Elle Diet Guide | ELLEuk.com

›Diet Guide

›Celebrity Diets

›Diet Features

› SPA GUIDES

› BEAUTY FORUMS

Celeb Watch: Red Lips...

Red lips and black liner have been the classic pa...

Slicked Hair

Shine was the word of the season when it came to...

ELLE’s pick: Best Onli...

Christmas is fast approaching and while shopping...

Celeb Watch...Buns

If you haven’t worn your hair in a bun since da...

Rihanna’s new hair...

Previous Poll

Do you use eye creams?

You said:

49% YES
51% NO

Click here to get tips on all of the hair and make-up looks you want this season

Your must-read guide tothe best UK spa's. Read ELLE's reviews now

Elite & Rimmel @ T4 stars of 2009

[casio1988 19/11/09]

elle december issue

[lopkiphip 18/11/09]

25% Off Voucher

[mandyj 12/11/09]

Nail varnish

[MariaC 08/11/09]

diet

guide

Whether you're looking to shift a few pounds in a week, drop a dress size for a big event or want to change your eating habits forever, find the best diet to suit you in our guides below...

diets

The Zone Diet

This Zone diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.

Rules

The aim of ‘The Zone’ is to moderate portion and meal sizes. Every meal should be composed of:

30 per cent lean proteins,
30 per cent fats
40 per cent carbohydrates

The idea is that if every meal contains this ratio of food group, then your body will work at it's peak performance and be in 'The Zone'. Foods are referred to as ‘blocks’, roughly the size of a fist and you must eat at regular intervals – at least every five hours - enjoying. three meals and two snacks a day. The Zone diet controls the release of insulin at a steady, slow level that enables weight loss and stops sugar spikes and therefore hunger pangs.

Barry Spears, who devised the diet, claims extreme, crash diets don’t work: they just cause frustration and deprivation, followed by binging. This can lead to a yo-yo effect that is dangerous for the body. Instead, he advises you try rethinking the way you eat; rediscovering flavours and pleasure in eating as well as recognizing when to stop and when you’re no longer hungry. He also says it’s essential to exercise two to three times a week to maintain a healthy weight.

Pros

With this diet you get to eat a little of everything so this is a good all-rounder diet and should appeal to those who have failed on more restrictive diets.

Weight loss will be steady rather than drastic and easier to maintain.

Cons

This diet is hard to follow on a day-to-day basis, especially when eating out (unless you're in L.A. where you can have prepackaged Zone Diet meals sent to you daily).

It's low calorie too (1,000 to 1,500 kcal/day) so you might get hungry.

Celeb Fans

Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Aniston Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Madonna