So a friend sent me a 10 page pdf document from Crossfit about doing the Zone. I have to admit, it sounds really interesting, but I want to know more about it. I want to pick up one of the Zone books, but I don't know which one to start with. Does anyone have any suggestions on which book I should get? Any help would be appreciated. I am primarily interested in weight loss to begin with.

Hi, if you want to know more about it read "Toxic Fat". It has it all from the beginnings of the Zone to now. Have fun with it!

I have The Zone Collection. Its 3 books in one - A week in the zone, Mastering the Zone, and Zone perfect meals in minutes. I don't think you can buy this collection new anymore but sometimes you can find it used. I highly recommend it.

I like how it starts out with just the basics guidelines and some of the "whys" in a week in a zone and an outline on how to follow it so you can jump right in and start doing it. Doesn't overload you with information in the beginning. Then with the mastering the zone you can dig in to more of the details.

Now if you can't find the collection - what book you pick will probably be determined by what you are looking for. Do you want just an overview so you can jump in and just start doing it? Then I would suggest A week in the zone. Or are you the type of person who needs to know all the hows and whys of it and make it "perfect" - then you might want to go with Sue's suggestion for more of the history or Mastering the Zone for more of the nuts and bolts of the program.

Those are all excellent books. Basically the pluses you get with "Toxic Fat" (and to a great extent in "TheAnti-Inflammation Zone", too) are the fruits of the work of Dr. Sears iover the past 15 years since those earlier books were written; updated info about fish oil and lowering inflammation, new info on appetite supression, and info about how to follow the Zone diet to impact gene expression.

My favorite book has always been MASTERING THE ZONE--an oldie but a goodie! It really goes into detail about zone eating, lifestyle, etc. Maybe not the most up-to date book, but you can get the most accurate food list online, and the rest of the book is really all about basic Zone concepts. It also has some good recipes inside.

Thanks for the input. I think I want to jump right and get started, but I will probably want to learn more abou it. I am in a wedding at the begining of July and want to look my best. I jumped right in with the info that I know, and I have lose some weight, but I can see myself getting a bit bored unless I get more into it and learn how to make what seems like more "real" meals.

Have you checked out the classic recipes here on this site? So far all that I have tried are really good and my picky husband has even been eating them. And then our fall back here is chicken or steak with a variety of steamed veggies (usually toasted almonds crushed and sprinkled on top) and a glass of wine. Yummy. Could even change out the wine for a dessert of fruit.

So far I've found we have eaten more variety since starting the zone than before. I also find I'm cooking more but I also try making more and either eating the extra as a lunch or split down into snacks or even freezing for a day I need to grab and go. Good luck!