a few months ago i lost 10 lbs on nutrisystems...it's a very easy/do-able weight loss plan...but my naturopath said it had way too much gluten (which i'm allergic to) plus it was expensive...i'm wondering which plan would be the easiest to follow long term...this one seems to have alot of math involved...has anyone that is on the zone, tried weight watchers?...i've been eating amy's frozen gluten free dinners...protein-16...carbs-4...fat-11....how would this make into a zone meal?...with weight watchers it would be about 5 points...so....help!!!

Well I lost a LOT of weight with weight watchers. And now I am on the zone diet. I will give you my reasons.

- On WW I was always hungry and feeling low energy. On Zone I feel GREAT. I had lost a lot on WW. When I gained a little back, I decided I was not going Back There. So I signed up for WW again. After a week of feeling like crud, I took a look at this. So far so good.

- On WW I lost weight. I think some of that was lean muscle. On Zone I loose fat.

- WW costs money. You go to meetings or sign up online or you buy the tools. I borrowed some books on Zone from the library and sign on here for free.

- I found WW not managable for the long term *because* was hungry and feeling ucky. For me, it did not represent a lifestyle change. Thus I began gaining weight again. Back here to get the little bit I gained off.

- I expect other benefits besides fat loss; including energy, and health benefits that go beyond less fat.

As far as long term goes, y plan is to block my way to the few pounds I want to get rid of, then switch to the plate method. Talk about easy.

Best of luck!

Stephanie

thanx stephanie...the zone did look alot healthier...but a bit more of an effort...think i'll give it a try tho...
in regards to figuring out my "amy's" meals...can you help me there???

Hi bev! No need to do any math! Simply use the plate method presented in Quick Start (click on the EATIG tab above). I used tha method to lose 100 pounds 13 years ago. It works well.

Hi Bev,
I had a similar WW experience. I was a Gold Lifetime member who from age 22-32 lost 40 or more pounds 5 times with WW. Each time I thought it would last, but was unable to maintain the loss and eat without being hungry. It was a very vicious cycle where I gained more each time and was very unhappy. I now know that I basically lost most of my muscle mass and messed up my metabolism. I then peaked at 210 lbs and started the zone where I lost ~ 85 lbs and have kept it off for over 5 years and feel great. This was a lifestyle change and I am so happy to not be caught in that vicious yo-yo cycle anymore.

Beyond the feeling healthy and ability to maintain, the zone allowed me to lose fat not muscle. My weight stays around 128-130 lbs now with BF 18-19% and I am a size 2-4. I also reached a size 4 when on WW and can fit into those clothes now. However, after the WW loss, I weighed 114 lbs and was measured at 22% BF. My LBM was decimated by that type of dieting and it has taken a lot of hard work to get it back on track. I carry 14-16 lbs more muscle/LBM at the same size now. I also look and feel a LOT healthier.

I’d encourage you not to get overly concerned with the “math” and give the zone a try. It’s worth it.

thanks everyone who replied...how nice you all seem...i'm not too concerned with the "math" of it all...just trying to see how some of my favorite meals could fit into this woe....

Ah, I see. The Amy's frozen dinner is not enough to make a zone meal. For a 3 block meal, you would need to add about 5 g (not quite 1 Block) of Protein and 23 g (2.5 Block) of Carb. For your reference when reading labels: 1 zone block = 7g P + 9g C + 3g Fat. If you want to keep eating this dinner, you could add some veggies or fruit and some lean protein like deli turkey.

thanx suzanne....i think i'll get it eventually....lol