I have been looking at the recipes for a couple of weeks now and some of them sound so good I want to make them just because. It has taken me this last couple of weeks to figure out how this whole block thing works, but I think I figured that out now. Is there a manual formula to figure out how many blocks per day? The calculator doesn't work. It just brings me back to a blank page. Once I figure that out for my husband and I we can give this a try.

My concern is how this works when one person is a very picky eater (my husband), and one eats on the run a lot (me). I can't be there to cook my husband breakfast during the school year so he eats a lot of sandwiches. I don't know how I am going to break him of this. As for me I am up at 4, leave the house at 5 and sometimes don't get home until 5 at night. I then have to get ready for the next day and be in bed for 8. I need quick and easy meals for dinner. Sometimes during the day, I have a microwave available for me to heat food up, but sometimes I am sitting in a bus and need food that I can eat cold.

Is there any way this diet can work for us? I know it's not going to be easy to give up what we are used to, and like, but if we can get healthy and still eat it would be great.

Ann

Hi Ann,

Consider the Zone Fast plan. It would be perfect for both you and you husband. It's easy. It doesn't require cooking unless you want to pop a pizza into the microwave or once in a while cook a quick pasta meal in 10 min or less. Your husband could have his sandwiches every day and you would be able to grab a fully balanced meal to eat on the run, simply open the package (bagels, cinnamon rolls, granola, pretzels, etc.)

If you prefer, make all you meals Zone (http://www.zonediet.com/tools/zone-classic). Try " Zone At- a -Glance", no block counting or measuring required. I lost 100 pounds with the method of the Zone. I've since switched to mostly Zone Fast, with some Zone At-a Glance Classic meals mixed in.

Good luck!

Hi Ann,
Our Family is in a similar situation. We work 12-14 hour days with early starts everyday. The beauty i find with the zone is it can be as simple as you wish.

I try and have a bowl of hard boiled eggs in the fridge for if im busy(instant protein and portable food) Feta and tuna also great portable sources of protein. Fruit is better than nothing if you have no time to prepare a salad for lunch. Dinner for us most nights is salad with olive oil or olives or almonds and whichever protein we feel like. We try and always make extra salad at night for the next days lunch.

I hear so many people say that zone is complicated, yet i have had the polar opposite experience and love the simplicity. I always have the list of block foods with me and then i can build a meal on the go! I sometimes eat more fruit in a day than vegetable which is not reccommended but its better than my previous meal plan of no breakfast, lunch if i had time and dinner only. I figure it better to improve on a bad diet than get it completely wrong. So don't be too hard on yourself!. Zone can work for anyone but it does take some forward thinking and preparation in my opinion if you have a busy lifestyle. I have always eaten healthly but still struggled to keep the weight off because i wasn't eating regularly. Since zone i have lost 10kg (been really slack over xmas and leading up to so i need to get back on track). Zone is really worth the effort forget the weight loss, having more energy, needing less sleep and not having sugar cravings have been the best outcomes for me! Hope your family is able to find a way to make the zone work for you. Good luck.

Thank you both. Sue the Zone Fast is way out of our price range so that won't work, but the Zone at a Glance looks much less complicated then figuring out blocks right now. I think I was way over complicating things. Trying to figure out how and what to make a salad with was totally stressing me out.

I went shopping this morning armed with my block list so I would be able to get a variety of veggies and fruits that I could have more of. I think we may have to work our way into this, but maybe a slow transition will mean success in the long run. I would rather do it that way then give up and go back to eating the way we are. It may taste good, but it sure doesn't feel good later.

I will be checking in here often to get advice or tips, and the recipe section is going to be a favorite place of mine.

Thank you

Ann

You're welcome, Ann. Salads are a great choice, and easy to do with Zone At-a-Glance. Just toss together some lettuce with a couple handfuls of more sunstantial veggies, top with grilled chicken breast or purchased ready-cooked chicken like Perdue Short Cuts, make a dressing of 1 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp vinegar, and voila! Then eat a bowl of berries for dessert to round out the carbohhydrate balance. Keep it simple. An easy delicious snack is 1/2 cup low fat yogurt mixed with some vanilla extract and a small spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter. Have fun with it!

Ann,

I am a long-time zoner who does not use the Zone foods, as well. I am always happy to offer tips and suggestions, as they evolve! Lately, I have been concocting lots of salads that don't even involve any lettuce. Mostly using chicken for the protein, but other proteins can be subbed in. Today's salad was a mixture of cucumber, red pepper, carrot shreds, chicken, olive oil, and some yogurt mixed up with brown mustard and some spices to make a creamy dressing.

thank you Cranberrycat and Sue. I am using avocado as my fat with the salads because I don't like salad dressing though I may try making my own now. I had a hard time finding a fat to go with yogurt and fruit so I did try some peanut butter. I love peanut butter but didn't think it would work with the yogurt. Boy was I wrong. Apple, yogurt, and peanut butter mixed all together is delish. I'm not sure if I am getting the amounts right, but I have already lost 2 lbs in the last week so I'm giving it a good go.

Trader Joe's carries a great tasting and natural Almond Butter. I do miss peanut butter,sometimes; but, we have decided with some of the "anti-nutrients" of peanut butter, to switch to Almond Butter.

Ann, if you are doing a lot of salads, I have a few tips for some salad dressings.

For a southwest salad, I use guacamole and salsa for my dressing.

If I want a creamy dressing, I use 1/4 cup of plain yogurt as the base, and then season it as needed.

For an oriental flare, I use a toasted sesame oil, toss in some rice vinegar, ginger, and a touch of honey for a tad bit of sweetness (not enough to make a difference in carb counts).

Sounds delicious, Ann. Peanut butter in yogurt is one if my favorites!

Thought I would give everyone an update. I am trying to do this and it is not working well with my schedule. When I have days like I did yesterday and today it is difficult to find time to eat. Yesterday I did manage 10 minutes between 6 am and 5 pm to inhale a salad. Other then that I was driving or taking care of my mother. It's nearly impossible to follow this diet when you have to eat while driving. But on a positive note. I am paying much closer attention to what I eat and how much. I have lost a couple lbs and honestly feel so much better. I feel like I am breaking the addiction to sugar. Now if I have something sweet I savor it. I want to thank everyone for the tips and I will check back soon.

Hi Ann,
Good to see your trying to stick with it. I felt the same way, i had to make time that i didn't really feel i had just to throw some food down my throat. I had to make a conscious effort and decide that i was important and deserved to be fit and healthy. Don't give too much of yourself away. You are important! you deserve to have time to stay fit and healthy. Good luck with it.

Thanks Louise but I drive for a living and I am the only one taking care of my 83 year old mother. She lives 35 minutes away. So the other day I drove for 3 hours in the am for work .5 back home, .5 to pick up my mother for a doctor appoint, .5 hours home, then .5 back to the school where I had 10 minutes before the kids came out. Then I went back to the 3 hours bringing them home. No wiggle room on days like that. I eat on the run or I don't eat at all. Luckily I thought to make a salad before I left in the morning or I would not have had that. I don't see how everyone finds time to make these meals or finds combinations that work together. I am working at it, but can't seem to get the balance right. Maybe I'll have better luck this week.

I think the longer you stick with it and have the benefit of feeling good you will find ways around it. When your too busy your too busy there are days when its just not going to happen. Don't beat yourself up.
We are still really out of whack at the moment and finding it hard to get back on track at some meals. Over xmas we can often do a weeks trade in one day in our business and unless my mother is in the shop helping us and makes us lunch and demand we stop and eat it just doesn't happen. I really do get where you are coming from all you can do is try as hard as you can. It definatley takes effort and commitment when you are just to tired to be bothered!
When i read all the other posts they say don't eat too much fruit, don't eat egg yolks but i know for me that if i grab a couple of hard boiled eggs and get my carbs from fruit and throw back a few almonds for fat that i am treating my body better than not eating at all like i previously have done. So don't be too strict just do what you can when you can and you should see some improvement in your health. Small improvements are better than none.

Ann, Be patient, in the beginning it was taking me 2 hours at night to plan and make dinner, pack lunches and breakfasts for the next day. But it gets eaiser as you find your favorite foods and understand how to make it all work together. I suggest finding a zone protien bar you like to keep handy and get you through the day. Also stock up on some quick foods like cheese sticks, and have your vegies ready by cutting up a bunch and bagging them up for on the go. My husband eats while driving for 2 snacks and lunch everyday. Allow your self 1/2 a slice of bread if making a sandwich saves your sanity! And it is eaiser if you stop looking at the zone as a diet but a change of life. If you fall off the zone for a meal get right back on at your next meal.
Good luck one small stepat a time