I am trying to follow the zone diet but must be doing something incorrectly. I need to lose weight so I figure that as 205 lbs and 70 inches tall, that I need to eat about 17 blocks a day. I figure that I would eat 4 for breakfast, 2 as mid-morning snack, 4 for lunch, 2 for an afternoon snack 4 for dinner, and 1 before bed. If my calculations are correct 17 blocks x 1.5g fat = 25.5g of fat, 153g carbs, and 119g of protein. When I put this into my iPod app, the 25.5g turns out to be only 17%, 153g carbs turns out to be 47%, and 119g turns out to be 36%. What am I missing in my calculations?

Thanks,
Dave

The zone assumes that lean protein already has 1 block of hidden fat in it and to this you add 1 block of good fat. In fact, if you are eating a nonfat protein you need to add that block of hidden fat yourself + one more block. So each block of protein actually has 2 blocks of fat. For your calculation, the number of fat blocks should be 34 not 17.

Because of hidden fat, a block of Fat is 1/2 serving.
That's why Fat blocks are doubled.
You need 3 grams fat (2 Fat Blocks) per 7 grams Protein (1 Protein Block).
So, if your protein has fat, you only add 1 Fat Block or 1.5 grams fat per 1 block Protein.

Thanks. I thought that I read somewhere online that it is 1.5g fat, 7g protein, 9g carbs. Your calculations would fix my calculations but maybe I should still stick to the lower fat. I have a fatty liver and am concerned because I was eating way more fat in the past. I don't know who I should ask about the lower fat in my diet since doctors don't seem to study nutrition.

Thoughts?

Cutting back on the fat from Dr. Sear's recommendation will sabotage your fat loss. I don't know the science but the body will hold on to its own fat if it isn't getting enough. You'll want to eat the recommended 3g of fat per 7g of protein in order to be successful.

I do not recall the science, either; however, it is detailed in an older book, "The Omega RX Zone',
and also somewhat in the newest book, "Toxic Fat".

Dave, you will obviously have to follow your doctor's advice on the amount of fat you can have, bit this is really not a huge amount.

One fully balanced Zone block contains 7 g protein, 9 g of carbohydrate (that's total carbohydrate minus total fiber), and 3 g of fat. As an easy way to accomplish this Dr. Sears devised the block system for putting meals together. Most Zone lean protein choices contain a little bit of fat, approximately 1.5 g fat per each 7 g of protein. The 1.5 g fat in the protein block provides half of the 3 g of fat needed for Zone balance. The added fat block contains the other half, or 1.5 g of fat. The combined total of the 1.5 g of fat in the protein block plus the 1.5 g of fat in added fat block equals 3 g of fat, which is the minimum amount needed for Zone balance. You can read more about this in the Frequently Asked Questions chapter of the book "Mastering the Zone" by Barry Sears.

Incidentally, if you eat less than the minimum 3 g of fat per 9 g of carbohydrate and 7 g of protein it will be very difficult to lower insulin into the Zone.

Here's a question about fatty liver that was answered by Dr. Sears on his other website, DrSears.com.

Fatty liver reversal - Relevance: 2020
Q: I was diagnosed with a fatty liver. I'm in the medical field (nurse) so I realize that this is a condition common with ETOH abusers. Problem is I don't drink. I'm wondering if the fatty infiltration of the liver is due to hyper-secretion of insulin. Would the Zone correct both and is there any data on the effects of the Zone on a fatty liver? A: The most common cause of fatty liver is insulin resistance and the resulting deposit of triglyceride droplets in the liver. Insulin resistance causes hyper-insulinemia. The Zone Diet will correct both conditions.
http://drsears.com/SearchIndexer/ta...fault.aspx - 12/12/2007 10:02:45 AM

I'm just going to repeat what I said before . listen to your doctor. there maybe a good reason why your doctor doesn't want you eating more fat . that being said, you could just discuss the zone with your doctor to see if your doctor's comfortable with the amount of fat that you wou.ld be eating in the zone.

we are not doctors here , and the best advice I can give you is to take your doctor's advice and then try to workthe zone in as best as you can

Dave, simply stated, the "science" John and Larry referred to is that without the minimum 3 grams of fat per balanced Zone block, the carbohydrates eaten will cause the blood sugar to rise too quickly to allow insulin to stay in the low range which defines the Zone.

For a concise and thorough explanation of the Zone to show your doctor, print the Anti-Inflammatory Medicine Monographs found here: DrSears.com>Resources>Anti-Inflammatory Medicine Monographs

Dave, I was re-reading your post--I would still recommend that you check with your doctor before starting this or any other weight loss plan. Discuss your concerns about the fat with your doctor.

If you are merely concerned about eating too much fat, this is not the case in the Zone. The Zone is not a high fat diet plan, and the amount of fat eaten is similar to the recommended American diet, which is around 30%.

However, if you are concerned about eating too much fat due to a medical condition, then definitely discuss with your doctor.