Hi Angie,
Although not a vegetarian, I too want to gain weight. I started the Zone diet about a month ago and I have actually lost about 8 pounds. I would like to know what you have learned in the past month. As I am still new, do not consider me an expert, but this is what I have learned: increase your fat blocks, double or more, fat does not effect insulin but it does carry lots of calories, keep the fat monosaturated (nuts, peanuts, olive oil); increase your total Zone blocks slightly; and add an additional block per day of medium to high glycemic carbs. This last recommendation I read on Anne-Marie’s site (
http://www.anne-marie.ca, thanks Anne-Marie). She seams to really be a Zone expert. She got the info from a couple of Q&A's from Ask Dr. Sears. One is an older gentleman who exercises intensely and the other is a younger female doctor who also exercises intensely. In both cases Dr. Sears recommended adding medium and high glycemic carbs.
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[Sears quote]"Age & exercise"
Dear Dr. Sears, Your scales showing age and the amount of exercise stop at 60. I am 77 and in good health and for years have exercised every other day. Normally this consists of 15 machines, moving about 15,000 lbs of iron in 35 minutes. Then I use the tread mill for 15 minutes at steep angles for 100 calories loss. Is this too much for my age? I notice you suggest some workout each day for shorter time periods. I have to drive 40 miles to get in my gym work, so the every other day is best for me. I have been in the Zone for one week now, but find it hard to eat so much stuff on my plate. I know if I cut back, then my calorie intake will fall below 1500 and I don't want that. Thanks, Neale
Dear Neale, Your exercise intensity is excellent for your age since it is obvious that you can recover rapidly from one bout of exercise to another. At that level of intensity, I would suggest that you continue to only work out every other day. My suggestion for working out every day would be for individuals doing a much lower level of intensity. One way of making your Zone meals more manageable is to include some favorable higher-density carbohydrates in your meals. These would include legumes (like black beans), whole grains (such as oatmeal or barley), and a slice of whole-grain bread. Their higher carbohydrate density will decrease the volume of food on your plate, but they should not account for more than 25-33% of your total carbohydrates at a meal.
"Uncontrollable hunger"
Dear Dr. Sears, I am a 37 y.o. female physician who started the Zone diet 2 months ago. I exercise 5 days a week for about 11/2 hrs. (weight training and cardiovascular exercises on alternate days). I weigh 120 lbs and have 20% body fat. I recently had the blood work done you recommend in "The Soy Zone" book. My fasting insulin is 2uIU/ml, triglycerides are 39mg/dl, and HDL is 66mg/dl. My problem is that even when I consume 14 blocks per day I am always hungry. Most of my protein comes from soy and most of my carbohydrates come from vegetables. I have tried withdrawing 1 carbohydrate block and adding an extra fat block with no success. I also tried adding 1 additional carbohydrate block, but I am still hungry with good mental acuity within 2-3 hrs I am taking 9 pills of fish oil per day. Please help me. ivette
Dear Ivette: The fact that you have good mental acuity, but are hungry within 2-3 hours indicates that you have to add to some additional carbohydrate to your meals as described in the Zone Tools section (see Balancing Your Hormonal Carburetor). In this case, add one additional block of a high-glycemic carbohydrate like ½ a piece of bread. Your current protein-to-carbohydrate ratio is pushing insulin levels too low. Make that slight adjustment, and you will see a world of difference.[[/i:b4d4cb483d]Sears unquote]
Let me know how you are doing,
Ron