I've got a question about the science side of the Zone.

In several of Dr Sears' Zone books he makes the comment "you can't lose more than 1 pound a week."

He didn't qualify the statement as "under normal circumstances" or any other such phrase. I don't have the exact context for this comment, but I remember coming across it in more than one Zone book, and re-reading it multiple times in each book... so I don't think I'm misunderstanding it.

I just don't see how that can be the case. Is he talking about 1 pound of FAT? ...and saying saying that any other weight loss you see is water or sludge from your colon, or some other bodily stuff? Even so, that can't be correct. What about the people on "The Biggest Loser" who are losing 5 to 10 pounds a week for nearly a dozen weeks running? Look at their pictures and tell me they're not losing more than 1 pound of fat per week!

I think Dr Sears mis-stated what he was trying to say. He either needed to add some conditions to the comment, or explain more of the medical science behind what he was trying to say.

Does anyone here know more about this? Can you enlighten me?

Thanks.

When I've heard him explain that, it's been in regard to 1 to 1.5 pounds of body fat in a week's time.

Congrats on your progress Jeff!

Hi Jeff

One of the men on Biggest Loser Australia lost 9 kilos (19.8 pounds) in one week - this was in week 8!! Hard to get your head around.

Congrats on your weight loss, Jeff!

I think the 1-1.5 lbs of fat per week is based on exercising 30 min 6 days a week using the sample of exercises listed under fitness on the top bar. I believe this number could be more if you exercised more than that; but then again, I'm not sure because you would increase your number of blocks to compensate. Keep in mind that on BL, they exercise 4-6 hours every day, which not normal for the average person.

As I understand Dr. Sears' comment about 1-1.5 pounds of fat loss weekly, it is not based on a specific amount of exercise.

Wouldn't it be interesting to know the AA/EPA 's of the contestants on those shows!

I`m now 50 days on The Zone diet, eating fewer blocks than calculated, exercising more than 1 hour daily, and I have not lost a single pound. OK, it`s true, my ratio of body fat/lean body mass is better.

Rejec, I am in the same boat! I have only lost 3 pounds on the scale since January! But... I have lost approx 8 pounds of fat and have gained 5 pounds of lean body mass!

Rejec, congrats on you progress!

A tip, for optimal results with the Zone, it would be better to eat your full block requirement.

Hi Rejec

Try eating the amount of blocks that you have calculated and see what happens. Your body may be thinking you are not giving it enough food so is going into starvation mode. I found this quote from Mastering the Zone - "Never consume more protein than your body needs to maintain your lean body mass, but never eat less. Eating too little is to subject yourself to protein malnutrition. In other words, stay in balance".

Also regarding the exercise. One hour daily is great but anything over that is just wasted. Loosing weight is 90% what you eat and the rest is exercise.

Aaahhh, Margaret, great minds think alike! I was going to post to Rejec about starvation mode! LOL!

Sue, you might be right about 1-1.5 lbs per week without regard to a specified amount of exercise. I was thinking about this after I posted the other day. I've been losing all along without any exercise. I'm able to exercise some now, but I wasn't able to at all at first. I like the study Matt told us about regarding where the weight was lost from for each group ... % fat, % muscle. But still, I think BL contestants are an exception because of all the exercise they do every day.

For people within a normal range of body fat and body weight, 1-1.5 lbs. of body fat per week is probably a fairly good approximation. The greater your total body weight and the greater your to body fat percentage, obviously the more body fat you have to lose and the more body fat you can reasonably expect to lose on a weekly basis. The converse is also true. If you already have a fairly low body fat percentage and are fairly low in body weight, the smaller amount of body fat you can expect to lose on a weekly basis.

That makes sense, Matt!

Thanks everybody for your advice. Nevertheless I think if you eat less calories a day than you spend, you must loose some weight in the long run. I should eat 19 blocks per day but I simply cannot so much. So, I normally consume 15 or 16 blocks. Well, I`m patient and I wil persist. Daily, I record all the data and perhaps the change will come in the next 50 days!

Hi!

It doesn't work that way Rejec. The result of consistently eating less protein carb and fat than your body needs is the loss of LBM and very little to no loss of stored body fat.

Hi, Sue,

unfortunately I disagree with you. It is impossible not to loose weight, if the energy balance is negative. In my opinion, the problem lies somewhere else. Dr.Barry Sears made his calculation of the blocks for an average person. However, the people are not all the same. Some have more efficient metabolism than others. In my case, it looks, I`m still eating too much. So, I embarked on an experiment. For the next 15 days, I reduced my food intake to 10 blocks. I will report the results.

Rejec - please listen to Sue. My son has gone to school for this and if you eat less than you body needs at first you will lose some weight, but in the process your metabolism will slow down, it thinks it will not be getting any more food. Then when you do eat the proper amount you will gain since your metabolism is slower. That is why yo-yo dieting never works and why you end up heavier than you were before the diet. If you have been yo-yo dieting, you need to get your metabolism back to where it needs to be. Some times varying your blocks per day helps because it keeps your metabolism guessing. You said you should have 19 blocks. So one day you eat 19, the next 21, the day after 18, then 20, then 19. Just make sure by the end of the week you've eaten 19x7. Just a thought.

hi i am a slow loser or i am doing this wrong. i guess this is the healthy way. fast wieght loss is usually water. not real fat. i am an old akins fan. so trying this diet makes me nervous. can you also give me insight on how fast you notice the fat coming off

Hi Rejec

I just went back to your post of 4/9 and you said after doing the Zone for 50 days you have not lost a single pound. Why not do an experiment and for the next 50 days try eating the correct amount of blocks as calculated and see if there is a difference. If you think about it - you are undereating and your body has responded by not letting go of the excess fat. It thinks that it should be storing the fat just in case there isnt going to be more food coming.

Vonda, I've always been a very slow loser too. On every diet I've tried---and that is many---I lose a few pounds in the beginning, then the loss comes to an abrupt halt even though my eating and exercise didn't change. My weight climbed and climbed and left me feeling very desperate. I've been doing the Zone for just three weeks now, and trying to keep exactly to my 11 blocks every day, plus walking on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes every day. I've lost 7 lbs. and my clothes are fitting more loosely. I'm not sure how that compares to others' experience in the beginning weeks, but I'm thrilled! I love how the Zone keeps my hunger on an even keel; no more super hungry feelings and cravings. Maybe my body thought I was starving it for so many years (and I kind of was) and it just hung onto the weight. I'm hopeful that at last I've found the ticket to better health and weight loss that won't fizzle out in a few weeks. I encourage you to keep on the program and use this forum to ask questions and gain good information from those who have found this way of eating so helpful. I'm still learning too! Good luck, Vonda!

Lolly, congrats, that's great! You should submit your post to the testimonial section of this site!

Congrats, Lolly! You are doing GREAT!

For the time being, I stick to my hypothesis that we are not all equal. Phisical laws cannot be cheated! Since 12th April, I`m on the exact diet of 10 blocks and I`ve lost 3 lbs. I will continue for 15 days and then make a change if necessary. I expect to find my balance of energy input/output the experimental way.

Lolly - congrats on your amazing progress

Rejec - as I said in an earlier post, in the beginning you will lose they way you are doing it, but in the end it will not work for you, it will harm your metabolism and you won't be able to stick to that few blocks for ever.

I am also a slow looser. Usually it stops very quickly (and then I give up). I am in this phase right now. No loss in 4 weeks. But I am not giving up. Because for me, the zone is so much more than loosing weight. I am amazed how exactly after 4h only I get hungry. I don't have to eat chocolote bars or else in the afternoon anymore because I am dying of hunger 1h after lunch. And I am fitter than ever before. I don't feel sleepy anymore as I used to. That is why I keep going anyway. It is rewarding even if the scale says the same weight.

Thank you Sue and Karen and Sue! It's very encouraging to have y'all cheering me on!
Manuela, I'm glad you're not giving up and you're enjoying the benefits of Zone eating. Having the "hungries" under control and feeling more fit is really great, isn't it? I hope to continue losing weight, but I agree that eating in this way and exercising is much more than losing weight. It means health! I look forward to hearing your progress, so be sure to let us know how you're doing.

Rejec,

what exactly are your stats? Not getting personal, but I am worried that you are pushing it too low. What do you come up with on the bodyfat calculator?

Hi Cranberrycat,

when I started The Zone diet, on 17th February, my stats was as follows: weight 205.5 lbs, height 70.1 inch, body fat 25% ( 51.25 lbs), lean body mass 153.75 lbs, daily protein requirement 123 g, blocks needed 18. I was very strict with the mesurement of proper amount of macronutrients in each block, consuming on average 15 to 16 blocks per day. After 54 days on this diet and exercising more than one hour daily, I gained 8.16 lbs, thus coming to 213.6 lbs.

It looked to me that I was eating too big amount of food but I persisted nevertheless for 54 days. Then, I analised these facts and came to the conclusion that the blocks calculation doesn`t take into account the very different metabolism efficiency of different people. This is my hypothesis for the time being and this is the reason, I reduced my diet down to 10 blocks daily 5 days ago. I will stick to it at least 15 days or even longer in order to see the results. Until now, I lost 3.3 lbs. BTW, I have no problem with hunger.

This idea came to me reading Dr.Sears how 25% of people are insensitive to high glycemic carbohydrates, 50% mildly sensitive and 25% highly sensitive, or how he had to personalize the dosis of GLA, given to different persons. It proves, we are not all equal. So, let`s wait and see what happens!

Hi Rejec!


A tip, even if your weight stays the same on the scale, check your stats every couple weeks as you experiment with eating this very limited number of blocks, just to be sure you don't lose LBM. It's not likely that you'll be able to maintain your LBM while eating only 10 blocks of protein(70 grams of protein) daily .

Rejec,
you can lose faster than 1 lb a wk, but you will lose muscle!!!! This is very undesirable because muscle burns fat!

Hi Sue and Janet,

I measure every day body fat, water and muscle percentage. My scales determines it by measuring electrical resistance of the body. In any case, if 10 blocks are too few, I will increase the number. I know that The Zone diet is scientifically founded but it is calculated for an average person. In reality dough, all properties of great number of subjects follow Gaussian distribution. By far the biggest number of subjects don`t differ very much from the ordinate but there are nevertheless a few far to the left or right. Probably, I`m such a case.

Rejec:

Those scales are incredibly inaccurate. I own one. I can get completely different reading based on the temperature, my hydration levels, the amount of salt I have consumed, etc., etc., etc.

Don't put too much stock in the accuracy of your scale in telling you your percentage of body fat.

Hmm... Rejec, I think one of us is confused.

Your stats were 205.5 lbs, 5'10", 25% body fat, 153.75 lbs LBM
...and you say you are supposed to eat 123g of protien (18 blocks)???

I weighed in just over 300lbs, about 6 ft, about 180 lbs LBM and only came up with just under 15 blocks.

Are you an olympic athlete in training?
Did I mis-calculate my minimum protien blocks somehow?

Our two profiles are not making sense to me when put side by side.

Rejec,
I am still concerned about you dropping your blocks that severely.

Someone like me with much less LBM would probably be fine on 10 blocks per day, but definitely not YOU, if you have 153# of LBM. Your LMB is more than I weigh!

Now, the other question is regarding whether or not you have been gaining LBM? You mentioned your current weight, but not your current LBM.

Also, I agree, your scale may not be accurate with regard to that, so how about a comparison via your scale and the bodyfat calculator?

If you are willing, please post your past weight, including measurements, and your current weight, including measurements.

And, if you do continue with this 10 block thing (which I can't even imagine doing), please continue to check your stats often.

Hi Rejec!

Ah! Gauss! He's one of my husband's heros. :-) My husband's a mathematician, and even went to college in Goettingen, the same school Gauss went to.

Those scales are notorious for being inaccurate, as has already been mentioned in this thread.

Hi Jeff!

It looks like Rejec is only using the active level (.8 x 154/7 is 18 blocks when rounded up to the nearest block).

Hi Jeff,

after your post, I went again to blocks calculator, checking wether I really made some mistake. However, it is 18 blocks. For activity, I chose daily aerobic activity. During aerobic activity, I use heart rate calculator ( Polar ) and my average daily activity is: time 1h, 30min, average HR 125 beats/min, energy spent 850 kcal. But sometimes I make a little more, a.g. 18th February: time 3h, 20min, avg.HR 133, 2100 kcal.

Hi Mathew,

I know, the scale measurement is not very accurate but I take it every morning and in a long run I can see the trend.

Hi Cranberrycat,

well, don`t bother. As I said earlier, I will try with 10 blocks for a limited time. I want to find out with how many blocks I get the balance in my energy input/output.

Hi Sue,

I calculate the blocks on the block and body fat calculator on this web site. I think,it is the 4th activity level.

Happy zoning to everybody!

Well, OK. I won't bother. Just realize that you will have success in the beginning, but you will likely hit another plateau, and THEN what do you do, drop to 8 blocks?

Thanks for the additional info Rejec!

Rejec - For someone 5'10 and your activity level, you certainly need those 18 blocks. I have been told by several medical people and trainers that should not eat less than 1800 cals, a block is approx 100 cals so 18 blocks and I am only 5'1. And I don't do as much exercise as you do.

you don't seem interested in posting your waist or wrist size, so we won't push, but I would like you to continue to post, so we can see your results long term, like a year from now. Will you do that? Will you continue to inform us how many blocks you are consuming.

And I have to 3rd or 4th that those scales are not accurate. It is better to take he measurements.

Hi sue!

Am I correct to assume those recommendations given to you by medical personnel and trainers were not in regard to the Zone diet? Just wondering, because given the info you've presented about yourself so far in these forums, it doesn't look like you would be able to get your insulin into the Zone, nor keep it there, by eating 18 blocks a day. It would appear that 18 blocks is far too much food for your needs. Did I miss something?

Thanks!

I think sue is just trying to illustrate that she is SUCCESSFUL in the Zone eating 18 blocks per day, so that Rejec can gain some insight and hopefully re-consider his planned block deficit.

Sue - you are correct tat it was a calorie amount that was given to me, not zone blocks. However, when I calculate my LBM and then figure my protein based on my activity level it will give me 13. Originally it gave me 11 and I was not having success at that level. If you recall I complained of being very tired. I tried all the methods to make that work and it did not. So I sat down and gave a good hard thought at what I do in a typical day. I think I used either light or moderate as my activity level. So I changed my level to Very Active. That gives me 13 blocks. I tried that an a much better response was had, the tiredness went away. Some days I do work out twice in one day and on gym days, I do a good bit of lifting. On those days, I require more than 13 blocks. 16 works best for those days. So if we happen to be out to eat or somewhere where I cannot figure exact blocks, it comes out closer to 18. When you do the plate method at functions, I find it tends to be more, rather than less. I have never had a balanced meal take me out of the zone. Now if I have close to 18 unbalanced blocks I'm out for sure.

Here is what happened with my activity. My DH has ALS, so my chance to sit an be sedentary is very rare. I'm constantly moving. up and down steps with laundry, dinner, normal house hold chores, but doing additional things for him as well. Whilst the physical activity chart gives examples of "exercise", it doesn't do a good job of defining Very Active when it comes to general daily movement.

So, all that to say, I wanted Rejec to realize that even someone 5'1 sometimes needs 18 blocks and given that fact, I don't believe that Dr. Sears would ever prescribe 10 blocks for some with their stats. Add to that the fact that Dr. Sears has minimum block recommendations and both male and female minimums are higher than 10. Then add to that the amount of exercise Rejec says they are getting and there is no way 10 is a good number.

I want Rejec to be successful and I don't believe it will happen at 10 blocks. Sure some weight will be lost at first since the calorie in vs the calorie out deficit will be huge, but it won't last. The metabolism will shut down, LBM will be sacrificed. The weight lost won't be all fat and a good portion will be LBM.

A healthy life and figure is much more than numbers on a scale. If you replace every pound of fat with a pound of LBM, the scale won't move, but your inches will change and you'll be wearing smaller sizes at the same weight and you will be much healthier to boot. It isn't all about the scale.

sue, I remember what a difficult time you had when you started and that you began to feel better only after you increased your blocks.

That is so true about the scale, sue! The numbers on the scale don't mean anything compared to LBM and fat%. I told you about my friend who didn't believe I weighed 20 lbs less than her when she was over a few weeks ago. She is 2" shorter, but is muscular whereby, because I have been sedentary for so long and am not able to do that much exercise even now, I have a high fat %. Well, we got on the scale and sure enough I was 20 lbs less; however, she is much smaller than me. So, to me, the scale definitely doesn't tell the whole story and measurements are the more accurate way of showing fat loss.

Thanks for all the info sue! I'm still in doubt about 18 blocks keeping you in the Zone and promoting anti-aging and optimal health for you in the long term.

A tip, unless your LBM is 125 pounds or more, which most likely it’s not, the info you've just posted confirms that you're over consuming protein as well as the carb you're eating to balance that additional protein. More can be found on this topic in Zone books.


Thanks again!

Sue - I understand your concerns, but I've never felt better, or in more balance than I do now. My workouts have improved as well. I really do think it has more to do with my activity level as far as the blocks are concerned. As I said, the calculator give me 13 and I mostly do 15, but I do go over occasionally. If I'm not active a particular day, which is rare anymore, I do cut back.

Today for example, I did a run this morning, a fast walk this afternoon and I have yoga tonight. That doesn't count everything else going on in my day.

Hi sue!

Glad you're feeling so good!

My best to you!

I think it's worth mentioning here, for other women of sue's stature and activity level who may be reading this, that unless one is very obese, 15 blocks daily is too much food eat if you wish to receive all of the benefits the Zone has to offer.

Sue - I realize you do not feel that I am receiving all the benefits of the zone, but I'm not positive that is the case. Not only am I feeling better, i'm no longer retaining fluid, my eyesight is better as well as my hearing. Weird things to mention, but they have noticeably changed.

A good point to be made about how skewed the "numbers" may be...

A perfect example: sue was not doing well at all on less blocks when she first started. She used her gut instinct to make a decision on how to adjust, and I think she did a good job. The numbers don't tell the entire story. But, her state of well-being does.

Hi sue!

Re feelings about benefits of the Zone in regard to you, no, not really, because not knowing the details of your labs (SIP blood test, fasting insulin blood test, etc.) I don't know where you stand in regard to being in the Zone.

As I stated, my post was meant to inform others, especially newbies, who may be reading the thread.

On the contrary, I would say that sue IS realizing the benefits from being in the Zone. Maybe the very expensive lab tests would tell quite a bit about the inflammation profile, but sue made a huge change in how she was feeling by the adjustment that she made. We can't monitor our SIP 24/7, so we need to read our bodies most of the time, to let us know if we are in the Zone or not.

Hi Sue,

well, there is no problem to add the wrist/waist. Wrist 7.62, waist39.9 inch. For sure, I`ll post the progress of my experiment.

I`ve just finished The Antiinflamation and I`ve ordered from Amazon the last of Dr. Sears` books The Toxic fat. Are there any new discoveries?

Sue,

First I want to apologize. I was watching hockey when replying last night and I didn't do a very good job.

My LBM is 102 currently. The calculator tells me I need 92 grms protein for the very active status or 13 blocks. When I eat 15 blocks that would give me 105 gms or just slightly over 1g/pd. Now considering I use egg whites a lot 2 egg whites=6gms of protein not exactly the 7 they recommend per block and I'll use 4-6 when making an omelet depending on if I add another protein source or not, I'm now down 2-3 grms of protein. Then if I use a string cheese or cottage cheese, again it works out to 1 grm less of protein per block. So as you can see, by the end of my day, my protein level is not over. If I lose 2 grms per meal and 1 gram per snack, that alone has me at 8 less or 97 grms. Now I'm only over by 5 gms, but it is possible for me to be down 3 grms at 2 of the meals so I would only be over by 3. I use a nutrition sottware to log my meals and it is a rare day that I hit 100 gms of protein.

Rejec,

You can see that Sue and I are discussing the fact that I may be eating too many blocks, where I feel you are eating too little. I was not having success when I first entered all of my info, partly I believe because I under estimated my activity level. I tried to go back and check your activitly level that you chose in the calculator, but I missed it. I put in the info I could remember and yes, 18 is the minimum I believe you should have. You see I needed to raise my level of blocks from 11 to 13-15, with 15 working the best for me. At 11 I probably could have dropped pounds, but I was not in the zone, not feeling well and very tired. When I upped my blocks I did much better. The weight loss is slower, but I'm gaining LBM which is more important to me.

Hi sue,

What it still boils down to is that you're eating too much. The reason the calculator focuses on physical exercise and strength training activities rather than every day life activities is that every day live activity will not significantly increase your protien needs except in extreme cases (say you worked on a loading dock for 5 hours a day). If you notice, taking a walk daily (no comparison to you intended) only gives a person the Light activity level. From the info you've given, I don't see that it supports the Very Active level for you. Your level would be Active at best. Over estimating activity level is a common occurrance among Zoners.

Sue - you suggest that my activity should be active at best. Ok, here is a run down of what my week looks like:

3 days a week i hit the gym. I lift for 1 hour and I do cardio for 45-60 min, I stretch for 15 min at the end of each of these workout

3 days a week opposite the above - I do cardio for 45-60 min and follow with a stretch.

2 days a week I also do yoga for 60 min. It is a rather intense class so I am sweating.

7 days a week I take my German Shepherd for a walk (we do not stop and sniff, this is a power walk) for 30-45 min.

Therefore, on most days I am working out 2 or 3 times. one day it is just 1x with the dog as it is a rest day.

On top of that, I work and I do all the household chores. I mentioned that my husband has ALS, that means I do all the snow shoveling, I do all the lawn mowing and yard work. I wash the cars. I also have to help him get around. Many times that includes lifting him. He is 6'2, 150lbs and towers over me. Lifting him is not particularly easy.

As I posted yesterday, i ran, walked and yoga so I'm not quite sure why you are saying I'm active at best.

sue (little sue):

It seems quite clear to me that you are quite active and most certainly need additional fuel. Quite frankly, even if the "chart" said your activity level was lower, the mere fact that you experimented and found out that you were doing better with more blocks should really be the end of the discussion. Charts in the Zone or elsewhere should be seen as a guideline, not a hard and fast rule that can never be violated. Some people want to believe that exercise and nutrition is as simple as typing in data into a calculator that spits out an answer. It isn't. You have wisely realized that and adjusted according to YOUR needs.

hi sue i am new to this zone i am a long time atkins fan but i feel like i am not losing on this diet, i do a total of 11 blocks, i work bad hours 1:30 am until 10 am i work out 1-2 5 days a week i feel like i am gaining i try to use the book for my meals except dinner i dont have time to make a complex meal. how long did it take you to start to notice. do you have any ideas about quick and i do mean quick dinners

Matt - thank you for your support, you are right - guidelines.

Vonda - I don't know your stats, so I can't comment on the number of blocks you should be eating. I upped mine because I was very tired and all the other suggestions didn't work to change that. It sounds to me like you would fit into the Active catagory at least. What do you do when you work out, weights? cardio? a mix? Since you work the night shift, what do you do?

As for quick dinner meals, what you need as you have figured out is a protein, carb and fat. A chicken breast at the size you need for your blocks is quick, you can micro in less than 5 min, or use a George forman also about 5 min, or Saute in a tsp of olive oil, about 10 min. Add to that a salad (if you make up a big bowl early in the week and don't dress it, it will last a couple of days in the fridge) Brocolli steams quick or nukes nicely, add some fresh fruit and there you go, dinner in 10 min.

There are some recipes here on the site, but I haven't used them. Also if you can get your hands on a copy of a a week in the zone there are good recipes there too.

Hi sue,

The Active level would be appropriate for you. If caring for your husband significantly increases it, then 13 may be appropriate, but not more protien than that. I'm not informed as to the difficulty you have had when you eat less than 15 blocks daily (or 14, as you mentioned that you skip somewhat on P sometimes), but most likely it can be resolved in more Zone friendly ways than eating numerous blocks beyond your actual need. There are various ways to address satiety. Energy need beyond that provided by you appropriate protein requirement is easily met by adding more monounsaturated fat to your diet.

Incidentally, my activity is similar to yours, except a bit more (I posted it here just the other day in reply to a question about it), and I eat 13 blocks daily (Active level). Some additional info about me, the Zone calculator gives me around 114 LBM, increased from the 104-105 I used to have; my height is 5'7.5", and I'm about the same age as you if I remember correctly (unless that was a different sue!). Dr. Sears has confirmed that my block amount is appropriate for me. He's been helping me out with my Zone diet and fish oil supplementation from 2001 to now.

Good luck to you!

Sue - Would you please give me an example of an very active day if what you say I do is just Active?

I don't skip protein, I'm just pointing out that according to the Zone guidelines, 2 egg whites equal 1 protein block, but if you read the egg carton and various nutrition calculators, you end up with 6 gms of protein for those 2 egg whites, but The Zone books specifically say that 1 block of protein is equal to 7 gram. I follow the block guide in the book or here on the site and if you actually add up the true amount of protein grams the two do not equal.

As to the difficulties I had eating less than 15 blocks, that was the subject of a large part of a thread here. I posted about being overly tired. I was told it was from the initial release, I was concerned about the fish oil. Does any of that ring a bell. I was told I had too many dense carbs. I changed that. that just made me hungrier. I tried dropping a carb and adding additional fat. I tried adding a carb. I'd feel a bit better but not like I should. I quit posting for a while because I was getting no where with the advise here. It was then I decided to up my blocks. I did it little by little, 1 block at a time. Each block seemed like I was making progress. When I hit 15 I knew it was right. I started seeing changes in my LBM, I felt great, I was sleeping better, I had more energy everything was falling in place. That's when I knew I had hit my magic number.

As for me, I'm 47 and I had a complete hyster Nov of 07, so i'm post menopausal. My dear husband is 46, he'll be 47 in Oct, Lord willing. I'm not quite sure you understand the work I have cut out for me with his disease. If not, I suggest you google ALS. Maybe it will help you understand when I say my day is not ordinary. My day starts at 5:15 and doesn't usually end until 11PM. I know that is not enough sleep, but unless someone can add hours to my day, that won't change anytime soon. I don't stop moving, except for the occasional computer break. In fact it's nearly 9 and I'm doing laundry. I continue my WO's because that is my stress relief and I have to keep up my muscle strength. I cannot afford to be tired or weak.

For all of those following this thread and discussion, this all started because I was trying to show Rejec that sometimes the answer is you need more blocks, not less. How much more is up for debate, but I would add a block before I would drop 8.

Matt, I couldn't agree more. Lets keep this all in perspective. The protein prescription is just numbers that are supposed to predict the protein needs of an individual. NUMBERS! Come on! I don't really see the need to be so rigid about this. What happened to using the Zone as just that--a ZONE?

sue, I think that if you feel you are functioning at your best with the number of blocks you are eating, then I see no need to change it. I recall the struggles that you went through (although I am glad you reminded us, because sometimes it is hard to remember).

Hi sue,

It was a typo, I meant skimp with an "m" (you'd posted some of your P blocks are not quite full blocks).

I repeat, my posts in this thread about you block amounts are meant to demonstrate Zone principles to other readers in a similar situation. I think that has now been accomplished.

Oh, forgot to mention, I know we have talked about this via email, but I just wanted to say on this forum that my heart and my prayers go out to you for what you are going through. It is a difficult disease to deal with, and you AND your husband are fighting it courageously. I really admire the fact that even at this stage, he is still working! He is lucky to have someone like you by his side.

sue, I double ditto what CC just said. You know you and your DH and children are always in my prayers. I also say kudos for sticking with the Zone and making it work for you. I remember when you first started and all the trouble you were having. Personally, after you made so many adjustments and you were still having so many problems, I would have said this is not working ... I need to find something else. Yet, YOU perservered and discovered what you needed, and now you feel better than ever! At the time, I did not realize your DH had ALS. Enough said ... that takes exercise to another level. My dad had had a major stroke ... I remember how difficult it was and how much energy it took from lifting him and tending to all his needs. Hang in there, sue!

Hi all,

I think, now I discovered, why I couldn`t lose weight! As recommended in the Zone books, I drank a lot. Since I have luck of getting fresh whey from an eco farmer, I drink normally more than 1l daily. I like very much it`s taste. Because of The Zone diet, I wanted to know the macro nutrients content of it. I got the analysis of it and it has on average 0.75% of fat, 1.34% of protein and 5.1% of lactosis. I said OK,it is a little to much of CH but 5g I can offset with a table spoon of cottage cheese. And so I was drinking a lot of whey instead of water. Only this morning, I started thinking... wait, it isn`t 5g CH! 1l contains 1000 and not 100g!!!! So, I`m taking every day additionally at least 50g of CH, 13g of protein and 7.5 g of fat!!! All together 365 kcal!!! And especially when it`s warm and when I exercise, I drink even more!!!

So, I was consuming at least 3 blocks more and even stimulating my pancreas to release more insulin with all the consequences. Now, I`m going to incorporate the whey into my regular meals, regulating it with added protein and mono unsaturated fat.

What should I say: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

Glad you got that figured out!
Actually, sounds pretty logical that this could have definitely contributed to your lack of weight loss. Not only extra calories, but just the mere fact that it could have been pushing up your insulin levels.

Its a learning proces Rejec! Yeah, those extra unbalanced carbs will get ya! Keep us updated!

<div class='NTForums_Quote'>[strong]Posted By Margaret on 04/11/2009 9:02 AM

{snip}

Also regarding the exercise. One hour daily is great but anything over that is just wasted. Loosing weight is 90% what you eat and the rest is exercise.[/strong]</div>

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I'm curious as to why *any exercise over an hour is wasted*?

I live 40 miles from a gym and spend 1 hr on the floor and 1 hr in swimming pool 3x weekly. There's no way that I can just spend an hour a day at the gym unless I eliminate some of my exercising.