Hello out there in Zone Land... this is my first post but likely won't be my last. I'm fascinated with the concept of the Zone and my doctor actually pointed me towards better nutrition and eating a Zone diet. I've read most of Enter the Zone (so has my wife) and we've decided to get into the Zone and eat better. Me to get healthier as I've been dealing with chronic illness and my wife is working on losing weight. We've been trying to eat the Zone way for the past week or so.

The reason for my post is I really struggle in the mornings. For those of you who live in cold climates you'll understand. It's kinda like having to jump start the car on a 20 below winter morning. It takes awhile to get it done but then I seem to get going after cranking the "engine" over several times. Pretty frustrating!

I've done the calculations and here's my numbers. FYI I'm gluten intolerant.

Weight just under 200 lbs.
26% Body Fat
148 LBM
52 Total Body Fat
Activity Factor .6 (approx. 5 Wii Fit workouts - don't laugh - a week) plus occasional walking (1 or 2 times a week).

I calculate 13 blocks of protein, carbs and fat a week. Let me know if that is not right. I've been trying to break this down to 3 blocks for breakfast, lunch and dinner and afternoon and late night snack two blocks. I still wake up hungry/hypo.

I/we are trying to get our diets adjusted to the Zone and these forums have been very informative. We're having a hard time increasing the carbs to where they need to be. I find when I do that I get more anxious... I've had issues with anxiety in the past... I find it easier to eat the fruit than the veggies so have probably leaned more that way in the first several days but trying to be more diligent with veggies and lowering fruits as it seems some people are set off by too many fruits... I may be one of them.

My morning meal has been pretty consistent over the past couple of years as I find my body tends to crave protein and I feel better afterward. I have a protein smoothie (1 serving) with at least 1/2 a banana, no fat milk and ice. I've been trying to add some almonds or olive oil to balance the fat. I wake up hungry/hypoglycemic and find it hard to get out of bed. I feel like if I just stay in bed and can get back to sleep for a little while I'll feel better when I get up... wrong! I take my shake with protein powder (contents below) and then take my nutritional supplements determined by my doctor along with sea salt in my water. Usually in about 16 oz of water.

Here's what my protein powder has/is:

Calories per serving 118
Fat 2g
Carb 3g
protein 22g

Plus a whole bunch of other vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Talked with my doc yesterday and he says I should double the fat blocks. I've read that somewhere else in the forums as well. Currently not taking any fish oil.

Enough rambling. Look forward to your guidance.

Hi Brian,

Smoothie w/ your PP(assuming no fiber) and 1/2 a SM banana for a 3 BLOCK meal you could add...
2/3C Strawberries(frozen)
1/2 Orange
1 1/2t PB
water & ice to your liking

Print a copy of the block chart from here... (and pick your favorites) http://www.zonediet.com/Tools/Quick...fault.aspx (copy & paste)
and post it on your fridge. It's a great tool to help you assemble your meals & sancks.

If you need milk you are already at 4BLOCKS of Protein so you could add more fat & carbs(1 Block of each) to make a 4 block meal. Print off the block chart and if you are serious you will memorize the block quantities for your favorite foods. Go for it you'll find you have more energy.

Thanks, Tech Support Person...

I'm very serious about feeling better and am confident that once I get this down it will help me. I'll print out the block charts online. I assume they're more current and complete than what is in Enter the Zone.

One question. Do you think it makes more sense to do 3,3,3 and 2 and 2 on snacks or should I do 4,4,4 and 1 and 1 on snacks? Or does it matter as long as they're balanced?

Thanks for your help on breakfast. Any thoughts on what to have for my snack before bed? I'm thinking that will help me in the mornings as well.

Thanks again.

Hi Brian,

This is totally what works best for you. If it were me I think I would do the 3's & 2's. Try that and see how you feel. Just remember if you prepare your next meal ahead of time it makes life easier.

Enjoy!

Thanks TS... that's a good point about preparing your meal ahead of time.

Does anyone have any good ideas for what to eat for the late night snack? Also, how close to bedtime should I eat it?

Hi Brian,

Here are a couple more tips.

Based on the info from your other post today (the unfocused hunger 2 hours after meals) it would be a good idea to replace the banana in your shake with berries. An even better breakfast for you might be an egg white omelet filled with veggies, and berries on the side. Liquid meals do not work as well as solids for keeping people in the Zone. Liquids have a greater surface area than solids, so the carbohydrates in liquids will enter into your blood stream faster. Your liquid breakfast might be part of the reason you’re experiencing unfocused hunger. Onions zucchini and mushrooms are great in an omelet topped with tomato sauce (frozen veggies make it a snap to prepare). Another good one is a black bean and salsa omelet with a little shredded low fat cheese.

A good bedtime snack is 1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt with a teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter mixed in. You can also all a little vanilla flavoring to it if you like. Within an hour before bedtime would be a fine timeframe for your snack.

Thanks, Sue... you're a blessing.

I'll give these suggestions a try.

FYI... my wife is having some good luck in the Zone. She's already lost about four pounds - I think - and she's feeling good, too. Better than I... but I've had some extenuating circumstances healthwise but going to get better.

Here's to living in the Zone. I'll keep you posted.

Brian, please give my congratulations to your wife! Keep working at adjusting to meet your needs. It will be well worth the effort.

Have a nice evening.

I'm really having a hard time getting my butt (can I say that?) out of bed in the mornings. I wake up at 5:30 to 6 am every morning to use the bathroom and actually feel pretty decent. But, because I work out of my house and set my own appts, I usually go back to sleep because it's so easy. I'd rather stay up later at night and work than get up early. So, I go back to bed and sleep crappy, wake up more anxious and hungry (probably hypo) and then struggle through getting some food and take my nutritional supplements that my doc has me taking. Drink plenty of water and wait for my engine to start so I can function.

I also end up using the bathroom (#2) a couple times early in the morning (sorry out there)after I wake up.

Should I eat at the 5:30 - 6 am time and start my day then? Perhaps my body is trying to tell me something. By the way, I usually go to bed at 11 or 11:30 and don't have any difficulty falling asleep. Sometimes I have to lay down for a 20 minute nap in the afternoon to regenerate but I realize that might be becuz of what I ate. Sometimes, I don't take a nap. I'm trying to monitor that closer now and look for correlations.

Thanks.

Brian, experiment with meal timing to see what's best for you. Once you're in the Zone you should begin feeling better and better each morning when you wake up. Hang in there and give it some time.

Keep drinking the water. It's imporatnt for the Zone. The latest Zone recommendation is "Drink enough water (in ounces) to equal at least 1/2 your weight!"

An update... mornings seem to be getting better. I'm getting my backside out of bed earlier and eating before I'm too hungry. Plus, I think my late night snacks are better quality.

Yeah, Zone!