the hang of it and you will not need to write things down once you have things memorized and know how to eat. You will be amazed at certain foods that you should stay away from and others that are wonderful. Actually Body For Life is a great starting point for this concept. You don't have to take any of the supplements they recommend since 98% of your problem is in the other stuff like eating and exercise. Take care of that 98%. The author gives a good road map and then you can tweak it to your own lifestyle. Get a personal trainer if you can afford it, even if you are experienced. I did, and it really motivated me after years of doing the same old routines. He also helped my with my nutrition questions. Bottom line is you have to have a slight caloric deficit ( you do not have to go around hungry all the time either ) , try to eat more than 3 times a day if your schedule allows. IF not then get some Protein Bars of fresh fruit (Yogurt, other healthy snacks) between meals so you don't get hungry and you keep your metabolic rate up. This is NOT rocket science. Sorry folks, there is no easy way out. You have to exercise, not just cardio, but some weight lifting if you want a nice physique and want to feel great.
Rating:
Summary: Eh.
Review: I couldn't stomach this diet, literally. My doctor recommended this book highly to me. I've been on nearly every diet on earth, and there is hardly a diet out there that won't work in the short run, as long as you follow it. As a nurse, the only diet I do not recommend is the Atkins diet, as it is unbalanced, and many people experience liver problems as a result. I became ill on Atkins, something no other diet has ever done to me. The Zone seems to be a very sound plan; however, I had a really tough time with all the limitations - it just was not doable even in the short run, so I knew I would be in trouble in the long run. The worst problem was the recipes tasted terrible, and I couldn't find a way to use the foods I was allowed to make my own interesting recipes - something I was used to being able to do on other diets. I tried several that were recommended as "delicious" and they were horrid. I've lived on low-carb, low fat diets many times in the past for many months at a time, so I understand and can deal with the usual diet deprivations. On this diet, I found about three or four meals that weren't repulsive to me, and there is no way a person can make it long on a diet without some variety. In addition, I've had a belly full of counting, counting, counting and figuring. I spent more time in the kitchen trying to figure out how to stay in the Zone than cooking and eating combined. I've found that simply cutting portions and stopping when full has been far more practicable and effective in the long run. Maybe that has made me impatient with all the "do not touch, do not eat" restrictions of dieting. But - that's not going to stop me from giving South Beach a try - I need a jumpstart, LOL.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but many questions
Review: I found the book excellent because it talks about reality.. that taking carbohydrates would just make you fat, and that the reason why people don't have any energy is because they aren't eating fats to give them that energy. My fiancee and I are trying it out(I'm trying to gain, and she's trying to lose weight), and have found that our energy has never been better. Unlike what another person has said, I never found this book confusing at all, whereas my fiancee did. The reasoning behind the confusion, in my opinion, is because all of these magazines talking about some new "diet" using pastas and rice, and Boost with their "energy drink". For too long, we have been inundated with false information most likely from some company who's told the government that this is the right way to eat and lose weight. Thank goodness for this book. People can finally eat properly, and all based on scientific research. As well, I've also seen the ideas in real magazines such as "Muscle Media" and "Oxygen". Now for the "but". I did not agree with the use of aspirin to lower cholesterol. When I got to that part, I read a few pages, and almost tore it out of the book. Why would I take such a drug to lower my cholesterol? What about the chances of getting addicted? With all the illegal drug addicts dying, there is never any mention of aspirin and tylenol addicts. Finally, this book failed to mention that the best way to lose fat and increase metabolism, is to lift weights. Muscle is the best fat burner that nature has given us, and yet very few mention that.
Rating:
Summary: Changed My Life
Review: I found this book in a thrift store for $2, after hearing about it from an ex girlfriend. It takes a while to figure it out, but after like 2 weeks I mastered it. People who have problems understanding this, just are't trying hard enough. Anyway , I lost 20 pounds, and I'm at my ideal weight now. All this with barely working out. I have more energy throughout the day, and more importantly, a lot more confidence. There is sacrifice involved, but once you get to where I am, you really can't see living any other way. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I knew about this years ago!
Review: I have been working out for years and within the last year I have been running over 12 miles a week, weight training, taking boot camp classes at my gym as well as tai box classes three times a week. I thought I was eating healthy. But I could never lose any weight. I grow up eating bread with every meal. I originaly read Dr. Atkin's boot the New Diet Revolution. I found this boot to be to strigent for my liking. I was feeling tired and weak. I read the Zone and with in the last two weeks I lost five pounds, feel energize as well as I did not suffer from any PMS. I have told my mother about this book as well as a friend who suffers from MS. They both went out and bought the book and are begining the zone plan. This book makes it easy to follow. I was amazed it even suggested what type of fast food I could eat.
Rating: 
Summary: WORKS,BUT YOU MUST STAY WITH IT!
Review: I Lost 42lbs. in three months on the zone, but a person must not get out of the zone or the weight comes back! so if you want to lose, stay with the zone forever!
This is a really interesting book about how eating affects our health. There is a lot of useful information in here to provide much thought about what to eat. There are also interesting references for wellness products.
The author does suggest you go off coffee slowly before you start the plan. This would minimize headaches during detox. I couldn't wait to get started so, of course, did it all at once and had the most horrible awful headache for 4 straight days. I finally broke down and had a 1/2 cup coffee one day instead of taking aspirin and that did the trick...for the moment. Now I'm completely caffeine-free and don't miss it at all.
My doctor prescribed a wonderful replacement for coffee made from soya beans called "soyffee". I bought it online at www. S o y c o f f e e.com and cannot believe how good is the taste.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for people willing to "reprogram" their diets
Review: I've read so many reviews of this book, so many of them negative. People talk about how much they love carbs, that we need carbs for energy, that they can't give up bread, pasta, etc. The bottom line is, if you're not willing to reduce those things in your diet that are making you fat, you will STAY fat. As my mother always says, if you're unhappy with yourself, EITHER do something about it, or resign yourself to a life of weight problems and SHUT UP about it.
C'mon people....is it any wonder that Americans are SO overweight? Can any other food be "supersized", "big gulped", "double stuffed", or "hungry manned"???? Our portions are WAY out of control. We substitute high fat foods with high sugar foods, and then wonder why we're not losing weight.
To me, The Zone is NOT a low-carb, high-protein diet. It is a return to a NORMAL, proportionate way of eating. Sure, it might take some time to reteach yourself about portion size, glycemic index and caloric content, but with the "eyeball" and "hand" method, this diet is VERY easy. (...)
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