Thursday December 28, 2000

The Zone Diet

From athletes to actresses to ordinary people, they're all getting in the zone! It's the diet that keeps celebs like Madonna and Charlie Sheen fit and trim! Charlie says, "It's difficult but the results are pretty quick and pretty steady."

Former M.I.T. researcher Dr. Barry Sears developed the Zone to help diabetics control their insulin and competitive athletes reach peak performance.

Olympic swimmers Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres both got in the Zone before the 2000 games. Jenny was able to work out harder and Dara put on 20 pounds of muscle in just one year. Dara says, "I was like 'all right I get to eat ice cream'."

Dr. Sears says the Zone balances the hormone insulin which regulates fat storage. He explains, "If you have high levels of insulin you will basically gain excess body fat and you will find it very difficult to lose."

And Angie Foster found losing is easy on the Zone. Angie says, "I am losing weight and I have a tremendous amount of energy."

Angie lost eight pounds in a month, she wants to lose 12 more and she's confident she'll stick to the zone plan. She says, "I'm never hungry, I'm always eating. Every couple of hours you're eating.

So how do you get in the Zone? Eat 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and 30 percent protein at every meal. And eat five or six meals a day! The carbohydrates should be vegetables not bread and pasta. The protein should be lean meat and fish. And the fat should be olive oil, nuts, or avocado.

Dr. Sears says, "Even though we moderate the amount of grains and starches, we don't forbid them completely."

So dig in and get in the Zone. Believers say you won't ever want to get out!