I need to start the zone plan again and have questions about the body fat calculator. It says to measure at your navel, but my navel is at the smallest part of my waist. About 3 " below my waist my stomach pooches out and is wider than my hip measurement. So where do I measure for the two measurements? Also, I'm afraid my measurements are off the chart (I haven't tried it yet) so how do I figure the number of blocks I need? Thanks.

If your measurements are off the charts in Zone books, or if you weigh more than 300 pounds, assume that half of your total weight is LBM and half is body fat. To get your block requirement multiply half of your total weight times the appropriate activity factor (0.5 for sedentary, 0.6 for light activity, 0.7 for moderate activity, 0.8 for active, 0.9 for very active and 1.0 for an elite athlete) and divide by 7. If the result is below 11 blocks, eat at least 11 blocks. Dr. Sears has set the 11 block minimum for all adults. If you weigh below 300 pounds, and your measurements work in the calculator try doing it with your actual navel measurement and then do the again using the measurement from the larger area. Compare the two results to see if it makes any difference to you protein/block requirement. It most likely will not. The protein/block requirement will be the most important piece of info you'll get from the calculation in order to help you eat appropriately in the Zone.