When I enter the info. in the calculator, my weight number changes when I calculate the numbers. Why does it work like that? My measurements are:

Weight: 109 pounds (so I round it to 110 and enter 110), Height: 62 inches, Abs: 28, Hips: 34 and fitness level: Elite Athlete. The calculator changes the weight to 120 pounds!!! Yikes!

Thanks for the assistance!

Maybe it thinks you weigh too little!

Bridget,

I think it rounds up to 120 due to the limits of the factors built into the calculator. You could submit a question to "Ask Dr Sears" on DrSears.com, asking how to calculate body fat and protein requirement in your case.

I've been on the Zone for about 7 weeks and I have lost 6 pounds and one inch off my waist and one inch off my hips. The calculator indicates that I should eat 14 blocks each day and that is satisfying for me. It seems the calculator is correct when I look at my progress. So I think I'll just continue with what I have been doing. I just wasn't sure about the way the calculator operates and if anyone else has encountered some uncontrolled changes when they click the "calculate" button.

Thanks for the assistance!

If you have one of the books, you could do the calculations by hand, and find out if you are in the right ballpark for # of blocks.

Bridget,

Calculating you stats by hand from the factors in Zone books, you have 21 % body fat and 86 pounds LBM. With the Elite activity level, you require 12 blocks daily. You wouldn't want to add more protein than you require. If 12 blocks doesn't satisfy you (I assume it might not because the 14 you eat now doesn't), add extra monounsaturated fat to meals and snacks. Dr. Sears has worked with Olympians and other elite athletes and exaplains that many of them eat more than 50% of their daily calories from monounsaturated fat to meet their increased energy needs.

Hello Sue,

You are correct, 12 blocks do not satisfiy me. If I reduce my 14 blocks per day to just 12 blocks per day and then add 3 more blocks of monounsaturated fat would this be more accurate to what you said about the athletes? With this change, I would eat 12 balanced blocks per day AND 15 (total) blocks of fat.

Hello again,

I do not have the book with the "by hand" calculations-What would my blocks look like if I were at the "Very active, daily heavy weights" level with the given measurements? Would I need to increase the fats beyond the balanced block daily requirement?

You would double, or triple (or more depending upon what you need) the fat blocks at each meal and snack. A 3 block meal with tripled fat would be 3P, 3C, 9F, a triple fat 1 block snack 1P, 1C, 3F.

For Very Active, you would calculate blocks as follows:

86(LBM) times 0.9 (grams of P per pound of LBM) equals 77.4 grams of P daily. This would be 11 blocks (77.4 divided by 7 grams P per block).

You can experiment to see how you feel with various combinations of 11 or 12 blocks plus extra fat if you need it. Also, the less unfav C you use, the better your overall Zone results will be.

Sue and Cranberry Cat,

I will change my 14 block plan to 11 blocks and triple my fat with each meal and each snack. I had my doubts that I really am at the Elite Athlete level but using the calculator, it seems that is the level that seemed to satisfy me. The "very active, daily heavy weights" (I also run for 25 minutes/3 days a week) describe me better.

Thanks for all your help and for being patient with all my questions-I'm still learning and learning alot the farther I go!

Your welcome, Bridget!

Briget, your posts are bringing a couple questions to my mind.

1. What is your actual exercise in one week's time (types and amount of each)? Incidentally, running 25 min. 3 times a week would be moderate to active aerobic actiity. Depending upon what type of weight work you do and for hoe much time, it may or may not increase that level.

2. When you confirmed that 12 blocks do not satisfy you, do you mean you have hunger, or do you mean no hunger but lack energy?

Hello Sue,

1: I exercise M-W-F for 45-60 minutes with hand weights-3, 5, 8, 10 pounds each. On these days, I exercise the lower and middle body. I use 3 sets-12 reps with 5 pounds, 10 reps with 8 pounds, 8 reps with 10 pounds for thighs and calves. For the middle body, I do 3 sets of 25 reps for the abs and buttocks. I use the 3 pound weight for the serratis crunch (abs).

On T-Th-St for 45-60 minutes with the same weights and reps as above, I exercise the upper body (biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest) and I run for 25 minutes.

2: On 12 blocks I was very hungry-ready to eat everything in sight!

Hello Sue (again)

Just some more info: I have been exercising in this manner for 20 years and have not been able to get rid of some thigh, hip and belly fat. I am muscular and with some nice definition in my upper body and not as much definition in my lower and middle body.

The weights may not sound heavy but for my body measurements and size, they seem to be the right fit. I do great with the 3 and 5 pound weights, the 8 pound begins to feel heavy but I still feel strong and energized, the 10 pound is very challenging for me. Doing the last set (8 reps) is all I can do with the 10 pound; if I were to try 9 reps, I could only do half the movement of the exercise. So for me, I consider these weights to be in the "heavy" catagory for the fat calculator.

I did try to advance up to a 12 pound weight a few years ago and my body rejected it-my muscles became flabby and weak, so the 12 pound is too much for me.

Hi, Bridget,

I have 2 working theories about the bodyfat calculator. One, I think it is nice to track changes for a person of average build. However, on the other hand, I don't consider you to be average. To me, you sound much more athletic and muscular, and I can't even imagine that 12 blocks would be right for you! Since you are doing a lot more to build LBM, I would really think that you should be able to have more than 12 blocks of protein in a day. Just my opinion, though. Trying to look beyond the numbers and use a little bit of reasoning.

Hello Cranberrycat,

I've been eating 11 blocks with tripled fat with each meal and each snack for about 1 1/2 days. I feel satisfied (talking about hunger) with this plan. I know pro. body builders consume 1 gr. protein for each pound of body weight. For me, that would be 109 gr. protein each day! If my math is correct, the 77.4 gr. protein that Sue figured is more than 50 percent of my weight (I figured that to be 70 percent). Correct me, if I'm wrong, I'm terrible with math! I'll stick with the current plan of 11 blocks and trippe fat and see where it takes me. If I do not get results, then I'll try boosting my protein to 12.

Thanks for all your advice-I'd be lost without you and Sue's help.

Sounds like a good idea, but if you run into problems on 11 blocks, then you might want to consider trying 12. I still think that someone as active as you, with the strength training going on, should be able to have more blocks of protein.