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Subject: Help Getting Started

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Ginny User is Offline
Posts:9
Newbie
Newbie

08/17/2009 10:21 PM
Dr. Sears has so many books out now. Is there ONE book that you recommend for someone that's just getting started (after 11 years of being away from the Zone)?

I've been thinking about starting back for months now and haven't done it. Can anyone else relate?

I know I need to just pick a date to start, stock my kitchen with Zone friendly foods, make a plan, and START.

I am grateful for this website and will definitely use the accountablity thread, but if there is someone out there that would be willing to be my email buddy for a week or two as I get started I would really appreciate it.

I lost 90 pounds several years ago (in another program) and have put 30 back on. I know when I Zoned in the past I felt better than ever. I can't wait to get back in the Zone.

Would appreciate any help getting started.

Thank you!
Cranberrycat User is Offline
Posts:5313
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/17/2009 10:23 PM
I like Mastering the Zone. There are more recent books that go more into the science behind it, but I think that MTZ is the gold standard.

Cranberrycat

We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.


Sue K User is Online
Posts:8675
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/18/2009 7:47 AM
Ginny, welcome back to the Zone! I wish you much success!

The book to read is TOXIC FAT, the newest Zone book that was released last year in September. The latest research included in the book explains how your genetics influence your body fat storage, and how to change the expression of your genes in this regard. It covers the details of the Zone from its inception to now, including newer topics on fish oil use, polyphenols, and an easy to understand explanation of "the fat trap", which is all about how people become fat and stay fat, and how their present stored fat plays into the picture. This book explains how the Zone diet, polyphenols and fish oil can be used to disarm the fat trap and change the expression of you genes. It’s the cutting edge of Zone info. It also includes a 28 day menu of Zone meals, an easy way to quickly get back into the Zone. Dr Sears has thought of everything in this book. He includes unfavorable crab and even some bread in the earlier days of the menu to allow a person to slowly wean off bread.

After you're done with that book, if you're up for another Zone read, I'd suggest THE ANTI-INFLAMATION ZONE.

To get started right now, while you read the book, go to Quick Start Guide (link is at right in Helpful Tools). It contains everything you need to get started. It'll be a good refresher course for you, being a previously successful zoner. Don’t forget to first determine your daily protein requirement and block requirement with the Zone Block & Body Fat Calculator (link is also at right in Helpful Tools). On your results page of the calculator, the links appearing below you personal results will direct you to various pages of this site that will also help to get you going. It's very helpful.

Good luck Ginny, and have fun with it!

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.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
Ginny User is Offline
Posts:9
Newbie
Newbie

08/18/2009 11:16 AM
Thank you Sue and Cranberrycat. I have Mastering the Zone and will look for Toxic Fat and The Anti-Inflamation Zone. I'm expecially looking forward to reading Toxic Fat.

Do you plan your meals days or a week ahead of time?

I think what I need to do now is plan a couple of days ahead and have the food on hand.

This looks like a great supportive message board. I'm grateful.
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8675
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/18/2009 2:51 PM
You’re welcome Ginny! No, I don't really plan ahead, unless it's a special occasion or a dinner party for guests. I mostly make up meals and snacks on the spur of the moment when it's time to eat, depending on what's in the fridge (only have Zone friendly food in our house). I sometimes make things ahead, but not usually with any particular meal in mind, just to have things on hand. Last Friday I bought some nice fresh picked green beans and wax beans and made a good sized 3 bean salad, which we just finished yesterday. Earlier today I hardboiled some eggs and filled then with hummus, about 8 or 10 eggs, to have on hand for quick snacks. I've never much of a weekly planner, even before the Zone. I’d say it depends on what you're most comfortable with.

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.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8675
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/18/2009 2:51 PM
You’re welcome Ginny! No, I don't really plan ahead, unless it's a special occasion or a dinner party for guests. I mostly make up meals and snacks on the spur of the moment when it's time to eat, depending on what's in the fridge (only have Zone friendly food in our house). I sometimes make things ahead, but not usually with any particular meal in mind, just to have things on hand. Last Friday I bought some nice fresh picked green beans and wax beans and made a good sized 3 bean salad, which we just finished yesterday. Earlier today I hardboiled some eggs and filled then with hummus, about 8 or 10 eggs, to have on hand for quick snacks. I've never much of a weekly planner, even before the Zone. I’d say it depends on what you're most comfortable with.

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.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
Ginny User is Offline
Posts:9
Newbie
Newbie

08/18/2009 4:03 PM
Thanks, Sue. I like how you keep it easy. I'm making this too complicated.

I'm commiting here.... tomorrow is DAY 1 for me. = )

Also, did you start taking supliments from the start? If so, what do you take? Do you order them from this site?

Any other tips/suggestions that I need to get started?
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8675
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/18/2009 4:23 PM
Ah, you noticed. Yes, I do like to try to keep it simple.

DAY 1 tomorrow, great!

I've been taking supplements since well before I started the Zone. My endocrinologist has designed my current supplement program to suit my specific needs. I'm fortunate to have a doctor who is proactive regarding preventative medicine, and combines traditional medicine with complementary alternative medicine. I currently take a super-antioxidant multiple vitamin, Vit D-3, B-Complex, Vit C, CoQ-10, a bone support supplement (contains calcium, magnesium and some additional synergistic things), a green tea supplement, magnesium (besides tha in th Bone support supplement), an herbal adrenal support formula, fish oil and Sea Health Plus. The ones I get from Zone Labs are the fish oil (both Omega Rx and Eico Rx), the multivitamin (MICRONUTRIENT SUPPORT, green tea (WEIGTH LOSS SUPPORT) and Sea Health Plus. I'ev also used POLYPHENOL PLUS when traveling (instead of carrying Sea Health Plus with me).

Other tips, I've got tons! You can get some easy meal ideas from my photobucket album (link in my signature) and also from my meal and recipe thread here: http://www.zonediet.com/Community/Forums/tabid/121/forumid/3/postid/32875/view/topic/Default.aspx

Just ask if you have a qn. I'll be glad to try to help. :-)

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.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
sharon j User is Offline
Posts:3
Newbie
Newbie

08/18/2009 6:22 PM
I am confused about the carb blocks in the A Week In The Zone book. The meal plans don 't relate to the lists of carb blocks...4 cups of spinach or 4 cups of brocolli is crazy and that is just one block with 2 others to go. One meal has the correct # of protein blocks but just 2 cups of zucchini for the whole meal and that is a lot of zucchini! There is just no way that I could eat 8 cups of vegetables in one meal. Am I missing something? I understand the concept of the Zone which makes sense to me but the meal planning seems just so confusing.
Ginny User is Offline
Posts:9
Newbie
Newbie

08/19/2009 10:28 AM
Sue, thanks for the info on the supplements. I'll call Zone this morning and talk with them about starting on the Omega Rx, and look forward to learning more about it and all the other supplements. Grateful that just eating right will get me in the zone and nice to know there are other things to help me get healthier too.

Day 1 going great so far. = )

Sue K User is Online
Posts:8675
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/19/2009 10:50 AM
Hi Ginny, good to hear that you're going to take Omega RX. There are three crucial elements to being in the Zone. They are the diet, fish oil and polyphenols.

Glad that day 1 is off to a good start! My tip for the day is to keep a food diary as you start the Zone and include in it how you feel 4 hours after meals. It will be very helpful to have in case you need to adjust. You can use the Zone Success Journal in Quick Start Guide.

The amount of Omega Rx you'd take daily depends upon your degree of wellness. In your case, your daily fish oil dose would be 8 caps, or 2 teaspoons liquid, unless you have the types of conditions listed that would require a higher dose. It's explained in TOXIC FAT as follows (grams refer to total amount of EPA and DHA combined).

"To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid).

For obesity, type 2 diabetes, or before starting a diet, 5 g/day (8 caps; 2 teaspoons liquid).

For chronic pain, 7.5 g/day (12 caps; 3 teaspoons liquid).

For existing neurological conditions 10 g/day (16 caps; 4 teaspoons liquid)."



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.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
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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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