Satu, in my previous reply I assumed you are taking an ultra-refined fish oil concentrate. If you're not, or if you are taking some but not at the dosage you require, it can make all the difference between losing weight and not losing, regardless of the type and/or amount of food you're eating. A person has to lower their levels of cellular inflammatiom in order to achieve weight loss. Fish oil also plays a part in appetite control eliminating cravings. It is recommended by Dr. Sears to get plenty of polyphenols with your fish oil. Polyphenols contain antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of fish oil. Polyphenols taken with fish oil enhance the results of the fish oil.

Blueberries are high in polyphenols, if looking for a natural source.

Hi Sue!

Thanks for the comments. Here are my answers to the points you raised:

1. From your description, it sounds like you have the unfocused type of hunger (you need less carbohydrate).
- Oh no, this is bad news… but I’ll give it a try. :)

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.
- Ok. I did check all nutritional info and weighed everything, it should be 3 blocks (tomatoes were mini plum tomatoes, not the ordinary ones), but I’ll doublecheck. Maybe potatoes, tomatoes and apples are BIGGER in USA…:D It was 70g of potato, 75g of tomato, 120g of apple and 80 g of green salad leaves = 26g of C + 3.6g of fiber.

3. Put your stats into the body fat calculator and follow the recommended amount of blocks daily.
- Ok. Body Fat %: 38 Body Fat Weight (lbs): 70 Lean Body Mass (lbs): 115 Daily Protein Requirement (g): 77 or # of Blocks of Protein: 11 # of Blocks of Carbohydrate: 11 # of Blocks of Fat: 11

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).
- Hmm… that is interesting. So, this headache might be only when I start to burn stored fat, and stop if I continue following the Zone? I use 8 capsules of PGFO from Canada or liquid Omega Rx from DrSears (tastes awful…) at the moment.

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.
- This is something new! I thought it elevated triglyserids in my blood, but this too! No more chocolate or candies… :blink:

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.
- That is very kind of you, Sue! I’ll post my food journal in Monday.

Satu, in my previous reply I assumed you are taking an ultra-refined fish oil concentrate. ---It is recommended by Dr. Sears to get plenty of polyphenols with your fish oil.
- You are right, I have been taking fish oil for years now. First my dose was 6 capsules / day, now it is 8 / day (and 400IU of vitamin E). However, I don’t use Dr Sears’ polyphenols but try to have lingonberries and other sources of polyphenols daily.

:):)

[quote]
Posted By cranberrycat on 25 May 2011 07:47 PM
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). ---

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.
[/quote]

Good to know, CC (can I call you CC? Cranberrycat is so loooooong... :D). It is really helpful to read that for someone else, too, it has not been as easy as it is for many people posting to the forums. I thougt that everyone found it easy to stay in Zone and lose amazing amounts of weight in no time... ;)

About sleep and stress, I had troubles in sleeping half a year ago because my hormonal balance was bad (FSH was in menopausal values, and I’m only 42!). It is better now, I’m on medication for that. I love my job and my family is lovely, so not much stress in my life. I hope that you are doing fine, as well! Not excessive stress or sleep deprivation? :doze:

Hi Satu,

You're welcome. :)

Re: " It was 70g of potato, 75g of tomato, 120g of apple and 80 g of green salad leaves = 26g of C + 3.6g", achieving certain numbers on paper does not necessarily mean the specific foods you ate are the ones which will allow you insulin levels to lower. This meal contains more higher and medium density carbohydrate (apple and potato) than lower density veggies. This can make a big difference when it comes to insulin control. Personally, form experience, I know that I would not be able to stay in the Zone with that meal because of the types and amount of carbohydrate in it. It would leave me feeling spacy and hungry within a couple of hours after the meal. It helps to play food detective to find out which foods work best for you. This is where the food journal comes in handy. Make sure to note in the journal how you feel 4 hours after each meal (re hunger, and focus).

Another tip, the medication you take might necessitate that you practice strict adherence to all the Zone principles to see results.

Also, people who follow the Zone diet don’t typically lose large amounts weight quickly. You may lose few pounds over the first couple weeks, as you release retained fluid, but after that you lose about a pound per week. It took me 2 years to lose 100 pounds. For the best results, place your focus on inflammation lowering and insulin control. When you do this, you’ll automatically end up practicing strict adherence.

Hi Sue,

thanks for clarifying that. So the numbers may be correct, but the quality of the carbs is the problem leading to high insulin levels. I guess I should plan my meals more carefully... Tomorrow I'll have a lingonberry smoothie for breakfast and an omelette with red bell peppers for lunch. And less painkillers for my headache, I hope! :)

Wow, losing 100 pounds in two years sounds great! You really know what you are writing about, then! Congratulations! And those pounds have not come back? That is amazing... :cool:

By the way, it seems that the smilies don't show here as they normally do, do they? Maybe it is just my computer, but I don't see a cool smiley but ":cool:" as text.

-Satu-

Careful with smoothies. Unless they're very thick they may enter your bloodstream too quickly to allow insulin to lower.

Yes they've all stayed off (for 16 years!).

Satu,

I usually have a smoothie every day for breakfast. I agree that not all smoothies work as well. I had to play around with my ingredients. For some reason, I wasn't able to tolerate as much plain yogurt in mine, so I use no more than a block (and sometimes less). I also stick to berries, no other fruit will keep me in the Zone.

But, I have my recipe down to a science, and it keeps me satisfied longer than oatmeal!

Hi Cranberrycat,

what is your smoothie like, could you please give me your recipe? I made mine with 1 cup fatfree milk, 1/3 cup fatfree plain yogurth, 1/2 cup lingonberries (frozen), 1 teaspoon canola oil and 1 scoop protein powder (40g). No hunger after this smoothie for 4.5 hours, just this headache... :(

-Satu-

1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/4 cup cottage cheese
7g plain or vanilla protein powder
2 2/3 tsp olive oil

This is balanced for my specific zone balance, I am carb sensitive and so I drop a block of carb and increase the fat.