Hey, I am pretty new to this diet. I have read "Mastering the Zone" and I have trouble these days trying to find time to read it again. I am confused on calculating my actual fat intake. Subtract this type of fat from that..... I am so confused. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi- Your fat blocks should be 3 grams. The confusion results from your protein source. If you are having a low-fat protein then it is assumed that there is about 1.5 grams of fat contained in every 7 grams of protein. You would then need to add just 1.5 grams of fat (and 9 grams carbs) to "zone" your low-fat protein. If your are having a non-fat protein then you would need to add a full 3 grams of fat to your 7 grams of protein (and 9 grams of carbs) to "zone" your non-fat protein. Each balanced Zone block should consist of 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fat...regardless of source, mostly to completely favorable of course. :lol: ~Michelle

Wow!! thanks for the fast reply. I understand it a bit better... it takes practice i guess. I was also wondering iif any one has tried the "meatless" burgers/patties... i guess they are made out of soy. Is that a favorable source of protein? I am not a vegitarian by any means but decided to buy them. I bought the Boca brand. Do they taste bad? I am a little scared they might taste awful lol. Anyways, thanks again for the fast answers. :D

I hear they are quite good!

[quote:252ee149d5="fulloffaith"] I bought the Boca brand. Do they taste bad? I am a little scared they might taste awful lol. Anyways, thanks again for the fast answers. :D[/quote:252ee149d5] There are two brands, both are good. BOCA tastes very, very close to real hamburger. The other brand, and I can't recall the name, its been a while since we had those, does not pretend to imitate hamburger, is more for vegans, but still tastes pretty darn good. They do have more carbs than regular ground beef, so read the labels. :) BTW - I thought it would be hard to give up eating 10-14 oz of steak :( (or any meat) at dinner; however, since I've been in the ZONE, 4 oz (alright, sometimes I do have 5! :wink: ) of steak (meat) is all I need after eating all those good carbs. - after eating the carbs, it is more than enough! :!:

Hi, All. I think the name John is looking for is Morningstar Farms. I use their products when I can't find Boca. I use the breakfast sausage patties and links and find them very good. I have also used the crumbles for taco salad and can't really tell any difference from hamburger meat. Hope that helps! Welcome to the Zone! Celeste

I also enjoy the Morningstar Farms: the Harvest Burger was rated on the zoneperfect site as an excellent protein source (I think 1 patty is 3 P). I like the taste of these, think they do taste like a well-seasoned hamburger, and don't have that "fake smoke" taste that the Boca tasted like to me. My dad and I are both have trouble digesting smoked foods, as I found out after thoroughly enjoying a dinner of smoked chicken from a Mennonite Family's market--wow it was delicious, but I'll NEVER do that again! :oops: ) I've tried the breakfast sausages, but they are kind of low in protein unless you do with eggs. The meatballs are just so-so. Haven't tried the chick'n. I do love Harvest Burgers for convenience, though. They are about the fastest dinner around. I often do with a 1/2 wheat pita pocket, little tomato/lettuce/ yogurt with lemon juice and salt and pepper (sort of a greek thing--I chop up the burger to fit in the pita), then add 1/2 cup grapes and some almonds or olives. I can make this in about 5 minutes, so it's nice when I have to run off to rehearsal. :) Enjoy! Ronica

Thanks everyone for your replies. I tried the Boca burger last night and it was so-so. I am not really that excited about it. What I need to know now is what do I eat first? What I mean is... you fill your plate with all of these favoriable carbs and it is sometimes to much to eat. Should I make sure I eat my protein and fat and then carbs.... or should fat be last? Little confused there. What is most important to eat first. Hope you can understand the question. Thanks again!!!!!

To the best of my knowledge (gleaned from these forumns and other sources), it makes no difference what order you consume fat, protein and carbs. When one considers that if you are making a shake for breakfast lets say....everything is blended up together. As far as not being able to consume all of your carbs because of the volume, you will learn ways to decrease this volume. Utilizing beans for example cuts way down on volumes as 1/3 cup of kidney or black beans is one full carbohydrate block. Additionally, keep in mind that it's ok to consume up to 30% of your carb intake as unfavorables. These carbs are typically much less volume per block that favorable ones......just be careful not to have them all be pasta, bread or potato (these are the real bad guys). Jim

Faith, Great question. In a perfect world, you'd eat equal amounts of equal portions. I try to eat a little fat first--to feel full and to slow carb absorption--then protein and carbs, in that order. Do I separate each macronutrient? No. Say, for instance, I've cooked a chicken stir fry. I'll eat a few pieces of chicken first, followed by peppers, water chestnuts, broccoli, etc. Then more chicken. Fruit is for dessert and comes last, so the fructose is less intense on my system. This is not gospel--it's just worked for me thus far. HTH, GJ

[quote:b2c2f3970d="fulloffaith"]Thanks everyone for your replies. I tried the Boca burger last night and it was so-so. I am not really that excited about it. What I need to know now is what do I eat first? What I mean is... you fill your plate with all of these favoriable carbs and it is sometimes to much to eat. Should I make sure I eat my protein and fat and then carbs.... or should fat be last? Little confused there. What is most important to eat first. Hope you can understand the question. Thanks again!!!!![/quote:b2c2f3970d] Hi, In one of Dr. Sears' books he recommends that for the best possible insulin control the protein portion of the meal be eaten first. Personally, I keep that in the back of my mind, but usually eat my food in whatever order I feel like! :D Hmm....now I'll have to take note the next few times I eat and see how much that info in the back of my mind is really affecting the order in which I choose to eat my meals. :shock: Sue

[quote:e968367507="Slknorr"] In one of Dr. Sears' books he recommends that for the best possible insulin control the protein portion of the meal be eaten first. Sue[/quote:e968367507] I know that when we have steak or fish or chicken heck my wife cooks all meats pretty tastily, that if I didn't eat the carbs, first, I'd want more meat. I used to eat pre-Zone, about 1 full meal a day, at dinner, and eat almost a pound of meat, and maybe some bread, and a little fruit if in season. And no breakfast, and a little lunch at about 1 PM, two hours before going home. By eating good carbs, first, I find I'm nearly full, and by just getting the taste of good meat, 3 or 4 oz is now enough. I use a scale, though, to this day, or I would gradually inch up the eyeball size of portions. :wink:

If the protein is really good, I eat some of that first because it tastes better hot. Luke warm broccoli is fine, but luke warm chicken? Not so much. I guess it does feel better, too, but mostly it's about taste for me. Ronica