I am very confused! There is a lot of conflicting information about how many "calories" you should consume each day. I have read where you take your body weight and multiply by a factor of 10 to arrive at a base calorie level. Then you add an "activity" factor to it. Of course you see the 2,000 calorie a day number all over nutrition information on package food items. I calculated my calorie requirement using the zone block of 4 for each meal and 2 snacks and it comes to approximately 1,085 calories a day. This appears very, very low. Why is there such a difference of opinion amongst all these so called "experts" on nutrition????? Can we actually survive on less calories then we have been "led" to believe????

I am a personal trainer and I want to recommend the Zone program for my clients that are wanting to eat more nutritiously and desiring to lose weight.

Joseph in Texas

Hi Joseph,

Most BMR/calorie calculations you read about are based on the body burning carb to produce its energy. In the Zone the body burns fat to produce all its energy. That changes the picture in regard to the number of calories being expended. The following quote by Barry Sears (pg. 104, The Anti-Inflammation Zone”) explains it , “One of the more difficult concepts to get across to athletes, coaches, dieticians, and physicians is the differences between burning calories and producing ATP from calories. ATP is the chemical that is required not only for muscle contraction, but also for virtually all of our metabolism. ATP is made on an as-needed basis from either glucose of fat. Your production of ATP is far greater from a calorie of fat than from a calorie of glucose. In the Anti-Inflammation Zone you are primarily burning fat for ATP production as opposed to glucose. This means you are also making all the ATP you need, even though fewer calories are being expended. This is why diabetics, world-class athletes, or just plain normal people require fat fewer calories on the Zone Diet than calculated from the usual metabolic equations. It is because they are producing more ATP from less calories.”

I am new at looking into Zone also and just found that I need 11 blocks of each nutrient which calculates to 77g protein, 99g carb and 16.5 g. fat for a total of 852.5 calories. My body cannot live on that low of caloric intake evan at rest doing nothing. Did I miss something or what's wrong with this picture?

Hi Mickey!

For starters, there's a minimum of 33 grams of fat in 11 blocks. 11 blocks will usually yield around 1200 calories. You're taking it too literally when you apply the calorie count. The protein foods contain some fat, the carb foods contain some protein and fat, some of the foods used as fats (they contain primarily fat) also contain protein and carbs, etc.

Joseph and Mickey,

I will look for a thread that may help you to think the calorie thing through a bit more objectively. One of our forum members had posted a question related to ATP production via burning carb for energy vs. burning fat for energy. It is in another thread. Sears' contention is that fat is 3X as efficient as an energy source as carbs are, therefore that means that the body does not need as many calories if it is burning fat for energy. However, according to some mathematical calculations, the forum member was trying to point out that the math was a bit "fuzzy".

It is an interesting read, although it is a bit detailed and to be honest, I am not sure it is a discussion that most of us are able to understand!

Mickey, I'm eating 11 blocks per day and find the amount and combination of food very satisfying. This way of eating is like nothing else I've ever done, and believe me, I've tried just about everything. You definitely can't eat junk and you have to make your choices good ones, but the weight lost and energy gained are well worth it. I began the Zone on March 26, have lost 14 lbs. and feel better than I have in a long time. I'm a 62 year old notoriously-unable-to-lose-weight woman, and I encourage you to try it. Joseph, you have to tell your clients about the Zone; you'll be doing them a big favor. I wish somebody had told me years ago.

Here is the link to the thread:

http://www.zonediet.com/Community/F...fault.aspx

Hello,
I did my calculations from the following information from "the-zone-diet-recipies.com"
" For example, if you use Dr. Sears’ calculator for Zone Diet, you’ll discover that you need 77 grams of protein each day. 77 grams of protein is equal to 11 mini-blocks of protein. In the Zone Diet, 40-30-30 meal ratio means that you need equal amounts of every macro nutrient, namely carbohydrates, protein, and fats, but a mini-block for each type of macro nutrient weigh differently in grams. Here are their comparisons and weight:

• Carbohydrates: 1 mini-block = 9 grams
• Protein: 1 mini-block = 7 grams
• Fat: 1 mini-block = 1 1/2 grams

Combine a mini-block of the three types of macro nutrient and you’ll get one block of Zone Diet meal. Supposedly, this amount of information is enough for a person to prepare and cook Zone Diet meals, but the tedious counting and measuring makes things more confusing."
If that is not correct, what are the correct mini-block equivalents in grams?

FWIW, I'm 71 and lost 40 LB counting calories but have been shooting for 40/30/30 percentage ratio for carb/protein/fat based on the Biggest Loser 'balanced oxidizer' test and just realized that ratio was the Zone... sorta. I've got 8 more stubborn pounds to lose.

On a technical issue, why isn't the forum registering my screen/ user name? It is showing my actual name.

<div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By Cranberrycat on 05/11/2009 5:47 PM

Joseph and Mickey,

I will look for a thread that may help you to think the calorie thing through a bit more objectively. One of our forum members had posted a question related to ATP production via burning carb for energy vs. burning fat for energy. It is in another thread. Sears' contention is that fat is 3X as efficient as an energy source as carbs are, therefore that means that the body does not need as many calories if it is burning fat for energy. However, according to some mathematical calculations, the forum member was trying to point out that the math was a bit "fuzzy".

It is an interesting read, although it is a bit detailed and to be honest, I am not sure it is a discussion that most of us are able to understand! </div>

I read that thread and came away confused. What triggers the body to burn fat vs burning carb other than reducing carb content? What guarantees the body is burning fat?

Maintaining the low insulin levels of Zone switches the body to burning fat to produce ATP.

Mickey, when you do the calculations, you need to consider a mini-block of fat to be 3 grams. This is because there is "hidden fat" in most protein sources. In fact, when we eat a fat free protein, we are supposed to "double" the fat block, to assure ourselves that we truly get 3 grams of fat per block.

That may be why your calorie calculations were off.

I think Sue answered the question of how to turn the body over to burning fat.

I know, that thread is quite complicated.

Thanks Cranberrycat, I see the rational now.

Mickey, I too never figured out why the cute username I picked out has never appeared, but rather my actual name...?

AH, this came up the other day, and I think it is that you have to go under "My Zone" and change your "name" to what you want to appear.

I used to think that was under the "my profile" link in the upper right, but I was corrected on that by someone the other day.

And to think that I have done it before! Well, once was enough for me, I guess!

Oh, LOL I think that was me!

<div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By Cranberrycat on 05/12/2009 1:31 PM

AH, this came up the other day, and I think it is that you have to go under "My Zone" and change your "name" to what you want to appear.

I used to think that was under the "my profile" link in the upper right, but I was corrected on that by someone the other day.

And to think that I have done it before! Well, once was enough for me, I guess!</div>

====
If that is the case, then there is something definitely wrong with the programming and should be corrected. This page shows my User Name as logged in at the top but when I post it shows my Real Name and that is not what is intended. Has management been notified? How do we notify them?

Mickey, all you have to do to change it is click on 'my zone' at the top of your screen and change your first name on that page to whatever you want to appear in your posts.

Thanks Jana, I know how to change it but my point is that this sophisticated website has a database that is requesting and recording one's Real Name, User Name and Nickname but the programming is not reading the database correctly to display it properly. It would behoove the webmaster to correct that and also take a look at http://validator.w3.org/ results too.

Thanks Jana, I know how to change it but my point is that this sophisticated website has a database that is requesting and recording one's Real Name, User Name and Nickname but the programming is not reading the database correctly to display it properly. It would behoove the webmaster to correct that and also take a look at http://validator.w3.org/ results too for other technical issuues.