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Subject: Your Zone Story!

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Tiana User is Offline
Posts:21
Aspiring
Aspiring

04/06/2008 12:34 PM
There are a lot of you on this site that have done some amazing things with the Zone diet! I'm sure i'm speaking for everyone on here when i say that your expirience with the Zone really inspires us. I know that it's easy to feel a little apprehensive about sharing your personal stories on the forum because you might feel like people may think you are 'bragging' or 'showing off'. I want you to know that i personally LOVE hearing your stories and use them to motivate myself when i need a reminder as to why i am doing this and why i should never give up!!!

I know some of you have kindly shared your stories under different topics..but i wanted to start a thread where i can collect your stories so that i know exactly where i can go to read up on your success (and all your progress in the future too!!!)whenever i feel like i need a kick in the butt!

For the majority of ppl..it's extremely challenging to eat healthy and workout. For those of you that have been disciplined and rewarded...you should be sooo proud of yourselves and your accomplishments! and you are allowed to talk about it ..and talk about it..and talk about it some more!!! you've earned it!! you worked HARD to get to where you are!!! exremely hard! So please post 'Your Zone Story' here!

And if there really are people out there that honestly think that it sounds like 'bragging'...just DON'T READ THIS! :tongue:
Matt User is Offline
Posts:306
Zoner
Zoner

04/08/2008 1:23 PM
The following is from a thread I started 10-04-07. For the entire thread follow this link there are a couple updates. http://www.zonediet.com/RESOURCES/Forums/tabid/121/forumid/8/postid/17438/view/topic/Default.aspx


Hi, I just wanted to stop in and say hi and share my results with everyone. I've been following the Zone to varying degrees since the 1st week of April. I did not keep a journal or anything so my data will be based off memory.

My wife & I have been married 10 plus years and have 2 small children 3yrs & 1-1/2yrs. We have let our selves go physically especially the last few years. We tried the Zone 4 or 5 years ago and lost 20 lbs in a couple months but we didn't stick to it. We went out bought a bathroom scale & bought a couple of the Zone books. Meals in Minutes and A Week in the Zone I think were the 1st ones. I weighed in at 268.6 lbs that freaked me out. I served in the US Marine Corps 13 years ago. Holy cow did I let my self go.

The 1st few weeks I cheated a breakfast or lunch every couple days. Never on the same day did I have consecutive bad meals. I was in the process of changing jobs and I was taunted with Lunches and snacks as I was parting on very good terms from my previous company.

By the end of April I had already lost 10 lbs. I started only allowing 1 bad breakfast & 1 bad lunch per week. I did have hashbrowns with breakfast a few times but I never had fries with a burger. By this time I was finding it easier to drink the perscribed amount of water. In the beginning this was very hard for me. I was use to drinking zero water & 3-4 sodas a day. Mixed some diet Coke and some Mountain Dew. Once I started in April I cut all regular soda out and only had 1 diet coke per day.

By the middle of June, 9-10 weeks in the "Zone", I had lost 40 lbs. I continued as I had been doing since it was working for me. I felt great, more energy than ever, less aches & pains than ever before in general I was feeling wonderful.

For the next month or so I think I was pretty much stable. Not losing anything but still felt good. We decided to start adding some additional exercise. We started walking a couple miles at least 3-4 times per week. This paid off and I started to shed a few more lbs. Within a month I think I had lost another 10lbs for a total somewhere around 50lbs. By this point I cut out the bad breakfast from time to time and was only having 1 bad lunch per week.

After a month of the walking I stabilized again and could only manage to lose a pound or two for a few weeks. I have since cut my breakfast to a 3 block meal I only have a bad lunch once every couple weeks. I am now at a total of 60lbs lost since entering the zone. The walking has continued but it has been harder lately to find the time to get more than 2 times per week but we are up to 3-4 miles.

I am now wearing a size 34 waist down from a 40. As stated above I feel great. I need to go have my blood work done again. A year ago I was border line for needing medication for BP & Cholesterol. Not sure wear the numbers are now but my bet is they are much better.

My goal is to get back to my Marine Corps weight which was around 186. I've set small attainable goals along the way and have met or exceeded everyone of those. My original plan was to meet my target in a year. With the Holidays coming around the corner I expect a plateau of sorts but I feel I am on track to meet my target on time.

My next achievable goal is to break 200 by the 2nd week of November. Then maintain that weight through the Holidays with some cheating along the way and then I have Jan, Feb & Mar to hit my target.

I know the Zone will now be a part of my life. I have never considered it a diet but instead a lifestyle change. Of course my diet has changed I don't ever remember eating this many vegetables but I also didn't know I could cook them so many different ways.

If you have made it this far thank you for reading and I hope this will help some one else who may be starting out and needs a little encouragement of how well the zones works to improve your life. Not only do I feel better, I have more energy to spend time playing with the kids, our love life has improved and our general health has been phenomenal.

Thanks again for reading,

Happy Zoning,

Matt

Primitive CrossFit
Where Fitness & Nutrition Evolve
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Matt User is Offline
Posts:306
Zoner
Zoner

04/08/2008 1:27 PM
Here is another post I started 4-2-08. This is one year after starting the Zone and 80 lbs lost.

http://www.zonediet.com/RESOURCES/Forums/tabid/121/forumid/2/postid/22514/view/topic/Default.aspx

Well, just over 2 months in the gym and I have had some great results. I workout 5-6 times a week at the gym with some additional walking 1-3 times per week. My workouts are usually 15-20 minutes of weight training and 40-45 minutes of cardio. I mix it up a little by doing my weights in between 2 cardio sessions or start with weights then do nothing but cardio for the rest of the hour. I am in the gym at 5am Monday through Friday. I squeeze in an evening or weekend workout once in a while.

My cardio increase has been tremendous. I have more than doubled my distance in the same amount of time on the Stepper & on the Arc machine. On the stepper I am averaging 120 plus steps per minute.

On the weights I have been doing sets of 20 reps, increase weight, 15 reps, increase weight, 12 reps, increase weight and 10 reps. My starting weight on various machines was some where between 60 lbs and 100 lbs depending on the machine. My new starting weight is 90 lbs to 120 lbs or more. Some of the machines increase by 15 lbs and some by 10 so it varies but my increases have been at least 2 weights higher and in some cases 3 weights higher which is some where between 20 and 45 pounds.

After exactly 2 months I had cut 2 inches from my waist & 1 inch from my chest. I lost a total of 8 lbs. The BF calculator wasn't working when I checked but I know my bf is now below 20%, I can't remember what is was. I have the measurements written down and can calculate when it is back up.

Also I increased by blocks from 14-15 blocks to 17 blocks.


From the same thread.

I am happy to share but sometimes it is hard to put into words without sounding like I'm bragging.

I really don't think I have reached the full potential of the Zone yet. This week is one year of eating in the Zone for my wife & I. We have not started the FO yet. I will be ordering some tonight or tomorrow. I was going to wait until I had been working out consistently for 6 months but I've recently changed my mind.

I do have some issues with my knees from previous injuries and know any anti-inflamation will help. I do not currently take any kind of meds for it but I do have some discomfort and certain movements can cause a greater discomfort.

As I've stated before, for me it was best to try and master one aspect at a time.

The base of the Zone Pyramid is the food. I think we have that down pretty well but there is always some room for improvement.

I skipped #2 on the pyramid, Omega 3s.

Number 3, polyphenols come naturally from the 10-12 or more servings of fruits and vegetables we eat everyday, I have not added the seahealth plus as of yet.

Fitness, #4, we started slowly with walking as our primary excerise for the first 10 months but now a more regimented routine has been in place for 2 months and will continue. Once our goals have been reached we may substitute some of the gym workouts with things like bike riding our hiking or maybe a family martial arts class.

#5 I'm not too sure about yet. No disrespect intended but Dr. Sears is pushing a lot of different products that support this part of the pyramid.

The last item that I think is missing is Relaxation. Some form of meditation or something that one can use to catch some relaxing time and de-stress. I try this a little already. My most relaxing time is a trip to the Chiroprator. About 10-15 minutes of massage and 10 minutes of EMS. Currently I do a trip to the Chiro a minimum of once a month and some times 2-3 times in a month. Depends mostly on my stress level how often I go.

Enough for now thanks for reading.

Happy zoning to all.

Matt



Primitive CrossFit
Where Fitness & Nutrition Evolve
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Jeffrey User is Offline
Posts:1
Newbie
Newbie

04/12/2008 2:11 PM
Great Story Matt. You are a motivation for me. I've been in the zone just over two weeks and have gone from 253 to 243. It's been a long time since I've weighed 200 but thats what I'm shooting for. I'm amazed that I have no cravings and like you I've eaten more veggies than I can imagine but I'm finding myself enjoying them. They were always a after thought. Keep up the great work !

Kiss
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Dr. Barry Sears, PhD.Dr. Barry Sears is a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids. He holds 13 U.S. Patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

A turning point in his research occurred in 1982. That year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for discoveries of the role that specialized hormones, known as eicosanoids, play in the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, and cancer. Since eicosanoids are only generated from dietary fat, Dr. Sears reasoned that one could apply intravenous drug delivery principles to nutrition in order to control these exceptionally powerful hormonal responses with laser-like precision. In essence, his approach treats food as if it were a drug.

This area of his research led to various patents in the area of hormonal control by essentially using food as an oral drug delivery system to modulate eicosanoids especially for cardiovascular, diabetic, and neurological patients.

The impact of Dr. Sears’ revolutionary work in the dietary control of hormonal response began with the publication of his landmark book, The Zone. Since its publication in June 1995, The Zone has sold more than 2,000,000 hardcover copies, and became a #1 best seller on the New York Times book list. In addition, The Zone has been translated into 22 languages indicating a worldwide response to Dr. Sears’ research. His second book, Mastering the Zone, published in 1997, also became a New York Times bestseller with hardcover sales in excess of 500,000 copies to date. His third book, Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes, published in 1997, quickly became one of the best-selling cookbooks of 1997 and an another New York Times bestseller. The Anti-Aging Zone was published in 1999 and provides the molecular insights into how the Zone Diet can reverse the aging process. The Omega Rx Zone, published in 2002, explores the molecular foundation of chronic disease and how high-dose fish oil can dramatically reverse it. His latest book The Anti-Inflammation Zone discusses how to combat silent inflammation in order to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and many other inflammatory conditions—and how to reverse these conditions if they are already present. To date more than 5 million hardcover copies of his Zone books have been sold in the United States.

His research has elevated food from more than simply a source of calories to being recognized as an exceptionally powerful drug. Because of his revolutionary research, Dr. Sears has been a frequent guest on many national programs such as 20/20, Today, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, CNN, and MSNBC.

Dr. Sears continues his ongoing research as President of Zone Labs, a biotechnology company in Danvers, MA as well as the President of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation in Marblehead, MA. In addition to continuing research on the hormonal effects of food, Dr. Sears has expanded his research in developing innovative dietary approaches to treating cancer and neurological conditions, as well as his on-going work in treating cardiovascular diease and type 2 diabetes.

I have been taking the Fish Oil for over 3 years now. I am 44 playing hockey and working out. The Fish oil helps with the pain that I get from playing hockey. It greatly enhances my performance on the ice and while working out. I have noticed a big difference in my energy, attentiveness and memory. If I miss a day for whatever reason, I notice a huge difference and it feels like something is missing. Anyway that is my short little story and it comes from the heart.

– Carter B.

 

I am a nutritionist and Ph.D. doctor of health and nutrition. For Dr. Sears to figure out balancing fat, carbs and protein, is really beyond brilliant. It is a milestone in diet history. I go over people's diet/emotional journals. Mostly all the time, we discover that the fatigue, irritability, unstable emotions were due to the imbalance in their diet. Using the Zone to balance them out, helps control weight, roller coaster emotions and gives them energy. Dr. Sears is so right when he says food is medicine. He has figured out the most powerful drug combination going, called The Zone.
Best and healthy wishes,

– Elaine W., Ph.D., N.C., M.A.

 

I have a very exhausting job as a flight attendant. I read the "Omega Rx Zone" about 4 years ago and started taking the fish oil. I am 47 and have been flying for 22 years. I am very active, I run and lift weights. But combining lack of regular sleep, a physically demanding job, and irregular eating patterns this job takes a toll on the body. Since taking the fish oil, I have noticed that I do not get exhausted. I get tired, but not exhausted. I stopped taking it for a couple of months and then started taking another company's fish oil. I started getting exhausted again. I came back to Zone Labs and will continue with the fish oil for the rest of my life. I believe in the product and it makes a huge difference in my life. It makes a difference with my running as well. I also bring the bars and shakes with me on the road. It is almost impossible to eat the way I should at work. I haven't found the right secret. At least I have my Zone fish oil, bars, and shakes.

– Kathryn S.

 

I have been in the Zone, for about 1 month now. I wanted to share with you how wonderful I think this program is. I have been a personal trainer for almost 10 years and actively compete in numerous athletic activities. The Zone program has helped me to achieve a better awareness of my nutritional needs and the results I have seen are amazing! I have lost nearly 13 lbs since I have been in the Zone. I feel more mentally alert, more focused at work, have greater intensity during my training, have made significant strength gains, and just feel better over all. With that said, I would like to thank you for helping me in my quest for "super-health"!
Thank you!

– Rob Y.

 

I read 'The Zone' and as exactly as I could followed the advice for diet. I noted weight loss progress. Over six months, I lost 33 pounds. One year has passed since then. I have maintained the new weight, guided always by Zone concepts. The Zone is powerful - I have found it fantastic and I am very grateful to Dr Sears.

– Lyn S.

 

Before I stumbled across the Zone I was weighing close to two hundred pounds and I was depressed. I used to be a gymnast as a young man. I would think, "look at me now," when I looked in a mirror. The day I found 'The Zone' book, I was intrigued and as I read it the science made sense and so, I began to follow the "treatment". I began to lose weight and I was feeling way more energetic. I am forty two years old, I am very active and my weight is down to 162 lbs, 38 pounds lost on the Zone. I cycle, walk, jog, swim and I can now perform some of the more simple gymnastic skills I did twenty years ago...I literally feel like I have turned back the clock.
Thank you!

– Jack J.

 

I have been on the Zone diet for 7 years. I did not go on the diet to lose weight necessarily; but fairly quickly I lost 25 pounds, going from 190 to 165; from a 36-inch waist to a 32-inch waist. I primarily did the Zone to live healthier. My health is excellent now. I just turned 62 years old. My Zone is my eating lifestyle now; I seldom stray; and I do not miss anything. It is The Good Life.

– Curtis Y.

 

My wife's doctor told her to read "Enter the Zone" and to do the diet, so I told her I would do it with her. After only one week on the plan we went on a strenuous hike (the first of the year), and when we stopped at our favorite coffee shop on the way home I was able to get out of the car and stand upright and walk into the place without pain or stiffness. The Zone had eliminated all the inflammation that had always forced me to stumble all humped over into the coffee shop any time we skied or hiked all day.
Thank you, Doctor Sears.

– Larry C.

 

I used to have a lot of knee pain when I walked or ran. I have been taking Omega Rx for almost a year now, and rarely have any pain. I believe it is the anti-inflammation action of the oil. I feel smarter as well. Thanks for developing such a superior oil!

– Joe W.

 

Prior to following the Zone Diet, my body fat was around 15% and my weight around 153 pounds. No matter what I did, my weight and body fat did not change much. I regularly cycled 20-30 hours per week logging well over 400 miles. That had little impact on body fat or weight. Diet also seemed to have little impact on body fat or weight. Within a couple of months of following the zone diet, my weight dropped rather quickly to 142 pounds and body fat to about 8%. I still regularly cycle up to 20 hours per week (during the summer). I have also started strength training. I eat about 16 blocks per day. I take 3.6 grams of fish oil per day, along with Vitamin E, Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, and B & C vitamins. I also take GLA, which in my opinion, has significantly reduced fatigue and improved recovery times after exercise.

– Jeremy S.

All polyphenols have antioxidant properties than can be measured by their Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC), but not all polyphenols have anti-inflammatory properties. The polyphenols in Dr. Sears’ Zone Polyphenol Plus have been carefully chosen to have both.

Polyphenols are the phytochemicals that not only give fruits and vegetables their color, but also help regulate inflammation. In addition, polyphenols also activate the key enzyme (AMP kinase) that helps restore cellular ATP levels. Polyphenols also help regulate the activation of inducible inflammatory proteins (such as COX-2 and inflammatory cytokines).

There are more than 4,000 known polyphenols, and the richest sources are fruits and vegetables. In general, the more color a fruit or vegetable has, the richer the polyphenol content.

Why OmegaRx From Zone Labs?

Certified Purity and Proven Potency

Zone Labs’ Ultra Refined Omega-3 Concentrates are three times fresher and contain less than 1/10th the mercury than what is allowed by the Norwegian Medicinal Standard and European Pharmacopoeia Standard

Zone Labs adheres to the International Fish Oil Standard (IFOS), an independent third party validated laboratory quality standard that is more rigid than any other global standard for purity.

  • No company in the worlds runs more tests with IFOS than Zone Labs
  • Zone Labs receives a 5 out of 5 star IFOS rating for every batch it tests
Standard IFOS Standard for a 5-Star Ranking Council for Responsible Nutrition European Pharmacopeia Norwegian Medicinal Standards
Peroxide < 3.75 meg/kg 5 meg/kg 10 meg/kg 10 meg/kg
Totox Levels < 20 meg/kg 26 meg/kg NA NA
Lead < 10 ppb 10 ppb 100 ppb 100 ppb
Mercury < 10 ppb 10 ppb 100 ppb 100 ppb
Dioxans and Furans < 1 ppt 2 ppt 2 ppt 2 ppt
PCBs < 45 ppb 90 ppb NA NA

 

 

 

 

 

"IFOS – THE TOP GLOBAL PURITY STANDARD FOR OMEGA-3 FROM FISH"

Zone Labs products show no detectable lead or mercury when tested down to 10ppb, which is 10 times below the Norwegian Medicinal Standard and European Pharmacopoeia Standard limits.

Zone Labs products are three times fresher than the minimum allowed by the Norwegian Medicinal Standard and European Pharmacopoeia Standards (based on average peroxide values).

 

Zone Labs starts with only wild, small fish from pristine Chilean waters and ends with proprietary validation and testing processes to achieve an IFOS certified 5 star rating.

8-Step Manufacturing Process - Quality Assured

Testing to specification all raw materials, bulk products, packaging material and finished products – always using stringent internal standards and in-process testing.

  1. Extraction of fish oil
  2. Winterization – remove limited amounts of saturated fats
  3. Absorption – remove heavy metals
  4. Preliminary Molecular Distillation – refining “touch up” to reduce contaminants
  5. Oil conversion to ethyl esters
  6. Ethyl ester thermal fractionation – remove additional saturated fats
  7. True Molecular Distillation – final refining to remove pcb’s and long-chain monoenes
  8. Rigid Processes – proprietary validation, inspection and encapsulation methods. Independent lab verification of IFOS requirements and certified 5 star rating

 

Clean Sources

No farmed fish. No large fish. Pristine waters.

Zone Labs starts with wild sardines & anchovies fished from cold, pristine waters off of South America where there are less environmental impurities.

 

A recommended serving of Zone Labs Ultra-Refined Concentrates delivers 8 times more omega-3’s than a typical retail fish oil supplement.

Most fish oil supplements have 30% or less of the healthy omega-3s EPA and DHA, with the remaining 70% of the capsule containing unbeneficial, lesser refined fatty acids that contribute to their bad taste and gastric side effects.

 

Getting a clinically valid dose of omega-3’s is easy with Zone Labs’ Ultra-Refined Omega-3 Concentrates.

Typical Retail Dose = 300mg omega-3

Standard Zone Dose = 2400mg omega-3

 

A serving of canned tuna has 12 times less omega-3’s than
Zone Labs Ultra-Refined Omega-3 Concentrates

Commonly consumed fish and shellfish in the United States

Mercury Source: Food and Drug Administration, FDA 1900-2004, “National Marine Fisheries Service Survey of Trace Elements in the Fishery Resource". Omega-3 Level Source: American Heart Association Website.

  Mercury level
in parts per million (ppm)
Omega-3 fatty acids
(milligrams per 3-oz. serving)
Zone Omega-3 Products < 0.01 2400 (standard 4 capsule serving
Salmon (fresh, frozen) 0.014 1200
Flounder or sole 0.050 480
Pollock 0.041 450
Crab 0.060 400
Scallops 0.050 290
Shrimp ND* 290
Catfish 0.050 270
Clams ND* 250
Cod 0.095 210
Canned Tuna (light) 0.120 200
* ND: Mercury concentration below detection limit.

 

OmegaRx®

Zone Labs’ leading product. OmegaRx delivers all of the benefits of Zone Labs’ ultra-refined omega-3 concentrates.

Advantages

  • Delivers clinically proven health benefits from the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA*
  • Promotes a healthy heart, healthy brain, healthy immune system, healthy circulatory system, healthy joints, healthy moods, healthy triglyceride levels and a healthy pregnancy*
  • Combats silent inflammation

 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

 

 

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