I started to zone over a year ago and after losing 15 lbs I stopped losing weight. I kept zoning for a couple of months after that but then gave up. Then, of course, I gained back all that I lost plus a few. Around the second week of December I found out that soy can sabatoge you if you have thyroid problems so thinking this may have been the culprit I started zoning again with only minimal soy intake and after losing 5 pounds I'm back to the same place, not losing anymore weight. I exercise regularly, jog 2-3x per week and Pilates 1-2x per week. I watch my blocks VERY closely and yet here I am. The other issues I deal with are hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia and PCOS. One of the reasons I ever started the zone in the first place was to get the hypoglycemia and PCOS under control and hopefully ward off diabetes. And while I know I should just be satisfied with how much better I feel, when your 60lbs overweight it's hard not to get discouraged when the needle on the scale doesn't move. :x Thanks for letting me vent jdyar

[quote:30643a0e9d] I started to zone over a year ago and after losing 15 lbs I stopped losing weight. I kept zoning for a couple of months after that but then gave up. Then, of course, I gained back all that I lost plus a few.[/quote:30643a0e9d] Personally I have never found any diet to work unless I count calories. Yes, it's tedious. But no matter how healthy the diet is, in terms of controlling insulin, preventing heart disease, etc., one has to count calories (in my humble opinion). Food diaries work great. And even if you reach a plateau, that's a normal part of the process. Stay with it . I am not a rigid Zoner. I eye ball my portions . . . One quarter of my plate is a lean protein and the rest is veggies with a little fruit or beans or grains and healthy fat. But if you over eat even the healthiest of diets, you will not lose weight. That's often been my problem. It's easy for me to eat way too much of the good stuff. [quote:30643a0e9d]I exercise regularly, jog 2-3x per week and Pilates 1-2x per week. [/quote:30643a0e9d] Have you considered adding resistance training to your exercise regimen? It can build muscle mass, burn fat and increase your metabolism. The goal is to lose fat, not muscle. Good luck.

Thanks for your response. This time around I did try the food diary thing which does help. If I have to write it down then somehow it helps to make me more aware of what I put in my mouth. As far as counting calories, the truth is for most of my life it's been more a matter of eating enough than eating too much. For most years I never ate breakfast and usually skipped lunch and then either ate a really late lunch and then had dinner or just ate dinner. Don't take me wrong, I'veI never been anorexic or bulemic. I like food and even being overweight I have a pretty good body image. I just never really got hungry until about four in the afternoon. Which may be part of the problem now, my body isn't used to getting regular intervals of food during the day so it's still in the "who knows when she'll feed me again so lets hold onto this" mode. The other thing I've noticed is that if you count calories and do 40-30-30 you actually eat more grams of each than you would if you were counting blocks. Maybe I have my math wrong, I've been wrong before wouldn't be the first time, especially with math. In regards to resistance training I've done it in the past and for the most part liked it. I have some exercise videos by "THE FIRM" that I could incorporate back into my routine. I tend to build lean muscle mass very easily so I haven't done as much as I probably should. And yes I know all the statisics about how women can't get buffed up w/o steroids, BUT PCOS causes hormonal imbalances which means I have more "male" hormones floating around in my system than most women so yes I do indeed "bulk up". Which is why I like Pilates, it works your muscles but is focused more on the stretch than the pull so while the mucles get more toned and defined they don't necessarily bulk up. Anyway, at this point I'm willing to try anything so I'll try couning the calories and the blocks of what I'm eating and see how I'm doing. I'll also try adding resistance back in and see what happens. Maybe I should throw out the scale and just keep going till I'm close to the right size. The fact of the matter is I can't afford to not follow this diet. Diabetes, heart disease, etc etc etc is a pretty sure bet for me otherwise not to mention the "sugar dive witch" my family has to live with when I'm not watching what kind of carbs I'm eating. So......onward ho......

[quote:16c89e7566]As far as counting calories, the truth is for most of my life it's been more a matter of eating enough than eating too much. For most years I never ate breakfast and usually skipped lunch and then either ate a really late lunch and then had dinner or just ate dinner. [/quote:16c89e7566] The only reason I suggest counting calories + keeping a diary is that I personally don't get so literal about blocks. I eyeball my blocks and proportions. I do find that at a certain amount of calories (1700 to 1800 in my case), I can lose weight slowly. I like to lose no more than 1 pound a week in order to not yo yo. Writing down what I eat helps me make better food choices as well. You mentioned you normally like to eat late in the day and skip breakfast. That's the number one no-no for ANY diet plan - not just the Zone. I used to skip breakfast as well, But I've become accustomed to eating frequent small meals and feel my best when I eat every three hours. If you do nothing else, be sure to eat early in the day. That will shift you from wanting to eat too much later in the day which is the worst time to over eat. [quote:16c89e7566]And yes I know all the statisics about how women can't get buffed up w/o steroids, BUT PCOS causes hormonal imbalances which means I have more "male" hormones floating around in my system than most women so yes I do indeed "bulk up". Which is why I like Pilates, it works your muscles but is focused more on the stretch than the pull so while the mucles get more toned and defined they don't necessarily bulk up.[/quote:16c89e7566] I feel ignorant now but I don't know what PCOS is. Regarding bulking up, you know what works best for you. I'm also concerned about bulking up. Nevertheless, for the past month I've been experimenting with SuperSlow. And it seems to work great so far. If you want to know more about it, see some posts on the Athletic Board under subject: [i:16c89e7566]Help[/i:16c89e7566] and [i:16c89e7566]Power of Ten[/i:16c89e7566]. I posted numerous times in both of those discussions and got some interesting responses. I like SuperSlow because I don't have to weight lift more than once or twice a week. My time is valuable. Good luck!

Thanks for your input. I am almost tyranical about breakfast now that my system has gotten used to eating in the morning and your right it ABSOLUTELY makes the difference in my late afternoon cravings. I'll take a look at the postings about the weight training and see if I can't jump start my metabolism. PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. It means I have cysts on my ovaries due to a hormonal imbalance in my system. It can result in excess facial hair as well as some other "male" chracteristcs. It's one of those things that they don't know which comes first the cysts or the insulin imbalance but there's a definate connection. PCOS can lead to cancer, so even if diabetes, heart disease and all these other things weren't reason enough to get the insulin under control, this is ONE more reason to stick it out even if I never loose another pound. Thanks again

Hi jdyar - Let me start by saying how much I sympathize! I too am PCOS sufferer. I have all the same issues that you experience and it's horrible! Since I was 19 I've gained around 60 lbs. also. No matter what kind exercise, low-cal diet, and high protein diet I follow, there's no progress. I will say that we definitely need a "leg up" with our situation! I strongly believe in the Zone, it's worked for me in the past, of course when followed, but it's very difficult to follow when you're starving and craving around that "time of the month" no matter what you do, whenever the "time of the month" may occur (ha ha). May I suggest along with Dr. Sears’s fish oil, diet, exercise, is to take Metformin. I am one of those people who believe prescriptions meds should be the last choice of action, but again, we need all the help we can get! This medication has helped me with hunger and cravings at the worst time of the month! It's a diabetic medication and it's supposed to reduce insulin resistance, which we have. You can look up in the q&a and find some questions to Dr. Sears about Metformin. I've read a lot about women ovulating again, losing weight and overall reducing their symptoms after taking Metformin. I wish you the best of luck...Boo :wink: