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Zone Living

Breaking down the latest research on Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition
Written By: Dr. Barry Sears, Ph. D | Creator of the Zone Diet

Written by Dave Schreck
on October 15, 2015

 

More than two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. If you're part of this statistic, Zone has a Top 6 list of tidbits of information you need to know.

 

Unfortunately, most of the information regarding reducing excess body fat from friends, relatives, weight-loss companies, magazines, nutritional experts, or the government is wrong, and for some it’s dead wrong. Perhaps this is why so many people are caught in a vicious cycle of weight loss and weight gain. Over the last two decades obesity in the United States has reached epidemic levels. More than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. If you know of someone who is part of this statistic, here’s the information they need to know.

 

1. Weight loss has little to do with willpower.
What you need is scientifically validated information, not willpower. If you change what you eat, you don’t have to be overly concerned with how much you eat. This is the consequence of being in the Zone where you control your blood sugars and insulin levels, not too high and not to low but in a therapeutic Zone. Consuming balanced Zone meals (lean protein, colorful, non-starchy vegetables, and a little monounsaturated fat) provides satiety (no hunger), mental focus and physical energy without obsessively counting calories or fat grams.

 

2. It’s hard to lose weight on a low-calorie diet.
Eating less and losing excess body fat doesn’t always work. Usually, low-calorie diets are protein deficient. Without adequate protein you’ll lose muscle mass and move out of the Zone where it’s impossible to access stored body fat for energy. Most people reduce calories by eating less protein and fat and consuming more carbohydrates. This stimulates the release of insulin, which takes you out of the Zone (remember the Zone means controlling insulin in a tight Zone), making it more difficult to access stored body fat for energy.

 

3. Dieting is not a long-term solution
The notion of being on a diet implies a short-term program, and once you reach your goal, you will return to your previous habits. In the long-term diets don’t work. What you need is a permanent program that is easy to follow for a lifetime. Following the general guidelines of the Zone (a small amount of lean protein and colorful non- starchy vegetables) is a dietary strategy you can follow for a lifetime.

 

4. Eating fat doesn’t make you fat.
Consuming too many carbohydrates makes you fat because they stimulate excess insulin production, which is a storage hormone. Monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, have little effect on insulin. The body has a limited capacity to store excess carbohydrates, but it can easily convert excess carbohydrates into body fat.

 

5. All calories are not the same.
However, most doctors and nutritionists still believe and promote that all calories are the same. Just burn more calories than you consume, and you’ll lose weight. If that were true, then most of us would be thin and healthy. You must consider the hormonal consequences of a calorie from carbohydrates vs. a calorie from fat vs. a calorie from protein. The difference is how they affect your blood sugars. Fats do not increase blood sugars; proteins only slightly. However, high-density carbs (bread, rice, pasta, cereal, corn, etc.,) rapidly stimulate blood sugars and insulin levels. Remember, elevated insulin is your worst hormonal nightmare, fueling cellular inflammation and increasing your risk for virtually all chronic diseases: Cancer, diabetes, arthritis, dementia (Alzheimer’s), heart disease and more!

 

6. Permanent fat loss is easier than you think.
The benefits derived from following Dr. Sears' Zone Diet occur within 7-14 days, if not sooner. Improved physical energy, mental focus and no hunger prove that making simple choices are worth the effort. Of course, changing your diet does require some degree of self-discipline; however, you won’t sacrifice taste and satisfaction in the process.

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