Hi All!

I'm new to the site and have a question about emotional eating/fish oil dosage:

I was recently diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome X/Insulin Resistance. I'm a very active 34 year old female - I exercise daily (from 1 to 3 hours) and am within 20 lbs of my ideal body weight, however my waist is 35 inches. I am 19 days into the Zone - using the Zone foods ordered online, measuring my meals, etc. While I am noticing some positive results, I am also noticing that I am hungry ALL THE TIME. I think much of this is emotional eating - but at times it feels so powerful. I've read that increasing my fish oil intake could help (by the way, I do take fish oil 3x per day now). Any suggestions on how much I could increase my fish oil intake? Any other suggestions? Thank you.

Hi,

The amount of Omega Rx you'd take daily depends upon your degree of wellness. It's explained in TOXIC FAT as follows (grams refer to total amount of EPA and DHA combined).
To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid).
For overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, or before starting a diet, 5 g/day (8 caps; 2 teaspoons liquid).
For chronic pain, 7.5 g/day (12 caps; 3 teaspoons liquid).
For existing neurological conditions 10 g/day (16 caps; 4 teaspoons liquid).


In that same book, Dr. Sears explains you can ward off cravings after dinner by taking your fish dose oil with dinner.


If you’d like to post several days of your daily menus here, I'll be happy to take a look to see what could be adjusted to reduce/eliminate your hunger. You may be more sensitive to the carbohydrate you eat. In that case, a few adjustments in your grocery additions might very well eliminate the hunger. If you could also post your daily block recommendation from the Body Fat Calculator on this site, it would be a big help. You may also need to eat a little more than you're currently eating. One last question, are you taking any medications? Some can elevate insulin levels, which would result in hunger.

Hi Sue,

Thank you for your response - I really appreciate your assistance!
It seems I'm not taking enough Fish Oil - I'm taking three capsules a day, so I better increase.

Regarding Medication - I am taking 500 MG of Metformin daily - for my Insulin Resistance. I take it all at once, usually with my breakfast.

Regarding my daily blocks - According to the online activity calculator, I should consume 13 blocks per day. Below is my daily meal and activity summary:

7am - 2/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1 oz soy cheese. Black Coffee. 1 tsp olive oil for cooking egg whites.
8am to 9am - speed walk
*** usually hungry by now, but won't eat. I usually have water with lemon slices to hold me over.
11am - if I cannot wait to eat any longer I'll have a snack - I was eating Zone Perfect Bars until I recently found out they aren't endorsed by Dr. Sears. I also sometimes have a different zone snack (a Zone baked product like the cinnamon roll), or lastly, I'll have a snack such as: 1 oz chicken breast, 1 pear, 3 olives.
12pm or 1pm lunch: Zone Multi-grain Roll with 1 oz turkey breast, 1.5 Tbs hummus, 1/4 cup of spinach.
3:30pm or 4pm: I'm usually hungry again and will try not to eat. If I cannot wait any longer, I'll have another snack like those listed earlier in the day.
5pm: Barry's Bootcamp - 1 hour intense interval training and weight lifting (intervals of weight lifting plus running on the treadmill). I also walk 1 hour (30 minutes each way to the gym).
7pm: Dinner - Zone baked meal: Fusilli (1 bag) with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups spinach, 1 tsp olive oil.
Late night snack: zone baked cookies or brownie or cinnamon role.

I have a food scale and measure everything, every day. I don't consume alcohol or sodas. I drink lots of water, and have black coffee in the morning with breakfast.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm committed to losing weight and getting my Insulin Resistance under control!

Thank you!
KJGM

Hi KJGM,

Your breakfast probably contains more insulin stimulating carbohydrate than you can handle, which causes the hunger. This is most likely also setting you up for the appetite control difficulty you’re having throughout the day. The bars you were eating would do the same thing. Try having the same amount of egg whites and cheese but change the carbohydrates to vegetables instead of the oats and berries. Also increase the olive oil to at least 2 teaspoons. If you have you heart set on the oat/berry combo, then try it with 1/3 cup cooked steel cut oats (they’re better for insulin control than old fashioned oats), 1 cup strawberries and a minimum of 2 teaspoons olive oil (or try 1 teaspoon olive oil and a couple spoonfuls of slivered almonds.) With these changes you should be able to get to lunch without significant hunger. This will allow you to eliminate the mid–morning snack you’ve been eating. BTW, good choice to eat a Zone balanced snack when you were hungry. That’s better than waiting it out. If these changes still leave you feeling hungry, try a smaller breakfast (like a Zone bagel with peanut butter or one of the Zone granolas with a bit of yogurt and a few berries) and have a 1 or 2 block snack mid-morning.
You’re currently eating about 15 to 16 blocks daily, which is a bit too much for you needs. Eating too much, even when it’s Zone balanced, could make appetite control difficult because it elevates your insulin levels. I eat about 13 blocks daily. You might get some ideas form the journals I’ve been posting here in the Zone Food forum. Here’s the most recent one: http://www.zonediet.com/Forums/aft/59707

Please keep us updated. Good luck!


____________________________________________

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

Sue,
Thank you so much! I'm going to start tomorrow and will keep you posted on my progress.

Sincerely,
KJGM:D

Sue,
Question - any tips on selecting a peanut butter? I noticed on your journals that you shop at Trader Joe's...me too! Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Choose a peanut butter without extra addded oils. I buy Trader Joe's crunchy with salt (it has a blue label; I like the taste and texture), and sometimes the one with flax seed added. Almond butter is a good Zone choice too.

Give it a few days to see how the changes effect your hunger. The are other things that can also be adjusted if need be. The goal is to be free from hunger all day.

Have a nice Sunday!

I like the TJ's with Flax Seed.

Smuckers Natural peanut butter has only one ingredient: peanuts. No added oils. And, very inexpensive and VERY easy to find.