I have been exercising well and Zoning, and I am losing between 2.5 - 3 lbs a week just recently (past two weeks). I don't believe it's LBM because (1) I'm weight training and eating enough protein, (2) my bodyfat scale shows my bodyfat percentage dropping, (3) my clothes are fitting better, etc. I have read all over the internet and 80% of info out there says it's impossible to lose more than 2lbs a week unless you are losing LBM. Does anyone know the real answer to this question? My thought is that some people may be able genetically or otherwise to lose a bit more than 2 lbs a week without sacrificing muscle. I used to be a powerlifter, and I want to get my old, firm body back. I definitely don't want to lose any muscle if I can help it. I have 50 lbs to lose still, have lost 22 total so far, and I work out 6x a week, with 45 min cardio after weight training. (I'm a woman, BTW)

congratulations!!!! that is sooooo exciting. i only hope that will happen for me. I am not an expert at all. but i think it is the wonderful amount of exercise you're doing. I think its great. because people who just exercise and don't watch what they eat tend to lose weight anyway. and here you are doing both. eating the best posssible for you health and fat burning and then fat burning exercise! as long as you don't feel tired or drained I would say never give it up! i wish i could make sure i am eating the same as you! :)

Why aren't you eating the same as me? (Not trying to be mean, just to understand) I work full time, a part time job, two volunteer jobs for dog rescue, and go to school full time. I'm a landlord, foster home to dogs, and have three step children. If I can find time to prepare a good day's worth of food, why can't you? There are secrets, and each person can find their methods. Here are some of mine. I work in an office, so I bought myself a fridge and microwave for my office. Not everyone can do that, but how about a portable cooler instead, and use the microwave at work? I cook a couple of days worth of food at once, eat lots of cold foods like cottage cheese, almonds and berries. I eat a lot of microwaved broccoli, fruit, and tuna in the pouch for lunch. There is little to no food prep involved when all you are doing is microwaving a bag of veggies, eating an apple, and tuna with some spices on it. Or just throw together cottage cheese and berries ahead of time and eat throughout the day. Also, I bought one of those handheld mixers and use it to make shakes. Yummy, I am eating desert all day long. Again, I just keep the food in my fridge. It doesn't take any cooking, just protein powder, berries, and some fat. I use Silk soy milk for the fat and some carbs. Not everything has to be a recipe. I eat a lot of fish, and no other meat, so much of what I do is cook up a few pounds of fish in one night, and package it up into little containers so I can grab it in the morning on the way to the gym.

hey there! well what i meant was i hope i am doing it correctly. i do the cheese and berries or apple with almonds in the morning then a large salad for lunch and diner with fish usually and then snacks are usually the zone bar or an egg and a peice of fruit. but i sometimes a wonder if i am measuring it correctly. like with the cottage cheese. i am hesitant to try any of them because they aren't a perfect 1 block protien 1 block carb. which brand do you use and how much can you eat of it? they are all different. i am always afraid i will still be hungry if i don't get the largest meal i can with the 3 blocks per meal. and when i do the veggies i am never really sure i am eating enough of them, but i don't want to overdo anything either. are you very careful about measuring you veggies and fruits? i don't mind preparing the food. i make my mom the zone diet too and then my dad whatever he wants which is never a zone meal. i love to cook/prepare any food, i just don't know if a do it right. it's probably just all in my head and i should be satisfied with my meals. i just always want to eat more. i am a snacker, an all day snacker. i wish there was guilt free foods on this diet we could just eat all day long. i am soooo exhausted i am probably gona read this tomorrow and not understand what i wrote. nighty nighty but this is a great forum so i will be back tomorrow :)

Can you give me your recipy for the shake? is it any good? how many blocks is it? I'm trying to find something portable for breakfast when I come to work. thanks.

I just measure out a cup of silk soy milk, a scoop of Designer Whey protein, and a cup of berries. I add a little flax oil sometimes, and some cinnamon. It's really good, quick, and portable. Blueberries make the shake thicken, though, so you can't mix them up until you're ready to drink.

I think, personally, that cheese, apples, and almonds are an awesome meal. As I eat mostly vegetarian, except for the fish, I do that a lot. Cheddar is really good with apples. But I also eat a lot of cottage cheese and berries. I mostly eat no salt added (which takes some getting used to) and I find that with the low fat version of cottage cheese, I use equal amounts of cottage cheese to berries and then add in some almonds. If you don't know if you are measuring correctly, then go specifically by the block count. Either buy the Zone block book, or use the online USDA database, which is free. I found that the diet was exhausting in the beginning because I measured everything and it took so long to measure and count, etc. Now, I have learned the block count of the foods I eat regularly, and it's second nature. Yes, it's a pain in the beginning, but now I don't even realize I am measuring anymore. I eat a lot of broccoli. I mean A LOT of brocolli. I eat a whole bag most lunches, which is 5 cups, and I can't fit another thing in by the end of my meal. There's no way you would be hungry if you ate this meal. (3 blocks) 3 oz tuna, 5 cups broccoli, 1/8 cup almonds, and an apple. I also snack all day long, and I find that I can no longer eat big meals because I have adjusted to eating smaller portions. Also, I am never hungry because my next meal is always just an hour or two away.

Hi, Rotzilla is correct that this is a great meal or snack along with some nuts. But keep in mind that while Rotzilla's meal of equal portions of berries and cheese works for her, it would not be considered anywhere near Zone balanced (not even if one was dropping carb down a bit). For most cottage cheeses, 1/4 cup equals one proteinn block. ( Dr. Sears advises to disregard any carbs in plain, unsweetened cottage cheese.) But you need a much larger portion of berries than 1/4 cup to Zone balance it. For blueberries, 1/2 cup per carb block, for strawberries and raspberries 1 full cup each, and for blackberries 3/4 cup. Don't forget to add some fat. Sue

Good Shake recipe 2 blocks frozen berries (I like raspberries or raspberries and strawberries. 1 block = 1 cup, so you need two cups.) (2C) 1/2 cup plain yogurt (1C, 1P) 2/3 scoop vanilla soy or whey protein powder (depends on your brand, 2P) Splenda to taste warm water until desired consistency (or nuke the berries a bit) You can add 1 t. olive oil or canola oil for fat (3F), or just eat 9 almonds, which is what I usually do. :) This travels well in a tall coffee mug with a straw. If you don't do yogurt and do 3 blocks of berries, it probably won't fit in your cup. :) Enjoy! Ronica

I do not disregard the carbs in cottage cheese, hence our discrepancy. Can you tell me where to look to find Dr. Sear's statement to disregard the carbs in cottage cheese? I do not disregard any milk carbs because of the low to no fiber content of these products.

[quote="RBrownson"]Good Shake recipe 2 blocks frozen berries (I like raspberries or raspberries and strawberries. 1 block = 1 cup, so you need two cups.) (2C) 1/2 cup plain yogurt (1C, 1P) 2/3 scoop vanilla soy or whey protein powder (depends on your brand, 2P) Splenda to taste warm water until desired consistency (or nuke the berries a bit) You can add 1 t. olive oil or canola oil for fat (3F), or just eat 9 almonds, which is what I usually do. :) This travels well in a tall coffee mug with a straw. If you don't do yogurt and do 3 blocks of berries, it probably won't fit in your cup. :) Enjoy! Ronica[/quote] Ronica: I tried your shake this morning and it was very yummy (and Filling) however, I just notice on the home page of this site, that Dr. Sears doesn't think this would be any good. Something about lack of fiber! I've copied the text...here it is: [size=9][color=red]"Liquid meals and smoothies" I have never been a big breakfast person so the idea of making a smoothie based on Zoneperfect protein powder, favorable fruit, nuts and water is easy and appealing. However, I just saw your article saying that liquid meals are not as good. Is a smoothie a liquid meal? Is it OK to have smoothies every day for breakfast? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Zone smoothie can easily be made by making sure that you add extra soluble fiber to the mix. The recipe that you mention will not work very well because there is very little soluble fiber. We will have a Zone shake mix coming out in January that does a very effective job of not only making a good breakfast, but also being able to encapsulate up to 1 tablespoon of OmegaRx fish oil without any taste.[/color][/size] Comments anyone? I just started today and I would hate to start on the wrong foot!!

Hmm. Interesting, I didn't know that. However, if I eat the berries without blending them, that's OK? Example, in a week in the zone, Dr. Sears has several breakfast recipes with only fruit for carbs. Including a smoothie, although I have changed it a little by removing blueberries (they don't blend well and I don't like the texture) and adding a bit of yogurt to make up for the graininess of the soy protein. So, he is disagreeing with himself, or referring (in your quoted article) to smoothies made without 2 cups of berries. I find this smoothie will hold me at least 4 1/2 hours, if not five. The only problem is that i have to go to the restroom more. :? I think that if you look at Sears repsonses, he is not only playing the role of good doctor, but also good businessman. All his "new questions" seem to center around the latest new product he has coming out, and why this is just a shade better than anything else on the market, or anything you could cook up in your own kitchen. Hopefully, he won't kick me off the site for saying that. :wink: I looked up strawberries and raspberries, and with a cup of each, one would be getting nearly 15 grams of fiber. 9 cups of broccoli has just over 18 grams of fiber. Seems pretty comparable, and frankly I have no desire to eat 9 cups of broccoli for breakfast. :) I'm not a scientist, so I can't attest to whether it's soluble, insoluble or whatever, but I know what works for me. I like berry smoothies. They're yummy. :) Ronica 8)

Well, thanks. That makes me feel better because they are very convenient for me! I also make my smoothies with strawberries and rasberries....soooo good. :D

I eat a smoothe every morning and don't seem to have any trouble. I drink it around 7 and it holds me until I eat luch a little after 12. Just my thoughts.

Nobody answered the original question by Rottzilla (loosing more than 2 lbs per week without loosing LBM). I'm wondering too. Since I would like to loose a little bit more of BF in view of a race (to a percentage which many of you would consider unhealty, I know...) I do no longer add extra fat since one week and I have lost far more than two lbs too, due to training, but it doesn't seem to be LBM. Thanks. Paola

I don't understand how eating five cups of broccoli adds up to 3 blocks of carbs? If you eat 3 oz of tuna and 5 cups of broccoli....isnt' that not balanced??? I thought 1C of broccoli was 1 1/4 cup .... That's what it says in Mastering the Zone...

5 cups of broccoli are approx 10 g of carb. (4 carb - 2 fiber per cup) I eat 5 c of broccoli for lunch, and balance with a piece of fruit. That was getting to be too much food, hence the reason for cutting my meals to 2 blocks each and raising my snacks to 2 blocks. Much easier to eat those meals. :D

Paola, Describe for me what you are doing. I am very interested. Sounds like we have similar goals and are both athletes. :)

Isn't broccoli and fruit ALL carbs??? Where's your protein and fat??

[quote="rottzilla"]Paola, Describe for me what you are doing. I am very interested. Sounds like we have similar goals and are both athletes. :)[/quote] Hi rottzilla, I'm trying now to switch from duathlon to triathlon, therefore I'm swimming 3-4 times a week for 1hour, run for 4 times a week for about an hour and cycle for about 1 hour 2-3 times a week. I also lift weights 1 time a week. That's at least 8-12 hours exercise weekly at 80%-90% hearth rate, depending of the kind of training planned. I'm petite (1.55 m - can't remember wat it is in feet), my weight now is 49 kg and I'm supposed to be at 12 blocks. Last time I mesured my body fat it was 16% (and I was at the same weight as now). I want to loose 5-6 lbs only. ciao Paola

FYI=3 cups cooked broccoli equals 1 block (9grams carbs)

[quote:ae55610607="rottzilla"]I do not disregard the carbs in cottage cheese, hence our discrepancy. Can you tell me where to look to find Dr. Sear's statement to disregard the carbs in cottage cheese? I do not disregard any milk carbs because of the low to no fiber content of these products.[/quote:ae55610607] Hi, Sorry I took so long to answer. I've been away. You posted you take equal amounts of cottage cheese and berries. If using raspberries or strawberries, and you take 3/4 cup cottage cheese to 3/4 cup berries, you have 3P blocks and 0.75C block. If you consider the carbs in the cottage cheese (mine has less than 2g C for every 7g P) you have approximately an additional 5g carb or 1/2 C block, for a total of 3P and 1.25 C. Neither of these are Zone balanced. Therefore the difference in our opinions is not due to the C in your cottage cheese, unless your cottage cheese is much higher in C than the ones available to me. In regards to your question of where to look to find Dr. Sears statements about counting carb, I believe that in just about every Zone book he explains that one need not count every little gram of C in the P source, P in the C source , etc. The amount of C in relation to P in milk is much greater than in cottage cheese, so the C is counted in milk. Sue

Cottage cheese 1/2 c 13g protein, 6g carb Frozen berries 1/2 c 15g carb-2 g fiber =13g carb Almonds to make up the fat This is straight off the package. I do use a mixed berry package that is mostly raspberries and blueberries. The strawberries I use say 3/4 c for the same amount of carbs.

[quote:b5a624a1cd="reneebergeron3"]Isn't broccoli and fruit ALL carbs??? Where's your protein and fat??[/quote:b5a624a1cd] That isn't all I eat, obviously, someone just asked how many carbs are in broccoli. Read the rest of the posts.

[quote:4f21e6e0fe="tech@drsears.com"]FYI=3 cups cooked broccoli equals 1 block (9grams carbs)[/quote:4f21e6e0fe] The packages I have states 4.5 c (these are florets only, so maybe that's the difference?)