Zone Diet Athletic Performance

High intesity workouts

mike — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:10:30 GMT

I participate in long runs up to 13 miles including the Spartan beast and tough mudder competitions. I have not done a long run event since very recently adopting the zone diet. My normal routine was to carb load in the days leading up to the race and several hours before. Then during the race consume GU gels for added nutrients during the race. I am curious what I should do differently now that I am on the zone diet. Should I eat my blocks as I typically would and then use the GU to replenish during the race? My main concern is replacing electrolytes to prevent muscle cramping towards the end of the race. I plan to use GU brew and GU gel at the next race to replenish these lost stores of electrolytes durring the race and stop the carb loading. Any thoughts on this?

Ankle strained

Luka Ivan — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:05:22 GMT

Dear forum,

yesterday evening I had to go to the ER because of the strained ankle. During a jump I landed on the outside of the foot and it strained. It is still swelled and hurts.Never happened before, but because I was wearing running shoes not basketball shoes while playing, was having a core training before and had an unplanned basketball practice after. I've discovered that 72 h after the injury should walk normally again and must start rehab exercises for ligaments. What else can I do to strengthen the ligaments and ankle related muscles and how much of it? Anyone experienced similar injury? Can I come back from the injury stronger than ever or is it mostly a long term injury that reduces some ligament movement?
Extra dosage of fish oil I guess will also be necessarily. Any advice would be great, I'm still in shock a bit.

Thank you,
Luka

New to Zone from Paleo

Brian — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:12:23 GMT

Hey guys, I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. I also want to put out a disclaimer that I've been browsing the forums for a few days now and I still have a bunch of questions!

I'm a 21 year old 5'11" Male, 164 lbs, 14-15% bodyfat

I go to crossfit 5 times a week and I've been eating Paleo for about a month and a half with some re-introduction of dairy/cheese.

It's important to note that I didn't lose a massive amount of weight on paleo, I've always been around 160-165.

On Paleo I felt great and the gains/improvements I saw were amazing. My WODs got faster and my lifts got bigger. However, my bodyfat has stayed pretty much the same and I want it to go. My abs are visible, but I have the "flat tire" around the bottom of the waste and it would be nice to "look how you feel," for lack of a better .

I've been eating Zone for three days now and according to both CF21 and Dr. Sears I should be consuming 16 blocks. I would just like to know where I actually SHOULD be eating, because I've consumed 18 blocks the past two days and been hungry. The next day I thought I would do that actual 16 and I was starving!!!!! The only thing I could think about was food and researching on forums/blogs/etc. I also haven't been sleeping well at all. I've also found that when I'm at crossfit my mind's on food and I've been a lot sorer than I was on paleo. I also took a test yesterday and I couldn't focus at all. My mind was on food still. Also, my weight went from 165 to 162 in two days.

I would love to get down to 8-9% bodyfat, but I'm not starving myself to do it. I've really tried to eat a lot of vegetables and moderate my fruit intake so far. I've been using beans as a source of carbs as well (i missed them on paleo). Should I up my block intake to 20? Should I be eating 3x more fat so that I'm a lot less hungry?! I went from 50-60% fat from paleo to 30% and about 2800 calories a day to about 2000. This just doesn't make sense to me! I really appreciate the help!

National Bike Challenge

cranberrycat — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:53:54 GMT

Anyone here who is interested, there is a National Bike Challenge that has started up today. It runs through September 30. I don't know if it is proper to post a link or not, but if you are interested, just google "National Bike Challenge" or find it on Endomondo (an app that tracks running, biking, or other workouts).

I am participating. I did it last year, and I was just shy of 1000 miles over the 4 month challenge. This year, there is an extra month and so I should easily bypass that mark (my goal is 1500 miles, so will see...).

Zone

Maurice — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:27:26 GMT

I'm 40 years old 5'11 215 Crossfit 5 days a week . I have been as low as 200lbs but I didn't feel good there always tired. Now am trying to get lose 10 but stay strong I have tried 20 blocks but feels like to much food any suggestions thanks?

Performance Issues on Zone

Jessica — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:17:52 GMT

Hello!

I'm new to zone and looking for some help/advice.

I am a 24 yr. female, 5'8", 133lbs, 20% body fat. I am currently on my third week and not feeling my best... or even close. I have been following the Crossfit Endurace program for the last few months. I am doing single sport, 6 days a week. (This means every Sun, Tues, Thurs are long/short/time trial interval endurance days (I row) with Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri being strength and conditioning WODs) I'm generally unable to perform the perscribed weights during WODs (so I havent considered myself Very Active-"Heavy Daily Weights").

I have been eating Paleo for almost 2 years now, and have been eating even more restricted according to a low Fructose diet (I cant digest high levels of it). I genearlly eat constatly throughout the day, but all in small amounts.

When I did my origional calculations as "Active" I was told to consume 12 blocks/day. My first week, I tried this and found that I was painfully gorging myself trying to meet the 3 block requirement per meal. I scaled back to only eat 2 blocks/per meal with a 2 block snack before dinner, a 1 block snack in the morning before I work out and a 1 block snack before bed (10 total blocks). I am now starting to get hungrier during the day (4 hours after I each breakfast, I'm STARVING; 2.5 hours after lunch I'm hungry again-I hold off snack until about 4 hours after lunch; then by dinner- about 2 hours later, I'm READY TO EAT).

I have also felt during my workouts that I just feel WEAK. I can't push myself as hard as I normally do, and I reach exhaustion so much more quickly.

I'm not sure what exactly I should fix. I dont feel right eating bigger meals when I physically cant put more food in my body. Should I up my blocks to reach that 12 block a day, but in more snacks throughout the day? Or should I up my fat? and, at what point should I start upping my fat blocks? I know some people will double, even tripple them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I want to feel awesome and dominate again!

~Jessica

Crossfitter + New to Zone

JV — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:51:32 GMT

Hi!
Today starts day one of the Zone diet for me. However, I really want to make sure that the amount of blocks I am suppose to take in is correct.
I calculated my protein, carbs and fat intake based on what a crossfitter should eat as opposed to the baseline zone diet. I am not sure if what I got out of it is too little or too much. I am a little shocked as to much fat i am suppose to eat based off my calculations. Any ones help and clarification would be appreciated!

I am 5'2, 125lbs, 15% body fat (based off the bodyfat calculator), and 106 LBM. (I am a pretty petite female)
I crossfit at least 4-5 times a week. I am always doing some sort of strength portion and an endurance workout. My level of activity is pretty active.

I have calculated that I should be eating 15 blocks a day. If I want to maintain weight and still have good performance I should be eating 2114 calories a day. Based off the general zone calculator I should be eating 1365. From what I read, 2114-1365=749 calories, therefore I should be eating 85g of extra fat, which means 27 extra blocks! So in total, i should be eating 42 blocks of fat a day! (again this is what i calculated for a crossfit athlete).

What I am trying to understand is that, does this sound right? Or is it too much? Also, if I want to gain weight, my calculations came to 35 extra fat blocks, which means 50 blocks of fat a day!

Its my first time doing zone, so i feel like those numbers especially for my fat percentage seems extremely high and want to know if this is right.

My goal is to gain strength and have great performance in my training days in Crossfit (lifting and wods), but also not increase in bodyfat.

Thanks and I hope this makes sense!

Professional Volleyball Player

Philipp — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:52:03 GMT

hey guys,

just started with the zone diet. i find it interesting and hope it will help increasing my performance.

i am 25 years old and 183 centimetres tall. weight 81,4 kilograms with 13,2% body fat.
i am a professional volleyball player from austria. we practice each day in the evening, 3-4 times a week also in the morning.
i chose the number 2 as "activity factor", since volleyball isn't real intense practice, in my opinion.

well i found out that i gonna need 21 blocks a day like that.
i started eating like that, but it seems to me as if i would be eating way too much. it's not that i couldn't eat that amount of food, but it seems to me as it would be a little but too much....

could you help me?
what are your experiences?
what do you think would be the perfect amount of blocks for me??

another question:
isn't it a problem to count the carbos just as carbos, the proteins just as proteins and the fat just as fat when preparing a meal?
i mean no food is JUST carbos, JUST proteins or JUST fat...
so it could happen that i take 4 blocks of carbos, but that these 4 blocks are also already 1 or 2 blocks of proteins!? so if i add 4 blocks of proteins then, like it is said, i would be on 5-6 blocks of proteins already... and not in the zone anymore!!
do i have to care about that?

Getting started and calculating blocks

James — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:35:50 GMT

Hi there,

I was hoping someone would be able to give me some advice. I have only recently discovered the Zone and absolutely love the concept, the simplicity and the science behind it. I like to have the structure and a simple-to-follow system for healthy eating and Paleo Zone fits in with that quite nicely.

I just had a few questions about blocks and distributing them over the day.

Firstly, my stats are 56kgs, very active and around 8-9% body fat. How do I calculate the number of required blocks per day based on this information?

Secondly, I usually wake about 5am and go to bed about 10-11pm. At the moment I tend to eat every 2-3 hours which comes to about 7 times a day. If, for example, my stats return 20 blocks per day, what would be the recommended amount of blocks per meal?

Also, as I mentioned above I eat alot at the moment, and I am always hungry still. I have read that following the zone helps to reduce this hunger feeling so although I will be technically eating less food, I won't be as hungry because the insulin and glucogon balance each other out, and I won't be having all the bread, pasta and rice that blocks the lectin. I was just wondering if other Zoners have experienced this paradox and how it has turned out for them.

Thanks,

James

energy level

Marie — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:43:24 GMT

I am training for a half marathon that is two months away and would like to run a full marathon six months after that. I have been running since the fourth grade so this is not new to my body, however, I am recently experiencing a loss of energy and feeling hungry.
A few statistics: I am 44 yrs old, height 5' 3" , weight 135lbs, waist 27", hips 37". I run 3x wk (18-22mi total) and weight train 2x-3x wk at moderate intensity.
If I calculate an active person, I can have 12 blocks a day. At very active it is 13 blocks and at elite athlete it is 15. (Which I don't think I qualify for). The difference between being active and very active is only 1 block. Since increasing the miles I run, I am now experiencing hunger, fatigue and brain fog. I am tired at the end of the day, feel cranky and have cravings for carbohydrates. This will linger for days following a long run, I don't think I am recovering sufficiently. Three days after a long run I should be able to run half the distance again but I poop out. On average, I will burn 100 calories per miles, so a long run of 11 miles is 1100 calories burned that day. How can one extra block be sufficient? Is it possible that training for a marathon would put me into the "elite" category and 15 blocks a day? It would sure be nice to eat that much!
Advice?

Is Soya bad afterall?

Jade — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:01:41 GMT

Hello Everyone,

Over here in Britain an article is featuring in one of our newspapers today saying soya protein should be avoided as it has a number of health issues related to it. I am pretty skeptical, as I think this could just be a ploy to claw back some ground following the recent horse-meat scandal from ready meals made in France. Anyway, I was wondering if any of you can offer your educated opinions, because according to Dr Barry Sears, The Soy Zone is his healthiest diet yet, and he champions soya products throughout the book.

Here is the link...let me know if you have trouble reading it:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2284435/Horsemeat-scandal-Think-soyas-safer-choice-meat-Think-again.html

weight loss

DAVE — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:40:56 GMT

good day folks!!
i hava odd question
i have weighed the same for 2 months.....220!!!!
i shood be 175!!!!!!!!
im doing half of the required zone blocks, because i just cant eat that much food at one sitting!!
i go to the gym @4am, and burn 450 calories (according to the eliptical)
then a series of weight lifting (machines) in super sets, with zero rest in between sets
i watch my heart rate for trainning, which rolls in between 125-130bpm for the 1/2 hour on eliptical
im 60 years old and believe i shood be loosing weight like no bodys bizzness
ANYONE ???????????????
being im 45lbs over weight, youd think I'd be loosing weight even if i wasnt working out

Muscle Building?

Jade — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:31:31 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'm from London and have been into the Zone diet for about ten years (I'm 31). However, I have been quite casual with my measuring, always using the eye ball method, and keeping those undesirable carbs to a minimum. It's worked great and I've never been overweight. But just recently, (last 8 months) I have changed my gym routine to incorporate a lot more weight lifting and am trying to build a fair bit of muscle tone. I'm not body-building, but I am striving for some decent tones. I am wondering if I am eating enough protein and was hoping some of you could help me figure it out?

I don't eat meat, only fish. I therefore mainly follow the Soy Zone plan. I'm 5'2" and weigh 121lbs. I drink between 2-3 litres of water a day.

I currently aim to eat around 21 grams of protein at each meal, and 7 grams in each snack.

Typical breakfast (one of the following):

1) Soya Yogurt (200 grams = 8 grams protein), with a handful of Soya Nuts, Soya Isolate Protein Powder equaling about 10 grams protein, a handful of blueberries, couple of dried apricots, and about four almonds.

2) Oatmeal (containing 6 grams protein, 30 grams Carbs) 200ml Soya Milk (2 grams protein) and fortified with Soya Isolate Protein Powder equally about 12 grams protein. Four almonds, few soya nuts, and a few blueberries.

3) Two Soy Sausages (15.6 grams protein), two poached eggs, around five cherry tomatoes and four mushrooms, all fried in a little olive oil.

Typical lunch:

1) Some lettuce leaves, about four inches of a cucumber, four cherry tomatoes, quarter of a red bell pepper, handful of grapes, and then enough of the following to make up around 21 grams of protein: Soya meat replacement product, low fat cheese, hard boiled eggs, or tuna fish.

Mid-afternoon Snack:

This is post work-out. I have a Soya Isolate Protein Powder shake made with water and a splash of milk. Three almonds. A small satsuma. I mix the shake to equal around 12 grams of protein instead of 7 grams because I have just weight trained.

Typical dinner:

Soya meat replacement product (equaling about 21 grams protein, low carb), OR oily fish of some kind, Salmon etc, I usually go for a piece about the size and thickness of my hand. The rest of plate is piled with steamed veg (usually broccoli, soya beans, garden peas) or salad and drizzled with olive oil and a tiny bit of grated cheese.

Late evening snack:
Glass of semi-skimmed milk with three almonds or a macadamia nut. If using Soya milk I add a couple of dried apricots because Soya milk is so low in carbs.

How do you people think this measures up? Am I calculating things well enough or have I made some fundamental errors that are pushing me out of the Zone? Do I need to add more protein in order to gain some extra muscle mass or will this eating plan suffice?

I appreciate it's a long post, so a big thank-you to anyone who can be bothered to reply!

Kobe Bryant LA Lakers

John — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 07:13:48 GMT

Kobe Bryant esp. and the LA Lakers eat a Zone like diet!
Article I came across:
.
After most games, Kobe Bryant sits in front of his locker, burying his feet in a bucket of ice, while conducting post-game interviews.

Even after the media has dispersed throughout the Lakers locker room toward other players, Bryant will sometimes continue to sit at his locker, still icing those feet and those limbs that have allowed his body to play more than 52,500 combined regular-season and playoff minutes, and more than 1,400 games.

Kobe Bryant ices down his ankles.
Such is the typical post-game routine for the 16-year veteran when it comes to taking care of his body.

"Kobe is probably the most diligent athlete I've ever been around in terms of preparation," Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said. "He really takes his body and his preparation very seriously, both before activity and after activity."

Full-body ice baths to Bryant have become a normal habit for him as well, a part of his everyday lifestyle. He even goes so far to call it "The Tub of Youth."

The benefit of icing can reduce pain, muscle spasm in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other tissues in the body, which is effective for reducing inflammation. Minimizing the inflammatory response is a key component to avoiding injuries, reducing muscle soreness and speeding up recovery.

"It's tough, but it's something you have to do," Bryant said. "When you're playing in the league for so long, you have to find ways to recover, you have to find ways to be committed to that and do that on a consistent basis."

Yet even in his 17th season, the Philly native acknowledges he is feeling healthier.

During the month of December, the Lakers shooting guard recorded at least 30 points in 12 of 14 games, including a stretch of 10 straight. He also became the first player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in six consecutive contests after turning 34 years of age.

"The guy is beating Father Time," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin stated before the Lakers hosted the Jazz in early December. "It seems like, if it's possible, he's continuing to get better."

Bryant finished the final month of the 2012 calendar year with averages of 33.79 points, 5.57 rebounds and 4.64 assists, all-time highs in each category for any month during his entire career. That streak also coincided with 10 straight games of 40-plus minutes.

"My wind feels even better," he said postgame after the Lakers 111-98 victory over the 76ers. "I feel like I can run all day long. A lot of that has to do with diet and being committed to it, and watching what I eat."

The advancements in sports science and medicine, particularly understanding the nature of eating and avoiding certain foods, have aided Bryant in changing his diet. Whereas some athletes might go through their usual offseason routine even as they age, Vitti said the 16-year veteran changed his habits beforehand.

Kobe Bryant stretches before a Team USA practice.
"Kobe never got to that point where he came in behind and had to figure it out," Vitti said. "He saw the future before the future came and he's already made the adjustment."

Part of that changed diet and those healthy eating tips come from Dr. Cate Shanahan, a team consultant who has her own practice in Napa Valley. Pasture-fed foods - pasture-grazed beef from a pasture-fed cow, eggs from a free-range chicken (not a cage chicken) - are just some of the main staples of Bryant's diet. Sugars, specifically anything with corn syrup, should be avoided, and the intake of carbohydrates has been scaled down, consumed in moderation.

"What happens is the athlete consumes one of these products high in carbohydrates and sugar, they get a spike of energy and feel really good," Vitti said. "Your body knows that, sends insulin and then they crash. As soon as they crash, they need another sugar fix, and they're yo-yoing up and down. If we get them off that stuff and get them into more of protein and the right kind of fats, then they'll have a higher level of energy without the lows or the dips."

More findings examine the ratio of high-density lipoproteins (HDL's) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL's), better known as "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol, which can be monitored. The common thought was the ratio for of HDL's to be high and LDL's to be low. But according to Vitti, new findings are changing that perception.

"We're finding out now that a higher level of LDL's, which we thought was bad, doesn't necessarily mean it's bad," he continued, "because within that category, there are good LDL's and bad LDL's. Even though you might have an elevated level of LDL's, it might be the right kind of LDL's."

For example, eating fats, when they're the right kind of fats, can be packed with nutrients.

"What I've done really is just train really hard and watch my diet," Bryant said.
"All this fat free stuff and all these things we've been doing has been the biggest proponent of it," Vitti said. "When they strip the fat, they strip all the nutrients with it. We don't necessarily want to stay away from fats, but it has to be the right kind of fat."

Vitti acknowledges they have created, not only for Bryant, but also all their players, food groups that are red, yellow and green. The traditional food pyramid is not what they're preaching to the players. In fact, it's the inverse.

"The current science reverses the pyramid," Vitti said. "The base of the pyramid is on the top. We're not telling them to just eat fat - it has to be the right kind of fat. Pasture-grazed beef and products from that; you can eat butter, but it has to be pasture-fed. Not pasteurized, pasture-fed. There's a big difference. Milk from a pasture-fed cow, cheese from a pasture-fed cow."

Altogether, the shift in dietary habits is one of the reasons why the five-time champion has performed at such an effective and efficient level this late into his career. No guard in NBA history has averaged over 15 points in his 17th season or later, but Bryant ranks second in the league in scoring at 29.2 points per game, while also shooting at a 46.5 percent clip.

"What I've done really is just train really hard and watch my diet," Bryant said. "I think that's the thing that catches guys most. They don't do self-assessing. They feel like they can go out there and do some of the things that they did when they were younger and eat some of the things that they've been (eating) and not accept the fact that what you put in has an impact."

Triathlete Starting Out - Need Help

Hans — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:44:34 GMT

I'm a little frustrated and I want to make sure I'm not making mistakes and correct them early rather than waiting months with poor results. For background, I'm 42, 6'3", weigh 208 and the blocks calculator says I need 18 blocks based on an Active lifestyle. I'm an amateur triathlete that does 3 days/week of circuit resistance training and another 3 days of tri specific aerobic training. My immediate goal is fat/weight loss as that will have the biggest initial impact on my performance.

I've been on the Zone a week and a half and initially lost 5 lbs in the first 4 days. Since that time I've gained 2 lbs back and already seem to have plateaued - neither scale nor my measurements are moving. I track things religiously daily as I am an engineer and data is my life. Here's a typical day's diet:

4:45 am - wake up
5:15 am - eat Zone Perfect bar 30 min before workout
5:45 am - workout for an hour
7:00 am - drink light Muscle Milk protein shake post workout on way home (20g protein 3g carbs)
7:30 am - eat breakfast, typically consisting of:
- 2 fried egg whites
- 1.5 cups lowfat yogurt mixed with:
- 1/2 cup berries of some kind
- 12 almonds

10:00 am - snack consisting of:
- 1.5 oz deli turkey
- 1/2 red apple
- 3 almonds

11:30 am - lunchtime - typically dine out where I eat fist sized portions of chicken, veggies and black beans. For fat I ask for olive oil as a dressing or guacamole depending where we go.
3:30 pm - same snack as above
6:30 pm - eat dinner, typically consisting of:
- 4 oz. grilled chicken strips
- a block of brocolli or green beans
- 1 apple
- 1/2 cup berries

10:30 pm - bedtime snack consisting of
- 4 oz. red wine
- 1 oz. lowfat soft cheese

Is there anything glaringly obvious in that routine that I'm overlooking? Too much fruit maybe? I can't seem to find a dense substitute that's also favorable. I do occasionally swap out some fruit for black beans, but I don't know what beyond the blocks guide is a reasonable amount of black beans in a given meal. Any suggestions are welcome!

Am I doing something wrong?

James — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:53:50 GMT

I just started the Zone diet. I'm finishing up reading the books but wanted to get a head start with the new year. I'm a cross fitter and with the calculator I need to eat 25 blocks a day. I just easily split this into 5, 5 block meals. My question is this; this morning for instance I had 3oz steak with 4 egg whites (5p). 1 cup orange juice (3c) 1 apple (2c). The eggs and steak were in 1 tsp olive oil (3f) and I had 6 whole almonds (2f). My plate is full of protein with an apple and almonds n the side. That's not the picture perfect Zone plate. This has happened more than once at my meals, even though I prepare them using the Zone Block List from the site. Is this ok? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks

Son starting Zone with Crossfit - much advice needed

Sheri — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 05:15:22 GMT

My son is 15 1/2 and has been doing Crossfit for about 8 months. He has read Enter the Zone and wants to start the Zone, which I completely support. I just worry that he will be hungry - he tried Paleo and was starving. He is very fit; he's 5'5, 150 pounds and does Crossfit 6 times a week. He is starting to work out twice a day for the next few weeks because he'll be in his first Crossfit competition the end of January. He also takes a weight lifting class at school, so about 30 minutes of weights a day/5 days a week in addition to Crossfit. He calculated that he needs 16 blocks. I found a sample meal plan on a Crossfit website that I'm using to get started, but I know I'll need more meal ideas and recipes. He and I researched fish oil and I'm going to order the OmegaRx. Does it sound like he's on the right track as far as the blocks he needs? Any advice or suggestions for us?

I have to admit I wanted to try the Zone years ago and I gave it up because I didn't want to calculate the blocks in everything I ate. My son is actually the most excited about that part of it; he loved reading the research and facts behind the diet and wants to read all Dr. Sears' research. I still don't want to do that, but I'm willing to do this for him. I've got meals plans for these first two days of the Zone for him from the Crossfit website, but are there other resources to find sample meal plans that are broken into blocks? I need to get to a bookstore and find Zone cookbooks, but I welcome any recommendations. He wants my husband and I to do this with him, and we've agreed; we just aren't starting today like he is.

I have been and will continue reading through the forums here. I've already bookmarked the recipes forum but I wanted to post separately and ask for suggestions. Thank you in advance!

Zone block requirement for CrossFit/half marathon training

Ruth — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:59:19 GMT

I am interested in Zone for athletic performance as well as fat loss. I've read Dr. Sears "The Zone: A revolutionary plan..." book. My question is regarding block requirements for a woman who CrossFits 3-4x per week and is training for a half marathon.

(Please don't judge my numbers... I have weight to lose... and am working on it)

I am currently 225lbs and my last hydro-static body fat calculation was 37% (I'm rounding that up to 40% since I gained about 8lbs over the holidays).

LBM - 135lbs,
Moderate activity = 94.5g protein = 13 blocks,
Active = 108g protein = 15 blocks,
Very active = 121.5g protein = 17 blocks

When I originally set up meal plans for Zone I set it up for 13 blocks (under the suggestion of a my coach). I also track my calories and noticed that I would be way under my calorie goal (set up by calorie deficit from TDEE). For example yesterday I did a lunch time run and CrossFit in the evening (total of 800 cal burned by HRM) and consumed a total (not net) of 1695 calories = 13 blocks which is below my BMR. I did get up about an hour after I went to bed because I was hungry (as in stomach growling hungry) and ate another 1 block snack.

What I'm concerned about is screwing up my metabolism because I am not eating enough for the amount of exercise I do.

Would you all suggest that I increase the number of blocks greater than 13 blocks? This just seems like A LOT!!

Thanks!

Am I doing something wrong?

bunny — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:08:41 GMT

Hi all,

I'm about 10lbs over my normal weight and am hoping you can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong on the Zone. I went on the diet about 10 years ago and never felt better -- I had loads of energy, my fat turned to muscle nearly automatically (I was cycling to/from university but wasn't doing much other exercise at the time), I could focus and I felt fantastic. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay on the diet as I graduated from uni and started moving around a lot and found that my busy work schedule meant that I often sacrificed my diet for long hours at the office.

I recently moved to Bangkok and, while I was always able to stay relatively slender in the past 10 years off the Zone, have noticed that I've gained about 10-15lbs since being in Asia. Part of it might be water weight because it is so hot and humid here, but I noticed that in the six months since being here, hardly doing any exercise (after years of living in Europe, where I would cycle, dance and do regular yoga), that my body has turned somewhat flabby and I hate it. My stomach seems permanently bloated too. So in the past two weeks I've made a concerted effort to go back on the Zone and have also started a boot camp 4-5 times per week, and dance 1-2 times a week too (Zumba).

It may yet be early days, but I remember when I started the Zone 10 years ago that I noticed a difference in my body within the first 10 days of being on the diet. Apart from some strength and slight toning in my body from the boot camp, I can't say I've noticed any weight loss -- and I'm wondering if I'm eating too much. I wake up about 6, have a pre-workout snack, eat breakfast after my workout, have lunch, and sometime in the afternoon I become starving. I've slipped up twice on the Zone (nothing too drastic), but I feel my body craving sweet, fatty things like ice cream -- stuff I don't normally eat. Then I'll have a snack, dinner and a snack after dinner...but I find myself staring at the fridge, wanting to eat eat eat. (Just fyi, I'm drinking about 3-4L of water/day).

The boot camp is a huge departure for me because I normally do longer training (long bicycle rides rather than short bursts), and I also haven't exercised regularly in about a year (I travel a LOT), so I understand that my body would need some time to adjust. Can you please just help me figure out if I'm on the right track, and if I'll see results at some point soon? I'm currently 138lbs, 5'9", 22% body fat, calculated at 12 blocks.

Thanks so much,
Bunny

Smoothies for 5 block snacks

Jon — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:13:22 GMT

Hey guys. I've just recently got my crossfit level 1 trainers certificate. On the course they scratched the surface regarding the zone diet! The past few weeks I've been eating as close to the zone as I can! I'm looking to make up shakes to bring to work with me, one for my morning snack an one for my afternoon snack! I'm trying to get 25 blocks in per day but struggling with the snacks! I train twice a day 6 days per week, morning an night! Does anyone have any ideas for some good smoothies that I could make up? Any help will be much appreciated.. Cheers