{Giveaway} The ZoneFast Weight Loss Program - Retail $179

Well, folks - the post you've all been waiting for is finally here!

After 2 weeks on The Zone Diet I have lost a total of 8 (yes, I said EIGHT) pounds! The food tastes awesome and having it already portioned made life so much easier. Between chasing children up the stairs, off the couch and down the hall I could pluck something from the fridge and my meal was almost done. The only things that took a little longer to prepare were the pizzas and the pastas. Everything else - the breads, sandwiches, granola for breakfast and snacks - were really just grab and go pretty much.

Lunch is no problem with a bowl of veggie soup and croutons:

Dinner one night consisted of browned tilapia, snow peas and a plain bagel as my roll (I only ate a small bit of the fish - as allowed by the diet - and my kids ate the rest):

Some days I moved my meals up a few hours and ate my snack as dessert (seriously, I wish I could have like 5 of these a day...they are so good):

So now, the giveaway you've all been waiting for!! Three - yes, THREE - lucky winners will get the same 2-week plan that I reviewed (here and here) to try for themselves. While not required, I would LOVE to hear how things go for those who get the plan...so I will be featuring each one - if they agree - in a blog post to hear their opinions about the food and anything else they'd like to share. I can't wait to see who wins!

{Wordless Wednesday - Diet Food}

I bet YOUR diet food (if you are on a diet, that is) doesn't look this good!!

Pizza from dinner one night:

Yummy Caesar salad with croutons at lunch:

Plain bagel chips with hummus for a snack:

Lesson #134 - Diet Food Doesn't HAVE To Taste Bad

Whoever says diet food tastes horrible - hasn't tried the Zone Diet!

The day before I began this not-diet diet, I weighed 146 pounds (you're just going to have to take my word...because I forgot to get a picture)...and now, a week later, I have already lost 5 pounds (yes, folks...down to 141 after 1 week):


Having options like this awesome parfait with strawberries, plain yogurt mixed with raspberry Agave syrup and Zone Granola for breakfast

One day I had a sandwich with hummus (used as a spread - in place of mayo), avocado, tomato and cucumbers for lunch

Maybe on another day I'd have a Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, shredded parm, lite dressing and a Zone flatbread

Dinner options include this great Zone fusilli pasta that I paired with yellow peppers, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and a lite Italian dressing 

After the first week, I am definitely looking forward to the next - and wish it didn't go by so fast! So far, these are my thoughts:

PROS
- The bread and pasta taste no different than the ones I ate before being on the diet
- The granola is actually BETTER than others I have had in the past
- I never felt hungry, even after chasing around 2 children all day
- I definitely feel like I have more energy after only 7 days of the program

CONS
- The week 1 box contains a lot of the same things; for example: 2 plain bagel chips, 2 white flatbreads, and 2 white bagels...though, I am thrilled that I got 2 granola packets - they were so yummy
- I don't like sesame seeds, but the week 1 box has a sesame pretzel (snack) and a sesame bagel (breakfast)...I ended up pulling the seeds off, but I would have liked a pick-your-own box option
- The bagels are a little heavy...I usually can only finish 1 half at a time because I get tired of chewing

Lesson #126 - Fat Is Not So Fabulous

The Man decided a few months back that he would be going on a new diet. His plans of following the "Primal Blueprint" were harder than I expected. After having 2 chitlins, though, I was desperate to find something that would work for me in terms of losing the weight.

I don't know if you've ever heard of this "Primal Blueprint" but it is actually quite the interesting diet plan. I apologize, it is less of a diet and more of a lifestyle. There are books on the topic, blogs, articles and a host of other information dedicated to the topic.

Now, I haven't read much about it - yet...but my basic understanding is that you eat as much as you want in terms of fat and calories. The big no-no here are carbs...so we have thrown out all breads, pasta and most of the sugar (I mean, I don't want the kiddos to have to suffer...not being bribed or anything).

So far, so good I suppose. The Man has lost almost 10 lbs and I am down about 5 lbs (it has only been about a month for me so far...and I cheat sometimes). We will see how this whole lifestyle goes, but if it can help me take another 30 lbs off - then I'll owe it my 3rd born (I'm kinda attached to my first 2)!

How about you out there in bloggy-land?! Any diets work/not work for you?? Did you pair it with exercise or was a meal modification good enough for your weight loss??