HI! I just wanted to drop a line to introduce myself. I am new to this forum, but not new to the Zone. I would love to join this community and pick your brains here and there, hopeful to help myself over a bit of a plateau.

I have been zoning for about 3 years, having lost 30 pounds and then recently this year gaining about 5 back over the past year.

I eat pretty much in the zone, although I stray a bit on occasion. I think that I could use a boost in activity.

Hope to chat with you all soon!

Welcome Cabbage Patch!

If you want to get more specific, I am sure that there are many who can help you get over your plateau.

Hope to chat with you soon!

What exercise do you do and what is your body fat percentage? It's possible to put weight on and lose fat, if you are exercising and building muscles.

I am not sure if the question was for me or for cranberrycat, but I will tell you that I just started doing a circuit training thing at work. It is called "fitfast", and it involves moving from one machine to another, spending about 30 seconds at each station, and basically the toning and aerobic workout is combined.

I have had friends who have done this in the past, and they had good results with it.

I see. You said you had put 5 lbs back on, and I wasn't sure if you were stating that was a problem or not. You see I know many people on the Zone that are trying to put more weight on! But in muscle, not fat.

So whilst I don't always, I try to make the distinction between weight loss and fat loss. E.g. I've lost about 31 lbs of fat, but only 22 lbs in actualweight, because my Lean Body Mass (muscle effectively) has increased.

Oh, I get it. I have gained 5 pounds on the scale, but no change in size of clothing--although just a bit tighter. I am pretty sure this represents some fat gain.

I am doing the exercise program to help me build LBM, and then I am hoping that the added LBM will help me burn fat.

Exercise will help you burn fat, and providing you exercise to a high enough intensity, you should build LBM as well. Certainly the Zone will ensure you take enough protein to be able to build LBM.

I would agree with Colin, I think that the exercise will help burn fat and build LBM. The added LBM will also rev up your metabolism, and that should also help.