Hi there,
I have recently started going to the gym and I am trying to figure out accurately how many blocks I should have.

I go to the gym 6 times a week (one day off) and do

30 minutes cardio
20-30 minutes weights

Should I consider this moderate or active fitness level?
The differences when I calculate it is 1 additional block.

Thanks!

Active

Thanks Sue! Would you suggest taking one meal up to 4 blocks or having a 2 block snack? Or does it not really matter?

Cheers,
Vic

If it were up to me, I would suggest working it out so that you get a pre- and post-workout snack.

So, I would use the additional block as another snack, rather than having a 2 block snack.

You're welcome Victoria!

It doesn't really matter. I like to spread it out, so I'd either eat a 2 block snack or add 1 extra snack into you day somewhere.

Ok,
so here is how my day works at the moment
7am pre work out snack
workout
8.30ish 3 block breakfast
1pm 3 block lunch
5.30pm 1 block snack
7ish 3 block dinner
11pm 1 block snack before bed

Where should I slot it in?
Thanks!

With that schedule, you could put it anywhere. You already have a nice eating plan worked out.

I think I would be inclined to make your 5:30 snack into a 2 block snack.

That is not quite the advice that I posted before, but after seeing your schedule, I really like how you have laid it out, and so maybe the 5:30 snack could help you with the span between lunch and dinner.

awesome! I am going to do that and maybe just have that snack a little earlier, like 4.30 or 5pm
Thanks!!!

You're welcome!

I was thinking of several options...

1 Add it in the morning between breakfast and lunch (if I was in your situation, this one would most likely be my choice for me.).

2. Add it in between lunch and the next snack

3. Change the afternoon snack to a 2 block snack.

Go with your instincts about which works best for you. You could even try all of them to see which best fits you needs.

Awesome thanks Sue. I think I will go with one of the afternoon options.
I

Oh my gosh! I just did my body fat calculator again and it said I should be on 14 blocks!!!!! Thats insane!
Here are my stats:

Weight: 158 (rounded to 160)
Height: 65
Abs: 32
Hips: 36

I was only having 12 blocks and in the last 3 days went up to 13 because of my active exercising. But 14 blocks.....that seems insane! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know is my 30mins a day on cross trainer and 20 min weights justifies for 2 additional blocks.

Thanks!

With LBM of 120, cardio daily and 30 min of weights daily level you'd most likely need those 14 blocks, unless you think you might have overestimated your actual activity.

You could try 13 and monitor LBM to make sure you are not losing any over time. If you are, you'd increase by 1 fully balanced block.

Great thanks for that. And just so I understand fully, why is it important that the LBM doesnt lower? Probably a silly question I should know the answer to?!?!?! hehee

You're welcome Victoria!

Decreases in LBM (Lean Body Mass) mean you are losing muscle tissue. This is not a good. It means you are not eating enough protein for your body's needs Among other things, it means you are losing some of your ability to burn energy (fat). Your muscle tissue is what uses the energy your body produces. The Zone diet is designed to maintain or increase your muscle mass. Teh number of blocks you eat daily is calculated based on the amount fo LBM you have. If you find are losing muscle mass while eating the Zone diet (indicated by the decrease in LBM), you should add more protein to your diet.

Victoria, if you are losing LBM, that means you are losing lean body mass.

IMO, it is better to overshoot your estimate of your LBM needs, than to underestimate it. If you get too few blocks and you don't meet your needs, I don't think you want to wait until after you have lost some LBM to find out that you weren't meeting your needs.

BTW, LBM includes muscle, but it can also indicate everything else in the body besides fat.

Thanks for that. Hm, another snack or another block in a meal.......SO MUCH FOOD! haha. And what about on the day I do no work out? Do I drop a couple of blocks?
Thanks!!!

You could sneak in a glass of milk somewhere to add that extra block. That may help you with the volume of food.

And, you would continue to eat the same on the day that you don't work out. Your body still benefits from the exercise, even when you are not exercising--metabolic changes, muscle repair, etc.

Phew! I forgot about milk! Thats a great idea. Although I LOVE Eating and can eat until the cows come home!
Thanks!

Me, too! I love eating, and if you want to donate your extra block to me, that would be fine...LOL!

hahahaha. I just bought 2 liters of milk so I am set for the week!!!

Is that you Cran xCountry skiing?
My wife and I tried it last Saturday.
I did OK, she calls it xCountry falling.

Yep, that's me! My daughter came along, she did most of the "falling". But, it was not a challenging trail, in terms of hills. Just some gentle inclines and declines. No big hills with turns at the end! She took my picture, and I took her picture.

I am also trying to figure out this photobucket thing. Sorry for such a large image of my kids (but IMO they are cute!)

Your kids are cute, you should be proud! Mine are grown and I miss them, although I am happy for their successes, but all out of state :-( I tried the cross country skiing and it is a great workout, but I learned that a companion is necessary, at least for me! Someone needed to pull each other up, LOL, it is not an easy feat to get back to a standing position!

Thanks Mari!

It is a bit difficult to stand, but not quite as hard as being on downhill skis! Yes, great workout, still feeling it in my legs.

After our first ever try at Xcountry skiing (9 Jan), I went on a 5+ mile winter hike the next day. (Was supposed to be snow shoe, but snow was well packed at the park's trail, so we put on our shoe traction instead and hiked.) Yes, I felt it for almost a week. Xcountry skiing was a good work-out on my calves.

John, if you've never done it, a great winter hike, sort of in your neck of the woods, is the Tuckerman's Ravine trail on the back of MT Washington, starting from the AMC (hut, house, lodge...whatever it is). There’s no difficult terrain, just that it's mostly all ascent on the way up and all descent to get back. If not for the continuous ascent, it would likely be classified as one of the easiest trails. I know that many hear Tuck's and think of scary serious hiking, but it's not like that. You'll see people of all ages on it, kids to older senior citizens. On a later winter or early spring afternoon, you can easily make it up to the base of the bowl (there's also an AMC hut there), and back down before dark. The bowl is still filled with snow even in the end of April (at least it was when I was up there at that time of year). It's beautiful up there! Oh, almost forgot to say, always check the avalanche warnings before you drive all the way there for the day; it’s a serious avalanche area.

John, I didn't realize that was your first-ever experience with XC skiing! I guess I thought it might have been your wife's, though-lol!

My calves were fine, but my thighs are still feeling it. Much better today.

OK so I have another question!!!

Today I weighed myself and I had put on 5 pounds in a week! Only thing I have changed is my amount of blocks. Still going to the gym 6 x per week....

Rundown:
Last week I was:
Weight: 160
Height: 65
Abs: 32
Hips: 36

Active


Today I was:
Weight: 165
Height: 65
Abs: 32
Hips: 35.5

Active

This week has been the 1st week I have been having 13 blocks (zone suggests, 14 but I wanted to see if 13 was ok). I feel good on 13.

LBM seems to have gone up from 120.02 to 125.50.
Percentage Body Fat seems to have gone from 24.99 to 23.94

So I guess I shouldn't be concerned about the weight gain right??? (Although it is hard not to!! haha)

Any suggestions? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!!

Looks like water retention to me. I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for that. !

Hi there,

Ok so I am meant to be on 14 blocks (Per the calculator) but I am just having 13 blocks for the last few weeks.
Here is my new stats

Weight: 160
Height: 65
Ab: 32
Hips: 34
LBM: 124.50

Any thoughts on if I should be on 14 blocks?
I really appreciate all the input. It makes it way better!

(PS - I lost 77 pounds in the first year of my zoning - 2005 and have stayed between 145 - 165 pounds since. I LOVE THE ZONE).

Well, to me it looks fine. You don't appear to be losing any LBM, and so I would recommend doing what you are doing. And, it appears as though you may have lost 5# of bodyfat--congrats!

I think that if you are feeling well in the Zone, no hunger issues and good energy, and you are not losing any LBM, then I think you can stick with 13 blocks. But, you should continue to track these stats over time, as you will be able to see more patterns develop over time.

Victoria, it would be better if you ate 14 blocks now.

The big changes in your stats during the first couple of weeks were mostly due to fluctuating amounts of fluid retention. You didn't actually gain 5 pounds of LBM in a week (1-15 to 1-25). Most likely you had about 125 pounds of LBM to start with (on 1-15). Barry Sears' suggestion is to recheck LBM after you've been in the Zone for a couple of weeks and use it as you baseline, because retained fluid from your previous eating plan skews your initial stats. The retained fluid is usually gone by the time you've been in the Zone for a couple of weeks. When you asked earlier in this thread about whether to try 13 or 14 blocks, you might remember I recommended 14 and I said you could try 13 if you want. I made that recommendation because, at that time, your LBM of 120 gave you an actual protein requirement between 13 and 14 blocks. Now, with your more realistic LBM of 125, your actual protein requirement is between 14 and 15 blocks.

Thanks for this. What I need to do is get my books out again and refresh myself with all this knowledge. It is really good having people to talk to though! So thanks to you both!

Victoria, you're welcome!

Remember, the "numbers" are relative and they are fairly accurate; however, they do not always represent reality. I really think you have to use your own "gut" feeling on whether to go up to 14 blocks, or to stick with 13 blocks. And, you would do this by judging your 4 hour meal satiety, and your overall sense of being in the Zone. As I suggested on my previous post, you should be experiencing good energy and mental focus. If you are feeling fine on 13 blocks, then stick with what you are doing; if you are having some issues, then you might want to consider the change.

Regarding your "LBM", this number represents basically all that is not fat. It represents all of the tissues AND the fluids in your body. Fat may hold a small amount of "water", but the majority of the water in your body is tied within the "LBM". That is why keeping track of your stats for a period of time will give you more of a "baseline average" of where you are at with regard to your LBM and fat.

You're welcome Victoria!

Congratulations on your Zone success! Losing 77 pounds and keeping it off is excellent.

I love the Zone too. It's changed my whole life. :-)