Hello All,

I just recently joined this website, and I started a post a few weeks ago and did get some good information out of it. I have a few more questions now for anyone who is willing to answer, but bare with me while I explain my story.

I was a zoner a few years back and lost a good amount of body fat. I was slim, slender and feeling great. My workouts were consistent and I was comfortable in all areas of the zone. I started again with the zone in the beginning on August 2011, I gave it a good 3 months, and although I didn't lose any weight, I did lose a few inches around my hips and waist. At that point I had cut dairy completely out of my diet and implemeneted taking fish oil daily. Since October, I have gained a significant amount of weight and inches back on and I've tweaked the zone numerous times and just cannot figure out where I am going wrong. I've altered my training program to try and maximize my results, but I am frustrated and not sure what direction to turn in.

I implemeneted dairy (mainly non-fat yogurt and low fat cheeses) back into my diet recently because I was missing yougurt so bad! Also, I looked up some recipes from this website, and I found a great mixture of part skim ricotta, steel cut oats and pb that is delicious and fits my palate just fine.

I've tried to cut back on the fruit intake and add more veggies as to have a lower GI, but I am more bloated and not feeling as light and airy as I want to be.

Now for the 2nd part of my dilemma. I am at 13 blocks per day because of my training program. I complete TRX core workouts in the morning and then do an intense free weight workout and 20 interval bike ride on my lunch. I can't run because of a hip injury so that leaves my options somewhat limited. I alternate days where I just do a TRX workout if I am limited for time. With this being said, I am not sure if i am over exercising and am confused by some of the posts. Some say it is possible, some say it isn't, and I just want to make sure my food intake is appropriate and will allow me the zone results I desire. Does anyone have any helpful hints?

Hi Jessica,

If you can keep a journal for a few days and post it here, it would give us more to go on to offer you suggestions. Include specific amount of specific foods, meal timing, exercise timing and how you feel 4 hours after meals.

Medications can also be the culprit for some people. Taking beta blockers, also some diuretics, can result in elevated insulin levels and keep a person out of the Zone.

Hi Sue,

Here goes from Monday-Thursday

Monday

7am TRX Core workout
7:30am- 3 block breakfast...4 egg whites, 3 1/2 pieces turkey bacon, 9 almonds, apple and a clementine
12pm - zone bar (2 blocks)
12:30pm back/biceps workout...20 minute interval biking
1pm 3 block lunch 4 1/2 oz ground turkey cooked in salsa, 2 cups chopped cucumber, 1/4 cup hummus, 9 almonds
3:30- 6oz greek yogurt, 3 almonds (1 block)
8:30- 4 block dinner...5 cups romaine lettuce, 1 red pepper, walnuts chopped (4 blocks worth), handful dried cranberries, fat free dressing, pear, applesause
10:30- 1 oz part skim cheese stick, 3 almonds, cup raspberries

This is my daily intake to some variation usually equalling 14 blocks. I just increased from 13 starting this week. My workouts vary daily, but are always consistent with the same intensity level and amount of time. The food is always calculated in the same form and always the same amount. I do weigh everything and use measuring cups for accuracy. I did recently have to start talking birth control as part of my doctors orders...if this will impair my weight loss in the zone, I am not sure if I should continue in the zone and eating as much as I do. I do feel like I am eating a lot of food, but I used the zone calculator and this is the recommended amount. Suggestions?
8:30pm-

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for posting your journal.

Your bloated feeling may very well be related to eating too much food, and too much carbohydrate to allow you to stay in the Zone. To recommend a specific daily block amount I'd need to know you LBM. In lieu of that, put your states into the Body Fat Calculator http://www.zonediet.com/tools/body-...alculator, choose the "Active" level and use that result for your daily block requirement. Try to switch a lot of the fruit to veggies, on order to gain batter insulin control, and remember to drink plenty of water. Drinking a 16 oz. glass prior to each meal will help you stay better hydrated. The fat burning metabolism of the Zone requires 1 1/2 times more than burning carbohydrate to produce energy.

Give it a week or two to see if this jumpstarts things for you. If not, the birth control may be a factor. In that case, drop 1 carbohydrate block from each meal, skip legumes for a while and stick with the most favorable veggies for you carbohydrate blocks. If you really want to eat fruit, eat a block of berries a day, or two blocks max.


Please keep us updated!

Hi Sue,

Thanks for your recommendations. So you feel as though I should drop to 12 blocks per day even though the recommended amount from the Zone calculator is 14? Also, what is your feeling towards dairy? I have been using the Zone recipe I found on the website for 2/3 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup or ricotta, 4 teaspoons of all natural pb and 1 cup of blueberries. This makes a 4 block meal, but I don't usually eat the whole thing as to only try to eat 3 blocks for breakfast. I tweaked it a bit to cut out the berries and just added another blocks worth of the oats. I could eat the oats all day long. Are they a better substitute to the fruit? How about the ricotta?

Sue,

I just did the body fat calculator again...(with these statistics)...at active level and it recommended 13 blocks. weight 160, height 60.5 inches, abdomen 31, waiste 38. Ideas?

Hi Jessica,

As I posted earlier, go with the number of blocks recommended by the calculator, which you have now determined is 13. Since you were eating 13 blocks and not quite feeling in the Zone, most likely the glycemic load of your meals was too high. Looks like you’re more sensitive to carbohydrate than the average person. Try dropping 1 C block from each meal, choosing all your carbohydrate blocks from vegetables. This will lower the glycemic load of your meals and get you into the Zone, usually in less than a week. Once you are back in the Zone and fat loss begins, start adding little more carbohydrate to each meal if you wish, mostly from vegetables.

For now, keep dairy products to 1 block or less per day. Cottage cheese would be a better choice than ricotta.

Steel cut oats are included on the list of best carbohysdrate because they contain GLA. Dr. Sears' usually advises a couple servings of oats per week for teh average individual. Even that amount is too much for some peopel, re GLA and/or glycemic load. Oats are not a better choice than berries because oats have a higher glycemic load than berries and mostof the other best carbohydrate foods. Eating oats will make it more difficult for the carbohydrate sensitive person to maintain insulin control.