Hi

I have been working out with a personal trainer for about 8 months and lost only about 3 pounds. They recommended the zone and I started about two weeks ago. I have lost about 5 lbs in two weeks which I am very pleased with. I typically do about a 12-13 block day. My question regards my workouts; about 1/2 way through I have been feeling like my energy is sapped. I feel slightly dizzy, nauseaous, etc. I finish them, but not at the intensity I would like. My trainer says there is an adjustment period. I was wondering if anyone else experienced anything like this and what resolved it. Is it just time? I usually work out after work and before dinner so should I try adjusting my afternoon snack and making it two blocks? Did anyone have this?

Have you checked your stats to see what your daily block requirement is estimated at? I would do that first, just to verify if you should be taking 12-13 blocks, or possibly more.

After verifying this, if you are left with 12-13 blocks, then you should probably adjust your pre-workout snack so that you are getting more fat from it. You could also play with timing of the snack.

Yes. I should be taking in 13 blocks according to the calculator. When you say adjust the workout to get more fat, what does that mean? I thought we were supposed to balance everything so should i make it a two block snack before the workout? Also, is it the fat content that is making the workouts difficult? I thought it was the carbs that gave you energy for working out? I guess I am still confused as to how this all works.

OK, I would stick with 13 blocks, even on non-work out days.

It may be too little fat in your snacks, maybe you are working out at an intensity that you are requiring additional fuel. Since we are burning fat for energy in the zone, you would add more fat to your snack in order to gain some additional fuel.

You would not have to change anything else about the snack, just add more fat. Additional fat does not have an effect on insulin levels, but if you adjust your protein and carbs, then you could change things in term of insulin control.

Hope that makes more sense!

Hey Stacey,
As Cranberry says increase your fat intake. All of us who do exercise of one kind or another increase fat X2 or even X3 depending on the intensity. I myself shift between X2 and X3 depending on the workout I have programmed. This is fast energy for energy levels. The energy you get from your carbs is to help with the formation of ATP when(if) it runs out, but as mentioned has effects on your insulin so better get the extra energy from the fat. I would also recommend maybe increasing a block if you notice you'e losing muscle mass. The Zone is a Muscle Maintenance Diet and as such needs adjusting further if you're looking to maybe increase a little, or at least make sure you don't lose it while burning fat.
And as your trainer has said getting into the zone takes about a week or two depending on how bad your diet was to begin with, so hang in there! After you're in the zone, try eating out of it for a meal. You'll be surprised at how you feel and never want to leave the Zone again!
As an aside, what kind of training are you doing? What are your goals?

Good luck!

Diego

Thanks all for your reply's! I was reading some other posts and saw a reference to the releasing of AA on your first few weeks on the zone. Can someone explain what that is to me? Though I ate healthy before starting the zone, I now know that it was def carb heavy. It was def higher carb and very low on the protein side so maybe my body is in a bit of shock.

Diego
The personal training is a total mix of high intensity workouts with a lot of core body workouts, resistant training, with days of heavy lifting, and cardo mixed in. Though they average only about 45- 50 minutes, it is equivalent if I had worked out on my own for two hours. I need to lose about 40 lbs but have lost only about 10 pounds with 6 of those pounds coming from being of the zone for the past two weeks. Though I was watching and counting calories before, the scale was just not moving. I am happy with my progress so far on the zone. I just want to get my workouts to the intensity that they were at before I started.

Thanks for the support!

Stacey, don't concentrate so much on Weight Loss as on Fat Loss. You are losing Fat but you're also definitely adding muscle, and muscle is heavier than fat. This is why it is good to recalculate BF% and LBM every week or so, to check the change these two have suffered and see your progress better.
Your training sounds similar to CrossFit, except in CrossFit workouts can last 3 minutes or 40 Not counting the warm-up and skills work. Or cool down

Good luck!