Hi there,

I was hoping someone would be able to give me some advice. I have only recently discovered the Zone and absolutely love the concept, the simplicity and the science behind it. I like to have the structure and a simple-to-follow system for healthy eating and Paleo Zone fits in with that quite nicely.

I just had a few questions about blocks and distributing them over the day.

Firstly, my stats are 56kgs, very active and around 8-9% body fat. How do I calculate the number of required blocks per day based on this information?

Secondly, I usually wake about 5am and go to bed about 10-11pm. At the moment I tend to eat every 2-3 hours which comes to about 7 times a day. If, for example, my stats return 20 blocks per day, what would be the recommended amount of blocks per meal?

Also, as I mentioned above I eat alot at the moment, and I am always hungry still. I have read that following the zone helps to reduce this hunger feeling so although I will be technically eating less food, I won't be as hungry because the insulin and glucogon balance each other out, and I won't be having all the bread, pasta and rice that blocks the lectin. I was just wondering if other Zoners have experienced this paradox and how it has turned out for them.


Thanks,

James

James,

First, go under the "tools" tab and find the body fat calculator. There are some measurements to enter, and then you can calculate your daily block allotment.

You can divide up your blocks in any way that works for you. Most men eat 4 block meals, but you can stretch that out to 5 block meals (no more than that) if you want.

Your snacks can be 1-2 blocks (depending on how many blocks you get). Eat your meals at points in the day that make sense to you, and then fill in the gaps with your snacks. Just a few simple rules, eat something within an hour of rising, don't go more than 5 hours after a meal without eating something--and would add that you should eat something within 2-3 hours of a snack, as well. Then, just save something for a snack before bedtime.

You will find that you are eating less calories, but the volume of food will be greater. I am betting that your hunger will be much more controlled by eating veggies and fruit instead of pasta/bread/rice. I can tell you that my hunger has always been a challenge to manage, but when I am well-zoned, it is much less of a problem.

Hope that is helpful!

Hi CranberryCat,

Thanks for your response.

It calculated about 15 blocks for me, but I am going with 16 using CrossFit Journal 21 as a guide. :-)

I have distributed it as follows,

5am - Breakfast - 3 Blocks
8am - Snack - 2 Blocks
10am - Snack - 2 Blocks
1pm - Lunch - 3 Blocks
4pm - Snack - 2 Blocks
6pm - Dinner - 3 Blocks
8pm - Snack - 1 Block

I think that looks fine. 15-16 blocks is good, see how you feel--if it is too much, then cut it back to 15.

You can see how it goes and make further tweaks, if needed. For instance, your last snack is at 8, but you said you don't go to bed until 11. You could push your snack off until 9 or 10, easily. Also, if you tire of having so many snacks, you could make your meals a bit larger and then just have fewer snacks, too.

Its really up to you and what works out for you.

Consider your workouts, too, and you can plan your snacks around them, as well.

;-)

hi i am getting ready to try the zone diet but i dont understand what the blocks are how many blocks can you have per meal how do you find that out

For anyone interested in starting the Zone.. There is no easier, less expensive way than buying Dr Sears book "A week in the Zone".

This book is under $ 7.00 dollars on this site, only approx. 200 pages, gives all neccesary information to succeed, gives you shopping list, recipe, cooking instructions etc for a week. Use it religiously for 2 weeks and I feel you will find; better energy and a good understanding of the diet.

Apply everything in "A week in the Zone fr 2 weeks, support a healthy diet with OmegaRX and Polyphenols and you will see results.

Eevrything you need is located right here on Zonediet.com

Tech, of course is right on.
I will keep an extra copy (paperback) or two,
and as folks asked me how I lost so much weight,
I explain, briefly, the Zone, and if interested give them a cpy of "A Week in the Zone".
Doesn't happen as ften, now - as ts been 8 years with this lifestyle, and 7 years since i reached ideal weight, now.