Look like Jennifer Aniston: Shape Up with the Zone Diet

You can't say that the Zone Diet has done Jennifer Aniston wrong yet! Madonna, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Rene Zellwegger, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stiller, Bill Cosby, and Cindy Crawford have all been in the Zone. If you ask me, I can think of worse women to look like than Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Sarah Jessica Parker! I hate the word "diet" but the Zone really is a balanced eating plan that shows us how to live without simple sugars while eating the right carbohydrates so that our bodies don't bloat up like balloons. Here is a brief overview of the Zone:

1. Combine the right foods: When you're in the Zone, your biggest job is making sure that every meal and snack is Zone-friendly. Being in the Zone means you are eating the right combination of low-fat protein, high-fiber/low-starch carbohydrates (like fruits and vegetables), and good fats (like those found in nuts and olives).
2. You always start the day with breakfast! If you skip breakfast, your metabolism will slow and you'll be fighting your own body to lose any weight. To keep your metabolism going at a healthy rate, you'll always have a Zone meal within one hour of waking every morning.
3. You'll eat regularly. To stay in the Zone, you must eat at least five times every day. (I'm not talking about five servings of meat and potatoes though!) You'll have three meals and two snacks.
4. You'll never get hungry! On the Zone Diet, you never let more than five hours go by without a Zone meal or snack. But what if you aren't hungry? Have a snack anyway! According to the Zone, the best time to eat is when you aren't hungry because that's when your blood sugar levels are stable. The key to weight loss is keeping your blood sugar levels stable. The Zone Diet helps you to do that. If you blood sugar is low, you'll feel slow and lazy but if it is too high, you'll feel like you're wound a little too tight. Keeping your blood sugar in the Zone keeps you running at optimal performance levels.
5. Starch is Not a Staple: The Zone Diet focuses on fibrous fruits and vegetables as the primary carbohydrates. Breads, pastas, grains, and other starches that can be converted to instant sugars by your body are looked at as condiments. If you are a carbohydrate addict, the Zone Diet just may be the perfect eating program for you.
6. Water. Most of us underestimate the power of water in weight loss. Did you know that thirst is most often mistaken as hunger and is a huge reason for many Americans' overeating? We've all heard the rule: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day". That is ess than two liters. The beauty of water is that the more you drink, the less of it you will retain. To stop retaining water, you need to drink more of it!
7. Forgiveness is a key factor in the Zone Diet. If you fall off the Zone wagon, just get over it and make sure your next meal is a Zone compliant meal. So many of us are used to those diets that are totally blown by one meal but the Zone is not that kind of diet. The Zone is forgiving and allows you to forgive yourself and move on with your weight loss efforts.

So, are you ready to look like Jennifer Aniston or Demi Moore? Get in the Zone!