I must be calculating something wrong. I am an average female so according to the Zone I should be eating around 11 blocks of protein per day. That works out to 3 blocks for breakfast, 3 for lunch, 1 for mid snack, 3 for dinner and 1 for late snack. my confusion comes when I add up the calories. 1 zone block of protein = 7gms of protein. so 3 blocks = 21gms. the full days total = 77gms of protein which = 308 calories (77 x 4) if you continue the calculation for the fat and carbs. (99gms of carbs = 396 cal. 33gms of fat = 297 cal) I would only be getting 1001 calories for the whole day. This is WAY to low a calorie intake according to everything I have ever learned. If I reverse the math and start from a caloric need of around 1800 calories per day it gives me aprox 19 blocks of protein per day. Why is there such a discrepancy between the recommended blocks and how many calories they provide and how many calories a person supposedly needs. I understand reducing your calorie intake is a good thing but generally speaking isn't going under 1200 cal per day not such a good thing? I would really appreciate an answer soon as I am trying to incorporate the zone diet for my daughter who has been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. Her Dietitian wants a specific number of cals per day because she is still growing but again when I compare her 10 year old caloric needs to what the Zone recommends for a child the calorie counts are VERY different. Help.

Your calculations are correct. For many this may seem WAY to low a calorie intake according to everything you have learned.

For most females the minimum total calories consumed is 1,100 calories per day, and for most males the calories consumed equals 1,400. While this would seem like a deprivation that leaves you constantly fatigued, the Zone Diet is designed to eliminate hunger between meals without the nagging cravings for sugars and sweets while maintaining peak physical and mental energy throughout the day. If you have excess body fat (greater than 15 percent for males and greater than 22 percent for females), then all the calories you need are already stored in your body. Remember that the typical male or female in this country carries about 100,000 calories of stored fat on them at all times. To put this in perspective, this represents approximately 1,700 pancakes, which is a pretty big breakfast. To access those 1,700 pancakes you simply need a "hormonal ATM card" to release these stored calories. The Zone is that card.

If you are using your Zone ATM card correctly, you don't have to consume as many external calories to meet your body's energy requirements. More importantly, the fewer calories you consume, the more you will slow the aging process. You aren't hungry, because the balance of protein to carbohydrate maintains stable blood sugar levels to the brain. Finally, on the Zone you are eating as if you are already at your ideal body-fat percentage because you are using a combination of your stored body fat and incoming calories to meet your daily caloric requirements. Therefore, once you achieve your ideal weight, you don't change your diet at all.

I thought I read that to maintain and to keep you from losing more once you reached goal, more fat is added to the diet to keep you from losing more. Has that changed?

No that hasn't changed. The Zone diet contains less fat than your body will use in a day. As long as you maintain the lower insulin levels of the Zone, the rest of the fat you need will be provided by your stored body fat. Once you reach your ideal bodyfat%, you simply add a little more dietary monounsaturated fat to prevent the loss of more body fat.

That is what I though Sue, thank you for clarifying that for me.

Going back to Deb's question, I have found that my usual intake for an 11 block day will total up to be 1200 and sometimes around 1300 calories. Sometimes it is the protein found in vegetables that we don't count in the Zone, and sometimes it is the fiber that is calculated in terms of calories. Many type 2 diabetics are able to control their blood sugar very well when they increase their fiber intake.

You're welcome, Linda.

Thanks!

I just had chicken livers for livers for dinner. I feel great!

What did you have?

Thanks.