The backbone of the diet is the control of insulin in the body, keeping those levels at a consistent state through very strict control of carbohydrate intake, and a precise mix of carbs and proteins.  They tell you the exact percentage of carbs and proteins and fats that you should eat every day, and even every meal.

The Zone is, in essence, an extremely low carb diet.  What carbs you do eat are in the form of vegetables, with some whole grains and fruit.  Baked goods, brown rice, pasta, bananas and other overly sweet fruits are to be minimized, or optimally, eliminated altogether.

There are a couple of ways they would like you to achieve this balance.  You can sign up for Zone Diet delivery service, which brings you perfectly designed Zone meals delivered to your door.  The problem there is cost.  Or you can purchase one or more of the Zone cookbooks, and learn their complex system for precisely balancing food components. And then do it.  Every day.  Forever.

Pros: The Zone Diet gets many things right, like the fact that high-density carbs are to be avoided, and that carb-protein is important. But….

Cons: We find their insistence on a precise balance of carbs to proteins more than a little silly. First of all, how do they know what that precise balance is?  There’s no evidence, just talk and a lot of hand waving.  All that restrictiveness is for nothing.  Second, it is ridiculous to expect normal people to go around calculating carb and protein grams and doing higher math every day… no, at every meal… just to achieve what they claim is a perfect “zone”.  Puhlease.

Bottom line: You can lose weight on this diet.  But you will not be able to maintain it.  The Zone Diet is: (a) very difficult, (b) needlessly complicated, (c) really expensive if you choose to buy their foods too, (d) scientifically suspect, and (e) virtually impossible to maintain, making it just another short-term diet. 

Forget it.