I just ordered my quick start weight loss package and 2 books. I've been skimming through the website and reading about the system.

I have been trying to lose 13 pounds for 3 years. I'll lose 5, but then they are back. I wear a bodybugg so I track my calorie burns and I am steadfast at keeping food journals and I am a bit anal at calculating calories (I measure or weigh just about everything).

Here I am after a couple of months of walking for an hour nearly every day for exercise and getting calorie deficits per week and I have not budged in weight! I am so frustrated because I used to not have to worry about my weight at all.

I am 39, 5'-3.5" and currently 130 pounds, I want to get back to my 117.

I did the calculator to figure out my required "BLOCKS", 11 in each. I dont know what this means or how to calculate them. Also.....how does the Zone Quick Start Weightloss 2 week program take into consideration individual needs? Its the same delivery for everyone. How do I know I'll be eating the right calories to lose weight??

Thank you so much to anyone that replies with help!!!
J:blush:

OK - found the "block chart" list. So - hitting 11 in each is the target per day spread among 3 meals and 2 snacks. Now I need to figure out how to combine them! ;)

Im a busy gal so the foods that will come with my delivery I hope will help with prep.....but I am a bit concerned about all the PROCESSED elements of eating them. Hmmm..... I mean running around during the day between clients I can see grabbing a snack bar much easier than trying to eat a cup of cottage cheese and fruit while driving.

Again - any feedback on the weightloss questions regarding The Zone are much appreciated!

Hi Joie

With 11 blocks you could do - 3 blocks breakfast - 3 blocks lunch - 1 block snack mid afternoon - 3 blocks dinner - 1 block snack before bed time.

I suggest that you take time to read the books and also do some research on this website. There are heaps of recipes in the books, recipes for the Zone foods and the Classic Zone on the site. If you are worried about the processed part then alternate between Classic and new Zone foods. There is a ton of information on the Forum as well as the Zone website. You just need to set some time aside to read so that you dont get frustrated about how to follow the Zone.

To me it looks like you are doing too much walking. I read that when you walk over a certain amount of time it is wasted. It was either 30 mins or 45 mins. Can you so some strength training as well? This is good for the bones and is a proven method of toning and losing weight. Again, try not to overdo it.

I would stop counting calories. I am anal like you but doing the block system or the "eyeball" is so much better than counting calories. In order to lose weight it is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise.

Dont forget to take your fish oil. This is very important.

Good luck with the Zone. Please keep in touch and let us know how you are going and ask as many questions as you like.

Margaret

Thank you Margaret!

So from what I understand and with your suggestions, with the 11 blocks per category, I'll need to do:
3 blocks of EACH protein, carb & fat for Breakfast, lunch & dinner
1 block of EACH for the snacks

That sounds like so much food! I assume the foods that will come with my delivery for the 'fast track' 2 week weight loss program contain
a combination of the blocks (carb & protein), or do the "11 blocks" only apply to the general Zone Diet?

Thanks again!

That's correct. For each meal you would have 3 blocks protein - 3 blocks carbs and 3 blocks fat. For the snacks you would have 1 block protein - 1 block carb and 1 block fat.

Have a look at the food block guide in your books or Dr Sears website. You can get to it by clicking on the above tag. You will see that some blocks have a huge amount like lettuce - 2 heads! (You dont have to eat all of that). Or you could have hummus which is 1/4 cup. You can mix and match.

Serving sizes should be on the packaging - I havent purchased Zone foods in a while. If you need guidance send an email or ring the Zone 1800 number.

11 blocks is the minimum. If you are doing lots of exercise you would need more blocks but you would have to punch your stats into the Body Fat Calculator to see what you need.

So if I need a snack between breakfast and lunch, i shouldnt just grab an apple since it's only a C? (This is what i usually do)

I would need 1/2 and apple + piece of string cheese + 2 cashews for it to be a ZONE snack? (1 block of each). ?

I assume hummus would count as carb, protein AND fat? So could I do 1/4 C of hummus & snap peas as a balanced ZONE snack?

I am hypoglycemic, so I typically eat 5 times a day......

Also, If I want something sweet after dinner - can I just have some berries if the dinner is already a ZONE balance? In other words,
if the blocks are balanced, can you add more of another block (fruits or veggies) if you want to?

Thanks so much!!



?

Hopefully you wont need that snack between breakfast and lunch but if you need to eat, make it a Zoned snack of protein, carb, fat. Apples are carbs so you shouldnt have them on their own. Your example is correct - 1/2 apple (carb), cheese (protein), cashews (fat). Check the label for the cheese. If it has enough fats then drop the cashews.

Check the food list. Hummus is only classed as a carb. So hummus with snap peas would not work. You need to add protein and a fat to make it a complete meal/snack.

As I posted to you earlier the break-up of blocks would equal eating 5 times a day (3-3-1-3-1) so this will suit you.

If you are eating in the Zone you may not feel like something sweet after dinner. Your suggestion is good about the berries. Just make sure that you have included them in your block count. Fill up on non-starchy veggies. Have a really big salad and add some toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds. Fat is the thing that fills you up. Dont add the berries on top of an already Zoned meal otherwise you will be throwing out the balance.

Why not try eating the classic Zone until your packaged food arrives?

Joie, I was briefly reading through the posts, and want to welcome you to the Zone!

All of your meals and snacks should be balanced with protein, carbs and fat. Using the list, you would choose one serving, or "block" of each macronutrient. So, using the example of the apple, you could add string cheese to make it a full Zone snack. Note, I am not suggesting to add the fat, since string cheese typically has enough fat.

Hummus only counts as a carb (and maybe a fat, depending on fat count). We don't count it as a protein, because we just don't count the "veggie" proteins in the Zone. Not all of those proteins are digestible, anyway.

If you use the food lists, you should be fine.

If you want some berries after dinner, then you should consume a protein and a fat with them. You could include them with your dinner, eating a block of berries and 2 blocks of veggies to go with your protein and fat, I believe that you have about 1/2-1 hour timeframe to consume your meals. Beyond that, you will need to consume protein and fat with your carbs or else you will be out of the Zone (OOZ). The point is to keep the blocks balanced.

Eating 5-6 times a day is actually advisable in the Zone, it keeps things moderated. Especially for you with hypoglycemia, you probably realize the importance of that.

As Margaret suggested, a Zone book is a great idea. I think that is much more helpful than the website. Unfortunately, the website has gone commercial, and there is really very little info regarding doing the Zone the "classic" way.

As for the products, I don't use the Zone foods at all. It might be nice to have some things on hand for quick emergencies, but I don't rely on that. I, too, am concerned about all of the processing that goes into these foods, as my mode of thinking these days is to get back to eating whole foods rather than processed foods with ingredients that we don't even recognize!

I am also new to the zone. I have lost 82 lbs using a 50-25-25 plan.
That plan is 50% of my calories are protein, 25% are carbs, and 25% are
fats. For the past 2 months I have come to a stand still, no weight loss.
So I thought that I would try the zone. After calculating my protein
requirements for the day at 126 grams, this in turn is 18 blocks of carbs
and 18 blocks of fat. Am I correct with the math being 18 blocks of carbs
times 9 = 162 grams for carbs, and 18 blocks of fat times 1.5 =27 grams for
fats.

Is this the correct calculation for me to lose weight? or just put me in a
maintanence mode.

I workout 6 days a week doing strength traning, cardio,and abs.

I'm new, too. I have the Anti-Inflammation Zone book, and buy in to it completely. It never occurred to me
to exclusively use non-Zone Diet foods.What a concept! Making healthful weight loss available to everyone
without shipping costs, preservatives, etc.

What I wish is to know how long I would expect it would take tolose about 35 lbs. I can see huge
discrepancies based on exercise, body type, etc., but wonder if there's like some chart that would give me
guidance?

1.) Use the Zone Calculator on this website to calculate your block requirement.
It takes into account some measurements and your activity level.
2.) Fat is a TOTAL of 3 rams per block. The reason it is listed as 1.5 rams is that it s 1.5 grams of ADDITIONAL fat per block, based on the fact that lo-fat Protein inherently has about 1.5 grams of Fat per 7 grams of protein.
3.) Once you settle down to the number of blocks for a while, it is only a STARTING point.
You will need to tweak it based on your own specifics. Everyone is different. It also depends on your goal of maintenance or weight loss.
Some add additional fat. some subtract some carbs.
4.) Some are more sensitive to carbs more than others. You might need to eat less fruits and eat more vegetables and limit unfavorable carbs more than others.
Find the number of blocks using the calculator and then let us know also what your goals are.
maintenance, loose weight?

John

Thanks for the input. I did use the zone calculation and it is telling me
that I require 126 grams of proiein a day. It also told me that represents
18 blocks of protein, 18 for carbs and 18 for fat. If I transpose that into
grams, than that would be, 126 grams of protein, 9 times 18 equal 162 grams
of carbs, and as you stated, 3 times 18 equal 54 grams of fat. Are all my
calculation correct. I have created my own software to track what I eat, it
is all in grams not blocks, so for now it is easy for me to use grams. I am
sure as time moves on I will convert to blocks.

I am still trying to lose weight. Based on all the data that I have taken
over the past year and 8 months, I gain weight when my carb intake goes up.

Thanks
Bob

Robert, note that's 9 grams of insulin stimulating carbohydrate in one Zone block, which is the total grams of carbohydrate minus the total grams of fiber. Fiber does not stimulate insulin production but it's included in the total carbohydrate for nutrition labeling.

Hi Robert

Can you post what a typical days eating would be? That way we might see something that might need tweaking. Sounds like you are building muscle if you are working out 6 days a week.

Sue

Thanks for the input. I think what you just told me was if my carb. intake
was just 32 grams and my fiber was 11 grams than I realy only took in 21 grams of carbs. Is that correct?

Bob

Margaret

I gust started working on the zone diet format. What I was doing was a
50-25-25 plan. That is 50% of my calorie intake was protein, 25% carbs and 25% fat. It was not close to what the zone diet is, or what I think it is.
I will post what iI am eating after I can get a week of data.

I know that I am building muscle, the following is my workout schedule:

Monday 40 min. of Cardio on the stationary bike resistance workout
40 min of abdominal work

Tuesday 30 min. of cardio, and 5 Back 4 tricept weight lifting exercise

Wednesday 40 min. of Cardio on the stationary bike resistance workout
40 min of abdominal work

Thursday 40 min. of Cardio on the stationary bike resistance workout
40 min of abdominal work
60 min of 8 chest weight lifting exercise

Friday 40 min. of Cardio on the stationary bike resistance workout
40 min. of abdominal work
60 min. of bicept weight lifting exercice

Saturday off

Sunday 2.5 hrs. of 5 sholder and 7 leg/hamstring weight lifting exercise

Bob

Yes, that is correct.

I have another question

I have calculated that my protein requirement is 126 grams a day,
that is 18 bolcks. Can I break this down to 4 blocks for breakfast,
3 for a snack, 4 for lunch, 3 for a snack, and 4 for dinner.

Bob

[quote]
Posted By Robert on 25 Aug 2011 09:43 AM

Sue

Thanks for the input. I think what you just told me was if my carb. intake
was just 32 grams and my fiber was 11 grams than I realy only took in 21 grams of carbs. Is that correct?

Bob


[/quote]


Yes, Bob, 21 grams of insulin stimulating carbohydrate.

Bob, yes, you could break it down as you suggested. You can basically break it out to many combinations of balanced blocks of P, C and F throughout the day, but keep it to no more than about 5 blocks at any one time. Some people prefer 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day. For example, I have a daily 13 block requirement and usually eat either 6 2-block meals and a 1 block snack, or a 3 block breakfast and 5 2-block mneals. It's best to support your exercise sessions with one block before and one or more after (or a meal for or after if mealtimes happen to coincide with you exercise session). Also, have a snack during extended periods of exercise, to dampen the effects of elevated cortisol. Cortisol elevates to a point where it'll work against you after about 45 minutes of strenuous exercise. With your block requirement, you could easily split your snacks to get the best from your workouts hormonally. A Zone shake or bar is an excellent recovery snack after exercise.

Hi Robert

Are you training for the Olympics? That is a lot of exercise. As Sue said, after 45 mins your cortisol levels will work against you. I have to push myself just to do a 30 minute walk! I would love to be dedicated like you and get some exercise every day.

There is a guy here in Australia who has a company promoting a system like the Zone. He has commercials on TV with a lot of examples of people who have lost the weight using his system. One example was a man who did 2 hours of strenuous exercise every day and didnt lose any weight and was very frustrated. He corrected his diet (proteins/carbs/fats like the Zone) and the weight just fell off and now plays A grade football.

That will be great if you can send your eating plan in a weeks time. There might be something that needs a little tweaking to get you started with the weight loss.

Sue

Thanks, I hope that I don't have to many questions. If I do please
stop me.

I connot find where the zone diet has any ref. to sugar. I was told that
sugar was a bad item. Is the sugar in fruits ok?

I am having a hard time eating all the blocks that I am required. Should
I cut down on the amount of blocks?

Thanks
Bob

Sue

The Zone diet has no ref to sugar. I was told that sugar is
a bad item. Is the sugar in fruits ok ?

I am having a hard time eating all the blocks that I am required.
Should I cut back on the number of blocks ?

Thanks
Bob

Bob,

Questions are good. Your questions are also helping other readers here who have similar concerns.

The type and amount of sugar in fruit is fine as long as you stick with favorable fruits and don't overdo it. Berries are the best fruits for the Zone because they have lower glycemic loads than most fruit and they're loaded with polyphenols.

You shouldn't eat less protein than you require, and you need the mimimum amount of fat to balance it (at least 3g fat for every 7g protein). You could cut back on a block of carbohydrate in each meal, as long as it doesn result in hunger 4 hours after meals. A way to cut down on meal volume is to drink a glass of milk for one of the blocks. 2% milk is a fully balanced block of P, C and F; if you drink 1% or fat free add monounsaturated fat accordingly for Zone balance. You can also cut down on meal volume by including some medium and higher density carbohydrate along with the lower density veggies. Adding tomato sauce, salsa and favorable legumes can all reduce meal size and still keep you in the Zone.

I will send out what I have been eating after a week, I just don't
know how much help it will be. Today I was doing great, than I went
to work out and forgot to have lunch, and than by the time I got home
I was to late for the afternoon snack. The problem is I am still not
hungry.

I know that is a lot of exercise, I just love doing it. and here is the kicker I am 68 years old, I don't think that I would ever make the
Olimpics, I think that there must be some kind of age limit.

Bob

Bob, good that you're keeping a food diary as you begin the Zone. It will can be very helpful. Also note in it how you feel 4 hours after meals. That will be a major factor for determining whether you need to make adjustments to meals. Another tip, put your stats into the Body Fat Calculator again after you've been eating Zone meals and snacks for 2 solid weeks. Barry Sears recommends using the 2 week result as your baseline. By the two week mark you will have lost any retained fluid, from your previous way of eating, which could be skewing your initial LBM and fat % results. Maybe stash a snack or two in your gym bag so you'll have a snack on hand next time. The fact you're not hungry shows you're doing well. Hunger suppression is one of the key ways to judge success in the Zone. Keep up the good job!

Hi Robert

68 years old?? You are an exercise machine! Maybe not the Olympics but I am sure you could enter the Masters World Games! I am doing a lot of gardening at the moment as the weather is so nice and I want to prepare the beds for vegetables. Last night I fell into bed as I was so tired from all the weeding, raking etc so hopefully that was good exercise! My body was definetly doing something different.

Sue

I have the book (Mastering The Zone). Appendix B FOOD BLOCKS, is tilling me the best choices, the fair choices, and the poor choices. The way I am reading it, the list of fish choices are poor choices for protein. I thought
fish like, Clams, Haddock, Shrimp, Swardfish, Tuna canned in water, just
to name a few on the list, are good proteins. Are they realy poor choices?

Bob

Hi Robert

I just went and had a look at my Mastering the Zone book. All the fishes are "best choices". If you look at the poor choices above the title "Fish and Seafood" they belong to the previous poor choices for the Meat and Poultry section. You can have all the fishes in that list and treat them as "best choices".

Bob,

Margaret's correct; the poor choices are a sub-section under the Meat and Poultry heading and Fish and Seafood is a new heading. One caution, most fish notorious for being loaded with contamination. Stick with wild caught fish and consume it in moderation.

There have been changes to the food block guide since MTZ was written, most notably an increase the volume of some carbohydrate blocks. Defer to the online Food Block Guide for the most up-to-date info: http://drsears.com/ArticlePreview/t...fault.aspx

Bob,

Another thought, if you don't already do so you might consider splitting up your exercise, say two sessions a day (re the cortisol elevation which occurs after about 45 min of exertion; I mentioned it earlier in the this thread). Here's an example of my amount of weekly exercise, which I make a point to do in 2 or 3 different sessions per day (I'm 59, but this advice applies to any age).

walk/hike for 60 min or more, 6 X wk

75 min strength training session, 3 or 4 X per wk (I support it with Zone snacks)

60 min yoga class, 2 X week

45 min. yoga session at home, 2-3 X wk

35 min vestibular exercise training session at home, daily (7 X per week; it's PT, related to a head/neck injury 4 yrs ago; without it I'm motion sick 24/7)

I include one rest day a week when the only exercise I do is the vestibular PT session.

I put together a schedule that I think will work for my exercise schedule.
I am going to try this for two weeks. I am going to track everything I eat and see what happens. I require 126 grams of protein a week or 18 blocks, so
if I break it up as follows I can fit every thing in. I have also modified my carb block requirement by 1 less blosk per meal. I am doing this because
I am not getting any hungry feelings. I will keep posting my results.

Protein Breakfast Snack Lunch Snack Dinner late Snack Total
Blocks 3 3 3 3 4 2 18
Grams 21 21 21 21 28 14 126


Fat 3 3 3 3 4 2 18
Blocks
Grams 9 9 9 9 12 6 54


Carbs
Blocks 2 2 2 2 3 1 12
Grams 18 18 18 18 27 9 108

Time 7am 9am 11:30am 3:30pm 5:30pm 7pm

workout
schedule X-------X


How does this look ? or am I doing it all wrong ?

Bob

Looks good, Robert. To make the most if it eat a meal or a snack after your workouts.

Thanks. John. Homework time. I will work on this and get back to site. Thanks again!

Sue

Thanks, The time of my exercise is realy from 11:45am to 3:00pm.
This will allow me to get all the meals in on time. It also will
give me a snack after my workout.

I have another question. Is it wrong to look at the end of the day,
and to make sure that the total days input adds up to the total numbers
that I am trying to reach, or is it important to make sure that the each
and every meal and snack have the blocks that are required. This question
might seem confusing so the example is, if I missed the number of proteins
that I was to have at lunch, could I make the correction at dinner.

Bob

Right now I am using the 2 week delivered Zone foods. I think its best given my crazy schedule!
I do worry about when I go back to eating "real foods" though. There is quite a complicated method in knowing
all the grams and such of each block.

Considering it's been my birthday week, I've had a few days of cheats so I cannot say i see any results of weightloss yet. Hopefully
when I am able to do a complete and strict ONE FULL WEEK, i will see some positive change.

Hi,

I am joining this page to, first, thank you for the advice you gave me (Cranberrycat, Margaret Bozena and all). I cut the fruit and the rice cracker I had for snack and "something" is happening. I haven't weighted myself but I feel good, focused and, maybe, leaner...
I just wanted to ask a question about pulses. Do you consider them favourable? Because in my book they are. One block carbs is 60 grams cooked.
John, I have followed the Zone principles for two years and read all the books by Dr.Sears and some Italians and, as long as I am concerned, no, you can't look at the end of the day. The Zone requires the right amount of nutrients ( carbs, proteins and fat in the proportion of 40 30 30 in each meal. It is not a sum of nutrients you can do at the end of the day. Surely Sue will explain better.

Hi monia,

That something you're feeling and describing is the result of your insulin lowering because you cut the fruit and crackers. It's the feeling you have when you're "in the zone". Good job! You'll see pulses referred to as legumes here and in Zone books. Some are more favorable than others. It's best to keep legumes to 1/4 cup(one block)a day, especially for a person with your level of carbohydrate sensitivity (your carbohydrate sensitivity is apparant from reading the experience you just reported here). Here's an up-to-date list of favorable foods: http://drsears.com/ArticlePreview/t...fault.aspx

Yes Sue, you are right. And yesterday I finally found frozen berries in a supermarket. According to the nutritional label is 5,5 grams carbs and 6,2 grams fibers for 100 grams. That shoul mean I could eat how many I want? I followed the indication given in the oToxic Fat of 175 grams per block of carbs.
What is good is that I feel motivated to stay in the Zone again and I had lost this confidence before.
Thanks for all.

Regardless of what the label says it is convenient to count 1/2 cup (fresh or frozen) blueberries or raspberries or 1 cup strawberries as 1 block of carbs. If it is fruit of the forrest etc mix count 1/2 cup or so.

Actually 1 block = 9 grams of carbs. Which means you need to take about 150 grams of your frozen berries. BTW, what fruits are they?

Hi Monia

I was thinking of you when I was gardening the other day! Wondering if you were going to cut the fruit and rice crackers. Good for you! I am happy that you feel like you are in the Zone again. It is a great feeling when you are not craving carbs. Keep up the good work! Great that you found the fruit.

Bozena,

thanks for the exact grams of berries. Actually my English has never been up to the knowledge of the names of all the berries... It is a mixture of many. Cranberries for sure, raspberries and something little and reddish.
I have a garden, too. I grow all the vegetables I eat from spring to autumn. Now I am frozing the last strawberries I have. The only fruit I have, apart from strawberries are figs... very much zone unfriendly

I stopped checking the labels on the frozen berries and use the following conversion: 1 cup = (usually 120-150 g) strawberries, 1/2 cup = (usually 60g) other berries e.g. blueberries, redcurrents, blackberries, mix berries, grapes

After reading labels and converting, for all berries, including mixed berries, except strawberries: I use 2/3 cup = 1 block.

monia,

If you're still not sure how many berries to eat, and you prefer to measure them, you could buy an Americam 1 cup measure an use that.