Hi everyone, I have been really obsessed with my weight problem. I am a 33 year old female and have gained 90lbs which makes the count to 210. I recently took out some of my summer clothes and they don’t fit me anymore!!! This is a real tragedy for me. How can I not wear the ones I adore...moreover the new look is getting me mad (with the comments from my friends). I know quite a few ways to start losing weight…….but I don’t really feel that, with so many people failing using these methods that I will make it through. Does anyone know a proven way to reduce the weight?
Please help me…..this is killing me!!!
Full Version: Can anyone suggest any proven ways for weight loss?????
Hi Shelly,
You don't come from Mars do you? Just joking Shelly but everyone on here is talking weight loss. There is only one proven way and that is to take in less energy (calories,kilojoules) than you burn up. Forget the salesmen and just adopt a sensible eating plan that includes exercise. Eat less move more, make that your mantra and you can't go wrong. People without discipline will always fail regardless of what the pursuit is, sport, academia or life. Go for it Shelly you can do it. Try to eat 500 calories per day less than you burn up and you will lose a lb a week. Walking burns up 62 cals/mile/100 lbs body weight whether it's done quickly or slowly.
Good luck
You don't come from Mars do you? Just joking Shelly but everyone on here is talking weight loss. There is only one proven way and that is to take in less energy (calories,kilojoules) than you burn up. Forget the salesmen and just adopt a sensible eating plan that includes exercise. Eat less move more, make that your mantra and you can't go wrong. People without discipline will always fail regardless of what the pursuit is, sport, academia or life. Go for it Shelly you can do it. Try to eat 500 calories per day less than you burn up and you will lose a lb a week. Walking burns up 62 cals/mile/100 lbs body weight whether it's done quickly or slowly.
Good luck
Don’t be sad. It’s just a common problem and the solution is a simple one. You should not take this as a disease, but rather a challenge that you can and will over come. There are many ways to got about it…….but its just as you said…..the failures are counted more than the success. My friend was in the same situation and she was really frustrated after putting on the weight again. She finally came across a weight loss system that not only gave her a reason to smile but did the magic work that she wanted
to get done. I would advise you to give it a try….as it can be a turning point to your life.
All the Best!!!!
to get done. I would advise you to give it a try….as it can be a turning point to your life.
All the Best!!!!
Hi Shelly,
The sharks are circling . Truly there is no need to waste money all you have to do is daily select complex carbohydrates (low glycaemic index) from vegetables and make this the focus of your diet, a small serve of protein containing food from animal origin ( the size of a deck of cards), drink water, tea or coffee with meals ( if you drink a glass of water before meals you eat less), replace sweets with a couple of pieces of fresh fruit and start a walking program of 40-60 minutes duration.
Eat slowly and only eat until your 80% (8/10s) full, it takes about twenty minutes for the brain to get the message that you have eaten enough and this is why fast eaters often over eat. Energy comes from carbohydrates predominately and protein tells the brain of satiety levels (fullness).Add some soy products to your diet because it is a good source of protein and it is not calorie dense, and it reduces hunger.
By eating a high fibre, low calorie diet of complex carbohydrates you can eat more food, by weight,than people eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), and they will get fat while you lose weight. People who claim this did not work for them usually have not been totally committed to some component of this regime, weight watchers and all of the other successful weight loss people usually number foods for you but they still work on the same principle, reduce calorie intake and burn more calories through exercise.
Give it a go Shelly and let us know how it turns out.
Good luck
The sharks are circling
. Truly there is no need to waste money all you have to do is daily select complex carbohydrates (low glycaemic index) from vegetables and make this the focus of your diet, a small serve of protein containing food from animal origin ( the size of a deck of cards), drink water, tea or coffee with meals ( if you drink a glass of water before meals you eat less), replace sweets with a couple of pieces of fresh fruit and start a walking program of 40-60 minutes duration.Eat slowly and only eat until your 80% (8/10s) full, it takes about twenty minutes for the brain to get the message that you have eaten enough and this is why fast eaters often over eat. Energy comes from carbohydrates predominately and protein tells the brain of satiety levels (fullness).Add some soy products to your diet because it is a good source of protein and it is not calorie dense, and it reduces hunger.
By eating a high fibre, low calorie diet of complex carbohydrates you can eat more food, by weight,than people eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), and they will get fat while you lose weight. People who claim this did not work for them usually have not been totally committed to some component of this regime, weight watchers and all of the other successful weight loss people usually number foods for you but they still work on the same principle, reduce calorie intake and burn more calories through exercise.
Give it a go Shelly and let us know how it turns out.
Good luck
Hi Shelly,
I've had excellent results with the Zone diet. It's been proven in published scientific studies to lower insulin levels to allow for the loss of stored fat, and also to lower inflammation levels in the body. I've been eating that way for many years. There's nothing special you need to do it. You eat common foods found in the grocery store, regardless of where you live , or even what country you live in. A typical meal would be a regular sized dinner plate with a piece of lean protein (chicken, fich, etc) the size and thickness of the palm of your hand, and the rest of plate filled with veggies, some fruit and a dash of monounsaturated fat (like olive oil, almonds, avocado, etc). It's a very sensible way to eat, and it works!
Cheers!
I've had excellent results with the Zone diet. It's been proven in published scientific studies to lower insulin levels to allow for the loss of stored fat, and also to lower inflammation levels in the body. I've been eating that way for many years. There's nothing special you need to do it. You eat common foods found in the grocery store, regardless of where you live , or even what country you live in. A typical meal would be a regular sized dinner plate with a piece of lean protein (chicken, fich, etc) the size and thickness of the palm of your hand, and the rest of plate filled with veggies, some fruit and a dash of monounsaturated fat (like olive oil, almonds, avocado, etc). It's a very sensible way to eat, and it works!
Cheers!
Hi Suek24,
I have nothing but respect for what you have achieved in weight loss, it's a wonderful achievement and the fact that you have been able to keep it off for 13 years speaks volumes about your determination. But the Zone Diet has not been scientifically proven to do what it claims to do at all. One of the saving graces is that so many loyal zone advocates interpret the zone diet differently. Here is a review by our Australian Institute of Sport, and another by webmd. Some researchers think it's OK but none seem to think it is as good as eating sensibly from the normal food guidelines.
Fact sheets > Diets > The Zone Diet
* Basics
* Sports
* Diets
* Travel
* Body Size and Shape
* Hydration
* Competition and Training
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet. It sounds like something that Mulder and Scully from the X-Files should investigate. Instead, it is one of the popular diets that has "swept" the world via the United States, and includes athletes among its target group. We first heard of the diet from articles in American Swimming magazines in 1993 where it claimed credit for the 9 Gold medals won by members of the Stanford swim team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Games. Since then it has blossomed into 2 best selling books by its creator, Dr Barry Sears: "Enter the Zone" (1995) and "Mastering the Zone" (1997). Like most popular diets, it promises to solve all the nutritional and medical problems of the world - from AIDS, impotence and diabetes - and to promote permanent and painless weight loss. However there are special chapters on benefits to athletic performance, and additional credit taken for another 9 Gold medals at the Atlanta Olympics. Since a number of athletes claim to be "on the Zone", or at least interested in it, we have carefully conducted an investigation of the Zone and its promises:
Why is the Zone Diet so intriguing to athletes?
Dr Sears' books and promotional materials make many emotive claims about the dramatic benefits of being on the Zone diet. It associates itself with winners and winning performances. How could an athlete resist the promise of such a winning edge? And it claims to make breakthroughs in scientific understanding, filling pages with complicated biochemistry explained in simple language. How could a coach resist the impressive sounding "science", backed up case histories or "research"? The Zone diet follows the rules that make many books into bestsellers - intrigue, controversy, and repetition of brave new "facts".
What is the basis of the Zone Diet?
According to Dr Sears, the Zone is reached by finding the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" hormones in our body - between insulin and glucagon and the "good" and "bad" eicosanoids. He pulls no punches in attacking current healthy eating guidelines and nutrition research. He claims that high-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diets actually cause an overproduction of insulin, and that this is the cause of weight gain, ill-health and poor performance.
The keys to entering the Zone are to eat a meal or snack at least every 5 hours that fits the following profile:
* 30% of energy from protein. In fact, this is the baseline of the whole diet since protein must be eaten in the exact amount to meet body requirements (set by Dr Sears at a daily intake of 1.8-2.2 g per kilogram of lean body mass). Once protein intake is established from Tables provided in the Zone books, this sets the levels of total energy intake and the intake of the other macronutrients (fat and carbohydrate)
* 40% of energy from carbohydrates - emphasising those with a low glycaemic index
* 30% of energy from fat - emphasising monounsaturated fats.
In fact, the Zone diet is an energy-restricted diet. Calculations for the Zone needs of 2 different athletes (representing members of the AIS Department of Sports Nutrition) are presented in the following table:
Athlete Energy intake Protein intake (g/day) Carbohydrate intake (g/day) Fat intake (g/day)
64 kg lean male endurance athlete
(> 2 hrs exercise/day) 1735 kcal/d
7280 kJ/d 130 175 58
55 kg trim female recreational athlete
(1 hr exercise/day) 1065 kcal/d
4475 kJ/d 80 105 36
How do you put the Zone Diet onto your plate?
Although many athletes will find the principles of the Zone and supporting biochemistry hard to understand, it is the practice of the Zone that will really throw them. Without extensive knowledge of nutrition and food composition it is hard to visualise a dietary ratio of "40:30:30". To achieve these goals Dr Sears has organised food into "carbohydrate" blocks, "protein blocks" and "fat blocks" and has set up formulas of how many blocks should be eaten at each meal and snack. In his latest books "Zone friendly" recipes are also provided. Dr Sears and other companies have additional help for the nutritionally-challenged, in the form of personalised dietary plans and menu programmes, and special bars with a 40:30:30 composition. The "PR" company, which makes PR bars and PR powder, has sponsorship deals with the Ironman triathlon company and several big name triathletes and sports people. In the USA, there is plentiful evidence that the Zone is more than just a brief fad. Not only do companies sell Zone dietary plans and bars via 1 800 numbers and internet websites, but there are a series of food products (e.g. pancake mix) all proposing to be "Zone favourable". Not to mention restaurants and fast food places offering menus and meals that also carry this tag. This suggests that the Zone diet has longevity and market clout. And the cause is helped when famous people are rumoured to be devotees of the Zone, or when the Zone diet is given the credit for the fabulous figures and well-publicised weight loss achievements of the Superstars.
In reality, however, very few foods are a pure "block" of just one macronutrient. And once food starts being combined into recipes and mixed dishes, it is almost impossible to control ratios. A common and valid criticism of the Zone diet is whether those who say they are following the diet actually achieve its important formula. In fact, a paper presented at a conference of the American College of Sports Medicine found some interesting results when it crunched numbers on the menu plans and food advice provided in the Zone diet books. The researchers found that when followed to the letter, these diets don't conform to the magic mantra of the book - in fact, the protein levels are higher and the carbohydrate levels are significantly lower (e.g. 30-35% of energy). Clearly, pre-packaged meals and food products make it easier, but just what are the rewards of getting it right?
So what do scientists say about the Zone Diet?
Most scientists are sceptical about the claims made for the Zone diet. In the Department of Sports Nutrition at the AIS we are also confused by how the diet is supposed to be followed by athletes. Dr Sears has a theory to explain our views. We belong to the conservative guard of conventional nutritionists/medical experts and are upset that he is challenging our beliefs. However, in our defence we see little rigorous evidence of the miracles that are promised by the Zone diet. Instead we see clever marketing, confusing dietary information, and some unrealistic medical claims in relation to diseases like cancer and AIDS.
"Enter the Zone" is complicated to read, full of scientific discussions, emotive promises and repetitive nutrition messages. Dr Sears repeatedly attacks current healthy eating guidelines and research, claiming that high-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diets actually are the cause of weight and health problems. However, there is no research to support the claims that the Zone promises optimal health, a cure for disease or winning performances. Testimonials from "satisfied customers" and success stories from people who have achieved benefits from following the Zone diet do not replace research. The couple of "studies" quoted in the book in which a group of athletes were tested before and after a period on the Zone diet do not constitute rigorous research. Because there was no control group in this "study" we don't know how much the Zone diet contributed to the changes seen in the athletes, and how much was a result of their period of hard training.
So, who are the targets of the Zone Diet?
Like many popular diet books, the Zone diet has promises for everyone. However, there appear to be two target groups who are most likely to respond to the Zone marketing. The first are those who struggle with their weight and the associated problems of being overfat. For these people, the Zone offers an end to the battle, promising that the diet will allow people to tap into their body fat stores and lose weight forever. While being able to eat as much food as they like. Weight loss is indeed likely, but the "forever" and "unrestricted eating" parts are improbable. Although Dr Sears is coy about mentioning this, the Zone is essentially an energy-restricted diet.
Of course, weight loss on the Zone diet is cleverly disguised behind "scientific" explanations about more efficient fat burning, and complicated instructions about mixing and matching foods together. Other diets such as the Beverly Hills Diet, and the Fit for Life diet have used the same strategies. Generally they "work" because people are surreptitiously organised into eating less food than they used to. While they follow the instructions and eat less food, they lose weight. When they go back to their normal eating patterns, they will regain weight. Simple! Nevertheless, studies are needed to see whether the Zone offers any advantages over other versions of low-calorie eating.
So what about athletes and the Zone?
An athlete who calculated their Zone intake, based strictly on the instructions provided in the books, would be in a state of energy deprivation. This strategy would certainly cause them to "access stored body fat". (i.e. lose body fat) There is nothing magic about this! Of course, this assumes that the athlete wants to lose body fat. And many athletes do. However, eating a very low energy intake is an unnecessarily extreme way to become leaner - not to mention, counterproductive to training. Without sufficient carbohydrate to replace muscle glycogen stores, it is impossible to undertake high-intensity exercise at optimum effort. An athlete might be able to get away with low-moderate intensity training on such a diet. However, quality sessions or interval sessions would suffer.
The sections on athletes and performance in the Zone diet are particularly confusing and contradictory. The back of the book promises: "athletes do better on a high fat diet". However, the Zone diet if followed to the letter of the book, is not a high fat diet. Rather it is a low energy, low fat diet - providing most people with 30-70 g of fat each day. If an athlete believed that adaptation to a high-fat diet is an advantage for performance - and that is the topic for another fact sheet - then the Zone diet will not look after these needs.
There is no direct explanation for the athlete who doesn't want to lose any more body fat. Clearly, lean athletes need to be in energy balance by eating far more calories than the Zone book allows for. There are some suggestions in the Zone book that these athletes should make up extra fuel needs by eating more mono-unsaturated fat. However, an athlete who does this will no longer be eating a 40:30:30 dietary mix, and the book is light on practical advice on how to organise such an eating plan.
So what are Zone-eating athletes really doing?
The "Zone" athletes to whom we have spoken interpret the diet in different ways and at different levels of adherence. Some simply treat it as a general principle and "do their own thing". They steer clear of pasta and bread (dietary enemies of the Zone). They eat larger serves of protein at meals. And they like the 40:30:30 sports bars. Let's face it - a high-carbohydrate low-fat bar is generally sweet and chewy, whatever flavour you make it. But a bar that has a higher fat and protein content can be made with chocolate coating, and fudge or peanut butter flavouring. What would your taste buds choose? Some of the athletes who sing the Zone's praises are those who have followed the energy restrictions closely for a period, and have rejoiced at the body fat loss. To be honest we have never seen an athlete achieve a true dietary mix of 40:30:30.
To date there is only one published study concerning the Zone diet and athletic performance. Dr Laurie Rauch and colleagues from the Sports Science Institute of South Africa tested ultra-endurance cyclists on two occasions, using a riding protocol that required 5.5 hours of submaximal work followed by a time trial estimated to take another half hour. On one ride they consumed carbohydrate via a sports drink during the ride, according to sports nutrition guidelines. On the other occasion, under identical conditions, they consumed 40:30:30 sports bars providing equal energy intake and an equal amount of fluid. The result: the 40:30:30 bars resulted in a fuel mixture with more fat and less carbohydrate during the exercise. However, the cyclists performed better with the carbohydrate drink - in fact, performance was directly related to the ability to burn carbohydrate. Two out of the 6 subjects were unable to finish the ride on the 40:30:30 bar treatment.
The bottom line?
There are no published studies that support any benefits of the Zone diet on athletic performance. We are left with the present conclusion that the 40:30:30 diet is a well-marketed nutrition craze. Whether it will stand the test of scientific scrutiny, or the test of time, is a topic for the future. At the moment it is simply untested.
Tips for writing a best selling diet book
(from Hawley, J. and L. Burke. Peak Performance: training and nutrition strategies for sport, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1998)
* Have impressive sounding qualifications in a medically related field
* Be controversial. Slam the current world experts on health and nutrition, and the guidelines for healthy eating.
* Claim an amazing new scientific understanding. Fill pages with complicated biochemistry explained in simple language.
* Claim that your diet will cure all manner of diseases and health problems, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and aids. Prove this with case histories.
* Provide a complicated set of rules about foods that can't be eaten, or even worse, foods that can't be eaten at the same time.
* Have sports stars, film stars and political heavy weights follow and flourish on your diet - or at least be rumoured to.
* Best of all, promise that weight loss will occur while the dieter can eat as much as they like.
Written by Louise Burke and the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS © Australian Sports Commission 2004
http://www.webmd.com/diet/zone-what-it-is
Is Zone Diet the easiest, quickest, less expensive and less restrictive method to lose weight and stay healthy?
Probably not. There's no such thing. Whether we're talking about Zone or another diet, it takes a lot of patience and strong will. Here is another one.
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The Zone Diet Report
Does the Zone Diet work? Is it good for you? Weight Loss Resources' dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates the zone.
The Zone Diet Under the Spotlight
By WLR Dietitian
Juliette Kellow BSc RD
Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston might all be big in Hollywood, but their celebrity status isn’t the only thing they have in common. All these stars claim to have followed the Zone Diet to help them get – and keep – their famous figures. But just what does ‘Being in the Zone’ involve and more importantly, is it a healthy way to shift those pounds? WLR’s dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates…
‘Enter the Zone’ and you’ll lose weight permanently, achieve peak physical performance, enhance mental productivity and delay the signs of ageing. At least that’s what Barry Sears, creator of The Zone Diet, tells us!
In the mid 1990’s, the Zone was all the rage with many celebs, including Jennifer Aniston and hubby Brad Pitt, all claiming to be fans of the plan. Before long, millions of people were following the Zone and the diet had become a household name. Now, even though newer diet plans such as the Atkins and South Beach Diets gain more column inches and their books currently head the New York Times Bestseller list, the Zone Diet continues to remain a popular choice for some.
What’s the theory?
The Zone Diet works on the theory that excess insulin, a hormone that helps control our blood sugar levels, makes us fat and keeps us fat. By closely regulating our blood sugar levels and therefore keeping our levels of insulin in a tight ‘zone’, the body burns fat more efficiently so that we lose weight.
To control blood sugar levels and consequently insulin levels, you need to get the perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in every meal. Achieving this perfect balance effectively means following a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet that includes moderate amounts of fat. And if that sounds familiar, you’d be right! In fact, the Zone Diet is not too dissimilar to many of the other low-carb, high-protein diets that are currently in vogue, either in terms of the theory or the foods you can and can’t eat.
What does the Zone Diet involve?
If the theory sounds simple, the reality is far more complicated. First off, you’ll need plenty of patience, a head for science and the desire to learn more about ‘zoning’, either by looking at the Zone website or indulging in some bedtime reading, courtesy of creator Barry Sears.
The idea is that to reach ‘The Zone’, every meal and snack should provide 40 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 30 per cent from protein and 30 per cent from fat. This is what some Zone fans call the 40:30:30 ratio.
To help with this, ‘Zone Food Blocks’ have been developed, where each ‘block’ contains a standardised amount of carbohydrate, protein or fat. To lose weight, a certain number of blocks are allocated for each meal and snack.
The number of Zone Food Blocks you should have each day is calculated according to your weight, height and waist and hip circumferences. Generally, the bigger you are, the more blocks you are allowed. For example, a woman who weighs 10st, is 5ft 2in, has a 28in waist and 37in hips should have 12 blocks a day (four for breakfast, three each for lunch and dinner, one for an afternoon snack and one for an evening snack). Meanwhile, a larger woman who weighs 12st, is 5ft 10in, has a 30in waist and 40in hips needs 14 blocks (four for each main meal and one each as an afternoon snack and an evening snack).
With help from Weight Loss Resources or the Zone’s website, Zone Perfect, calculating the daily number of blocks you should have – and how they should be divided throughout the day – is the easy bit. Creating meals and snacks that have the correct number of Zone Foods Blocks is the hard bit! No surprises then that you really need a Zone Diet book to help you put meals together. And if that’s still too much like hard work, there are many pre-packaged Zone Diet meals and snacks for delivery that you can order over the Internet – at a fairly hefty price!
This sounds like hard work! Is there an easier way to follow it?
Although the creator of the diet is quite adamant that for best effects you should really stick to counting Food Blocks, it’s still possible to follow the basic principles of the diet without going through this complicated process.
In simple terms, the Zone diet involves cutting out most carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, crisps, pastries, pies, chocolate, sweets, sugar and preserves, as these have the greatest effect on blood sugar levels and therefore insulin levels. Most fruit and vegetables, however, are allowed. Low-fat protein-rich foods such as skinless chicken, turkey and fish should be eaten with every meal. Meanwhile, eating fewer foods that contain saturates and choosing foods that are rich in monounsaturates, such as olive oil, avocado and nuts, is recommended.
To make the Zone Diet even easier to follow, the creator recommends dividing your plate into three equal sized sections and then filling one section with low-fat protein such as chicken – making sure it’s no larger or thicker than the palm of your hand – and the remaining two sections with vegetables and fruit. Adding a little olive oil, avocado or a few nuts will help to boost intakes of monounsaturates!
So how much weight can I expect to lose?
Advocates of the Zone Diet claim you can lose at least 5lb in the first two weeks, followed by 1-1.5lb every week after this.
What do the experts say?
Achieving a 40:30:30 ratio is certainly a departure from current healthy eating guidelines, which recommend 50 percent of our calories should come from carbohydrate, 15 percent from protein and 35 percent from fat. While most nutrition experts agree with the advice to eat less fat, especially saturates, and to fill up on fruit and veg, most remain sceptical about the theory that weight loss is due to regulating insulin levels. They still believe that eating fewer carbohydrate-rich foods results in a calorie deficit – in other words, any weight loss that occurs is due to taking in fewer calories than the body uses up. In fact, if followed properly, the diet provides around 1,000 to 1,300 calories a day, thanks mainly to cutting out most high-calorie sugary and starchy foods – and replacing them with low-calorie vegetables and fruit. And if you’re still not convinced, maybe this example will help: swap a large Danish pastry, containing around 650 calories, for a 50-calorie apple and you’ll save a staggering 600 calories. Do this every day for a week and you’d expect to lose more than 1lb in a week!
Are there any pros?
The Zone Diet generally has fewer dietary restrictions than many other low-carb plans and recommends eating more fruit and vegetables. It also encourages you to cut out a lot of the ‘junk’ or low-nutrient carbs in your diet such as crisps, cakes, biscuits and chocolate. Eating fewer fatty foods – and swapping foods that are high in saturates for those containing monounsaturates – is sensible, heart-healthy advice, too.
And the cons?
Unfortunately, the Zone Diet is very complicated and time-consuming if you’re going to follow it properly. You’ll need to invest in a Zone diet book and a decent set of measuring scales and spoons if you don’t already have them. It also recommends eliminating some very nutritious foods, which are not only a good source of carbohydrate but are also packed with fibre and important vitamins and minerals. For example, wholegrain cereals are packed with fibre, B vitamins and iron, while cheese is an excellent source of calcium and zinc. It can also be really expensive if you decide to purchase pre-packaged Zone products! As for eating out – if you’re counting Food Blocks, you might as well forget it.
Juliette’s verdict
The Zone diet is undoubtedly hard work and in my opinion turns mealtimes into a chore rather than a pleasure. While the creator of the diet suggests that Zone Food Blocks help to make the diet easier to follow, I have to disagree – trying to get your head around blocks of carbohydrate, protein and fat after a busy day in the office or with the children is just not feasible! And I certainly don’t believe in weighing and measuring every single ingredient before preparing it. Ultimately, the diet is low in calories and this is why it results in weight loss. However, there are far easier and more pleasurable ways to lower your calorie intake – healthy eating with smaller portion sizes, for example!.
Sue have you ever heard of the Okinawa Program- when the research (which lasted 25 years) was published
the Okinawan's were the healthiest race of people on the planet, with the least amount of cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and other diseases that kill us westerners, they also enjoyed the longest life span with 34 per 100,000 over 100 years of age and still active, in the United States you only get 5-10 making 100 for every 100,000 people, the researchers concluded that it was all due to their diet and lifestyle. The book is called simply "The Okinawa Program" by Bradley J. Willcox,MD., MS his twin D.Craig Willcox, PhD and Markoto Suzuki, MD., PhD and it is very cheap and the recipes are tasty and easy to procure.
Please don't feel offended by what I have done here. You are a role model in anyones language for your achievements but I would be wary of the claims made by the Zone Diet.
I have nothing but respect for what you have achieved in weight loss, it's a wonderful achievement and the fact that you have been able to keep it off for 13 years speaks volumes about your determination. But the Zone Diet has not been scientifically proven to do what it claims to do at all. One of the saving graces is that so many loyal zone advocates interpret the zone diet differently. Here is a review by our Australian Institute of Sport, and another by webmd. Some researchers think it's OK but none seem to think it is as good as eating sensibly from the normal food guidelines.
Fact sheets > Diets > The Zone Diet
* Basics
* Sports
* Diets
* Travel
* Body Size and Shape
* Hydration
* Competition and Training
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet. It sounds like something that Mulder and Scully from the X-Files should investigate. Instead, it is one of the popular diets that has "swept" the world via the United States, and includes athletes among its target group. We first heard of the diet from articles in American Swimming magazines in 1993 where it claimed credit for the 9 Gold medals won by members of the Stanford swim team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Games. Since then it has blossomed into 2 best selling books by its creator, Dr Barry Sears: "Enter the Zone" (1995) and "Mastering the Zone" (1997). Like most popular diets, it promises to solve all the nutritional and medical problems of the world - from AIDS, impotence and diabetes - and to promote permanent and painless weight loss. However there are special chapters on benefits to athletic performance, and additional credit taken for another 9 Gold medals at the Atlanta Olympics. Since a number of athletes claim to be "on the Zone", or at least interested in it, we have carefully conducted an investigation of the Zone and its promises:
Why is the Zone Diet so intriguing to athletes?
Dr Sears' books and promotional materials make many emotive claims about the dramatic benefits of being on the Zone diet. It associates itself with winners and winning performances. How could an athlete resist the promise of such a winning edge? And it claims to make breakthroughs in scientific understanding, filling pages with complicated biochemistry explained in simple language. How could a coach resist the impressive sounding "science", backed up case histories or "research"? The Zone diet follows the rules that make many books into bestsellers - intrigue, controversy, and repetition of brave new "facts".
What is the basis of the Zone Diet?
According to Dr Sears, the Zone is reached by finding the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" hormones in our body - between insulin and glucagon and the "good" and "bad" eicosanoids. He pulls no punches in attacking current healthy eating guidelines and nutrition research. He claims that high-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diets actually cause an overproduction of insulin, and that this is the cause of weight gain, ill-health and poor performance.
The keys to entering the Zone are to eat a meal or snack at least every 5 hours that fits the following profile:
* 30% of energy from protein. In fact, this is the baseline of the whole diet since protein must be eaten in the exact amount to meet body requirements (set by Dr Sears at a daily intake of 1.8-2.2 g per kilogram of lean body mass). Once protein intake is established from Tables provided in the Zone books, this sets the levels of total energy intake and the intake of the other macronutrients (fat and carbohydrate)
* 40% of energy from carbohydrates - emphasising those with a low glycaemic index
* 30% of energy from fat - emphasising monounsaturated fats.
In fact, the Zone diet is an energy-restricted diet. Calculations for the Zone needs of 2 different athletes (representing members of the AIS Department of Sports Nutrition) are presented in the following table:
Athlete Energy intake Protein intake (g/day) Carbohydrate intake (g/day) Fat intake (g/day)
64 kg lean male endurance athlete
(> 2 hrs exercise/day) 1735 kcal/d
7280 kJ/d 130 175 58
55 kg trim female recreational athlete
(1 hr exercise/day) 1065 kcal/d
4475 kJ/d 80 105 36
How do you put the Zone Diet onto your plate?
Although many athletes will find the principles of the Zone and supporting biochemistry hard to understand, it is the practice of the Zone that will really throw them. Without extensive knowledge of nutrition and food composition it is hard to visualise a dietary ratio of "40:30:30". To achieve these goals Dr Sears has organised food into "carbohydrate" blocks, "protein blocks" and "fat blocks" and has set up formulas of how many blocks should be eaten at each meal and snack. In his latest books "Zone friendly" recipes are also provided. Dr Sears and other companies have additional help for the nutritionally-challenged, in the form of personalised dietary plans and menu programmes, and special bars with a 40:30:30 composition. The "PR" company, which makes PR bars and PR powder, has sponsorship deals with the Ironman triathlon company and several big name triathletes and sports people. In the USA, there is plentiful evidence that the Zone is more than just a brief fad. Not only do companies sell Zone dietary plans and bars via 1 800 numbers and internet websites, but there are a series of food products (e.g. pancake mix) all proposing to be "Zone favourable". Not to mention restaurants and fast food places offering menus and meals that also carry this tag. This suggests that the Zone diet has longevity and market clout. And the cause is helped when famous people are rumoured to be devotees of the Zone, or when the Zone diet is given the credit for the fabulous figures and well-publicised weight loss achievements of the Superstars.
In reality, however, very few foods are a pure "block" of just one macronutrient. And once food starts being combined into recipes and mixed dishes, it is almost impossible to control ratios. A common and valid criticism of the Zone diet is whether those who say they are following the diet actually achieve its important formula. In fact, a paper presented at a conference of the American College of Sports Medicine found some interesting results when it crunched numbers on the menu plans and food advice provided in the Zone diet books. The researchers found that when followed to the letter, these diets don't conform to the magic mantra of the book - in fact, the protein levels are higher and the carbohydrate levels are significantly lower (e.g. 30-35% of energy). Clearly, pre-packaged meals and food products make it easier, but just what are the rewards of getting it right?
So what do scientists say about the Zone Diet?
Most scientists are sceptical about the claims made for the Zone diet. In the Department of Sports Nutrition at the AIS we are also confused by how the diet is supposed to be followed by athletes. Dr Sears has a theory to explain our views. We belong to the conservative guard of conventional nutritionists/medical experts and are upset that he is challenging our beliefs. However, in our defence we see little rigorous evidence of the miracles that are promised by the Zone diet. Instead we see clever marketing, confusing dietary information, and some unrealistic medical claims in relation to diseases like cancer and AIDS.
"Enter the Zone" is complicated to read, full of scientific discussions, emotive promises and repetitive nutrition messages. Dr Sears repeatedly attacks current healthy eating guidelines and research, claiming that high-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diets actually are the cause of weight and health problems. However, there is no research to support the claims that the Zone promises optimal health, a cure for disease or winning performances. Testimonials from "satisfied customers" and success stories from people who have achieved benefits from following the Zone diet do not replace research. The couple of "studies" quoted in the book in which a group of athletes were tested before and after a period on the Zone diet do not constitute rigorous research. Because there was no control group in this "study" we don't know how much the Zone diet contributed to the changes seen in the athletes, and how much was a result of their period of hard training.
So, who are the targets of the Zone Diet?
Like many popular diet books, the Zone diet has promises for everyone. However, there appear to be two target groups who are most likely to respond to the Zone marketing. The first are those who struggle with their weight and the associated problems of being overfat. For these people, the Zone offers an end to the battle, promising that the diet will allow people to tap into their body fat stores and lose weight forever. While being able to eat as much food as they like. Weight loss is indeed likely, but the "forever" and "unrestricted eating" parts are improbable. Although Dr Sears is coy about mentioning this, the Zone is essentially an energy-restricted diet.
Of course, weight loss on the Zone diet is cleverly disguised behind "scientific" explanations about more efficient fat burning, and complicated instructions about mixing and matching foods together. Other diets such as the Beverly Hills Diet, and the Fit for Life diet have used the same strategies. Generally they "work" because people are surreptitiously organised into eating less food than they used to. While they follow the instructions and eat less food, they lose weight. When they go back to their normal eating patterns, they will regain weight. Simple! Nevertheless, studies are needed to see whether the Zone offers any advantages over other versions of low-calorie eating.
So what about athletes and the Zone?
An athlete who calculated their Zone intake, based strictly on the instructions provided in the books, would be in a state of energy deprivation. This strategy would certainly cause them to "access stored body fat". (i.e. lose body fat) There is nothing magic about this! Of course, this assumes that the athlete wants to lose body fat. And many athletes do. However, eating a very low energy intake is an unnecessarily extreme way to become leaner - not to mention, counterproductive to training. Without sufficient carbohydrate to replace muscle glycogen stores, it is impossible to undertake high-intensity exercise at optimum effort. An athlete might be able to get away with low-moderate intensity training on such a diet. However, quality sessions or interval sessions would suffer.
The sections on athletes and performance in the Zone diet are particularly confusing and contradictory. The back of the book promises: "athletes do better on a high fat diet". However, the Zone diet if followed to the letter of the book, is not a high fat diet. Rather it is a low energy, low fat diet - providing most people with 30-70 g of fat each day. If an athlete believed that adaptation to a high-fat diet is an advantage for performance - and that is the topic for another fact sheet - then the Zone diet will not look after these needs.
There is no direct explanation for the athlete who doesn't want to lose any more body fat. Clearly, lean athletes need to be in energy balance by eating far more calories than the Zone book allows for. There are some suggestions in the Zone book that these athletes should make up extra fuel needs by eating more mono-unsaturated fat. However, an athlete who does this will no longer be eating a 40:30:30 dietary mix, and the book is light on practical advice on how to organise such an eating plan.
So what are Zone-eating athletes really doing?
The "Zone" athletes to whom we have spoken interpret the diet in different ways and at different levels of adherence. Some simply treat it as a general principle and "do their own thing". They steer clear of pasta and bread (dietary enemies of the Zone). They eat larger serves of protein at meals. And they like the 40:30:30 sports bars. Let's face it - a high-carbohydrate low-fat bar is generally sweet and chewy, whatever flavour you make it. But a bar that has a higher fat and protein content can be made with chocolate coating, and fudge or peanut butter flavouring. What would your taste buds choose? Some of the athletes who sing the Zone's praises are those who have followed the energy restrictions closely for a period, and have rejoiced at the body fat loss. To be honest we have never seen an athlete achieve a true dietary mix of 40:30:30.
To date there is only one published study concerning the Zone diet and athletic performance. Dr Laurie Rauch and colleagues from the Sports Science Institute of South Africa tested ultra-endurance cyclists on two occasions, using a riding protocol that required 5.5 hours of submaximal work followed by a time trial estimated to take another half hour. On one ride they consumed carbohydrate via a sports drink during the ride, according to sports nutrition guidelines. On the other occasion, under identical conditions, they consumed 40:30:30 sports bars providing equal energy intake and an equal amount of fluid. The result: the 40:30:30 bars resulted in a fuel mixture with more fat and less carbohydrate during the exercise. However, the cyclists performed better with the carbohydrate drink - in fact, performance was directly related to the ability to burn carbohydrate. Two out of the 6 subjects were unable to finish the ride on the 40:30:30 bar treatment.
The bottom line?
There are no published studies that support any benefits of the Zone diet on athletic performance. We are left with the present conclusion that the 40:30:30 diet is a well-marketed nutrition craze. Whether it will stand the test of scientific scrutiny, or the test of time, is a topic for the future. At the moment it is simply untested.
Tips for writing a best selling diet book
(from Hawley, J. and L. Burke. Peak Performance: training and nutrition strategies for sport, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1998)
* Have impressive sounding qualifications in a medically related field
* Be controversial. Slam the current world experts on health and nutrition, and the guidelines for healthy eating.
* Claim an amazing new scientific understanding. Fill pages with complicated biochemistry explained in simple language.
* Claim that your diet will cure all manner of diseases and health problems, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and aids. Prove this with case histories.
* Provide a complicated set of rules about foods that can't be eaten, or even worse, foods that can't be eaten at the same time.
* Have sports stars, film stars and political heavy weights follow and flourish on your diet - or at least be rumoured to.
* Best of all, promise that weight loss will occur while the dieter can eat as much as they like.
Written by Louise Burke and the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS © Australian Sports Commission 2004
http://www.webmd.com/diet/zone-what-it-is
Is Zone Diet the easiest, quickest, less expensive and less restrictive method to lose weight and stay healthy?
Probably not. There's no such thing. Whether we're talking about Zone or another diet, it takes a lot of patience and strong will. Here is another one.
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The Zone Diet Report
Does the Zone Diet work? Is it good for you? Weight Loss Resources' dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates the zone.
The Zone Diet Under the Spotlight
By WLR Dietitian
Juliette Kellow BSc RD
Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston might all be big in Hollywood, but their celebrity status isn’t the only thing they have in common. All these stars claim to have followed the Zone Diet to help them get – and keep – their famous figures. But just what does ‘Being in the Zone’ involve and more importantly, is it a healthy way to shift those pounds? WLR’s dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates…
‘Enter the Zone’ and you’ll lose weight permanently, achieve peak physical performance, enhance mental productivity and delay the signs of ageing. At least that’s what Barry Sears, creator of The Zone Diet, tells us!
In the mid 1990’s, the Zone was all the rage with many celebs, including Jennifer Aniston and hubby Brad Pitt, all claiming to be fans of the plan. Before long, millions of people were following the Zone and the diet had become a household name. Now, even though newer diet plans such as the Atkins and South Beach Diets gain more column inches and their books currently head the New York Times Bestseller list, the Zone Diet continues to remain a popular choice for some.
What’s the theory?
The Zone Diet works on the theory that excess insulin, a hormone that helps control our blood sugar levels, makes us fat and keeps us fat. By closely regulating our blood sugar levels and therefore keeping our levels of insulin in a tight ‘zone’, the body burns fat more efficiently so that we lose weight.
To control blood sugar levels and consequently insulin levels, you need to get the perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in every meal. Achieving this perfect balance effectively means following a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet that includes moderate amounts of fat. And if that sounds familiar, you’d be right! In fact, the Zone Diet is not too dissimilar to many of the other low-carb, high-protein diets that are currently in vogue, either in terms of the theory or the foods you can and can’t eat.
What does the Zone Diet involve?
If the theory sounds simple, the reality is far more complicated. First off, you’ll need plenty of patience, a head for science and the desire to learn more about ‘zoning’, either by looking at the Zone website or indulging in some bedtime reading, courtesy of creator Barry Sears.
The idea is that to reach ‘The Zone’, every meal and snack should provide 40 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 30 per cent from protein and 30 per cent from fat. This is what some Zone fans call the 40:30:30 ratio.
To help with this, ‘Zone Food Blocks’ have been developed, where each ‘block’ contains a standardised amount of carbohydrate, protein or fat. To lose weight, a certain number of blocks are allocated for each meal and snack.
The number of Zone Food Blocks you should have each day is calculated according to your weight, height and waist and hip circumferences. Generally, the bigger you are, the more blocks you are allowed. For example, a woman who weighs 10st, is 5ft 2in, has a 28in waist and 37in hips should have 12 blocks a day (four for breakfast, three each for lunch and dinner, one for an afternoon snack and one for an evening snack). Meanwhile, a larger woman who weighs 12st, is 5ft 10in, has a 30in waist and 40in hips needs 14 blocks (four for each main meal and one each as an afternoon snack and an evening snack).
With help from Weight Loss Resources or the Zone’s website, Zone Perfect, calculating the daily number of blocks you should have – and how they should be divided throughout the day – is the easy bit. Creating meals and snacks that have the correct number of Zone Foods Blocks is the hard bit! No surprises then that you really need a Zone Diet book to help you put meals together. And if that’s still too much like hard work, there are many pre-packaged Zone Diet meals and snacks for delivery that you can order over the Internet – at a fairly hefty price!
This sounds like hard work! Is there an easier way to follow it?
Although the creator of the diet is quite adamant that for best effects you should really stick to counting Food Blocks, it’s still possible to follow the basic principles of the diet without going through this complicated process.
In simple terms, the Zone diet involves cutting out most carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, crisps, pastries, pies, chocolate, sweets, sugar and preserves, as these have the greatest effect on blood sugar levels and therefore insulin levels. Most fruit and vegetables, however, are allowed. Low-fat protein-rich foods such as skinless chicken, turkey and fish should be eaten with every meal. Meanwhile, eating fewer foods that contain saturates and choosing foods that are rich in monounsaturates, such as olive oil, avocado and nuts, is recommended.
To make the Zone Diet even easier to follow, the creator recommends dividing your plate into three equal sized sections and then filling one section with low-fat protein such as chicken – making sure it’s no larger or thicker than the palm of your hand – and the remaining two sections with vegetables and fruit. Adding a little olive oil, avocado or a few nuts will help to boost intakes of monounsaturates!
So how much weight can I expect to lose?
Advocates of the Zone Diet claim you can lose at least 5lb in the first two weeks, followed by 1-1.5lb every week after this.
What do the experts say?
Achieving a 40:30:30 ratio is certainly a departure from current healthy eating guidelines, which recommend 50 percent of our calories should come from carbohydrate, 15 percent from protein and 35 percent from fat. While most nutrition experts agree with the advice to eat less fat, especially saturates, and to fill up on fruit and veg, most remain sceptical about the theory that weight loss is due to regulating insulin levels. They still believe that eating fewer carbohydrate-rich foods results in a calorie deficit – in other words, any weight loss that occurs is due to taking in fewer calories than the body uses up. In fact, if followed properly, the diet provides around 1,000 to 1,300 calories a day, thanks mainly to cutting out most high-calorie sugary and starchy foods – and replacing them with low-calorie vegetables and fruit. And if you’re still not convinced, maybe this example will help: swap a large Danish pastry, containing around 650 calories, for a 50-calorie apple and you’ll save a staggering 600 calories. Do this every day for a week and you’d expect to lose more than 1lb in a week!
Are there any pros?
The Zone Diet generally has fewer dietary restrictions than many other low-carb plans and recommends eating more fruit and vegetables. It also encourages you to cut out a lot of the ‘junk’ or low-nutrient carbs in your diet such as crisps, cakes, biscuits and chocolate. Eating fewer fatty foods – and swapping foods that are high in saturates for those containing monounsaturates – is sensible, heart-healthy advice, too.
And the cons?
Unfortunately, the Zone Diet is very complicated and time-consuming if you’re going to follow it properly. You’ll need to invest in a Zone diet book and a decent set of measuring scales and spoons if you don’t already have them. It also recommends eliminating some very nutritious foods, which are not only a good source of carbohydrate but are also packed with fibre and important vitamins and minerals. For example, wholegrain cereals are packed with fibre, B vitamins and iron, while cheese is an excellent source of calcium and zinc. It can also be really expensive if you decide to purchase pre-packaged Zone products! As for eating out – if you’re counting Food Blocks, you might as well forget it.
Juliette’s verdict
The Zone diet is undoubtedly hard work and in my opinion turns mealtimes into a chore rather than a pleasure. While the creator of the diet suggests that Zone Food Blocks help to make the diet easier to follow, I have to disagree – trying to get your head around blocks of carbohydrate, protein and fat after a busy day in the office or with the children is just not feasible! And I certainly don’t believe in weighing and measuring every single ingredient before preparing it. Ultimately, the diet is low in calories and this is why it results in weight loss. However, there are far easier and more pleasurable ways to lower your calorie intake – healthy eating with smaller portion sizes, for example!.
Sue have you ever heard of the Okinawa Program- when the research (which lasted 25 years) was published
the Okinawan's were the healthiest race of people on the planet, with the least amount of cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and other diseases that kill us westerners, they also enjoyed the longest life span with 34 per 100,000 over 100 years of age and still active, in the United States you only get 5-10 making 100 for every 100,000 people, the researchers concluded that it was all due to their diet and lifestyle. The book is called simply "The Okinawa Program" by Bradley J. Willcox,MD., MS his twin D.Craig Willcox, PhD and Markoto Suzuki, MD., PhD and it is very cheap and the recipes are tasty and easy to procure.
Please don't feel offended by what I have done here. You are a role model in anyones language for your achievements but I would be wary of the claims made by the Zone Diet.
QUOTE(Shelly @ May 23 2008, 02:22 AM) 
Hi everyone, I have been really obsessed with my weight problem. I am a 33 year old female and have gained 90lbs which makes the count to 210. I recently took out some of my summer clothes and they don’t fit me anymore!!! This is a real tragedy for me. How can I not wear the ones I adore...moreover the new look is getting me mad (with the comments from my friends). I know quite a few ways to start losing weight…….but I don’t really feel that, with so many people failing using these methods that I will make it through. Does anyone know a proven way to reduce the weight?
Please help me…..this is killing me!!!
It is nothing you should be stressed about,, I know I know, it is easy for me say because I am not the one who has the problem. My recommendation is to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits and start a balance exercising program. Stop giving in to temptations no matter how superb the food may look. Self discipline is always important if you want to follow a diet. Try eating lot of fruits such as Acai berry. It has scientifically proven nutrition qualities that helps the human body to lose weight plus it can stop premature aging too.
Self discipline, that is what the most important thing!
I was very fatty, slopy and unhealthy i searched a lot on the web and found acai berry at ACAI BERRY. It helped me a lot to lose weight faster.
Be extremely careful when quoting medical (mis)- information, as Mark Twain once said "You may die from a misprint"
Acai so far on this forum has been claimed to cure everything, obviously it doesn't cure bad spelling, but it does everything else, so where is the evidence, please show abstracts for these wild claims instead of opinion.
Cheers
Acai so far on this forum has been claimed to cure everything, obviously it doesn't cure bad spelling, but it does everything else, so where is the evidence, please show abstracts for these wild claims instead of opinion.
Cheers
Well no matter what you do you need to work with your body to naturally lose your weight. Drink lots of water and take in 30+ grams of fiber a day every day. Don't fiber is not a laxative it just helps the process. Please visit my site www.nuvitaesoftdrinks.ws and watch the videos on fiber. You do not need to leave your information or buy anything just do yourself a favor and google some research on fiber you will realize how important fiber is to regulate our weight and metabolism. If you want to call me and ask questions send me an email and I will talk to you. nuvitaesuccess@suntelusa.com dont worry I am not trying to sell you on any business unless you are interested I just want to get America healthy with fiber rich dieting. Good luck!!! 
Just do your own research on fibre and see what you come up with, this abstract claims it is useless as a weight loss therapy, look for abstracts that have been accepted by reputable journals that are peer reviewed, such as PubMed.
© 2003 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J. Nutr. 133:3141-3144, October 2003
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Research Communication
Fermentable and Nonfermentable Fiber Supplements Did Not Alter Hunger, Satiety or Body Weight in a Pilot Study of Men and Women Consuming Self-Selected Diets1,2
Nancy C. Howarth, Edward Saltzman, Megan A. McCrory, Andrew S. Greenberg, Johanna Dwyer*, Lynne Ausman, Daniel G. Kramer and Susan B. Roberts3
Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 and * Frances Stern Nutrition Center, New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111
3To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: susan.roberts@tufts.edu.
Little is known about the relative effects of fermentable fiber (FF) vs. nonfermentable fiber (NFF) on energy regulation in humans. We compared 27 ± 0.6 g/d supplements of FF (pectin, ß-glucan) and NFF (methylcellulose) for their ability to decrease ad libitum energy intake (EI) and hunger, increase satiety and cause spontaneous body weight and fat losses. Men and women (n = 11) aged 23–46 y, BMI 20.0–34.4 kg/m2, consumed first NFF and then FF for 3 wk each, with a 4-wk washout period between phases. Daily satiety assessed with analog scales was higher with NFF than FF (60.7 ± 1.0 vs. 57.7 ± 0.8 mm, P = 0.01). However, there were no differences in reported EI (NFF < FF by 7%, P = 0.31, NFF < baseline by 9.5%, P = 0.11), body weight (NFF 0.13 kg, P = 0.73; FF 0.13 kg, P = 0.60) or fat percentage (NFF –0.3%, P = 0.56; FF –0.1%, P = 0.66) within either phase. In contrast to findings in animals, NFF was more, rather than less satiating than FF, and use of neither NFF nor FF preparations was associated with body weight or fat loss. These pilot results suggest no role for short-term use of FF and NFF supplements in promoting weight loss in humans consuming a diet ad libitum.
Drinking water does not speed up metabolism as far as I am aware.
Cheers
© 2003 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J. Nutr. 133:3141-3144, October 2003
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Research Communication
Fermentable and Nonfermentable Fiber Supplements Did Not Alter Hunger, Satiety or Body Weight in a Pilot Study of Men and Women Consuming Self-Selected Diets1,2
Nancy C. Howarth, Edward Saltzman, Megan A. McCrory, Andrew S. Greenberg, Johanna Dwyer*, Lynne Ausman, Daniel G. Kramer and Susan B. Roberts3
Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 and * Frances Stern Nutrition Center, New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111
3To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: susan.roberts@tufts.edu.
Little is known about the relative effects of fermentable fiber (FF) vs. nonfermentable fiber (NFF) on energy regulation in humans. We compared 27 ± 0.6 g/d supplements of FF (pectin, ß-glucan) and NFF (methylcellulose) for their ability to decrease ad libitum energy intake (EI) and hunger, increase satiety and cause spontaneous body weight and fat losses. Men and women (n = 11) aged 23–46 y, BMI 20.0–34.4 kg/m2, consumed first NFF and then FF for 3 wk each, with a 4-wk washout period between phases. Daily satiety assessed with analog scales was higher with NFF than FF (60.7 ± 1.0 vs. 57.7 ± 0.8 mm, P = 0.01). However, there were no differences in reported EI (NFF < FF by 7%, P = 0.31, NFF < baseline by 9.5%, P = 0.11), body weight (NFF 0.13 kg, P = 0.73; FF 0.13 kg, P = 0.60) or fat percentage (NFF –0.3%, P = 0.56; FF –0.1%, P = 0.66) within either phase. In contrast to findings in animals, NFF was more, rather than less satiating than FF, and use of neither NFF nor FF preparations was associated with body weight or fat loss. These pilot results suggest no role for short-term use of FF and NFF supplements in promoting weight loss in humans consuming a diet ad libitum.
Drinking water does not speed up metabolism as far as I am aware.
Cheers
Hi, I am aware of your weight loss problem. I have used Acai diet personally and have only the positive experience. However, the results vary from person to person. I used the diet and made sure I walked in open air for 10 minutes each day after dinner. It helped me lose weight at a warp speed.
Hi, I am aware of your weight loss problem. I have used Acai diet personally and have only the positive experience. However, the results vary from person to person. I used the diet and made sure I walked in open air for 10 minutes each day after dinner. It helped me lose weight at a warp speed.
Hi, I am aware of your weight loss problem. I have used Acai diet personally and have only the positive experience. However, the results vary from person to person. I used the diet and made sure I walked in open air for 10 minutes each day after dinner. It helped me lose weight at a warp speed.
Hi
In order to achieve a permanent and effective weight loss, you need to examine your lifestyle and make appropriate changes. The first step is to talk to your doctor and discuss various dietary and exercise options. Your doctor should be able to provide a wealth of information to help you make the right choices.
The next step is to make the changes you identified. The key to success is do these one at a time and take your time - if you try to change everything at once you will succeed in frustrating yourself and fall back on old habits. Don't be in a hurry - it took you a long time to gain the weight so it will take you a long time to lose it. If you can lose 2 - 3 pounds a week you're doing great!
Lastly, you need to get active. If you have a dog, establish a routine where you take him/her for a walk at least twice a day. Each walk should cover at least 1km in distance. Find activities that you enjoy - doing something you dislike will only lead to failure.
I hope this helps.
In order to achieve a permanent and effective weight loss, you need to examine your lifestyle and make appropriate changes. The first step is to talk to your doctor and discuss various dietary and exercise options. Your doctor should be able to provide a wealth of information to help you make the right choices.
The next step is to make the changes you identified. The key to success is do these one at a time and take your time - if you try to change everything at once you will succeed in frustrating yourself and fall back on old habits. Don't be in a hurry - it took you a long time to gain the weight so it will take you a long time to lose it. If you can lose 2 - 3 pounds a week you're doing great!
Lastly, you need to get active. If you have a dog, establish a routine where you take him/her for a walk at least twice a day. Each walk should cover at least 1km in distance. Find activities that you enjoy - doing something you dislike will only lead to failure.
I hope this helps.
Hi Charles Martin,
Excellent advice mate, if the fillers or the meal contain enough protein that in itself will control satiety( hunger), and they are still finding all of the positive outcomes for green tea, it is now suggested that it may be useful for osteoarthritis.
Arthritis Research & Therapy
Volume 11
Issue 3
Open AccessResearch article
Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits advanced glycation end products-induced expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-13 in human chondrocytes
Zafar Rasheed email, Arivarasu N Anbazhagan email, Nahid Akhtar email, Sangeetha Ramamurthy email, Frank R Voss email and Tariq M Haqqi email
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, 11:R71doi:10.1186/ar2700
Published: 15 May 2009
Abstract (provisional)
Introduction
The major risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) is aging, but the mechanisms underlying this risk are only partly understood. Age-related accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can activate chondrocytes and induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In the present study, we examined the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on AGEs-modified-bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA) induced activation and production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and MMP-13 in human OA chondrocytes.
Methods
Human chondrocytes were derived from OA cartilage by enzymatic digestion and stimulated with in vitro generated AGE-BSA. Gene expression of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. TNF-alpha protein in culture medium was determined using cytokine-specific ELISA. Western immunoblotting was used to analyze the MMP-13 production in the culture medium, phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB p65 was determined using a highly sensitive and specific ELISA. IkappaB kinase (IKK) activity was determined using an in vitro kinase activity assay. MMP-13 activity in the culture medium was assayed by gelatin zymography.
Results
EGCG significantly decreased AGEs-stimulated gene expression and production of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 in human chondrocytes. The inhibitory effect of EGCG on the AGE-BSA induced expression of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 was mediated at least in part via suppression of p38-MAPK and JNK activation. In addition, EGCG inhibited the phosphorylating activity of IKKbeta kinase in an in vitro activity assay and also inhibited the AGE-BSA-induced activation and DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB by suppressing the degradation of its inhibitory protein IkappaBalpha in human chondrocytes in vitro.
Conclusions
These novel pharmacological actions of EGCG on AGE-BSA stimulated human OA chondrocytes provide new suggestion that EGCG or EGCG-derived compounds may inhibit cartilage degradation by suppressing AGEs-mediated activation and the catabolic response in human chondrocytes.
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF.
I found this funny, I hope you do to Charles, one of our Aussie high profile female nutritionists became a bit peeved at all of the people wanting magic bullets for obesity/weight loss last week and she said " If you want to lose weight just shut your gob and go for a walk"
Cheers
Excellent advice mate, if the fillers or the meal contain enough protein that in itself will control satiety( hunger), and they are still finding all of the positive outcomes for green tea, it is now suggested that it may be useful for osteoarthritis.
Arthritis Research & Therapy
Volume 11
Issue 3
Open AccessResearch article
Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits advanced glycation end products-induced expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-13 in human chondrocytes
Zafar Rasheed email, Arivarasu N Anbazhagan email, Nahid Akhtar email, Sangeetha Ramamurthy email, Frank R Voss email and Tariq M Haqqi email
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, 11:R71doi:10.1186/ar2700
Published: 15 May 2009
Abstract (provisional)
Introduction
The major risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) is aging, but the mechanisms underlying this risk are only partly understood. Age-related accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can activate chondrocytes and induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In the present study, we examined the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on AGEs-modified-bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA) induced activation and production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and MMP-13 in human OA chondrocytes.
Methods
Human chondrocytes were derived from OA cartilage by enzymatic digestion and stimulated with in vitro generated AGE-BSA. Gene expression of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. TNF-alpha protein in culture medium was determined using cytokine-specific ELISA. Western immunoblotting was used to analyze the MMP-13 production in the culture medium, phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB p65 was determined using a highly sensitive and specific ELISA. IkappaB kinase (IKK) activity was determined using an in vitro kinase activity assay. MMP-13 activity in the culture medium was assayed by gelatin zymography.
Results
EGCG significantly decreased AGEs-stimulated gene expression and production of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 in human chondrocytes. The inhibitory effect of EGCG on the AGE-BSA induced expression of TNF-alpha and MMP-13 was mediated at least in part via suppression of p38-MAPK and JNK activation. In addition, EGCG inhibited the phosphorylating activity of IKKbeta kinase in an in vitro activity assay and also inhibited the AGE-BSA-induced activation and DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB by suppressing the degradation of its inhibitory protein IkappaBalpha in human chondrocytes in vitro.
Conclusions
These novel pharmacological actions of EGCG on AGE-BSA stimulated human OA chondrocytes provide new suggestion that EGCG or EGCG-derived compounds may inhibit cartilage degradation by suppressing AGEs-mediated activation and the catabolic response in human chondrocytes.
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF.
I found this funny, I hope you do to Charles, one of our Aussie high profile female nutritionists became a bit peeved at all of the people wanting magic bullets for obesity/weight loss last week and she said " If you want to lose weight just shut your gob and go for a walk"
Cheers
Yes weight loss is possible if you are well-determined.If you have the desire to look slim and wear those tight fitted clothes of yours then only you can lose weight.
Regular exercise,yoga,proper diet is surely going to help you out. You need to have patience as this is a slow procedure. but is surely going to effect you
I know almost everything there is to know about losing weight effectively. I love to give advice to people on how to lose weight. Am I in good shape? Hellz no! I am 50 lbs overweight and 21 years old in college. I know all this stuff about losing weight, yet I cannot apply to myself. Why am I not strong enough to do this? I can barely resist eating. I love food so much. Taco bell, pizza, quesadillas, hot pockets, cola, the list goes on. I am addicted to food, I eat when I'm not hungry because I crave the taste of it. I have asked for the strength to resist these temptations but to no avail. It seems hopeless that I will ever be average weight.
Hi 'dorrisaleesha'
Weight loss attempts can be discouraging at times, but you may find some hints within this forum and possibly in this article titled "10 Tips for Easy Weight Loss" from the healthcastle.com site: http://www.healthcastle.com/easy-weightloss.shtml
All the best, Tracey
Weight loss attempts can be discouraging at times, but you may find some hints within this forum and possibly in this article titled "10 Tips for Easy Weight Loss" from the healthcastle.com site: http://www.healthcastle.com/easy-weightloss.shtml
All the best, Tracey
Hi dorrisaleesha,
You can be proud of yourself kid, you are one of the most honest people that has ever visited this forum and such honesty should be rewarded.
Tracey, as always offers good sound advice and my comments are only in support of that advice. Find some exercise you enjoy either team or solo, and just attack it with the same honesty that you have exhibited here and before long you will find that exercise will help with your discipline problems. The exercise can be anything that burns calories.
Cheers and keep in touch
You can be proud of yourself kid, you are one of the most honest people that has ever visited this forum and such honesty should be rewarded.
Tracey, as always offers good sound advice and my comments are only in support of that advice. Find some exercise you enjoy either team or solo, and just attack it with the same honesty that you have exhibited here and before long you will find that exercise will help with your discipline problems. The exercise can be anything that burns calories.
Cheers and keep in touch
Hey Shelly
My name is Chrissy. I know of an absolute all natural weight loss pill that you will think is a miracle. i do. I been struggling with weight loss my whole life and tried everything. But recently I have finally found something that really does work. Its an all natural diet pill that you take 2 pills a day. You can eat whatever you want the more fatty the food the better. Friend Chicken, Chocolate Cake etc. You loose anywhere from 1.5-2.5 lbs a day. I have only been taking it for a month and I have already lost a little over 20 lbs. Go to the website: elusiveencountersllc.com and check it out. It really does work. Let me know if you have any questions regarding my experience with them.
Good Luck
Hi everyone, I have been really obsessed with my weight problem. I am a 33 year old female and have gained 90lbs which makes the count to 210. I recently took out some of my summer clothes and they don’t fit me anymore!!! This is a real tragedy for me. How can I not wear the ones I adore...moreover the new look is getting me mad (with the comments from my friends). I know quite a few ways to start losing weight…….but I don’t really feel that, with so many people failing using these methods that I will make it through. Does anyone know a proven way to reduce the weight?
Please help me…..this is killing me!!!
My name is Chrissy. I know of an absolute all natural weight loss pill that you will think is a miracle. i do. I been struggling with weight loss my whole life and tried everything. But recently I have finally found something that really does work. Its an all natural diet pill that you take 2 pills a day. You can eat whatever you want the more fatty the food the better. Friend Chicken, Chocolate Cake etc. You loose anywhere from 1.5-2.5 lbs a day. I have only been taking it for a month and I have already lost a little over 20 lbs. Go to the website: elusiveencountersllc.com and check it out. It really does work. Let me know if you have any questions regarding my experience with them.
Good Luck
QUOTE(Shelly @ May 23 2008, 02:22 AM)
Hi everyone, I have been really obsessed with my weight problem. I am a 33 year old female and have gained 90lbs which makes the count to 210. I recently took out some of my summer clothes and they don’t fit me anymore!!! This is a real tragedy for me. How can I not wear the ones I adore...moreover the new look is getting me mad (with the comments from my friends). I know quite a few ways to start losing weight…….but I don’t really feel that, with so many people failing using these methods that I will make it through. Does anyone know a proven way to reduce the weight?
Please help me…..this is killing me!!!
Hi chrissyac12, 
This would have to rate with the absolute worst pieces of advice I have seen on here, what do you think the final outcome will be for people that follow this advice and eat "whatever they like, the fattier the better", what do you think they are going risk dieing from, there are so many choices.
On your other post you said these pills were natural and not a drug, they came from Chinese Medicine, herbs are crude drugs and in this case, if you are telling the truth, this is a definite drug response, and you haven't a clue by what mechanism it achieves this result.
This is irresponsible advice and everyone should ignore it.
Cheers
This would have to rate with the absolute worst pieces of advice I have seen on here, what do you think the final outcome will be for people that follow this advice and eat "whatever they like, the fattier the better", what do you think they are going risk dieing from, there are so many choices.
On your other post you said these pills were natural and not a drug, they came from Chinese Medicine, herbs are crude drugs and in this case, if you are telling the truth, this is a definite drug response, and you haven't a clue by what mechanism it achieves this result.
This is irresponsible advice and everyone should ignore it.
Cheers
Hi there...Well I read your story and I can actually relate myself to it because even I was suffering obesity..but then I tried really harder...and now I am living my life very easily....
I started doing Yoga for ihr daily and the results were in my hand...I lost on around 15kilos...
I started doing Yoga for ihr daily and the results were in my hand...I lost on around 15kilos...
Hi annarose27,
That is a good effort to lose 15kg and keep it off, most people select some crazy diet, lose weight quickly and within 2 years they have put it back with a bit extra. The secret of course is not to be fooled by the weight loss industry, who are making a fortune out of gullible, fat, desperate people, who seem to buy their products,gym spiels or packaged courses forever without waking up to the fact that it is only the reduction in energy from the diet, to the level it should have always been, unless you are experiencing high cortisol levels from stress. ( see monkey experiment)
Cheers
That is a good effort to lose 15kg and keep it off, most people select some crazy diet, lose weight quickly and within 2 years they have put it back with a bit extra. The secret of course is not to be fooled by the weight loss industry, who are making a fortune out of gullible, fat, desperate people, who seem to buy their products,gym spiels or packaged courses forever without waking up to the fact that it is only the reduction in energy from the diet, to the level it should have always been, unless you are experiencing high cortisol levels from stress. ( see monkey experiment)
Cheers
Hi salman22,
I don't know whether you passed or failed mate, I can't find the comment.
Cheers
I don't know whether you passed or failed mate, I can't find the comment.
Cheers
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