re:

"I forgot to ask, is it okay to have sugar free Jello cups?"

I don't see any reason to eat them. I don't know that it would really matter if you did. Also, I'd say to treat them as you would artificially sweetened soda on the 1-2-3 plan and drink a cup of water for each Jello cup.

Hi Sue:

I'm so used to weighing and measuring that's it's going to be hard for me to let go of that habit. Years of doing WW ya know!! I want this to work so badly that when the recipe said "5 ounces" (like it does about the veggies in the Roasted Vegetable Orzo)that's what I did! However, I was bold enough to make that 5 ounces a combination of asparagus, eggplant and tomato. Everything is mixed together and waiting for the addition of the cooked orzo. It smells yummy.

BTW, I'm having yogurt and berries with granola for breakfast tomorrow and cut back the amount of yogurt to 1/2 cup after I read the recipe for the strawberry parfait.

Enjoy your dinner and as always, thank you so much for your help.

Have a great evening.

Marsha

P.S.: What about the sugar free jello? =D

Hi Marsha,

The Jello reply...look before you reply here. I posted it separately, probably at the same time you were writing your reply. :-)

My bad!! Thanks. =D

Marsha, I use the blocks as my Zone method. I'm not sure how the 123 works. Funny, I'm stuck on weighing too! WW habits die hard, but I like knowing for sure. I eat a lot of fresh vegy's, chicken, fish, eggs, string cheese, peanut butter, melba toast, fruit etc. Pretty clean whenever I can. Really no pasta or potatoe's. For dinner I'll use 3 blocks of good carbs like cups of broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, onions, 1/4 cup beans, 1/2 cup tomato sauce with garlic and onions. Then I add 3 blocks of protein like tofu, or chicken, fish. Drizzle with olive oil and a little grated cheese...yummy. I could eat it every night and sometimes I do! Lunch is usually a salad, lots of greens, with protein and fruit with dressing. Breakfast I have an egg or egg whites with a vegy sausage. I just picked up some corn tortilla's for a change of pace. Today for snack, 1 tortilla with 1 oz chicken, drop of oil, drop of salsa. Usually my snacks have fruit, peanut butter and string cheese.

As you can probably tell when I'm in the Zone..I'm in. But alas, I do live in the real world and you know what they say about the best laid plans. I just do my best, take it slow, and know that it all works for me. It will for you too. Just hang in there each day. When you're not 100% that's ok...just keep on working it. C

Hi Marsha,

I'm still thinking about your Jello question. If you want more eat, you can always have another cookie,a few bagel chips, etc. or a little cottage fruit with berries and nuts, any Zone favorable snack, as long as it's no more than a 1 block snack. Eating an extra balanced block (that's P, C and F)on some days won't throw you off track. Just take care not to get into the habit of eating more food than you need every day.

I started the zone today I got conflicting blocks from the Zone formula and Dr. Sears Zone. The zone formula said I was 15 blocks where Dr. Sears said 12.My goal weight is between 120-125. I am 61 inches 138pounds and worokout out running, biking and swimming adding up to 4-6 hrs a week. As of now I am sticking with the 12 blocks. Although at lunch I had 3 blocks was still very hungry added another block and was fine. One of my down falls in wine. I normally have 2 glasses a night around 10 oz. I noticed if you can have 4oz with cheese. That confused me since I thought you had to add a fat with it also. I also have 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning with sugar free hazelnut cream 2 tbls. Is this a no no? If I have wine with my dinner and count that as a carb will I still lose weight. Aslo if I workout longer than an hour how many blocks should I have during those long workouts. I do go out for 3-4 hour mountain bike rides. One other question about fat at one time do you add another fat I have read that if you have a low fat protein you should add another fat.

Hi christine,

Good choice to stick with 12 blocks. Fifteen would be too much for you. Your hunger at lunch probably was not related to the number of blocks you ate, but rather to one of several other things like the fact that it's your first day of Zone meals, or the specific carbohydrate foods in your meal, or the balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat in the meal. Give it a little time. Also, if you find you continue to be hungry at 4 hours or less after a Zone balanced meal, here's the info on how to adjust to eliminate the hunger: http://www.drsears.com/Resources/ta...fault.aspx (click on "Hormonal Diagnostic Adjustment Chart" at the bottom of the page)

In the wine and cheese snack, the ounce of cheese contains enough fat for Zone balance unless you choose a cheese that has less than 3 grams fat per ounce. If you drink wine with dinner, keep it to 4 oz or less and consider it to be part of the carbohydrate in the meal. Whether or not you will be able to lose weight while including wine in a meal will depend on your body's level of sensitivity to carbohydrate.

Caffeine will elevate insulin. It's best for the Zone to switch to decaf. It would also be good to substitute a little milk for the cream. also it'e recommended to drink a cup of water for every coffee you drink, due to its diuretic effect. Burning fat requires staying hydrated.

For your occasional long bike rides, work your meals and snacks around the ride to maintain hormonal control and energy levels for the entire ride (eating before, during, and after the ride). If you just can't work out the timing, it would probably be fine to add an extra snack to your day during the ride, to stay hormonally balanced.

About the extra fat, if your protein choice is fat free, or close to fat free, you would add a little more monounsaturated fat to the meal than you usually would (an additional dash of fat with the plate method, or 3 additional fat blocks to a 3 block meal when using the block method).

Thank you for the information. Does this mean if I have cheese with my meal I should cut back on my fat. I love having tomatoes chicken with reduced fat feta cheese and olive oil. I have two ounces of chicken, 1/4 cup of feta 3 servings of olive oil and 21/2 cups of tomatoes.

Thank you

You're welcome christine,

Technically, yes. On the other hand, with only 1 block of cheese in the meal you don’t really have to because the little bit of extra fat will help with insulin control and will not be enough to prevent the loss of stored fat. For this very reason, Dr. Sears has written that it's better to err on the side of a bit too much dietary fat than not enough. If you have too little fat in a meal or snack (that would be < 3 grams fat per every 7 g protein consumed) the carbohydrate in the meal will enter your blood stream more quickly and that will ultimately prevent you from being able to maintain the lower insulin levels needed to stay in the Zone.

Hi everyone,

I started the ZoneFast program on Monday the 9th. In the first week, I lost 5 pounds and I was VERY excited. I felt great and was never hungry (except maybe the first few days). I've been strictly sticking to the recipe book and eating just my three meals (all based on the Zone foods + recipe book) and my 1 snack (which I usually have plain and add nothing to). I need 11 Zone blocks according to my Fat Calculator info, so I have been under the impression I shouldn't really add anything more - I simply take the Zone product (pasta, bread, pizza crust) and follow one of the recipes. I LOVE veggies...they are my favorite thing to eat, so the only thing I do tend to add alot of, to my sandwiches and dinners, are veggies. Sandwiches I always add lots of lettuce and I have celery on the side. For dinners, I ALWAYS add a nice big handful (at last) of spinach, my favorite food in the world.

I have always struggled to lose weight - its insane really because I eat tons of healthy foods and don't eat alot of junk, so I'm hoping this plan will help.

I'm a bit disheartened so far in the second week because I'm suffering from headaches, mild, lingering, never go away kind of headaches, but I have also gained 1 pound back. I'm using a pedometer and making sure I hit no less than 10,000 steps a day, and I also run in place while watching TV everynight when I get home from work for about 20 minutes, which = 4000 steps, which is just about 2 miles.

WHY OH WHY did I gain a pound back? I'm 5'2" and I weighed in at 164 when I started this. I got down to 159 when I weighed in on Sunday last week (end of week 1) and now, on Friday of week 2, I'm back up to 160...are the recipes/food amounts now simply too big? Do I need to maybe only eat half of the pasta/bread so I'm not eating too many calories?

Help - I'm just confused....but really dedicated to staying on this and really need help.

Thanks so so much,
Tania

Hi Tania and welcome!

The headaches are a normal part of first being in the Zone. They should go away in about a week. Some say more fish oil helps this, but it never helped me.

Don't be too discouraged at a 1 lb gain. Consider other factors that can measure your success: how you feel physically, emotionally, how your clothes feel, how much energy you have, how you're sleeping, how your tummy feels after eating, etc. If all we do is count on the scale to measure our success, our emotions will be yoyo-ing as fast as that scale. Just remember that you're doing all the right things and don't weigh yourself too often!

FYI: 5 lbs in one week is probably a lot of water weight. I've been on the Zone for almost 2 years, and have averaged about 10 lbs per YEAR of weight loss... but I still feel healthier than I have in my whole life (at 42).

Hi Tania,

Xee is correct; during the first weeks in the Zone a small percentage of people experience headaches due to the AA released as they first begin to burn stored body fat. Try doubling your Omega Rx dose. It will dilute the AA and will most likely releive or eliminate the lingering headache.

I don't recommend eating less than you are now. It's common to experience a larger weight loss over the first week or two and then see none during the next week or two. Your body releases retained fluid at first (fluid retained due to your prior eatign habits), and it takes a little time for your body to adjust to the new way of eating. A difference of one pound can be attributed to your level of hydration on any give day or time of day, and doesn't necessarily mean you have gained stored fat.

You're doing very well. Keep up the good job! :)

____________________________________________

sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!

View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/

View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0

Hi everybody,
I used to post in the forum but then I haven't been able to find you for ages. I am so happy I could find you back tonight!!! It was so useful to read and write here. So although I am not new I consider myself new to this forum. I missed you all so much, especially Sue who was such a support for me! I write from Italy where the super food hasn't arrived but the Zone is always the zone.
love

Hi monia, glad you're back! :cool:

Hi everyone,

I'm so happy to find the forums alive again! :D
I have not been very successful with my zone dieting, and these forums were such a great source of support and advice. I have not written so much, but I have read a lot... Thanks for that! :)

My main problem is gaining weight and pre-diabetes. I also suffer from terrible carb cravings and hunger... :rolleyes: Being a busy working mother of three makes it very hard to learn new ways to eat and to be physically more active. I feel it takes more time than I have. Another issue is that I live in Finland - many of the zone products are unavailable, and for example peanut butter is a curiosity, steel cut oats nonexisting! But I will not give up! We have veggies, cottage cheese and meat, to start with! :D

Hi Satu -- I love your "I will not give up!" attitude :). We take for granted how easy it is to get Zone products and such a wide variety of Zone-favorable foods here in the US. I'm sure you're going to be fine though -- just keep up your can-do attitude, be creative and adventurous with foods and recipes, and you'll find a lot of delicious options!

Laurie

Hi Satu!

Your story is similar to mine, working mother of 3 and pre-diabetes. The Zone has kept me from becoming diabetic.

I do suffer from cravings and hunger from time to time, but I know that I must weather the storm and stay on track.

You don't need zone products to be successful. You can do this using real food that you buy at the store. I don't buy the products at all (except for an occasional shipment of bars as an occasional treat).

As for activity, I used to go walking, but it seemed like a chore to find the time to do that. Now I have taken up cycling, and it is amazing that I am suddenly carving out more time to do that! Point is, find something that you enjoy doing, and then you will probably be better able to find the time to do it.

I'm new to this forum also. I started the zone for the first time about 12 years ago. I lost weight and had lots of energy. Drifted away from eating in the zone and ended up gaining it all back. Although it took alot longer to put it back on than with other diets. I'm now back following the zone. I prefer to make my own meals and not rely on anything processed, so my scale gets lots of use. It also enables me to make one dinner for my family where I end up with slightly different sides. I enjoy experimenting with foods and this diet allows the flexibility to do it if you are creative. It's not really hard to stay within the blocks. The one thing I found between then and now, Dr. Sears has put a "minimum" block recommendation for women at 11. I'm 5'2" and have never been able to consume over 1200-1500 calories without gaing weight. I end up only eating around 9 blocks a day and for the most part I'm not hungry. Raw veggies fill me up and I rarely get hungry between meals. I sometimes have a hard time getting 9 blocks of food in.

Now many of you will say I'm not eating enough. I know my body and I've never been able to eat more than 1100 and loose any weight. Doesn't matter what diet. The zone is the only plan that has enabled me to have the energy and be satiated most of the time. I also like the principle that you are only one meal away, so occasional diversions aren't "bad".

Hi Michele,

Glad you're back in the Zone. IT woudl be a good idea to montior you LBM ith the Body Fat Calculator to be sure you don't lose LBM. If you're cutting down to 9 blocks on a daily basis, it will also be to your benefit to take a polyphenol supplement to assure you're getting the nutrients you need. Good luck! :)

_______________

sue

Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

Hi Satu,

Adjusting the amount of carbohydrate in your meals and snacks is the way to eliminate hunger and achieve satiety. Try to eat mots of your carbohyrtate\s from vegetables. If you have significant hunger and feel focused and good otherwise, then add more carbohydrate to your meals. If you have significant hunger and are feeling unfocused (or sleepy, jittery, lightheaded or have any other low blood sugar symptoms) eliminate 1 block of carbohydrate from each meal. If you fall in thee second group adn eliminating come carb doesn't heal, then also add a little more monounsaturated fat. BTW, it's not necessary to eat steel cut oats or peanut butter for the Zone. Olive oil is the best fat to use (refined for heating /cooking, otherwise use extra virgin).


______________________________________

sue

Consultant to Zone Labs
Certifiecd Zone Affiliate

Thanks for your comments, Laurie, Cranberrycat and Sue!

This "hunger and focused / unfocused" is difficult. For me, being hungry makes me instantly unfocused,
simply because all I think is food... :) I guess this is not what is meant by "unfocused". What I have found
is that choosing all favourable carbs makes my stomach feel strange, a lot like heartburn, and I also
have headache in my forehead. And hungry one hour after that meal. When choosing some unfavourable carbs, eg. one
small potato or half a banana, and the rest of the carbs better choices, I feel just fine, but I don't loose
any weigth. When choosing all favourables, I get such a carb cravings that I probably go and buy
chocolate and candies (and will not loose weight...)! It is so frustrating. I have not been successful when
trying to drop one carb and adding fat, either. I really hope to find a solution that works for me.

Now it is lunch-time, and I'm going for a walk and then eat some pork & beef casserole with one potato and
2 tomatoes, cashew nuts and an apple. Have a nice day! :)

-Satu-

Hi Satu, some comments...

1. From your description, it sounds like you have the unfocused type of hunger (you need less carbohydrate).

2. Include some unfavorable carbohydrate in each meal but stick to the Zone recommendation of not eating more than 25 % of all your carbohydrate in the meal from unfavorable. The meal you posted looks like it contains at least 6 or 7carb blocks, depending on the size of your potato. Try eliminating most of the potato and having the 2 tomatoes plus half of the apple.

3. Put your stats into the body fat calculator and follow the recommended amount of blocks daily.

4. Since the headache happens when you've been sticking with Zone meals containing lots of favorable veggies, it may be the result of the initial AA release, as your body begins to burn stored fat. AA headaches will subside, and can be reduced or eliminated by increasing you Omega Rx dose (try doubling it; Omega Rx dilutes the AA that causes these headaches).

5. As you are probably aware, you are not losing stored fat while eating increased amounts of unfavorable carbohydrate because the type and/or amount) of carbohydrate you’re eating is keeping your insulin levels elevated above the range of the Zone. Elevated insulin puts the body into fat storage mode.


If you'd like to keep a food journal for a few days and post if here, I'll be happy to take a look and make suggestions.

Satu,

I have been through what you are experiencing. I lose weight/bodyfat best when I drop one carb block and add 2 blocks of fat. In terms of calories, it comes out the same (not that we count cals here, but just FYI).

As for the mix of carb, I generally do best with a mixture of low density and moderate density carbs. I just don't do well at all with unfavorables, unless it is a very small amount. I generallly use 1/2-1 block of garbanzo beans tossed into a salad, or hummus as a dip for veggies, etc.

I have not experienced the headache and would probably agree that it could be AA release.

You will have to keep experimenting with different foods and combinations of foods. It was a tough road for me to find it, and sometimes things change. What worked once does not always work... depends on the situation.

Another thing to look at, think about stress and sleep. Being OOZ (out of the Zone) is not always a result of what you are eating. Stress and lack of sleep raises cortisol levels, which will take you out, and if you don't think of it, you will stress over what you ate, when it may not always be to blame.