The Abs Diet Vs the Zone Diet for Men

It is has always been difficult for diets to target men. The word, diet, in itself has a very feminine appeal and spokespeople, such as Whoopi Goldberg and Kirstie Alley, don't help either. Yet, two diets have been created to specifically cater to men. The Abs Diet and the Zone Diet for Men were recently established to help the male gender watch what they eat.

The Abs Diet (http://www.absdiet.com/)

The Abs Diet was established by the editor of Men's Health magazine, David Zinczenko. Its theory revolves around a scientifically proven diet that aims to increase metabolism to burn fat and using specific foods and exercises to build muscle.

The core of the Abs Diet's food plan is an easy-to-remember acronym, ABS DIET POWER. These "power twelve" foods are almonds and other nuts, beans and pulses, spinach and other green vegetables, low-fat dairy products, instant hot oat cereal, eggs, turkey and other lean meats, peanut butter, olive oil, wholegrain breads and cereals, extra protein powder, and raspberries and other berries. By incorporating these foods into your daily diet, you are promised a six-pack in six weeks.

Although the "power twelve" foods look restrictive, the diet offers plenty of variety within each food. The foods in the ABS DIET POWER acronym are more or less worded to fit into a catchy phrase. Lean meats can be expanded into shellfish and Canadian bacon. Wholegrains can be incorporated with brown rice and popcorn. Apples, bananas, and melons are recommended, in addition to berries. With its options, the Abs Diet allows you to turn its food plan into something that fits your lifestyle. Oatmeal for breakfast one day and then eggs and turkey bacon the next. Fruit salad and a sandwich for lunch on Monday followed by vegetable stir-fry on Tuesday. The Abs Diet truly offers variety for every taste palate.

This diet gains several validity points as its foods conform very closely with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 27% of the recommended foods represent fats with only 7% coming from saturated fats. Carbohydrates are 49% of the diet plan with protein at 24%. There are 20 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories. The diet recommends seven daily servings of fruits and vegetables. It also recommends having 1890 calories everyday, which allows the food plan to promote itself as "man-size." With its six meals a day and wide range of options and recipes, the Abs diet is very easy for men to adhere to. One negative aspect, however, is the Abs Diet's emphasis on whey supplements. The macho-man staple is to be eaten every day mixed with milk.

While its power foods and daily exercise regime guarantee a six-pack in no time, the Abs Diet cannot focus on simply one area. It's impossible to lose far form one specific area of your body, like the stomach, so this diet should focus more on the entire body rather than the abs. This diet, however, has been scientifically proved to take off pounds and is easy to abide by.

The Zone Diet for Men (https://www.zonediet.com/)

The Zone Diet was originally popularized by its widespread celebrity use in the 1990's with Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore flocking to it. It's creator, Barry Sears, reconceived it to work better for men.

Rather than focusing on specific foods like the Abs Diet, the crux of the Zone is to find an ideal balance of foods to keep your blood sugar and hormones ready to fight obesity and disease. To stay in the "zone," every meal must consist of 30% fat calories, 30% protein, and 40% carbohydrates. Allow me to simplify this for you. Basically, the diet wants to cut out most carbohydrates, like breads, sugar, and pasta. Only fruits and vegetables are allowed. Because whole grains are restricted, its food plan is less versatile than the Abs Diet and can make it harder to follow for those used to their daily rolls. Like the Abs Diet, however, it puts emphasis on law-fat protein foods, like turkey, chicken, and fish.

Because the Zone Diet does not have a specific meal plan, like the twelve "power foods," it is difficult to follow and has a higher dropout rate than the Abs Diet. While the creator tries to make it easier by suggesting to divide your plate into three equal sized sections for protein, vegetables and fruit, it is still a much more difficult diet to follow. And for those that have tried diets, ease of use is one of the most important factors.

One advantage of the Zone over the Abs Diet is for its noted ability to keep the weight off. With this said, the weight loss for users of the Zone is far less dramatic than that of the Abs Diet. In the first two weeks, its users have reported loss of 12 pounds for the Abs Diet, while the Zone participants lost only five.

All in all, the Abs Diet was the best out of either diet for men. First, it is the most catered to men with its manly-sounding acronym, ABS DIET POWER. It is easy to follow with its wide range of foods allowed. Portions are never sacrificed with 1,890 calories for six meals a day. Don't forget that dieting alone isn't the key to losing weight. Both the Abs Diet and the Zone Diet recommend exercising daily! Good luck and I wish you happy weight loss!