Hello Zoner's. I am currently in the United States Marine Corps, and am training to enter the Special Forces. I don't really have the money at the moment to buy Dr. Sears Anti-Inflammation book, so I was wondering if some of you would be generous enough to give me the basic run down on what I need to do/eat/take to stay in the zone and fight inflammation from strenuous and endurance based exercising. I suffer mostly from lower leg pain as a result of a lot of running in boots and on pavement and in the sand. The three most effected areas in order of worst to least are my shins, knees and lastly ankles.

Any information you can pass along on fighting off inflammation and how to keep my lower extremities safe until I can afford to buy his book would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Michael!

The Zone Diet and fish oil is an excellent program to use to meet your needs. Go to Quick Start Guide (link at right ) in the EATING TAB above and follow the info there for the Zone diet. It contains all the basics adn also gives you the important details you need in order to do the diet appropriately. Determine your daily protein requirement usingthe Zone Bl & BF Calculator (link at right; probably best to choose the Elite Athlete activity level, or one level less; youll know how your training schedule fits into it). Also good would be to check out the the Elite Athlete info in the FITNESS tab above, as well also check out the OMEGA-3 tab.

I'll be glad to help if you have questions.

Suck it up Marine! Seriously, thanks for your service. I would guess your lower extremity discomfort is due to overuse and/or technique. I doubt you can do anything to change your required physical activity for your training, such as ensuring adequate rest and rehab times. So you need to try to optimize what you can control, and eating in the Zone and Eico Rx should be instituted. Like Sue said, this site should give you most of the info you need to start eating in the Zone. As far as the physical activity, you really need to look at how your footwear is fitting. You can also examine your technique of running, lifting, etc. I am curious and wondering if you have heard of Crossfit? If you have perused this forum you will see Crossfit mentioned quite often. They claim their training techniques have been incorporated into military and law enforcement and was wondering if you have seen this in the Marines. I was wondering if a certified Crossfit trainer may be able to give you tips to avoid the injury/pain. Good luck. Are you considering SEAL training?

Thanks, Sue and Clifford for the help. I have already read and started incorporating Enter the Zone, and lost six pounds in two weeks. I have been eating mostly skinless boneless chicken breast cooked on a foreman grill or deli turkey, with strawberries and apples, and whole almonds for fat. It's pretty much all I eat for breakfast, lunch and midday snack. Dinner is where I fall off the wagon. I grew up with really bad eating habits and have had a horrible time shaking them. For dinner I tend to get a six inch sub from subway, pizza from my favorite joint, or Wendy's. If you all know any recipes that will trick my taste buds, please pass them on!

Clifford, I know a little about cross training. Read through the site, done some of their work outs, have a couple marines in my platoon that are in great shape and swear by it. My problem lately has been consistency. Working sixteen hour days leaves me 8 hours before I have to be back to work. That's 8 hours to hygiene, eat, prepare gear/food for tomorrow, but most importantly spend time with my wife. In an ideal day where I have enough time to work out and still accomplish everything else I still struggle a little to motivate myself, but when it's been working out or spending time with my family, the work out gets pushed back pretty easily.

Good guess on the SEALs, that is my long term goal after the Corps and my childhood dream. Short term is Marine Recon.

Is the zone good for endurance athletes? Is there anything endurance athletes should do to modify the zone other than increasing our activity multiplier? Right now I did all my calculations for what I currently am and do. I calculated my requirements for my current weight and body fat, and my current activity factor. Should I calculate what I need to eat for my target weight/body fat? I don't think it would work that way because I want to keep my LBM as high as possible, but I'm not 100% sure if I'm understanding it the right way.

I started the zone diet weighing 215 lbs with 21% body fat, and peaking six feet. I'm kind of a big guy naturally, so even at the end of boot camp I was 35lbs lighter but I still weighed 185lbs.. (A lot of Marines who work out hours a day would kill to achieve that weight). My weight has been fluctuating between 206-210 depending on how well I am following the zone that week. My vitals seem good. My last BP reading a couple weeks ago was 108 over 60 and resting heart rate was around 60 BPM.

Ideally I don't really care about my weight but I want to be LEAN. That is really important for SEAL training to have as little extra weight as possible, so under 10% body fat would be great.. Although at 185 I still have 10-12% body fat so I don't know if that is realistic. I will be doing so much running, push ups, pull ups, obstacle courses, swimming, ect. that I need as little extra weight as possible. The guys that do cross fit in my platoon and are in really incredible shape, ace the PFT aren't big but are very lean.

Well I guess I've rambled on long enough, but know you all know better where I am coming from and where I want to go. Thanks again for any help you offer me.

I think inflammation as relates to the Zone Diet doesn't really have anything to do with muscle/joint soreness. The books talk about internal inflammation being elevated cholesterol, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, that sort of thing.

I think Clifford hit the mark. The problem is the boots which you're stuck with I imagine. Shin pain is usuallly shin splints. Ice your shins after a run, use nsaids like aleve or ibuprofen. Knee pain, at least in my case, is from my shoes being too worn. A new pair of shoes helps dramatically, for me anyway. Ankles, I'm not sure. Maybe you have angulation in your ankles--varus is bending inward or valgus is bending outward--that the boots are aggravating by preventing the natural bend in your ankles. If so, loosening the laces might help. Just a guess.

I was an army brat and grew up wearing my dad's retired combat boots. Always painful at first but eventually became my favorite footwear.

kevin

Not to spark a debate here, just curious.. But I've read a ton of different articles from fitness websites that say the 40/30/30 diet is bad for endurance athletes because it won't give you enough carbs to sustain long sessions of physical activity. Is there any reason why so many people attack the zone way of eating, and is there anything I would need to to modify if I am going to be exercising for many hours a day?

Michael, here's a list of articles about endurance athletes in the Zone:


Fuel your Body for Optimal Performance

Mary Dinehart-Perry MS, RD, LDN

http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/6549





Eating in “The Zone”

Bob Seebohar, , MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, sport dietitian for the USA Olympic Triathlon Team

http://www.zonediet.com/Portals/0/p...heZone.pdf





Recovery, Recovery, Recovery

Dr. Kevin F. Reichlin, CCSP, Garmin/Chipotle Pro-Cycling Team.

http://www.zonediet.com/Portals/0/p...covery.pdf





Diet Tips to Aid Recovery – An inside look at the Garmin Pro Cycling Team nutrition program

From “Cycling Magazine UK” April 9, 2009

http://www.zonediet.com/FITNESS/Eli...fault.aspx





The Natural Anti-Inflammatory Drug

Dr. Barry Sears

http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/6216





Balancing Elite Nutrition, Training and Performance

Justin Trolle, Head Coach fro Athlete Development with USA Triathlon

http://www.zonediet.com/LinkClick.a...&tabid=182

Wow, Sue. Thanks for the awesome resource to articles. These references are exactly what I have been looking for. It is so hard to find quality sources these days. Everyone has their own angle to spin.

You're welcome! Have a great weekend!

Hi--I have a question for Sue K please.

How much Omega 3 should one have a day?

And, if someone has chronic inflammation and needs weight loss (lots)--how much is required, how often, and for how long? Should it be consumed once a day, twice or three times a day?

And for Michael--

I know exactly what you mean about service--it is very taxing--to say the least. Been there, done that, got the promotions and all that--and did the sand training. Yet you will look back one day--and no matter what the stuff and guff you have gone through--and still have to go through--you will be proud of what you accomplished. BTW--I used ice every day to help reduce the sore muscles. Worked like a charm. No need for sucking up anything when you have the right treatment. The folks that scoff at you for looking for a treatment--well--from my experience--they don't last very long. I believe that those in service need to have everything they can get to make themselves the fittest they can be. And I would like to know just how much is the right amount for serious hardcore training.

HUA!

Sincerely,

Niki

Hi Niki,

The amount of Omega Rx or Eico Rx you'd take daily depends upon your degree of wellness. It's usually taken once a day.


It's explained in TOXIC FAT as follows (grams refer to total amount of EPA and DHA combined).

To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid).

For obesity, type 2 diabetes, or before starting a diet, 5 g/day (8 caps; 2 teaspoons liquid).

For chronic pain, 7.5 g/day (12 caps; 3 teaspoons liquid).

For existing neurological conditions 10 g/day (16 caps; 4 teaspoons liquid).