Hi Elizabeth,

Use the descriptions on the calculator to choose the level that best describes your exercise plan and eat the same number of blocks each day.  You need to protein support to recover on the day(s) after your exercise, not only on the day of.  If youre not sure which is more appropriate, you could try 13.

_______________________________________

sue

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!

Consultant of Zone Labs

Certified Zone Affiliate

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

 

Sue, I find the descriptions on the calculator confusing because none of them describe my activity level:

Sedentary: no formal sports activity or training
Light: Light fitness training such as walking
Moderate: Fitness activity 3 times/week or sports activity
Active: Daily activity training or moderate weight training
Very Active: Heavy daily weights
Elite athlete:  Heavy daily weights & intense sports training

Maybe I'm being too literal, but I just don't fit any of those categories.  I'm obviously not sedentary or an elite athlete, but the rest is unclear to me. 

I will hike 10 very strenuous miles today, but I will be out of town this weekend and won't be able to do my weekend hike of 12 miles.  I infrequently miss a hike, but can't always predict when it will happen.  I feel like sometimes I'm very active, although I don't lift weights anymore, but then for several days I might be quite sedentary. 

Hi Rachel,

My suggestion, if "strenuous" means uphill climbing that is intense enough to give your calves, quads, etc. the type of workout like you'd get strength training, then you have a significant element of strength training involved and I'd call it Active.  Monitor LBM and body fat with the calculator over time to be sure you're not losing LBM or gaining body fat.  If you find you are, then you'd adjust acordingly.

________________________________________________

sue

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!

Consultant of Zone Labs

Certified Zone Affiliate

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

 

 

Sue, My legs are fairly lean and muscular from 3 years of hiking, and 4+ hours of walking is strenuous in itself.  Starting yesterday, I increased from 11 blocks to 13 and will see how that goes.

You mention the LBM calculator, which is another thing of which I'm unsure.  A disproportionate amount of my weight gain is in my bust, so I feel as if the calculator is possibly miscalculating my body mass.  My goal is to go from a 36G to a 36DD/34DDD.  I think maybe my shirts are fitting me better, but, since I never took that measurement, I'm not sure. 

Maybe there's a better calculator out there, but the ones I found measure arms, which, again, is not so much where I gain. 

Rachel here a few other sources online. If you know your BF% then you can figure out your daily needs:

http://www.healthstatus.com/calcula...calculator

http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

Rachel,

First, on the activity level, I think you fit best into the active mode.  But, lets see how you do on 13 blocks in terms of your hunger control (as that was one of your earlier issues). 

Then, as far as measuring your bodyfat/LBM, you can get pretty close with the newer scales that measure bodyfat ( I have found that this works out pretty well).  I think that you would also benefit from just keeping track of your measurements, even if you are not using the measurements in the calculator.

Hi Rachel, an important factor for deciding blocks based on your activity being two long hikes a week would be how much of a strength element is included in the hikes. It's not only the aerobic activity itself that drives your protein requirement, but also how much muscle repair will take place in the recovery during the day(s) after you hike.  Regardless of the length of the hikes or the condition of your legs, the more of a strength element that’s involved, the more protein you’d need.  See how it goes with the 13 blocks and monitor LBM over time.  You'd want it to stay the same or increase, not decrease. Don’t be afraid to increase to 14 blocks and/or add more monounsaturated fat if needed to maintain peak energy.   It's very important that you eat enough protein to maintain your muscle mass, and it's also important not to eat more food than you really need.   

Re calculators, the one on this site is a very good tool for determining your protein/ block needs.  The protein recommendation in your calculator result is not written in stone.  One important feature of the Zone diet is your ability to adjust it to suit your needs.   Regardless of what method you choose to determine LBM, what's important will be to use the same method consistently over time for valid comparisons of LBM. 

______________________________________________

sue

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!

Consultant of Zone Labs

Certified Zone Affiliate

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

 

Cranberrycat, I think my scale does have that option, now that you mention it. I need to figure out how to use it.

Sue, OH, I see what you're saying. I've been thinking in terms of the calories in, calories out, which I exert 1600 calories on a hike, so I was focused on the energy exerted, not the muscle mass gained/maintained. I'll keep a watch on it, but, on an unrelated note, I've been in a bad mood this week, unrelated to anything, just feeling kind of stressed, but there's nothing to be stressed about. I need to relax. Sorry to hijack your thread and thanks for the perspective.