Hello all,

Here's our weekly "Accountability" thread. Feel free to jump in and and let us know how you're doing (the good, the bad and the ugly :D!!) -- we've got a great group here, providing endless support and inspiration.

This is a "no-judgement" zone (ha, no pun intended), so feel free to share as much or as little as you would like to. We're here for each other -- for me, this forum is one of the best parts of being in the Zone!

Have a great week, and hope to hear from you all!

Laurie

Hi Laurie,

I had a nice weekend. Sunday we went to a large BBQ, an annual event at our neighbor's house, about 60-70 people. There was tons of food, a big enough variety to make is easy to choose Zone favorable foods. They BBQ'ed pork (pulled pork), brisket and whole salmons, and everyone brought dishes to share. I ate the salmon (out of this world!), marinated asparagus salad, three bean salad, cucumbers, and fruit salad, and had sparkling water to drink. Good think I'm not longer tempted by desserts. There was an entire large table filled with everything you can imagine. I must admit, with all the Zone knowledge I have, it was very sobering to see how most of the others at the BBQ were eating. If they only knew what htye are doing to their bodies...

I'd rather eat a Zone brownie any day. :)

Hey, Laurie!

I have been working on my cycling, I have logged 92 miles over the past 2 weeks. My goal is to replace the errands in the car (around town) with cycling, and to ride 5-10 miles daily. I live 20 miles from work, and it isn't always feasible to ride to work, but I may set that as my goal at some point.

It is getting to be more like summer here, and I am more in the mood for easy salads. So, I have been experimenting with salad combinations.

Kids are out of school tomorrow, they are excited!

After a year of reaching that final goal and maintaining 164-165 lbs down from 172-173 lbs last summer, 2010. And after 10 months of finally starting and continuing regular exercising at the YMCA, I decided to finally treat myself. After contemplating for weeks, whether it was vanity or not, I decided it was not and went to my SuperCuts barber/stylist and had their new Paul Mitchell (Flash Back) color blending done! A tad expensive at $25 w/ the $5.00 coupon, but worth it. Worth it as a final topping, since it compliments my not only healthy and weight proper, AA/EPA ideal, but now also compliments my strength and new physique.
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My wife was unaware of my intent, and though leery about surprising her, she is pleased and stated I look 10 years younger. (The last time I surprised her, about 6 months, ago, I shaved off my beard and mustache, she did not like it!) But she does like my now non-gray, non peppered, non-white hair and beard.
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Reward yourself when goals are achieved. I've been rewarding myself with small rewards over the past 7 years, now and then, with each small goal, and milestone reached. I thought I was done, since I've been maintaining for a year at my ideals. Though I never exercised, and lost most from the Zone lifestyle change, those last 10 lbs or so were not going anywhere, and I knew exercise was the final key.
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So, last August, with my wife joining the YMCA that previous April, and the YMCA offering a deal to up to couple membership, I decided why not. I never really set a goal, nor a reward. But after my last haircut, i saw the new me for the first time in the mirror, including the beginning of the "6-pack" abs, so I pondered, and finally took the plunge, yesterday, and had my hair done.
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I hope this encourages those of you at the beginning or any where in between your journey.
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John (JdP)

Johh, is that our gray hair journey or our Zone journey? (jk!) Fortunately I don't have many gray hairs so I haven't had to think about coloring. Either I have a few lucky hair genes or my 16 1/2 years in the Zone has something to do with it, because this coming Monday I'll be 59 (yeah). Kudos to you, John, for your excellent results. You're doing great!

@ john--congrats to you and your success!!

I'm a beginner at the "zone" lifestyle. I've been in the zone for 1 week, and I have to admit, I feel wonderful! Usually I need two cups of black coffee (no sugar) to get me going in the morning..now I've switched to decaf and enjoy 1 cup. I've been using the a week in the zone as my recipe book. It has some very good recipes that not only am I visually happy but also very satisfied at the end of my meal.
I tried weight watchers for the longest time (over 1 yr.) and lost and regained the same 1 pound. I was always hungry and my co-dieters would encourage me to stick with it. But i finally decided I needed something different. I can already feel the difference. I'm never hungry and I do feel like I have more energy.
Along with being healthier I would like to loose about 40 pounds. But for now, I'm just concentrating on staying in the zone..
Question: of course many foods have combinations of protein, carbs and fat..so when figuring out how many blocks and which block it should be (fat, carbs or protein or a mix), how does one go about that.
for example, I bought these soy nuts and the nutritional info states:
total fat 6g
saturated fat 1g
trans fat 0g
tatal carb 8g
fiber 6g
sugars 2g
protein 12g
serving size 28g
would I count the fat as 4 blocks
carbs 1 block
protein as 1 1/2 blocks??

I would say, based on the nutritional info that you posted, 2 blocks fat, almost 2 blocks of protein, and I would not even bother counting the carb (net carbs are only 2 grams after subtracting the fiber).

Welcome to the Zone, you sound like you are doing just fine!

thanks..i forgot about the "net" carbs. another question...i wrote that i switched from caf coffee to decaf...well, honestly I'm doing half caf and half decaf. no sugar/no dairy or creamers. just black. would that slow down my getting into the zone??

Dr. Sears has a blog on coffee, personally it is still a confusing issue. Basically, moderation is the key, and if you are only drinking one cup, I don't see a problem with it! I used to drink a lot of coffee, but then switched to decaf when I started zoning. I do enjoy regular coffee now and again, though!

Suzanne, your personal level of insulin sensitivity and whether or not you are inslin resistant can influence whether caffeinated coffee might slow things down for you in regard to the Zone. Dr. Sears recomends gradually switching to decaf; the by-products of metabolizing caffeine can elevate insulin levels.

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sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

third week in the zone and i'm feeling great. i did have a few snacks that weren't in the zone and i can definitely feel the difference in my body. when i'm in the zone, i no longer have pain in my hips when i wake in the morning. i no longer feel stiff thoughout the day and i do have more pepp. Having a few snacks outside the zone has confirmed just how great i feel when i'm in the zone!! I got some more zone books from my local library. i copied some recipes to try, as i am not good at figuring ingredients. i am a great cook as long as i can use what i want and the amount i want. if i have to figure out amounts, that's when i get all flustered. so for now, i'm sticking with the prefab recipes. i ordered some of the bread products..and they are delicious!! they are extremely expensive. And i've noticed when i do have them as part of my meal, my hunger is not curbed as long. so i'm using them sparingly. and won't be ordering them again. but for those that are interested--they do taste good!!! so far i'm down about 7 lbs. and feeling good.

Thanks for the update, Suzanne! Sounds like you are doing just fine. I started out similarly to you, wanted to get the hang of it by using Zone recipes, and then it all kind of evolved from there.

I have had the same experience as you, my appetite was not curbed as well using the Zone products, and so I don't currently order them. I also feel that they are more expensive, and I feel better feeding my family whole foods, rather than processed foods.

Keep going, and keep us posted on your progress!

Excellent progress suzanne! Isn't is amazing how you can take a big turn for the better in a short amount of time just by changing your eating? Before you know it you'll be cooking zone balanced meals on you own and won't even need a recipe. Congrats and keeep up the good job!

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sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

thanks for the words of encouragement, they definitely help me to feel more powerful. I 'm already experimenting with my own recipes. I've read so many negative comments since starting. Some say with zone a person doesn't get enough carbs....but i eat a ton of veggiesand fruits everyday. I believe theymean grains..which aren't very healthy. Ialso read a person doesn't get any dairy, but I eat cheese or cottage cheese or yogurt daily.. PICK, PICK, PICK. Each person is an individual who has different needs. I eat lean meats, soy,fish, and poulty. I eat between 8-10 servings of fruits nd veggies a day and probably have grain based carbs 3-5 times a week. So far, that works for me.

Have I mentioned how happy I am??? The new way of eating for me is working well!! For the first time in my life, I don't feel deprived. I feel satisfied. I do wish there was more blogs and exchange of info and status..But I can see by some of the negative writeups, the general population is not ready to take their dietary/medical well being into their own hands. So few of us are willing to take responsiblility for what we put into our bodies and how that affects our bodies. Which we know will affect our present and future. I am a believer!!!

Get used to feeling happy. It's great, isn't it? :)

I'm another believer, suzanne, that your life and health are what you make of it. I know the good feeling, the happy feeling you talk about with the Zone. I've been feeling it for all of the 16 years I've been eating this way. Kudos to you for making this change! I think carefully about everything I put in my mouth, but it isn't a chore. I'm thrilled that the Zone has given me the knowledge to make the wisest choices for me.

Good post, Suzanne!

I feel the same way, we are responsible for our bodies and for what we put into our bodies, and for how we treat our bodies.

For me, the Zone has kept me from being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I am sure I was headed in that direction, and most certainly would have been diagnosed with it by now. Following the Zone lifestyle has basically put that disease process at a halt.

Great Job Suzanne. tomorrow will be 3 weeks for me as well, and I haven't weight yet, but last week, i had lost 5 lbs! I have a question for you guys. I have 4 turkey sausage patties because I don't have my eggs today. Is that doing too much?

You're doing great Valencia! :)

I happen to have just answered your sausage qn in one of the other forums. Here's what I wrote there...

Re your sausage question (I'm still having trouble with the Cooking Tips forum), it really depends on the amount of protein in you brand of sausage. Check the nutrition label. For a 3 block meal you want to use the amount of sausage that gives you around 20 grams of protein.