Zone: The Good, the Bad, and the "Really?"

I’ve been Zoning for a while and have a few things to say!  There is much good, much bad, and a few surprises.

Good:

-          The Zone works.  While it is true that it is a caloric restrictive diet, most people have more food than they can eat.  My muscle strength has gained while fat has melted off.  My results in the gym have convinced me beyond a doubt.  What started as an experiment has become a full blown lifestyle.

-          Salsa (carb block) and guacamole (fat block) makes SO many things taste great.  I hate green beans, but 'salsa green beans' ROCK.

-          The best “unfavorable carb” is a corn tortilla.  Fish tacos, chicken tacos, black bean tacos….yummy.

-          Most “ethnic” cuisine is healthy until you “Americanize” it.  Greek salad are very balanced if you add chicken or fish.

-           Natural peanut butter (fat block) on a ½ oz of very dark chocolate (carb block) is about the best damn thing ever.

Bad:

-          I get really hungry between breakfast and lunch but can barely eat all my food for lunch/ snack/ dinner/ snack.

-          Reheated tilapia is the nasty thing on earth.

-          Cooking broccoli STINKS.   I feel bad for the people near the kitchen where I work.  It must suck to be toiling away only to have me bring a steaming, stinking pile of broccoli by their desk.

-          Black beans smell GREAT cooking, but make interesting smells later.  Make sure you have them in the evening or on weekends.  NEVER EAT THEM IN THE MORNING (especially if you work in an office environment) :D

-          No matter how hard you try, how much you season it, chicken tastes like chicken.  It never tastes like steak or hamburger.

"Really...":

-          One bodily function is really reduced (#2) while another dramatically increases (#1).  I guess it proves veggies and fruits are mostly water.

-          I don’t like “cheat meals” as much as I thought I would.  I like “little cheats” during a good meal versus the whole meal.  I feel like crap after a “bad” meal and it’s not worth it.  But adding a piece of cheese bread or goldfish crackers to an otherwise healthy meal is AWESOME.

-          Weighing yourself is an even WORSE measurement for “zoners”.  After tracking my weight every day for almost 8 months, I am considering not weighing myself anymore, it pisses me off too much.

-          Zoners are like Stoners but healthier.  We are obsessed with our habit, taking “hits” 5 times a day at prescribed times, in prescribed amounts in order to get the “next high”.