Hi! everybody, well I used to do a lot of sport when i was younger, but I had a disease and I had to quit almost for a year (a surgery in the abbs zone). Well, get fat after than and now I want a ripped and lean body, I hope the zone diet could give it to me.

Now I've been in the Zone for 2 months, I've felt great but I have some questions about the traingin and the way you eat. Right now I eat like this: 3 meals of 5 blocks; and 2 or 3 snacks of 1 block. I think is ok bucause of the amount of excercise I do.

1. I workout 3 to 5 times a week (in the afternoon ) i do strenght exercise for an hour or an hour and a half. The question is: Should I eat a snack before and after my workout??? only before??? only after??? I need to know because some times while the workout I feel weak or hungry.

2. Second quiestion, I read here in the Zone Community, that when you are training you need to add 1 block of fat to every meal and snack you eat??? Is that true??? Why??? i thought it was suposed to add an extra block when you want to mantein your weight, wasn it???

3. My schedule is as follows:
Breakfast 7:30 am
Snack 11:00 am
Meal 3:00 pm
Snack 6:00 pm
Dinner 9:00 pm
Snack 11:00 pm

The problem is that after my first snack (usually natural yogurt and three pistachios) I begin to feel hungry (about 1:00 pm) but I can not eat a this time because of my work. What can I do??? When I arrive home I'm starving.

Well thats all for now, ope you can help me.

Hi Adolfo!

Questions 1 and 2 combined: Yes, eat a snack before and after your workout and count them as part of your daily block requirement. Check your block requirement with the calculator (link at right) and eat the recommended amount of blocks daily. Yes, if your workouts are strenuous and you're lacking energy during workouts when eating at your block requirement, you would add more monounsaturated fat to meals to supply the energy. Yes, you also add more monounsaturated when you wish to maintain you current body fat.

Question 3: A 1 block snack only lasts about 2 to 2.5 hours, so it’s not a surprise that you begin feeling hungry about 1 PM. If you're unable to change the timing of snacks, then change block amounts at meals and snacks to make you snacks larger. You might it this way: 3 block breakfast, 3 block snack, 3 block lunch, 1 block snack before workout, 1 block snack after workout, 3 block snack, 3 block dinner and 1 block bedtime snack. This gives the same total of 18 blocks that you're currently eating, would support you workout better, and would most likely prevent hunger between meals. Another option for this 3 block meal and snack plan would be to change your 6 PM snack from 3 blocks to 2 blocks on workout days and eat that block as 1 block snack about 45 minutes into your workout.

Thanks a lot, but now I have another question, I've been reading that when you are training you must eat FISH OIL in order to burn body fat, and the problem is that I haven't, so Any kind of fish oil works or it must be the one from the zone???? If it does, what should I look for in fish oil to get the best results? The fish oil intake is considered as a par of tha daily fat intake or it is apart???

Well tanks a lot for answering so fasta....

You're welcome Adolfo!

Fish oil aids in fat burning and it reduces the level of inflammation in the body. To be effective and to be safe to take it should be Zone Labs fish oil or one that meets the criteria of Zone fish oil. The criteria is as follows; it must be an ultra-refined EPA and DHA concentrate, a 60% concentration with an EPA to DHA ratio of 2/1, and it must have the IFOS 5 star rating. This type of fish oil is not sold in stores.

You done usually count fish oil toward you fat blocks. Consider it supplemental.

Hi again, well now I've been in the zon for at least 3 months or so but I realized that I started to lose mass so I decide to take Cell tech (Creatine) and Nitro tech (Protein) both from muscletech, only after my workouts because I dont want to get thin and look weak.

After workout meal is the only one Im not in the zone because of that. Is there any problem if I thake the complements I mentioned above.

Thanks!!!!

Hi Adolfo,

We have found some pretty comparable fish oil from Puritan's Pride (an online supplement seller) that is working well for us.

As for your questions on Cell & Nitro Tech...hubby has found that those supplements stopped his gains in the Zone. He has actually gained mass by following the 30 day meal plan in the Toxic Fat book and by taking 10gr Solgar (Vanilla Bean) Whey Protein and 10 gr Spirutein Soy Protein (Choco Peanut Butter) plus 1 tsp all natural PB mixed in 1 cup fat free organic milk twice a day (usually before/after workouts). That is all he does and works out at least three days a week weight lifting for an hour and he runs every morning (he's a soldier in the Army so that is mandatory).

Hope this helps.

~M

Which fish oil is it that you use?