I have had a huge success with the Zone Diet and Love It!!! My problem(s) is this.....I just had to forgo my gym membership bc of finances....or lack of finances. I know I need to drink more water. However, does anyone have any great tips or tricks or advice up their sleeve to jump start my diet? I seem to have gotten too comfortable and need to get back on schedule. Sometimes I think I am not eating ENOUGH and I really have never gotten a handle on measuring food. Any help is greatly appreciated. I need some EASY ideas, recipes, plans, formulas! THANK YOU! I am 20 lbs down....need to lose 12 lbs more. I AM READY!!!

I do think that it helps to journal your food, although it can be time-consuming. If I don't journal, I do at least keep a mental tab on where I am in the day.

I learned the block system right away when I first began to zone, and so I guess I am always thinking in terms of those proportions for each meal. If I stick to it, I am guaranteed to have 300 cal meals and 100 cal snacks (approximate).

If you are not a fan of measuring food, then the plate method works very well! 1/3 of the plate is for your protein, size/thickness of the palm of your hand. Fill the rest of the plate with veggies and fruit, top with a dash of fat.

If you get side-tracked, the Zone is just a meal/snack away!

Mary Ellen,

Congrats on your success in the Zone!

Rereading your Zone book might be enough to motivate you again. It works for lots of people and you'll be surprised by the things you'll notice with the second or third read. Zone books are loaded with info. You might get some ideas from the info in the photobucket album links in my signature here, and from my Food Photo album in Facebook (Sue Knorr). Sometimes with water, for me anyway, it's like out of sight out of mind. I carry a Nalgene water bottle with me and refill it as soon as it's empty, to have a continual supply of water. Planning meals ahead is not me, I prefer melas to be more spur of the moment, whatever I feel like at the time. But, I make sure to eat the same number of meals and snacks each day, and I focus on Zone balancing each and every meal and snack. I use either the Zone Fast plan or the "At a Glance" method (1/3 the plate protein 2/3 veggies and fruit and a dash of monounsaturated fat). I lost 100 pounds doing the Zone with"At a Glance". It works great. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your replies. I guess what I am really needing is some quick ideas for meals. I like eggs, grapes, any fruit really. I like deli meats, tuna, salads, again...fruit. Chicken, turkey, hamburger, fish, shellfish, etc. are great for dinner. Salads, veggies, too. I have problems with portion size, and mixing and matching things up. Breakfast and lunch are the most challenging. Dinner comes together bc I am planning for the family. I end up doing scrambled egg whites and an apple or grapes for breakfast...deli meat, string cheese and grapes for lunch...chicken or another meat, salad and veggies for supper. Exercise is now a challenge....however, I know I can still lose weight without the gym membership. I am going to start a food journal TODAY. What would a typical day of meals look like in your opinion? Easy!!! AGAIN...THANK YOU!!! p.s. I do have a few Zone Books and will be re-reading them, as well.

Why not start over, refresh everything. It's going to take a little time. Re-do the body fat calculator under the Tools Tab. Print a copy of the block guide and stick it on the fridge (Tools Tab, Zone Calssic.) Perhaps you'll rediscover some tools you forgot about. There are a lot of recipes on the site too. Try some out a couple may become your favorites.

Salads can come together with a little prep ahead of time.

I add a lot of chicken to my salads, and so I cook up some chicken breasts and then keep them ready to go in the fridge.

One example, one of my favorite combinations:

2 1/2 oz cooked chicken breast
1 chopped red pepper (I also like to mix up the colors)
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
squirt of dijon mustard
2 tsp olive oil
curry powder
turmeric
cinnamon
chopped green onion as garnish

Add the chicken and the veggies to a salad bowl, mix together.

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, mustard and olive oil together and blend in the seasonings. After blended well, add to the salad, sprinkle wtih the chopped green onion to garnish.

I usually make this in the morning, then take it to work with me. I think it needs to sit awhile to let the flavors "marry". Really delicious!

Mary Ellen,

Using Zone foods would make your breakfast and lunch very easy They're quick,no thinkign or measuring involved and give excellent hormonal and appeitte control. Simply make a sandwich using the bread, rolls or bagels, have a bowl of granola or a cinnamon bun for breakfast, etc. Here's what a typical day looks like: http://www.zonediet.com/plans/typical-zone-day

Mary Ellen,
here's another salad idea (this is what I had for today and it only took about 10-15 min to get it ready):

3 oz cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 green pepper
1 tomato
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup guacamole (guessing at this one, I buy guacamole in individual pouches, so not sure of the exact measurement)
1/4 cup black beans

Add veggies to salad bowl, top with chicken, salsa, guacamole and black beans.

I also add a southwest seasoning blend to this salad, but you can easily have the salad without it, or come up with your own seasoning.

You are right...getting back to the basics is a great idea....thank you!

Wow, thank you! Can't wait to try this! Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hello Mary Ellen,

Congrats on your accomplishments so far, I think it's great that you managed to lose 20 lbs. As for your problem, I think it's important to keep yourself motivated and focus on positive aspects in your life.
I think it's great that you're careful with your body image, but don't obsess too much over it. Try not to weight yourself too often either, or use the quantum scale, the one that records your weight but doesn't display it, it just tells you your progress. The reason I'm saying this is because when your weight reaches a plateau it gets harder and harder to lose those pounds and you might begin to feel frustrated and lose motivation.
Stay positive, keep a good attitude and I'm sure you'll be just fine.
Oh, and about the gym membership - you don't have to go to the gym to exercise, you can find great fitness videos on the internet, so just turn the music up and exercise at home.
:)