The
Zone diet is a weight loss program that pays close attention to calorie intake
and physical exercise to deliver results. It is a lifestyle-changing program to
help people lose weight and get in better shape. The key aspect of this diet
plan is the set of eating guidelines developed by the biochemist, Dr. Barry
Sears.
The
theory behind the diet focuses on the effect of carbohydrates on the body's
insulin levels. Consuming too many carbohydrates causes the body's blood sugar
levels to spike, which prompts the body to release insulin, a hormone that
lowers blood sugar levels by storing the sugar as fat. It is believed that by
eating the right foods, blood sugar levels can be controlled to keep insulin
levels in "the zone," a range where the body is supposed to burn fat
more efficiently and stop storing excessive fat.
The
diet balances protein and carbohydrate consumption in a 3:4 ratio, meaning 30%
of your calories will come from protein and 40% from carbohydrates (another 30%
typically comes from fat). It is important to monitor calories on the Zone diet,
with most meals being no more than five hundred calories each and snacks being
no more than one hundred calories each.
Under
the plan, you eat five times a day (three meals and two snacks), never going
more than five hours without eating. If you get eight hours of sleep per
night,
this means having breakfast within one hour of waking, lunch within five hours
of breakfast, a snack within five hours of lunch, dinner within two to three
hours of snack, and a late night snack right before bed.
Most
of the foods consumed on the Zone diet include lean cuts of meat, such as
chicken or fish and other sources of protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, and
a limited amount of carbohydrates. Sugar, breads, rice, cereals, and potatoes
are the types of carbohydrate rich foods that dieters are to avoid eating, but
can eat once in awhile. Dieters must also avoid processed foods and high sodium
foods.
Exercise
is another important component of the Zone diet. The diet recommends moderate intensity exercise for thirty
minutes per day, six days a week. Physical activity is supposed to increase the
effectiveness of the Zone diet. Other enhancements to the diet include taking
vitamins and nutritional supplements.
The
Zone diet works well for many dieters, but it takes a lot of dedication.
Unfortunately the
Zone diet as well as most other diets generally fail because a diet is worthless
if you can't stick to it. Many must fight to keep to any type of
diet because of food cravings, out-of-control appetites or eating habits, or a
simple lack of motivation. Hypnosis is perfect for
overcoming these issues and providing the motivation to stay committed to a diet
program like the Zone diet.
Hypnosis
is routinely used in combination with dieting because it does many things to
increase the effectiveness and success rate of weight loss programs. One thing
that hypnosis programs do is help promote positive thinking, especially to
counter negative thoughts. Hypnosis is terrific for relieving stress,
because it help us deal with our emotions.
Weight
loss hypnosis is used to directly treat the mental obstacles that keep
people from losing weight. Take for example people who cannot control their
cravings and appetite because they struggle with "emotional
eating."
People who are emotional eaters compulsively eat in response to their feelings,
such as when they are feeling sad or depressed. Hypnosis can be used to break
the associations in our unconscious minds between eating and our feelings. This
way, people are freed of their compulsive eating habits and able to stay
committed to complex diets such as the Zone diet.
Motivational
hypnosis has become an extremely popular and effective technique to use with
weight loss programs because motivation is the key to success for most dieters.
Hypnosis treatment programs tap into the power of the unconscious mind to naturally
focus our thoughts on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These programs help
dieters explore their reasons for wanting to lose weight and exercise so dieters
automatically feel motivated to stay with their weight loss plan.
Hypnosis
is a powerful motivational tool that will help you "stay in the zone,"
exercise, and experience natural weight loss.
A
list of the common uses of hypnosis.
� 2008 By Alan B. Densky, CH. This
document may NOT be re-printed. All Rights Reserved.
Alan B. Densky, CH is an NGH Certified consulting hypnotist. Visit the
hypnotherapy website for Free hypnosis videos, newsletters, and downloads. He offers several ways to lose weight, including NLP for weight loss DVDs and weight loss hypnosis CDs.
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