Ok, I started the zone today after going back through my blood test for the last 10 years. I have had consistently high triglycerides and high LDL during this time.

For breakfast I had the Breakfast Smoothie on pg. 54 of A Week in the Zone. For lunch I am having a 3 oz. chicken breast and I have filled the rest of my plate with cooked cabbage, raw tomatoes and cucumbers, about a cup of cooked carrots and some onions and green peppers that I baked with the chicken. I put 1/2 tsp. olive oil in the carrots when I cooked them and 1/2 tsp olive oil in the cabbage when I cooked it.

Am I doing ok?

Thanks for all your help. Oh and I walked two miles with a Leslie Sansone DVD this morning after breakfast.

I so want this to work. I am going to the dr. on the 29 and don't expect major changes by then, but maybe a little. I've also started taking fish oil at the recommended dose by Dr. Sears.

I've gone from scared to excited now that I've been doing a little reading and getting some help.

Just realized those carrots were not the best choice. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

For supper I had lettuce and tomato topped with tuna salad (3 oz. tuna, 2 tsp. low-fat mayo, a little onion, and a little dill pickle relish), 1/4 cup chick peas, 3 olives. For dessert 1/4 cantaloupe.

I would stick to strawgerries, blueberries, grapes etc as fruits. Cantaloupe is not the best choice. And you have a whole cup of strawberries as 1 block which is a lot! Otherwise good choice for lunch - I actually use cucumbers and french (green) beans and 1 egg as 1 P block and I get a nice Nicoise salad

Ellen, I am glad to see you change this from scared to excited!

Oh, and I also love those Leslie Sansone videos! I have a few of them, they really help me keep myself moving when the weather isn't quite good enough to go out. Generally, I have enjoyed walking, but sometimes a lot of walking is hard on my knees, but have recently begun to ride my bike more. But, when it is raining out, I have no excuses, cuz Leslie is right there to keep me motivated!

Don't worry about the carrots, just judge for yourself how your meal works out when you use them. The carrot has a higher glycemic index, but actually works out to a lower glycemic load, and that is what the Zone uses for "favorability". I would limit the cantalope, though. Still a good choice, as it is packed with vitamins... but higher glycemic load, so limit it to small portions.

I think I have read that it will likely take 6 months to see the triglycerides show some movement, so don't get discouraged if your work-up doesn't show anything this time around. Your next appointment will definitely be a head-turner, though!

Thanks cranberry and Bozena for the encouraging words. There is so much to learn. I guess a few slip-ups along the way are inevitable. The hardest part is meal planning. I was never much of a planner, more of a grab it and go, but I can already see how important it is to have a plan and know what you are going to eat. I already feel a little better and I'm not hungry anymore.

Ellen, it is important to plan ahead. I remember I had the same problem 2 years ago when I started Zone. I was used to grab and go, never shoped fro food for myself and suddenly I had to! When I go to the shops I always made sure I have tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, kiwi or grapes, olive oil, romaine lettuce and cooked chicken. You can always make a snak or lunch from these. Breakfasts (smoothie) and dinners (baked chicken, baked fish etc with salad and I have time to go shopping) are much easier for me. But lunch - I never have time so I have to have something I can quickly prepare lunch from.

Thanks for giving me a quick list of things to always have on hand, Bozena. Planning ahead is going to be a good thing. Probably a money-saver, too.

Always glad to help out!

It does take a bit more planning, but many things that are worthwhile in life takes some time!

I love to cook, but don't always have the time. So, grab-and-go is what I do, but it is essential to keep good foods stocked so that you are not tempted to grab the wrong thing.

I work every day, and I generally pack my own lunches (even despite the fact that we have a full cafeteria here at work). My lunch is easy, I don't have time to be extravagant, so it is either leftovers from the night before, or it is an easy salad. I always keep cooked chicken breast on hand for my salads, and a variety of fruits and veggies. Especially for the kids, I keep grapes and apples at all times. Those Babybel cheeses are nice to have, and I also have string cheese (although you do have to watch fat content when using cheese). I keep bagged nuts on hand, too--either almonds or pistachios. Plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt is another item to keep on hand. I often use it to make dressings for my salad, and goes well in my smoothies.

Hi Ellen,

I've been trying to reply to some of your postings in these forums for several days, but to no avail. I keep getting error messages (they're working on it). Since I only seem to be able to post in this one at the moment, I'm going to take the opportunity to mention a few things here, not all of which apply to this particular thread (sorry!).


 As you learn more about your responses to particular foods and combinations of foods in a meal or snack, you'll begin to notice that satiety depends much more on the specific combination and types of food choices you make, especially carbohydrates than on the volume of the meal. The number of blocks will determine the length of you satiety. For a 1 block snack figure about 2 hours; a 3 block meal should last 4 hours or more. If you’re not getting this length of time on these block amounts, and adjustment is probably in order.


 In the same vein as the last topic don’t be surprised if your meal that contained chick peas and cantaloupe doesn’t always keep you satisfied for 4 hours. If it does, great; if it doesn’t it may very well be that it contains too much medium (chick peas) to higher (cantaloupe) density carbohydrate for you.


 Re the thread about Zone bars, you mentioned “Wally World”. If you didn’t buy those bars from this site, or by calling the 800 number at the top of this page, then they are most likely not the Zone Labs bars we’re referring to here, and are not made with the patented appetite control features of Dr. Sears Zone bars (hint: read the fine print on you bars).


 The Zone bars made by Zone labs are designed for use as either snacks or meal replacements; ½ bar = 1 fully balanced block of P, C and F; 1 ½ bars + 3 blocks; 2 bars = 4
blocks.


 I don’t know if you’ve already addressed this elsewhere (since I can’t read many of the forums at the moment, lol) but when it comes to grab ‘n go, convenience, no cooking or planning , and no thinking about balancing, Zone foods fit the bill beautifully!


Sounds like you’re off to a great start. Keep up the good work! Sorry If I don’t happen to reply to a question you might address to me. I’ll be happy to once the glitches are straightened out and I have full access to all the forums. :)

__________________________________________

sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zoen Affiliate