“Diet is not a dirty word. It comes form the Greek root meaning “way of life”. This is what the Zone Diet is. It’s a way of life to help control gene expression to give you the longer and better life we all aspire to.”
-Dr. Barry Sears, creator of the Zone Diet

If your plate of food doesn’t sound like the plate of food that Dr. Barry Sears describes in this video, you should definitely look into the Zone Diet! Unlike other nutritional plans, the Zone Diet doesn’t require you to starve yourself. In fact, many who start the diet think its too much food to eat. Imagine that for a “diet”!

“The Zone Diet is about balancing your hormones within a specific range to control hunger on fewer calories while still getting the proper nutrients your body needs for long-term health. The Zone Diet can best be described as a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, moderate fat diet that has approximately one gram of fat for every two grams of protein and three grams of carbohydrates (the Zone 1-2-3 Method™). These ratios represent the newest dietary recommendations from the Joslin Diabetes Research Center at Harvard Medical School for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.With the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats, you can control three major hormones generated by the diet – insulin, glucagon and eicosanoids.” (The Zone Diet Explained)

The Zone Basic Rules:
1. Eat a Zone meal or snack within one hour after waking.
2. Eat every 4 to 6 hours after a meal or 2 to 2½ hours after a snack, whether you are hungry or not.
3. Assess your hunger level and mental focus before every meal or snack. Lack of hunger and clarity of mind are signs you are staying in the Zone.
4. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
5. Start every meal or snack with low-fat protein. Next add low glycemic-load carbohydrates (i.e. vegetables and fruits) and good fats (i.e. olive oil). Remember, a typical serving of low-fat protein fits in your palm of your hand and is no thicker than your hand (about 3 ounces for most females and 4 ounces for most males) A typical snack contains 1 ounce of protein for both women and men. At first, a kitchen scale may be helpful for measuring. Don’t worry. You’ll be able to eyeball it in no time.
6. Supplement daily with a highly purified Omega-3 concentrate like OmegaRx® (or Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, I recommend the lemon flavored capsules, you can get them at the Vitamin Shoppe).
7. Don’t beat yourself up for straying here or there. Your next meal or snack can get you right back on track.

Today’s Workout:
“Too Much Easter Dinner”
3 rounds for time, of:
50 SDLHP (barbell-45/31#s)
21 Burpees
400 M Run