I'm starting a diary to help me stay satiated and in the Zone between meals. I don't want to lose any weight so I eat 3X the normal fat requirement. On March 22, 2012 my body fat on Dr. Sear's calculator was 14% (LBM 138, Body fat 22), 16 blocks per day. I upped this to 17 about a week ago to help curb hunger between meals.


Breakfast

egg white & whey protein omelet / pancake - 4P blocks
-with 200g frozen strawberries - 2C blocks

40g barley, 60g tomato paste, a pan full of spinach - 2C blocks

Almond butter and olive oil - 12F blocks

The breakfast kept me in the zone, no hunger.

late morning snack -- Zone bar + 12 macadamia nuts 2P / 2C / 6F blocks

Lunch --

Big salad - 3 oz lettuce, 6 oz avocado, dash of olive oil, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 4 oz turkey breast - 4P / 1C / 13F blocks

50g tomato paste, 1/4 cup canned lentil soup, 100g frozen strawberries - 3C

Larry, assuming those 12 F blocks each contain 1.5 g fat, unless you had some more fat you didn't mention that breakfast only has double fat blocks. To achieve Zone balance a minimum of 3 g fat is needed for every 7g protien. The block method assumes the protein source will be low fat and contain about 1.5 g fat to every 7 g protein, about half of the fat needed for Zone balance. The other half of the fat is added in the fat blocks, each fat block containing about 1.5 g fat. When the protein source is virtually fat free, as with your pancake, additional fat must be added to make up for the fat presumed to be in the low fat protein source (aka the "missing fat"). In your breakfast 4 of those 12 fat blocks provide the "missing fat", leaving 8 fat blocks you've added to the meal, or double the fat blocks. To truly be tripling fat blocks you'd need to add another 4 blocks of fat to the meal (containing 1.5 g fat in each block).

Hi Sue -Thanks for checking in on my diary. I really appreciate it. I guess I haven't gotten used to the standard way of notating fat. I find it easier to add the hidden fat to the total fat and compute based on 3g blocks. The protein source at breakfast was zero fat and 4 blocks so to triple I had 12 blocks X 3g fat (total of 36g of fat).

Okay, the lunch above wasn't a big hormonal winner for me. I had some slight twinges of hunger right after eating and about 2 hours later. I thought it was going to be as good as or better than the breakfast because I had less fruit and more fiber at the lunch.

my afternoon 2-block snack was 5 oz of nonfat yogurt (1P block and 1C block), 1/2 apple (1C block), 1P block of egg protein powder. For the fat, I had 8 cashews (6g of fat or 2 blocks) and a little under a tbsp of toasted sesame oil (12g of fat, the additional 4 blocks to get me up to triple fat (6 blocks).

Sue - does it sound like I'm computing the tripling of the fat blocks correctly?

Hi Larry,

As i understand it, triple fat blocks in a 2 bl snack would be 12g fat. Using the Food Block Guide on Drsears.com that would be 6 cashews plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil.

Triple fat blocks in a 4 block meal would be 24g fat rather than the 36g you had for lunch ( that's 6g of fat hidden in the protein source and 18g fat in the 12 added fat blocks; 4 x 1.5g hidden + 12 x 1.5g added fat blocks).

Hi Sue - I guess I've been having 4.5X fat instead of 3X because of the way I was calculating it. It's good to know. I don't know if I can back off too easily without getting very hungry. I think I'll gradually work on it.

I thought of another possible reason for the hunger - I started taking Prozac about the time I started the Zone. Excessive hunger is one of the side effects that Prozac can have. Sometimes the Prozac side effects go away after awhile. I did lose 10 lbs on the Zone while taking Prozac in 2007 (I went from 178 to 168).

Thanks so much.

Larry, if that's it, I hope your symptom lessens with time.

Dinner -

As an experiment, I had the exact same meal that I had for breakfast today to see if it would put me in the Zone again. I didn't feel quite as satisfied as I had this morning but I wasn't really hungry.

Late night snack tonight will be 1/2 Zone bar and I'll try adding what I think is the right amount of fat to get to 3X (3 X 1.5g = 4.5). 9 pistachios.

Zone bar early morning snack with 4 cashews and 6 pistachios. I think this is the correct way to figure the 3X fat.

Zone bar - 2 fat blocks, 6g fat
4 cashews - 2 blocks, 3g fat
6 pistachios - 2 blocks, 3g fat

Total fat blocks = 6
Total fat grams = 12

I'm not going to write down my snacks anymore, just the meals. I will try to have snacks with the correct fat added to make them truly 3X fat. I have a 2 block snack in the early morning, a 2 block snack in the afternoon and a 1 block snack before bed.

Breakfast --

I had the exact same breakfast as yesterday to see if the hormonal response will be the same. It was. I didn't get hungry

I'm going to gradually ease myself into lowering the fat to the correct 3X formula in my meals. When I lowered it a couple of days ago I was always hungry.

Lunch --

I had the exact same breakfast pancake & strawberries meal one more time so I could compare lunch against breakfast and dinner. I got a little hungry about 3 hours later when it was time for my afternoon snack. This meal works slightly better at keeping me in the Zone in the morning, for some reason. On to other recipes...

dinner --

tofurkey & deli turkey (4P blocks)

I boiled 1.5 lbs of cauliflower and mashed it. Added 1 oz hummus, olive oil, tahini, a spoon of yogurt & some Kraft dried Parmesan cheese (2C blocks)

280 grams of raspberries in a little unsweetened almond milk (2C blocks)

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the protein and the hummus, was 21g, so I came in a little under the 3X fat target of 24 total grams.

I really felt stuffed right after this meal because of the volume of cauliflower. It was a hormonal winner, too. I didn't get hungry at all after.

I'm encouraged that I can lower my fat a little and still feel satisfied.

Larry, try steaming the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes before mashing.
You'll get more nutrients from it, instead of losing them in the water.
That's how I make a darn good imitation of real mashed potatoes with cauliflower.

thanks, John. Most of it was steamed because I just used a little water and the cauliflower filled the whole pot. What a great faux potato dish!!!

Breakfast --

egg white and low fat mozzarella omelet with 120g onion, 1 tomato & a handful of spinach (4P and 1.5C blocks)

5 oz steel cut oats (1C block)
----Dr Sears' food block guide says 1/3 cup = 1 block but I figured out from the carbs in the dry oats that at 4/1 water/oats it's 5 oz.

Raw vegetables - 150g cherry tomatoes, 3 oz lettuce, 90g carrots (1.5C block)

Olive oil & almond butter. The total fat, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g.

4P / 4C / 12F

This meal kept me in the zone very nicely.

I ran before breakfast and had more energy. It could be because of the Zoned-in dinner last night.

Lunch -

4 oz chicken breast (4P blocks)
4 oz avocado (16g fat)
1 tomato (0.5C block)
12 oz frozen green beans (1.5C block)
1/2 cup Dal lentil soup from can (1C block)
strawberries & raspberries in unsweetened almond milk (2C blocks)

I made a mistake and had 5 carb blocks
The total fat including the hidden fat in the chicken was 22g (I'm under the 24G limit for 3X fat again)

No hunger after this meal. I think the missing thing that was causing the hunger was not enough fiber. The last few meals I've been able to lower the fat and still be satisfied.

Dinner -

100g tofurkey (4P blocks)
4 oz avocado
150g cherry tomatoes (0.5C block)
1 lb bag of frozen okra (1C block)
50g tomato paste (1C block)
Parmesan
2 oz carrot (0.5C block)
1/2 apple (1C block)
4 cashews, 6 pistachios

I got hungry 15 minutes after the meal so I had the other half of the apple (1C block)

The total fat, including the hidden fat in the tofurkey, was 24g.

4P / 5C / 12F

I didn't get hungry later.

Larry,

I don't know if you're drinking the same amount of water with every meal, biut possibly the hunger you sometimes feel
about 15 min after someeals could be thirst that you're mistaking for hunger. You might want to try drinking a 16 oz glass of water prior to
meals to see if that helps. 16 oz was the recommended water intake prior to a Zone food meal.

Hi Sue - I'll try that. I don't want to give you TMI but had more fiber yesterday than my system can handle.

My wife just gave me a pep talk and I remembered that when I was on the Zone in 2007 I went from 178 to 168 and I was very, very pleased with how I looked. I'm now 160 lbs which is probably a little underweight for my 6'1" height and frame.

That seems like you are under weight Larry. I quick search shows ideal for 6"1' would be approx.170lbs. Minimum 166lbs.

Thanks, Tech Support. That certainly would explain the hunger, wouldn't it?

Breakfast -

2 cups water before the meal

egg white & whey protein pancake (4P blocks)
200g frozen strawberries (2C blocks)
40g almond butter (24g fat)

pan of cooked spinach mixed with1/2 can water chestnuts, 50g tomato paste, Parmesan (2C blocks)

Total fat for the meal was 24g.

I didn't get hungry until about 3 hours, just in time for lunch. Since I eat 3 snacks and 3 meals a day, it's rare that I ever go longer than 3 hours without eating.

Lunch -

2 cups water before the meal

4 oz crab (4P blocks)
4 oz avocado (16g fat)
15g almond butter (8g fat)

raw vegetables - lettuce, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber (1C block)

1 block each of fresh blueberrries, frozen strawberries and cherries (3C blocks)

Crab has 0 fat so the total fat for the meal was 24g.

I'm experimenting with having more fruit. It didn't work too well. I was quite hungry 2.5 hours later when it was time for my snack. I ate some extra fat with the snack to help quell the hunger.

Dinner -

1 cup water before the meal

7 oz deli ham (4P blocks)
4 oz avocado (16g fat)

sauteed onion & zucchini (2C blocks)

raw carrots (0.5C blocks)

frozen strawberries (1.5C blocks)

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the ham, was 23g.

The ham was more filling than some other proteins because I needed 7 oz to make 4P blocks (per the food label)

I had a few twinges of hunger in the evening but they quickly passed. I'm eating about 50 fewer fat grams than I was 2 days ago (450 calories) and the occasional hunger between meals is about the same, so that's some progress.

It doesn't seem like drinking water before the meals makes much difference but I'll keep doing it.

It sometimes just takes a little longer for the body to settle into the zone. I am glad you are gaining control and able to manage without too much fat. I think you are doing better with smart carb choices.

Thanks, Cranberrycat. Getting enough but not too much fiber is the challenge. I have to be careful about eating too much broccoli, okra, etc. Onions, zucchini, spaghetti squash and eggplant seem to be good choices for me.

Breakfast -

2 cups water before the meal

Omelet - egg white, low fat mozzarella, onion, tomato, water chestnuts, spinach (4P & 2C blocks)

Olive oil

Steel cut oats (1C block)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g.

4P / 4C / 12F

I felt some hunger right at the end of the meal but it quickly went away and it held me until lunch.

Lunch -

2 cups water before the meal

4 oz of crab smothered in 4 oz of avocado (4P blocks)

8 oz frozen broccoli + 2 oz water chestnuts + 2 oz hummus (2C blocks)

150g cherry tomatoes, 2 oz carrots (1C block)

frozen blueberries (1C block)

3 cashews

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the hummus, was 25g.

4P / 4C / 12F

This was similar to the crab & avocado lunch, yesterday, but I only had 1 block of fruit today instead of 3. Both meals were not good hormonally. I got quite hungry today about 1.5 hours after the meal. We may be seeing a pattern of 3:00 p.m. hunger. My snack will be at 4:00. I eagerly await it.

Dinner -

At a restaurant

milk with protein powder (3P, 1C blocks)

some of my wife's salmon (1P block)

lentil soup (1C block)

1/2 portabello mushroom, a little eggplant, mixed vegetables (1/3 C block)

My stomach felt a little off before the meal. Consequently, I felt very full after. I didn't get hungry at all during the evening.

I forgot to list the 1/4 cup of pasta that was in the dinner. (1C block).

I like those veggies too, Larry!

BREAKFAST

egg white & whey protein omelet / pancake - 4P blocks
-with 200g frozen strawberries - 2C blocks

40g barley, 60g tomato paste, a pan full of spinach - 2C blocks

40g Almond butter - 12F blocks

This kept me in the Zone with no hunger.


LUNCH (two 2-block snacks instead of one meal)

1st snack - 1 Zone bar + 5 macadamia nuts (2P / 2C / 6F)


2nd snack 1.5 hours later -

3 oz deli ham, 1.4 cup cottage cheese (2P blocks)

150g cherry tomatoes, one cucumber, 1/2 apple (2C blocks)

12 pistachios, 4 cashews

The total fat, including the hidden fat in the ham, was 12g

For some reason this 2-snack approach works better than having one 4-block meal. ???

I was in the Zone and not hungry.

Some people get better control of insulin levels by eating frequent smaller meals like your 2-block snacks. Doesn't work that great for me, but it is more of a timing problem because I can't take that many breaks during my work day to eat.

I'll have to experiment with snacks instead of meals and see if it works on other days. I don't think I'll need it in the morning because I haven't had the after-meal hunger problem then. I eat a Zone bar & some nuts at 8 a.m. and then usually start eating breakfast around 10:00.

DINNER

tofu ground beef cooked with egg white (4P blocks)

sauteed onion + zucchini + eggplant + tomato paste + Parmesan (3C blocks)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

3 oz baby romaine lettuce

Olive oil (total fat for the meal was 24g)

4P / 4C / 12F


I got hungry about an hour after dinner and ate 1/2 a zone bar and a few nuts at 8 p.m. That puts me at my limit of 16 blocks for the day but I'll probably have my usual 1-block snack at 9:30, too.

Does anyone know - is it better to be hungry and only eat the amount I'm supposed to eat or is it preferable to quell the hunger with a little balanced snack like I did tonight?

BREAKFAST

2 cups water before the meal

omelet - tomato, onion, spinach, low fat mozzarella, egg white, olive oil (2P & 2C blocks)

raw -- 2 oz carrots, 150g cherry tomotoes (1C block)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

The total fat, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g

I got kind of hungry about 2 hours after. I was planning to have 2 snacks for my lunch today anyway so it worked out okay. I snacked at 12:30

LUNCH SNACKS

SNACK #1
Salmon
Steel cut oats with 1 oz hummus
1/4 cup lentil soup with yogurt

2P / 2C

I'm not sure how much fat was in the Salmon because my wife had already added it but the total fat for the meal was probably around 12g.

I got pretty hungry about an hour after this snack.


SNACK #2

Zone bar & 20g almond butter

I forgot to add in the fat already in the zone bar so I had 18g instead of 12g

I didn't get hungry after this snack. I might need to make both lunch snacks zone bars.

Larry,

The hunger after Snack #1 is most likely due to the carbohydrate choices being more dense in carbohydrate.

That must be it, sue.

DINNER

3 oz sardines, 1 low fat string cheese, 3 bites cottage cheese (4P blocks)
Olive oil (12 fat grams)

1 can drained tomatoes with 1 oz hummus (1.5C blocks)

12 oz frozen asparagus (1C block)

150g frozen strawberries (1.5C blocks)

there were 12 fat grams in the sardines + 3 in the string cheese + 3 in the hummus + 12 in the olive oil = 30 grams of fat

I got hungry about an hour after dinner again. This time I'm waiting it out and not eating until 9:30 when I usually have my night snack. I'm still not sure if it's better to eat when I get hungry like this, or if it's better to stick it out until the next meal/snack time. I might try having 2 snacks to replace the dinner meal and see if that works better.

I'd rather see you eat a balanced snack than wait.

Oh, good. Thanks!!

Larry,
At the point of being hungry, it really doesn't matter what you decide to do... either way, you are not in the Zone if you are hungry. You just need to figure out the best way to get back in. Eating might seem logical, but keep in mind that eating too much will also put you OOZ, even if the food is balanced.

I must say I am enjoying all this! I am learning a lot from Sue and Cranberry Cat -- as well as getting some ideas for quick meals. Go, Larry!

You're welcome Larry, Eating will accomplish a couple of things. You'll bring your blood sugar back to a place that makes you feel comfortable and you will not be prolonging the amount of time spent not bring in the Zone. Even if that might end up adding an extra snack for the
day, no worries. With your LBM and level of activity, plus the fact you have a low body fat %, it should be fine.

Hi Mary,

I agree, Kudos to you, Larry, for sharing your detailed journal. You're helping many other people learn more about the Zone.

Just a quick note again,

Since sometimes it is difficult to recognize true OOZ hunger from other various symptoms of hunger (as in the possibility that hunger is being mistaken for thirst, as was discussed previously), eating may not solve the problem and may cause one to go further OOZ.

I have treated OOZ hunger in various ways. Sometimes I feel like I just have to eat, and I often feel that eating at this point does not always cure the hunger, i.e. feeling continuous hunger after eating, or even moreso. At that point, if it is convenient, I try to do other things. Sometimes a good nap is in order (if that is allowed in the given situation). Or, sometimes I feel that exercise actually helps. Might seem odd, but I have solved many hunger issues by engaging in some exercise.

Thanks, Cranberry - I'll keep those ideas in mind.

BREAKFAST

egg white & whey pancake with 150g frozen strawberries and 40g almond butter (4P & 1.5C blocks)

sauteed onion, baby romaine and eggplant with tomato paste and Parmesan (2C blocks)

raw carrots (0.5C blocks)

Total fat for the meal was 24g.

This meal held me pretty well. Seems like breakfast always does.

1st LUNCH SNACK

zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz baby romaine lettuce

2P / 2C / 6F


2nd LUNCH SNACK

zone bar, 20g almond butter

2P / 2C / 6F

Both these snacks kept in in the Zone, nicely. Those zone bars are amazing.

Larry, they're great, aren't they? Try the cookies if you haven't yet. They work even better for me.

Hi Sue - I have some of the cookies. I think they work about the same for me as the bars. I see why you did so well on the zone bread.


DINNER

4 oz deli turkey smothered in 4 oz avocado and 1sliced tomato (4P & 0.5C blocks)

2 cups frozen cauliflower (boiled & mashed) + 2 oz hummus + 1 tbsp plain yogurt + Parmesan (2C blocks)

8 oz fresh raspberries (1.5C blocks)

2 cashews

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the hummus, was 24g.

I was very full at the conclusion of the meal but I got hungry at 9:00 p.m. (too early for my night snack). I had a few bites of plain yogurt and one Brazil nut to tide me over until snack time. It worked and it's probably only about 1/4 of a block. This might be a good way to deal with the hunger when it comes at the wrong time.

And, I'm still doing well with Zone bread. I stocked my freezer a couple weeks before it disappeared. Tonight's dinner was delicious. I spread a Zone pizza crust with a reduced fat spreadable jalapeño cheddar cheese, topped it with vegetarian faux ground beef and some Kalamata olives, and then heated it in the toaster oven. :)

BREAKFAST

egg white & light string cheese omelet with onions, tomato & spinach (4P & 1.5C blocks)

5 oz oatmeal, 2 oz carrots, 80g fresh blueberries (2.5 C blocks)

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g

I got a little hungry about 2 hours after this meal but it's about time for my 1st lunch snack

Larry, one possiblilty for your sometimes inexplicable bouts of hunger could be you previous high protein eating plan. People coming off a high protein sometimes experience a prolonged adjustment time to the Zone diet (physiologically I mean, not psychologically).

Typo . I meant to say: coming off a high protien diet.

That makes sense and it's good to know about that, Sue. I was eating basically just meat for two years. Then I only ate vegetables and avocados (protein deficient) for about another year. My system is probably very pleased to be getting the right balance and wants more.


1st LUNCH SNACK

zone cookie, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine lettuce 4P / 4C / 12F


2nd LUNCH SNACK

2 oz tuna (2P blocks)

8 oz frozen broccoli + 60g tomato paste + Parmesan (1.5C blocks)

70g frozen strawberries (0.5C blocks)

Olive oil. I made a mistake and put on too much olive oil. The total fat for the snack was 24g.

No hunger after either of these snacks.

My next snack will be at about 4:00 p.m.

Thanks for the info. I hadn'tremembered the timing details. Good that you've got things more in balance now. Keep up the good job. It will soon become second nature. With time you'll find you intuitively put a Zone balanced meal in your plate.

Sue - it sure is helpful to have this forum for encouragement, clarifications, etc. Thank you!

1st DINNER SNACK

4 slices tofurkey with mustard (2P blocks)

1 bag frozen zucchini flavored with 1 oz hummus and 1 oz yogurt (1.5C blocks)

40 oz fresh blueberries (0.5 block)

I was too full to have any extra fat. The hidden fat in the tofurkey and the hummus = 6g.

2P / 2C / 2F

I got hungry a little before the time for the next snack...


2nd DINNER SNACK

zone bar, 4 almonds, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine lettuce (2P / 2C / 6F)

No hunger - zone bars seem to always keep me full.


TODAY'S MEALS

7 a.m. snack
10 a.m. breakfast (hunger at Noon)
Noon snack
2 p.m. snack
4 p.m. snack
6 p.m. snack (hunger at 8 p.m.)
8 p.m. snack
9:45 p.m. snack

This is a pretty good schedule. I did get hungry a couple of times but it was just before the next meal time came. I might continue eating this way for a few days.

Sue - I thought of another possible explanation for my hunger. My meat-only and vegan diets were both very low carb and consisted of 70 - 80% of total calories coming from fat. My implementation of the zone diet with 3X fat is only 45% of calories from fat ---

28 + 36 = 64 P + C calories per zone block. 17 X 64 = 1088 calories (17 blocks of carb and protein)
fat grams per meal -- 12+24+24+12+24+6 = 102g x 9 calories = 918 calories of fat

2006 total calories (about 45% from fat)

My system could just be used to using fat as fuel and wants more. Like you say, I'll get used to the Zone Diet over time.

Hi Larry,

When you're in the Zone you burn fat to fuel all your body''s energy needs. There's a limit to the amount if fat a body can burn.. As long as you're not still losing stored fat, it's bit likely you'd need more dietary fat. It's my understanding the adjustment period after an all protein diet is usually more about the body overcoming the effects of long term ketosis caused by the overlaid if protein.

Oops, typo.

*it's unlikely you need more fat

Sue - I remember now that Dr. Sears' blog about why Atkins doesn't work said that it increased cellular inflamation which causes insulin resistance. So maybe that's what I have but I'm not sure about that because my triglycerides were at 56 when I started the zone diet. Anyway, it's probably not real important for me to know exactly why I have the unexplainable hunger if eating Zoned meals and snacks will eventually fix the problem.

BREAKFAST 10:00 a.m.

egg white & whey protein pancake with 100g frozen strawberries (4P & 1C blocks)

40g almond butter (24g fat)

cauliflower + tomato paste + Parmesan (2C blocks)

1.5 oz barley (1C block)

total fat = 24g

This meal kept me in the Zone. No hunger.

Yes, no need to dissect everything since it's obviously working for you. I'm sutious. What are you doing with the tomato paste, making a little sauce?

Another typo...

*I'm curious. (sutious)

Hi Sue - yes, it's an easy sauce. 1 tbsp is 1/2 a carb block. It's great with a few shakes of parmesan cheese on vegetables.

1st LUNCH SNACK 12:00

2 oz tuna, one large cucumber, 10 oz mushrooms (sauteed), olive oil, 100g strawberries (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

No hunger


2nd LUNCH SNACK 2:00


2 oz crab, 4 oz onion (sauteed), olive oil, 11 oz raw cherry tomatoes (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

I got a little hungry at about 3:30


AFTERNOON SNACK 4:00

zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

No hunger.

Thanks, Larry.

1st DINNER SNACK 6:00

2+ oz of turkey breast, 1 lb eggplant & 4 oz onion sauteed, olive oil (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

I was very full before eating from the Zone Bar I had at 4:00 but as soon as I started this meal I became very hungry. I didn't feel fulfilled afterwards and had to eat a little yogurt and a little cashew butter about 30 minutes after I had stopped eating. :(


2nd DINNER SNACK 8:00

zone bar, 10g almond butter (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

no hunger


I may try incorporating 1/2 zone bar into most of the snacks to see if that keeps me full all day

7 a.m. SNACK

-Zone bar & nuts

no hunger


10:00 BREAKFAST

-egg white & low fat mozzarella omelet with 4 oz onion, 1 tomato & a handful of spinach (4P, 1.5C)
-5 oz oatmeal with 2 tbsp tomato paste & Parmesan (1.5C)
-100g frozen strawberries (1C)
-Olive oil on the omelet + hidden fat in the cheese = 24g fat

I felt a little hungry right after the meal and for two hours but not hungry enough to eat something.


12:00 SNACK

-1/2 zone bar, 1 oz crab, large cucumber, tomato, olive oil (2P / 2C / 12g total fat)

Got a little hungry at 1:00 and ate a few bites of plain yogurt and a small amount of almond butter. I guess having 1/2 of the snack be half a zone bar doesn't work.


2:00 SNACK

-Zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios

okay hunger control from this snack


4:00 SNACK

-2 oz turkey breast smothered in 3 oz avocado and 150g cherry tomatoes (2P / 0.5C / 13g fat)
-8 oz frozen broccoli with 2 tbsp hummus and Parmesan (1C / 3g fat)
-4 frozen sweet cherries (0.5C)

I had a little too much fat (16g)

No hunger.


6:00 1st DINNER SNACK

-2+ oz crab, 2 oz avocado, olive oil (2P)
-6 oz frozen asparagus with 1/4 cup curry lentil soup as a sauce and 1 tbsp yogurt (1C)
-2 oz raw carrots and 1/4 apple (1C)
-total fat was 12g

Got a little hungry at 7:30

8:00 2nd DINNER SNACK

-Zone bar, 1 brazil nut, 2 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz baby romaine

Good hunger control from this snack.


My last snack will be at about 9:30.

I think I'll go back to 3 snacks and 3 full meals. It's a lot of trouble to eat this often and I'm not seeing any benefit in hunger control.

Larry,

It looks like you struggle most when you eat meals or snacks that are lower in density. However, it does not seem like you are experiencing the "unfocused hunger". With lower density veggies, you might be able to push the amounts up just a bit. Not too drastic, but just enough to curb the hunger.

Thanks, Cranberry. I was wondering about that. I may add one C block to my meals and see how it goes. It is definitely focused hunger.

BREAKFAST

-XL egg white and whey protein and blueberry pancake (4P, 1.5C) with almond butter (24g fat)
-raw tomato (0.5C)
-cooked -- 2 cups cauliflower & pan of spinach with 30g hummus for sauce (1C)
-2 oz raw carrots (0.5C)
-1/4 apple (0.5C)

4P / 4C / 27g fat, including the hidden fat in the hummus

I got hungry 90 minutes after the meal and had 4 spoons of plain, nonfat yogurt and 1/2 tsp of almond butter

LUNCH

-4+ oz crab smothered in 4 oz avocado with 150g cherry tomatoes (4P / 0.5C / 20g fat)
-8 oz frozen broccoli in a sauce of 30g hummus and 1 tbsp yogurt (1C)
-40g barley (1C)
-200g frozen strawberries (2C)
-5 grapes (0.5 C)

total fat, with the fat in the hummus, was 23g

4P / 5C / 23g fat

Great hunger control with this meal!!

DINNER at Ruby Tuesday

chicken breast, spaghetti squash with olive oil added, salad bar (about 3 dozen tomato slices & some lettuce), a small amount of mashed potatoes from my wife's plate.

I estimate this dinner was 4P / 5C / not sure about the fat content (1 tbsp of olive oil plus whatever fat was in the chicken and sauce)

I got hungry about 90 minutes after dinner so I had a few bites of plain nonfat yogurt and a couple of walnuts.

LUNCH

I had two snacks instead of lunch because we were out and about.

#1 - zone bar and 5 Brazil nuts
#2 - 5 oz nonfat plain yogurt, egg white powder, frozen raspberries, toasted sesame oil

No hunger

I guess I forgot to post my Sunday breakfast...

BREAKFAST

-egg white and lite string cheese omelet with 4 oz onion, 1 tomato, 1/2 can water chestnuts & a little spinach (4P, 2C)
-2 oz raw carrots, 2.5 oz oatmeal (1C)
-200g frozen strawberries (2C)
-30g almond butter

4P / 5C / 23g fat (including the fat in cheese)

No hunger

DINNER

-5 oz canned salmon with avocado and olive oil on top (4P)
-1 can stewed tomatoes (drained), 1 oz hummus, 1/2 package frozen zucchini (2C)
-2.5 oz oatmeal (0.5C)
-210g frozen raspberries, 8 frozen cherries (2.5C)

4P / 5C / total fat was 24g

No hunger. This has been my best day, so far. I felt satisfied all day. I had more berries than I usually do. Also, it was the 2nd day of adding the extra carb block.

BREAKFAST

-XL blueberry pancake (egg white + whey powder) with strawberries - 4P / 2C
-20g barley, 30g tomato paste, 1/4 cup curry lentil soup, pan full of spinach, parmesan - 1.5C
-2 oz carrots - 0.5C
-100g frozen stawberries - 1C
-40g almond butter

4P / 5C / 24g fat

Good appetite control from this meal.

LUNCH
-4 slices of tofurkey smothered in avocado - 2P
-Tomato soup (1 can drained tomatoes, 30g tomato paste, 1 cup soy milk, parmesan) - 1P / 2C
-Large cucumber - 0.5C
-200g frozen strawberries and 7 grapes - 2.5C

4P / 5C / 22g fat

I felt "Thanksgiving full" after this meal. No hunger later.

DINNER

-tofu hamburger crumbles & egg white - 4P / 0.5C
-olive oil
-blended soup (6 oz frozen asparagus, 1/8 cup curry lentil soup, 1 tbsp hummus, 1/4 sprouted tortilla) - 1.5C
-raw carrots and raw tomato - 1C
-200g frozen strawberries with a little stevia and almond milk - 2C

4P / 5C / 24g fat

This meal kept in the zone without hunger.

I think I have figured what works for me, thanks to everyone's help. :) :) :) :)

Adding the extra C block and allowing 2 blocks of berries has worked great for two days. I don't think I'll need this meal journal anymore unless the hunger problem comes back. So let's hope this is my last entry. After things settle in with this new plan, I may start gradually decreasing the fat down to 2X instead of 3X.

Excellent work Larry. I'm glad you've been able to use the diary to successfully resolve your early hunger issues. :)

Larry, I'm glad I was able to help you with the hunger issue! Good luck!