 |
| You are not authorized to post a reply.
|
|
| Author |
Messages |
|
Matthew 
Posts:174
Zoner
 |
| 03/17/2009 6:56 PM |
|
Okay, I am new here, and perhaps I am going to ruffle a few feathers. Let me first say that I like a lot of what the Zone has to offer and use a lot of the information in the Zone diet. But I happen to think that if you are a serious endurance or strength athlete WHO IS ALREADY HAS LOW BODY FAT, that the recommendations of the Zone must be tweaked.
The Zone was designed for health. While there is a great deal of overlap between what is good for athletic performance, sometimes what is best for one isn't best for the other. For instance, it is well-known that groups that tend to live the longest are usually chronic under-eaters. But if you are trying to be a bodybuilder, being a chronic under-eater will pretty much ensure that you never gain the type of muscularity that you need. Weighing 300+ lbs. might not be great for longevity, but if you are trying to make it as an NFL offensive lineman, you better be over 300 lbs.
FIRST, the total calories suggested by the Zone are far too low. I would START with my caloric requirements based on my present weight, body fat percentage, and activity levels and work backwards. There are plenty of good calculators that can be found on the Internet that will tell you, based on the foregoing information, and approximate range of calories that you need to maintain your present bodyweight. Obviously, if you are trying to increase muscle mass, you will need to increase those calories modestly, and if you are trying to lose fat, you will need to modestly restrict your calories (but not so much that you start cannibalizing muscle mass). For example, under the Zone, at 170 lbs. and just under 14% body fat, even as an "elite" athlete, my calorie computation turns out to be only about 2,000 calories per day. That is barely above my BMR of approximately 1,800 (assuming I was on bed rest). When you add in 3+ hours of moderate to intense physical activity per day, plus numerous hours of light physical activity, all of a sudden, 2,000 calories per day puts me in a calorie deficit of about 1,200-1,600 calories per day (depending on the calculator). The law of thermodynamics doesn't allow for the spontaneous creation of energy to meet those demands, so, one of several things must happen:
1. I will lose body fat. Sounds great. But if you already have reasonably low body fat levels, it is isn't like you body is capable of taking off 3.5-4.5 lbs. of body fat every week to account for the calorie deficit. Being in a weekly calorie deficit as high as 1,600 or more calories is a certain way to make sure that body fat isn't the only thing you are losing. That means...
2. Losing muscle mass. Your body will try to make up for the calorie deficit by cannibalizing muscle to make up for a part of calorie deficit. But another part can come from...
3. Decreased energy usage. All of a sudden you are tired all the time. Don't move around as quickly, don't run as fast, cannot lift as much, etc. Your body is trying to prevent you from expending all that energy which it simply doesn't have the energy to supply from your diet. Your metabolism slows way down.
So, I am a firm proponent IF YOU ARE ALREADY REASONABLY LEAN of eating significantly more than what the Zone suggests. A number of athletes have already come to this conclusion from what I have read, and are trying to make up the caloric difference by sticking to the carb and protein suggestions, but consuming more healthy fats. This is a reasonable suggestion, but not the best tweak, IMHO. Which leads me to...
SECOND, I would calculate my protein needs at a higher rate. Research has shown that nitrogen retention for strength athletes peaks at about 1.6-1.7 grams per pound (not per pound of LBM, but rather, per pound of TOTAL body mass), and then levels off after that. For elite endurance athletes, the number is a little lower at approximately 1.3 grams per pound. So if you want to get the optimal amount of protein to perform as a strength athlete (and again I am NOT talking about health here), you need to eat more protein. 1 gram per pound if LBM is sufficient, but not optimal for performance. Athlete are trying to optimize performance even if that means you are not performing optimally for long-run health. In my case, a 170 lbs., that means eating about 290 grams of protein per day, or about 1,160 calories. This means that, based on a 3,200 calorie diet, about 35% of my daily needs will be met by eating protein (I will ignore the thermogenic effects of feeding). This is a lot more than the 146 grams called for by the Zone diet.
THIRD, I would stick with the basic carb/protein structure of the Zone of 1:0.75. This means that I would consume roughly 390 grams of carbs (1,560 calories) daily. I would still make the healthy carb choices that Dr. Sears suggests (as well as healthy protein), but would make sure to eat a high GI carb meal immediately after intense training since there is a great deal of research and empirical experience that shows how beneficial this is. This would make carbs roughly 50% of my 3,200 calorie maintenance diet.
FOURTH, the remaining caloric requirements would be met with healthy fats as recommended by the Zone. This means eating about 480 calories per day in healthy fats (about 53 grams). Interestingly, this is still roughly the same amount of fat that I would be eating if I followed the Zone diet without deviation (slightly less, but in the same ball park). But now, because of my increased protein and carb consumption, fat drops down to be about 15% of the total calories consumed even though the total amount of fat is about the same.
Now, from there, it is pretty easy to tweak based on your goals. You want to gain muscle, add 300-500 calories per day of either carbs or fat or both. You want to lose some body fat, reduce either or both of your carb or fat calories by 300-500 total (protein doesn't get touched at all, and it is probably best to tweak carbs up or down based on your goal and keep fat consumption the same).
Now, I don't expect a lot of agreement with me on this forum or from Dr. Sears himself on these suggestions, but try to read them with an open mind. Moreover, please note for whom these tweaks are designed... Elite level strength or endurance athletes who already have fairly low body fat levels. Also please note that these recommendations regarding suggested tweaking are based on what is optimal for PERFORMANCE and they are NOT WHAT IS OPTIMAL FOR HEALTH OR WEIGHT LOSS.
So with those caveats, I now throw myself to the wolves... Flame away!! |
|
|
|
|
Cranberrycat
Posts:5313
Zone Expert
|
| 03/17/2009 11:10 PM |
|
I think you are not giving the fat enough consideration.
First, just to let you know that I didn't go back to check your block calculations and calorie estimations (not enough time in my day to go back to check).
In the Zone, you would eat the appropriate balance of carb and protein for your body build and activity level. The Zone should give you adequate protein that reflects body build and activity.
Energy needs are met from fat metabolism, and if you are already a lean person, you would INCREASE the amount of fat you are eating, in order to maintain your fat stores and to get energy. Burning fat for your energy needs actually requires fewer calories, so it is supposed to be more efficient. If you are afraid that you are not getting enough calories, then simply increase the amount of fat that you are eating.
LOL, I am not a "wolf" here! I hope that explains the "zoned" side of it! |
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
Matthew
Posts:174
Zoner
|
| 03/18/2009 1:47 PM |
|
Cranberry:
Thanks for the non-attack response.
I did not arrange the above by way of blocks. The "Zone" approach is to determine total calories based on protein requirements and the ratio between protein and carbs which are not to be exceeded. Additional caloric needs are supposed to be met with more fat, not more protein or carbs.
My tweak to the Zone maintains the ratio between protein and carbs at 3:4, but it recognizes that for elite strength and endurance athletes, there is pretty good evidence (both from scientific research and from empirical experience) that 1.0 g / lb of lean body mass is not enough. As I mentioned, research and experience show that for strength athletes, 1.6-1.7 g/ lb are optimal and for endurance athletes, the number is about 1.3 g / lb (BTW, these higher numbers are for each lb. of body mass, not for each lb of lean body mass... so the number per pound of lean body mass is even higher).
So, really, it is just that the starting point for protein is higher for athletes. And because of that, the carbs are commensurately higher. The remainder of a lean elite athlete's caloric needs are filled with healthy fats. But because the protein intake is so much higher (and thus the carb intake is higher to maintain the 3/4 ratio), an athlete simply won't eat as high a percentage of fat of his or her TOTAL diet, but the actual amount of fat consumed will be close to what would be recommended on the basic Zone diet.
Maybe an example would be best.
200 lb. elite male strength athlete with 10% body fat, who trains 6 days per week for 2-3 hours per day between strength and conditioning and sports training.
Under the Zone diet, this athlete would eat the following:
180 grams of protein (720 calories) -- 30%
240 grams of carbs (960 calories) -- 40%
80 grams of fat (720 calories) -- 30%
Total = 2,400 calories
Now, given this athlete's caloric expenditure on a daily basis is roughly 4,000 calories per day (on training days), eating 2,400 calories per day is not enough since it leads to a caloric deficit of 1,600 calories per day. That means that the remaining calories would have to be consumed from fat. Let's take a look at what that would look like:
180 grams of protein (720 calories) 18%
240 grams of carbs (960 calories) 24%
~258 grams of fat (2,320 calories) 58%
Total = 4,000 calories
Seems like a reasonable way to get caloric needs taken care of. But what if an athlete needs MORE protein than 1.0 g/lb. of LBM to perform at optimal levels. And please remember, again, we are not talking about optimal health here, but rather talking about optimal performance. As noted, there is research that about 1.6-1.7 grams/lb. is the optimal level of protein... so let's see what happens of we use that number instead for protein and carbs (and then using whatever is left over for daily caloric needs from fat intake):
340 grams of protein (1,360 calories) -- 34%
455 grams of carbs (1,820 calories) -- 46%
~91 grams of fat (820 calories) -- 20%
Total = 4,000 calories
So, the protein and carb intake in this example of tweaking for optimal sports performance is almost 2x the amount recommended by the Zone, although the ratio remains the same between protein and carbs (and the choice of types of food would remain the same). The difference is that, because so many more carbs and protein are being consumed, there is less of a calorie deficit to be filled by fat. So even tho total fat intake is only slightly above what would be recommended by the basic Zone diet (it would be around 25% of the high fat model to make up caloric differences, however), the percentage of total calories goes down to 20%.
Yes, you are correct that fat is used more efficiently by the body than carbs for conversion to energy (and carbs are used more efficiently than protein). This is the thermogenic effects of feeding. Your body is only able to use around 75% of the calories in protein for energy, about 90% of the energy in carbs, and around 95% of the energy in fats. But we aren't just talking about food for providing energy here. We are also talking about the complex chemical and hormonal responses from from how much protein is necessary to optimize sports performance. So, while protein may be an inefficient energy source, it has other effects than just providing energy. The same can be said of carbohydrates. Your body is obviously more efficient at using fat, which is why, under some calorie calculators, the TEF is taken into account based on how much of your diet is protein, how much is carb and how much is fat.
So, you are correct that eating a high fat diet requires fewer total calories to be consumed than eating a diet low in fat and very high in protein and carbs. The difference in calories needed to supply the same energy requirements can be as high as 15%-20% or more. But again... we are not just talking about eating to supply calories... we are also talking about what the quality of those calories should be to optimize performance. And from an optimal performance perspective, a greater total amount (and percentage) of both protein and carbs are needed for lean athletes. Nitrogen retention peaks at about 1.6-1.7 g/lb. among strength athletes and at about 1.3 g/lb. for endurance athletes. I know I have mentioned this again and again, but I want to stress it one more time... I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT OPTIMIZING HEALTH HERE.
Here is an interesting paper that discusses a lot of the issues which I have tried to present here: http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/19/suppl_5/513S |
|
|
|
|
Carrie
Posts:2
Newbie
|
| 03/18/2009 2:34 PM |
|
| Needs some advice. I am fairly new to cross fit and the zone. I am 5'6" and about 125lbs. I just had a baby 10 weeks ago and am still 100% breastfeeding. Prior to the zone I ate about the same portions of food my 6'0" 200lb husband ate...believe it or not I still stayed slim. I think I have a high metabolism. So now that I am zoning my calculation comes out to be 11blocks (while my husband gets 20 blocks!). I always seem to be hungry waiting for that next snack or meal. I do the kettlebell class 5 days a week and I try to get 3-4 crossfit workouts in each week. I am wondering how I can tweak my diet but still see results? |
|
|
|
|
Sue K 
Posts:8670
Zone Expert
|
| 03/18/2009 3:35 PM |
|
Hi Carrie!
First determine your protein/block requirement using the Active level in the Zone Block & Body Fat Calculator (link at right). Then add 2 or 3 additional fully balanced blocks of P, C and F to your day to support the breastfeeding (that's Dr. Sears’ advice to nursing moms). As you know, make sure to drink a lot of water. The fat burning metabolism of the Zone requires additional water intake, as does breastfeeding. If you find you’re still hungry after adding the extra blocks, then adjust carb and or/fat according to Zone principles to eliminate the hunger.
|
|
sue
Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!
To view my before/after pics and meal photos scroll over this picture and click when the link appears.
 |
|
|
Steve
Posts:5009
Zone Expert
|
| 03/18/2009 4:58 PM |
|
Hi Matthew:
Dr. Sears addresses body fat for athletes in Mastering the Zone. In it he recommends that athletes add more fat to their diet to maintain the correct body fat percentage.
Bob Seebohar, a sports dietitian for the '08 US Olympic team wrote a good article on eating in the Zone, and this can be found on ZoneCompete.com. Dr. Sears also has a number of videos that address eating.
Zone has a point of view. You have a very thoughtful / thorough point of view. To me it seems that they have more in common than not.
There are a number of elite athletes on ZoneCompete.com with testimonials worth reading. The company is heavy in endurance sports, and we'll be doing more to support power / strength sports moving forward.
-Steve |
|
|
|
|
Carrie
Posts:2
Newbie
|
| 03/18/2009 5:21 PM |
|
Hi Sue...
Thank you so much for responding so quickly...I think the additional 2 or 3 blocks will totally help. I am really trying hard to stay with it and dont want to get discouraged by the "hunger pains". I also thought because I was breastfeeding I may need to add a lil something. Like I shared earlier I am new to all this and appreciate all the insight I can get. I really am lovin the whole theory/concept of zoning. |
|
|
|
|
Matthew
Posts:174
Zoner
|
| 03/18/2009 5:38 PM |
|
I appreciate your comments, Steve, and will check out the site to which you referred me.
I am not an anti-Zone person, by any means. I have several books by Dr. Sears and integrate a number of the things he has recommended. In fact, for the average overweight sedentary person, I think that it is an excellent diet program.
With some minor tweaks, I think it is probably still an excellent diet for endurance athletes.
I just think it needs a bit more tweaking for strength/power athletes.
I have tried to share how I think it should be tweaked, but certainly there may be other ways of doing it. Adding additional fat blocks is certainly one way to meet energy requirements. But I also think that strength/power athletes simply need a lot more protein and carb blocks. I also think that post workout nutrition should NOT be a Zone meal, but rather a Hi GI carb and protein meal with about a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. Indeed, I happen to agree with the recommendations of others that a PWO "meal" should be about 10-20% of your daily caloric needs.
For example, let's take the 200 lb. male example above who needs 4,000 calories per day to maintain his body weight. Let's say he does two training sessions per day, 6 days per week, each lasting around 1 hour 30 minutes. Immediately following each workout, he would consume a post workout drink of 400 calories each with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein (80 grams of high GI carbs and 20 grams of protein). Between his two PWO drinks, he is getting 20% of his daily caloric needs. The remaining 3,200 calories would be consumed in whole foods.
Based on what I suggested as a possibility above, if the same athlete followed the Zone recommendations for the REMAINING 3,200 calories, he would end up with the following:
180 grams (720 Cal.) of protein -- 22.5%
240 grams (960 Cal.) of carbs -- 30%
~169 grams (1,520 Cal.) of fat -- 47.5%
TOTAL = 3,200 Calories
Now, if you combine the 2 PWO drinks that combine for 20% of daily calories using the 4:1 Carb : Protein ratio (800 Cal) and that whole food using the Zone and extra fat blocks (3,200 Cal.), you get the following:
220 grams of protein (880 calories) -- 22%
400 grams of carbs (1,600 calories) -- 40%
~169 grams of fat (1,520 calories) -- 38%
TOTAL = 4,000 Cal.
By the way, there is a lot of debate about how much protein strength/power athletes really need. Some sources go as high as 2 g/lb. Others are around 1 g/lb. Some are in between (one I recently saw was around 1.2 g/lb.) I would say that the aforementioned 200 lb. strength/power athlete is probably getting enough protein at 220 g/day, but he might do better moving it up marginally.
I guess the general idea that I am trying to get at here is that the Zone is an excellent guideline, but intelligent athletes and coaches should feel free to experiment and to know when sometimes it is a good idea to break one or more the rules of the guideline.
A Bulgarian weightlifter (they train 6 days per week going back and forth between days of 6 hours of training with heavy weights and 4.5 hours of training with heavy weights almost certainly has much higher protein and carb requirements than the athlete who trains with heavy weights 4-5 times a week for an hour and 1/2 and does conditioning work 1-2 times a week for 60-90 minutes and then adds sports practice for 90 minutes 5 days a week. Both are "elite" athletes, but I just don't buy that their protein and carb requirements are identical and the only thing that needs to be tweaked is fat consumption. |
|
|
|
|
Cranberrycat
Posts:5313
Zone Expert
|
| 03/18/2009 10:03 PM |
|
Matthew,
I appreciate your attention to detail. I can only suggest that we all make the Zone work for us in the best way that we can. Not everyone is going to fit into the formula perfectly. I have said that, about some of us more "moderates", as well.
I think we are all agreeing on the fact that we use the Zone as a guide, and then we are likely all tweaking it in a way that best suits our needs and fits into our lifestyle.
|
|
Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
|
|
|
bobbi
Posts:4
Newbie
|
| 03/27/2009 9:31 AM |
|
Steve,
Thanks much for finally addressing the bodybuilding subject. I have been doing the zone for 6 years and have been very frustrated trying to use the zone while not losing my muscle. I finally found a solution as I posted to Jeffrey earlier. It is a much needed subject here!
Thanks again!
Bobbi |
|
|
|
|
bobbi
Posts:4
Newbie
|
| 03/27/2009 9:35 AM |
|
Matthew,
Thanks so much for bringing up the body building subject. I have been using the zone for the past 6 years but had to tweak it to build/keep my muscle. Hopefully this will get the subject seriously addressed.
Thanks again,
Bobbi |
|
|
|
|
Jonathan
Posts:10
|
| 03/31/2009 9:07 AM |
|
If I could add another athlete's perspective. When I first started following the zone (>15 yrs ago--a friend was one of the "test" subjects Dr. Sears worked with, the biggest insight was to pay attention to how food makes you feel.
So, instead of calculating macronutrients requirements, I generally follow a 3 to 4 protein to carb ratio, eat as much fat as gives me a certain type of satiated feeling, and then binge on carbs such as ice cream or baked chips occasionally when I have the overwhelming urge to do so (i.e., my body stores feel really low).
Two or three hours after a particularly intense strength workout, I also sometimes have strong urges (which I obey) to scarf a few cans of sardines (and I'll match them, by feel, with carbs, so P/C ratio probably ends up 1:1).
While I'm quite lean, and thus don't worry about body fat, to me the key thing is to start to develop a feel for what your body wants at different times. As a final example..with discipline, I find it really easy to tell when I want to eat a pint of ice cream because I'm low on carbs and fat, versus when the urge is coming from things not going well at work...
Best,
Jon |
|
|
|
|
|
| You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
|
|
ActiveForums 3.6
|
|
|
|
 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.
|
|
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.
- Extraction of fish oil
- Winterization – remove limited amounts of saturated fats
- Absorption – remove heavy metals
- Preliminary Molecular Distillation – refining “touch up” to reduce contaminants
- Oil conversion to ethyl esters
- Ethyl ester thermal fractionation – remove additional saturated fats
- True Molecular Distillation – final refining to remove pcb’s and long-chain monoenes
- Rigid Processes – proprietary validation, inspection and encapsulation methods. Independent lab verification of IFOS requirements and certified 5 star rating
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 |
|
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
|
Start getting Zone recipes, tips, articles and exclusive promotions sent right to your inbox!
After you provide your email address we’ll send you a confirmation email. You can “opt-out” of this program at anytime by following the simple instructions provided at the end of every email we send you. We will never send too many emails (spam) and we’ll never sell of rent your email to another company.
If you are already registerd with ZoneDiet.com and are receiving emails from Dr. Sears Zone then you do not need to provide your email address to us at this time.
To assure your Zone emails reach your inbox, be sure to add our email address,
reply@zoneliving.com, to your address book.
|
|