OK, so I've only been in the Zone about a week, but I have nixed all the sweets and bad carbs. I am shocked that already I lost my vicious craving for sweets. I had it really bad! Plus I lost three pounds already :) This is glorious!

However, I still get really sleepy after meals, about a half hour more or less afterward, even these high protein, good carb meals. Does anybody here know much about this? On sleep disorder websites, virtually all the attention goes to insomnia. I'm really hoping I can rid myself of this problem before fall because I'm a teacher and find myself nodding off in staff meetings held after meals (before classes begin, my district mandates a week long of all day teacher seminars--yikes!) which gives my busybody colleagues something to buzz about.
Also I'll go out for dinner and a movie and inevitably fall asleep during the film!

I've got a physical scheduled this week and I'll mention this to the doc. Hopefully he'll run a blood count to check my RBCs (never had a problem in the past with anemia) and check my fasting blood insulin (no diabetes in the family, but I am at least 20 pounds overweight). I don't put a lot of hope in finding my answer there; a lot of MDs aren't trained in this and are scoffers about anything hinting of alternate medicine.

There's an old explanation that it's just the blood going from the brain to the stomach. I wonder if that's just it and some of us have more of a blood drain than others.

I have that too... I think it has to do with low blood sugar

Hi Virginia!

You're doing very well!

Getting sleepy an hour and a half after meals means you need to adjust the amount of carb in your meal. You're eating too much carb in relation to protein for your personal biochemistry. Dropping one carb block from each meal should help.

Also, you're not eating high protein. On the Zone diet you're eating only the amount of protein your body requires.

Thanks for your response, Sue.
What do you mean, "you're not eating high protein"?
I'm eating almond butter/tofu/lentils/egg whites/nuts, etc.

You're welcome Virginia!

The Zone isn't a high protein diet. On the Zone diet, you eat an amount of protein which is just enough to sustain your current LBM at your current activity level (your protien requirement figured out with the body fat and block calacutor), that's not too much protein and not too little. Then you balance it with carbohydrate and fat. You're eating more of your daily calories from carbohydrate than you are from protein. That is not a high protein diet.