Rating: 
Summary: YAWN
Review: Dr. George Watson (author of 1. Nutrition and Your Mind; and 2. The Psychochemical Response); and Dr. Rudolf Wiley (author of BIOBALANCE: The Acid/Alkaline Solution to the Food-Mood-Health Puzzle) are light years ahead of Mr. Sears. But then again, it appears that Mr. Sears has endeared himself to the pop culture and talking head circuit. So what's the use of countering Sears' nonsense with Watson's and Wiley's double blind placebo controlled studies. Zone on Mr. Sears! Zone on! The masses adore you, and you have ben anointed by our media's talking heads.
Rating: 
Summary: At last, common sense !!!
Review: I am just finishing reading 'The Zone' and as far as the pricipals of it go, it sounds spot on to me. Above all, it advocates moderation - eat protein, just not too much/too little; eat fat, just not too much/too little; eat carbohydrate, just not too much/too little, even drink alcohol, just not too much. About the only thing he absolutely rules out is smoking - well, I have no problems with that.To me, all this sounds very reasonable. As this is the first 'Diet' book I have ever read, I am trying to research as much as possible, before I dive in. So far, Dr Sears appears to be spot on. I have now read a lot of reviews here and on reading all the good reviews it's very easy to get caught up and think of this as a miracle, so I find the bad reviews bring me back down to earth a bit. However, I now wonder whether the people who have written bad reviews, were getting The Zone diet correct (even though they claim to be doing it perfectly). Take this example (you'll have to go back to Nov 10, 1999 to find this one) - "if the amount of block of protein is 7 grammes, then why is the suggested weight of a block of (skinless, fat free)chicken 27 grammes (1 oz). That is four times as much protein in the suggested meals than the blocks call for. If I am to eat 6 blocks of protein three times a day (for my height and fitness) then he has me on over a pound of chicken (or 18 egg whites, etc..) a day. " Now here's someone who got it seriously wrong and I would guess is heading towards some serious plumbing problems downstairs. So as this is a review, what is my concluding opinion? I haven't tried the diet yet, but am keen to get started. I hope it delivers what it promises. I can't argue with the principal of moderation, but here's the thing, if it doesn't work for me, it doesn't necessarily mean that the diet is crap, just that it doesn't work for me. Perhaps my genes are a bit different and I need a different type of diet. Ultimately I don't think anyone needs to fear this diet as it doesn't suggest anything cooky (like taking loads of pills as prescribed by the Aitkens diet, or so I read), just sensible, common sense eating. Everything in moderation. That's my humble opinion, take it or leave it. P.S. oh and yes, there are load of historical examples that allow me to believe there are corporate masterminds behind the current 'Food Pyramid'. I mean, are pop-tarts seriously approved by the American Heart Foundation??????
Rating:
Summary: Enter The Zone
Review: The Zone works for me! I've dieted for years and didn't lose. I entered "The Zone" and lost 40 lbs. in six months. The program is a way of life now.
Rating:
Summary: ETERNAL YOUTH
Review: The zone is the best wellness program around and that is what it is the weight loss is a giant plus. when I became pregnant I was deathly ill and in the hospital I was approached by my mother a homeopath who spoke with a new student that was in to Dr Sears thanks to him I literally survived my pregnancy and became healthier than ever. The teachings of the Zone are not difficult to understand you just have to be able forget everything you thought you knew and really absorb what is being taught. It will change the rest of your life I promise!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: I found it too hard to follow
Review: I tried the Zone diet some months ago and sometimes I felt so hungry I had to quit the diet. I did measure everything to make sure the proportions were correct, but it didn't decrease my food cravings unfortunately.
Rating:
Summary: Enter the Zone
Review: Excellent. A must read for everyone interested in knowing how food effects your health. An absolute for those with diabetic conditions. It opened my eyes and simplified the whole diet confusion. I highly recommend it to be read over and over again. Rod Groves, author Journey to Enlightenment, Jacaranda Press 1998.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely misleading, will make you sick...
Review: One of the most misleading books I have ever read. While I agree with him that many of the diets out there are too lowfat, I don't agree with him about eating huge amounts of protein and cholesterol. First of all his research is all so poorly designed in order to give him the results he wanted and ignores the harmful effects of high protein intake on the kidneys. A candy bar with 30,30,40 is not the same as eating the same nutrients from real foods with plenty of fiber throughout the day. As far as the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in this diet, it's enough to give anyone but the most elite athletes heart disease and some cancers. As for weight loss, this diet helps some people lose weight mostly because his recipes are so low in calories and because most Americans are eating way too much bread and pasta. On the other hand, replacing grains with animal products is not a good solution. Go out to a jungle and watch how the large primates like chimpanzees and guerillas eat to see how much more gatherer humans are than they are hunter. For weight-lifters exaggerating the hunter side of our species might be necessary, for the rest of us, a mostly gatherer diet is a better idea and will make you lose weight even more quickly than the extremely low calorie recipes Sears offers you.
Rating:
Summary: This book may have saved my life
Review: Like many people, I was looking for a practical way to lose a few pounds when someone suggested this book. As I began to read it, I saw immediately that weight loss was more of an automatic side-effect of biological understanding than the main goal. Sears, like most medical or research people was following the popular road of looking for DRUGS that would solve the problems. His research led him to the conclusion that if you "fuel the machine" properly, it operates more efficiently, lasts longer, develops fewer problems. I took the "eyeball" approach rather than the rigid one (some people like to measure stuff..I don't) and the transformation began: better metabolism, more energy, stamina, alertness, weight loss, strength. Also stopped having certain symptoms I had attributed to my age - symptoms that may have been early warnngs of more serious problems coming. My cardiovascular wellness is better now than it was 18 years ago...and I thought I was physically fit then! I eat food I love, never go hungry, don't even think about my weight any more. I'm pretty consistently a size 8 and I'm over 5'7" tall...not bad for hardly even trying. This book is a must-read for anyone, for any reason. Weight loss will be an automatic and happy side effect of better health.
Rating:
Summary: This is where you start ! ! !
Review: If you don't know anything about the Zone Diet, this is the book for you. But understand, it only gives you the basics of the diet. If you decide that the Zone is for you, check out other books to help you fine tune your dieting.
Rating: 
Summary: Try Heller's Carbohydrate Addict instead
Review: The Zone is really a low-calorie diet in a high-protein disguise. The reason you lose weight is because there's really only 1500 - 2000 calories per day, although Sears doesn't focus on that. I tried it and found it too complex. I agreed with much of the concept - I'm hypoglycemic and know what the impact of high-glycemic foods has on me. But aspects of it didn't make much sense to me - and some of the science seemed a bit far fetched. I lost a little weight, but couldn't stay with it and never got past my carb cravings and hunger. What worked for me was Richard and Rachael Heller's book on Carbohydrate Addicts. The approach is similar: balancing insulin & restricting high-glycemic carbs. But it's far easier to manage. My weight loss was slow and steady, but recognizable and encouraging. And most important, I seem to have gotten over the carb cravings and constant hunger. If you find the Zone too difficult to manage (and many do) check out the Carbohydrate Addict series. Go with the most recent, they've refined their approach.
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