I looked at ordering some of the foods, and while I'm sure they work, the cost more than doubled my food bill each month. I simply can't afford that. Is there a list somewhere of foods that can substitute for say, zone cereal, zone bagels, etc??? I know it's important to eat right, but I also have to eat within my means. Thank you.

Try 1/2c of plain oatmeal with some spenda and a 3 Egg white omelette with 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil or so for a great zone breakfast.

Splenda? Dr Sears says to avoid Splenda. I'm pretty sure about that, but I can't remember which books.

Hi ryker,

Strict adherence to the Zone diet, while consuming the least amount of AA as possible (eggwhites have no AA) and  eating veggies and berries for your carbohydrates, is the closest you can get eating Zonefast 1-2-3 foods. 

___________________________________________________
 

sue

Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!

Consultant of Zone Labs

Certified Zone Affiliate

View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:  http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/

View my classic Zone meal photos here:  http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0

 

I think most of us still eat classic Zone out of preference or inaccessibility to Zone 1-2-3 foods. If you click on the Resources tab at the top, you'll see Zone Blocks as one of the ways to eat the Zone. Download the Zone blocks guide to know how much food in each block.

Here's a link to the Quick Start Guide that is very useful for starting out.

Understanding the block system has a bit of a learning curve, so I recommend picking up a book. I liked Mastering the Zone as a beginner book that I thought explained blocks best.

You may find that your grocery bill is higher anyway once you start eating like this, as the bulk of your food will be lean meats and fresh veggies and fruits. Bread, potatoes, rice, corn are off the list... all cheap food that makes you full (and fat!).

Welcome, and look around the forum for lots of useful advice!

Ryker, in my opinion, Zone 1-2-3 foods are really just a substitute for good wholesome food. You can easily achieve your goals by eating lots of veggies and some fruit, lean meat/protein, and a dash of monounsaturated fat. Look at the food list to get an idea of the best choices. You can "block" your meals, or you can just follow the plate method. Let me know if you need more guideance on how to do this. The Zone books go into much more detail on how to design zone meals, they are an excellent resource.

My cost basis for ZoneFast 1-2-3 allowed me to make significant budget cuts to my monthly bill on eats. Generally, I'd eat out twice a week with my wife, and when we'd go, we'd average $20/person, exclusive of alcohol. My weekly alcohol bill also was likely $25+ while my weekly Starbucks bill was $40! Why? Because every morning I'd wake up tired and older and fatter and instead of getting in shape or eating right, i'd buy a skinny Latte for $4 and one of their breakfast sandwiches. Lunch at the deli at my work also averages $8. On a normal week, we'd eat about $125 in groceries too, with many meals consisting of lean cuisine priced often at $3.50/meal. All total, when I went onto ZoneFast, my total cost of food actually went DOWN when calculating all the grocery & 3rd party prepared food and drink I regularly spent money on.

That's changed and now I eat Zonefast, which averages to $15/day for my needs. That's less expensive as before with my non-zone eating, when things like excess, waste loss, alcohol and social meals are included, which all factor in additional costs like Tips, meal gifting, etc which don't actually go to feeding me. Now at least, I know that my $15 is going to food that will do me well long term and reduce my long term maintenance costs, from a Health Care perspective. It's also allowed me, at $15/day, to become more productive at work and at the gym, reaching and exceeding new goals in many areas of my life. Similar motivational activities could cost $70/week if you're seeing a councelor or personal trainer to help with life goals and motivation.

The costs of eating bad add up long term, and if a person is starting a diet, they need to know what all costs are involved. It's much more than $0.99/lb rice... it's the cost of being fat, working slower, being sluggish every day at work and maybe even losing a promotion or the incentive to go back to school because of psychological hurdles that obesity impart.

Now, the costs of pure Traditional zone versus ZoneFast is a matter that can be weighed out, and if a person is completely unable to afford the cost of the diet, my hope is they can afford traditional zone eats somehow on $200 roughly a month. In the traditional zone, if done right, all the benefits can counterbalance the costs. But it's definitely also more expensive than bad eating One challenge that I've always had with traditional zone eating is the cost for quality fresh produce which will not go bad. Often if I bought only fresh veggies and fruit, I'd be at the store twice a week so as not to overbuy and then see some of it go to waste. It's also not cheap to buy carbs that are unprocessed and whole, whether even frozen or fresh, compared to diets based on crackers, breads and cheap pastas.

. Totino's pizza's cost $1.29 in most places or less, take less time but make us age and fatter... all costs are relative.

When I think of the money I spend on ZoneFast 1-2-3, I think of a few things all at once:

1) Am I'm investing my money in a system I know works for me with proven results to meet my objectives?
2) Does the cost of today's food increase or decrease my long term health maintenance costs?
3) Is this expense improving my quality of life in ways which cannot be monetarily summarized? (See the photos of Sue and My avatar for some concept of quality of life dividends.

Something to think about!

I wish I had more time to make some more comments on this topic...

I eat traditional zone.  I thought (in the beginning) that I was spending a ton more on groceries, but I think that it was just because I was starting out and stocking up.  I was also following a "meal plan" which didn't make any particular sense in terms of how one would generally purchase food.  I mean, if you eat a wide variety of food within a week, you will spend a lot of money on groceries.  But, if your meals share some of the same ingredients, then  the impact is not so great. 

These days, I don't think I spend any more money on favorable zone food than I did years ago on over-processed carbs. 

Another note to think about, spending money on Zone 1-2-3 foods is probably not difficult to do for one person who is self-sufficient.  However, throw in a family of 4-5 who is supported by one income, and there is no way that they can afford the foods.  However, there are many ways to make the traditional Zone work for various income levels. 

 At my house we've found that eating Zone 1-2-3 foods has reduced our grocery bill.  It used to cost us more to eat classic Zone meals than it does now to eat 1-2-3 food.  We're happy with the price of 1-2-3 foods, and even consider them to be a bargain.   Before 1-2-3 foods I had never been able to offer my family such high quality food in the Zone, and with such great variety too, for this low a cost.

Thank you!  I think we do very well. 

Cheers!