Hey everyone!! I just started zoning today, and so far haven't had any problems! Of course I did this so that I could be healthier, but I also really would like to lose weight! I was diagnosed with hypothyroid disease a year ago, and as a result have gained more weight than i would like to admit. My question is for those who have lost weight on the zone....is there any recipes, or advice you can give me that I can try so that I can make the most out of my new life change (i'm almost in my mid 20's)...anything would be wonderful! I have also started an excersize program (pilates, and weight training)...however, my experience in weight training has always been discouraging. Everytime I lift, it seems like my arms are continuously growing larger, and I just look ridiculous...so then I stop, and the muscle dies and my arms are fat....how do I avoid this? Thank you for any input!!!

Hi libdog. Welcome to the forums. I don't lift, but I'm sure someone on here can help out with that aspect. You might want to ask that question on the Athletics forum as well. As for recipes, I have a bunch of favorites from the many Zone books. What foods to do you like and I'll share (if you like the same foods as me :-) There are lots of recipes on the www.drsears.com site as well. Keep Zoning and your weight should take care of itself. Congratulations on finding the Zone! Robbin

Robbin thank you so much for replying! I have the book "Zone meals in seconds", but I was hoping that there were some that were better zone meals and easier to lose weight than others...Also, I'm not sure what the best method to carbs is...I mean should i have different types of carbs for every meal? Just curious...and thank you!! I'm so excited to keep going! :D :!:

Hi Libdog, You have a lot of the questions that we've all had. ;) You may find some answers quicker by reading old forums through, and by typing your questions into the search engine. This should lead you to answers that will help you. A lot of Zoning is experimentation, because we are all different animals! (Although like you, I myself am canine! :lol: ) There are also great recipes on this site. One of my favorites, though, is Zone Chili from A Week in the Zone (which is a great, concise description of Zoning and includes many recipes.) I loaned mine out, but I can tell you how I make it. I make for 2 (7 blocks total) for me and my husband. It's a bit eyeballed, but pretty close. I don't measure my onions! Here's what I do: Saute 10 1/2 oz. ground chuck or turkey with 2 1/3 t. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic (minced) and an onion, chopped. Add 1 can Rotel for Chili and 1 cup salsa (chi chi's restaurant style, medium) Add 1/2 cup red beans, rinsed and drained. Salt and Pepper to taste. (The Rotel chili tomatoes are pretty hot, so I don't add other spices usually, except maybe a little cumin.) Cook for about 20 minutes, or until onions are cooked through and all is hot and bubbly. Serve sprinkled with a little shredded cheese, if desired. Good luck! Ronica

Ronica (and libdog), That's one of my favorite recipes, too. Being a vegetarian and a confirmed Tupperware and microwave addict :wink: I have several cheats to make it easy and fast. 1 large can (24 oz?) of diced tomatoes (I like the Contadina with garlic and onion the best for this chili), 1 small can of black beans (12 oz?), 2 bags of Morningstar Grillers Crumbles OR 2 packages of Yves Veggie Ground Round, 1 cup salsa give or take (for this, I make my own :-9, but any good salsa will do), Galaxy Soy Veggie Shreds and 4 Tupperware Rock'N Serve containers (they go in the freezer and don't stain) that will hold 2 1/2 - 3 cups. Lay out the containers, put 1/4 can of tomatoes, 1/4 can of beans, 1 1/4 cups of Grillers or 1/2 package of Yves VGR, and 1/4 cup of salsa. I add chili powder to taste, depending on the heat of the salsa added. Put one in the microwave and the other three in the freezer for later. After you make (read: nuke :) ) it, top it with 1 oz of the veggie shreds (or regular cheese if you can eat that) (4 blocks). I'm getting hungry! Robbin P.S. This is how I got several friends interested in the Zone. Since this is one of my "quick" meals, I often take it with me to various meetings that I might have at night and eat it before the meeting. They were commenting on how good it smelled and started asking questions! :lol:

Thank you both so much for telling me that information!! I Love Chili so much that it's so nice to have a recipe that will be so good to eat!! Thank you again!! :P I do have one more question for you, don't know if you can help at all...but I am in college, and I got straight from 9am until 2am with only enough time to walk to my other class, and I noticed today that it is hard for me to eat lunch until about 2:30pm...so I figured that I would probably need a snack in between...however I don't really know what is a good snack to bring with me that won't mind sitting in my backpack for a couple of hours...or something that is easy to make for me to throw in my bag...do you have any suggestions?? As this is the stumbling block I fell upon today!!! Thank you again!!!

A great one is a half of a balanced snack bar. I have these things stuck all over the place - my desk at work, the bottom of my purse, the sound booth at church, in my car, in my briefcase. If you are in a warm climate, Balance even has one that is uncoated so it won't matter if it is in the car in the hot sun 8) I also like soy nuts - 1/4 cup is "almost" balanced. These aren't a regular snack for me, but they come in handy in a pinch and I can find some additional "C" to totally balance it. I've also found some fairly well balanced soy jerky snacks (some need C supplementation) that are handy on the road. If you don't mind the string cheese being a little soft, I've carried those and a small apple (I don't like warm grapes :-) or tangerine to really long meetings. I don't know about leaving cheese out that long since string cheese is pretty much the only one I can eat, but it hasn't hurt me so far! You could maybe put a freeze pack in your backpack with them to keep them cool. An egg might be pushing the limits of safety for several hours in a backpack... Robbin

Libdog, I forgot your question about some recipes making you lose weight faster than others. As long as you balance, they should all be pretty equal. I do notice for myself that when I eat the less favorable carbs (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, flour) that I tend to retain water and "gain weight" even when they are balanced. And [b:eaa814bfc4]Look out![/b:eaa814bfc4] if they aren't balanced - I'm still draining off the 5 pounds of water weight I gained last week in one day when I "snacked" my way through a large muffin during an all day meeting! Robbin

Good tips on snacks everyone! I agree-- and I think the cheese is OK for a day--some cheeses are kept warmer. It's our plastic wrap society, right? :wink: Another thing, a cup of 1 1/2% (or 2% in a pinch) milk is a well-balanced snack--you may want to check the vending machines. I also enjoy smoothies (you can find recipes I've put on these forums before). You could make it , and freeze it in coffee tumblers with a sealing lids. It would thaw in your backpack, and pop in a straw and go! I've done this for long car rides. It would be an easy way to have snacks on hand--spend an hour making a bunch and freeze them (If you have lots of coffee tumblers!) Good luck! Ronica

Thank you both soooo much!! :D I really appreciate that! I am definetely going to try all of your suggestions. Yeah, I don't think that I am going to be having the unfavorable C's because I think my body holds on to them longer than the average person's...so it's probably not a good idea! I will let you know what's worked for me! Frozen fruit is just as good as fresh fruit right? Just wanted to make sure there is nothing hidden that i don't know about! Chili recipe was SOOO good! Thank you!! Thank you again for your help!!