Hi Guys,
I am just getting back into the zone I tried the diet/way of eating last year.
I have been paleo for about a year but could never control my cravings, so I am really hoping that the zone can with a little help from you experienced zone goers lol:)
First thing I need help with is my blocks; I was aiming for 3 per meal and 1 per snack
But I can’t remember the break down per meal
I am 5,'2
29yrs female
About 62kgs i think
I train 5 days per week crossfit and weights I also have horses and work in sport so pretty active, but aim to lose a little bit:).
Next thing I want to try and stay away from bread, what can i sub instead??

If i am honest I get a little obsessed by food/weight and performances the other problem I have is low energy which then triggers my cravings.

Any help and advice gratefully waiting

Kylie

Initial starting point:
1 serving of Protein = 7 grams protein.
1 Serving of Carbs = 9 grams of net Carbs.
- a net Carb is total carbs minus fiber.)
1 serving of Fat = 3 grams good (mono-saturated) fat.
.
The number of blocks per day depends on several factors,
including your activity level,
so use the tool on this website.
.
The new Zone Foods introduced between 1 and 2 years ago, have been discontinued, as of this past Friday.
Also known as ZoneFast foods and Zone 1-2-3 foods.
Though the other products are all still available.
.
Welcome, back ....

Hi Kylie, I have tons of advice, lol! Just ask.


As you probably already know, the Zone is an anti-inflammatory diet that offers excellent hormonal control. The Zone diet, Omega Rx fish oil and a Zone polyphenol supplement (they contain polyphenols which are also anti-inflammatory; not all polyphenols are anti-inflammatory) are a powerful combination for lowering inflammation and losing excess stored body fat. When you focus on this, instead of on the "diet" mindset, you'll have the best results with weight loss. Use the Body Fat Calculator on this site (in "tools" tab) to determine your daily protein requirement. "Zone-At-a-Glance" (in "Classic Zone" in the "Tools" tab) will help prevent obsessing about food. I used this method to lose 100 pounds with the Zone and I still use it keeping in mind how many snacks and meals I need per day to get my entire protien requirement. You can do a Paleo form of the Zone, if you choose. Simply don't eat any foods that didn't exist in paleo times. Whatever method of the Zone you choose to follow, keep it simple and have fun with it. And, this is a no brainer, don't eat a food if you don't like it. Re you question about substitutions for bread, the answer is Zone friendly carbohydrates. Veggies and berries are your best bets. If you mean a literal substitute, try lettuce leaves for wraps. They work great. I'll be happy to help.

P.S. My wife and I also practice Paleo, too.
The Zone with Paleo is a stricter version of the Zone.
.
Not sure what you mean by a replacement for bread?
From a strict Paleo point of view, there are no real substitutes.
.
Now if you mean for a certain type of food/use?
That depends.
Like for sandwiches, as a replacement for bread, you can use large lettuce leaves.
I found, modified, and posted a pizza crust replacement recipe, using cauliflower and cheese.
Though, if you are a very strict Paleo, dairy is also limited,
so your choices are even less.
.
My wife and I practice mostly Paleo, but eat some cheese,
organic yogurt, and raw milk.
We also eat some grains, but very occasionally, like steel cut oats and Quinoa.
But that's about it.
And hardly any beans (legumes).

Thanks guys,

Ok I used the tools to help an this is what it came out with....
Daily Protein Requirement (g): 81
or # of Blocks of Protein: 12
# of Blocks of Carbohydrate: 12
# of Blocks of Fat: 12
Now what do I do with that I mean how should I break this into each meal??

Thanks
How many grams of each per meal??

However you want, as long as each meal is balanced with Protein, Carbs, and Fat.
You could have 6 meals of 2 blocks each.
or 3 meals of 3 blocks each and 2 1 block snacks.
or, since you work-out, have a 1 or 2 block meal/snack before
and a 1 or 2 block meal/snack after you work out.
General guidelines is to "break" your night time fast by having breakfast ( 1, 2, or 3 blocks) within 30 minutes of waking.
And 1 block within 1 to 2 hours before retiring for the evening.
And you shouldn't go more than 3 to 4 hours between snacks/meals.
Just eat before you get hungry - keeping your blood sugar stable.

Here's how it breaks out:
The calculator computes the Protein requirement and then figures the closest to a value divisible by 7,
which is 1 block of Protein.
81 grams of Protein is not divisible by 7.
BUT 84 grams of Protein is equal to 12 blocks of Protein.
12 x 7 = 84 grams of protein per day.
So 12 blocks of Protein per day.
The net Carbs and Fat follows the Protein, at least initially.
(Fat and Carbs can be tweaked to your individual needs, after you get your body in the hormonal Zone....
Which can take a couple of weeks more or less for each person.

Kylie,

For 12 blocks daily you could eat 3 3-block meals with 3 1-block snacks if you follow the block method. If you follow Zone At-a-Glance eat 3 meals and 3 snacks day.

Kylie, I don't have anything to add, just wanted to say hi! and Welcome to the Zone!

You really can break it up in a way that suits your needs the best. Just keep the basics in mind, eating within an hour of getting up in the morning, make sure you eat something within 5 hours of a meal or 2-3 hours after a snack, and don't forget to save a snack for bedtime.

Thank you for the above advice.
I have the zone meals in seconds book, but most meals are a 4 block meal
Whats the best way to break into a 3 block meal??
I am spliting it into 3 meals of 3 b and 2 snacks of 1 b,
hoping to get more sleep paleos are mad on sleep I know why lol and yes have a snack before bed to aid this.

I would say there is no real "BEST" way to create a 3-block meal.
As you suggest, one method is to set aside 1/4 as a 1 block snack.
Others have simply used 3/4 of the recipe ingredients to make a 3-block meal.
(But not necessarily always easy to do with some recipes or some recipe ingredients.)
Still, others have made a larger triple batch (12 blocks) and divided it into four 3 block batches,
and froze one or two or three of the batches for later ...
Or double the recipe and divide into two 3 block batches and one 2 block batch.
Or make 1-1/2 sized batch and divide into two 3 block batches.
etc.

P.S. Just to clarify:
A 4 block meal can not be split into 5 blocks!
Look at your math, again.
You state that you plan to split a 4 block meal into one 3 block meal and two 1 block snacks.
That adds up to 5 blocks from a 4 block meal.

Hiya,
Ok HERE GOES AGAIN....... I am having problems sleeping, I am feeling sleepy so I go to bed and bang wide awake,
I have a snack before I go to sleep and make sure I sleep in a dark room.
Any suggestions?????
Next......
If I am feeling hungry after about 2hrs is that ok??
Only cravings I have are for more carbs???
Thanks

Kylie.. You might want to take a look at this http://www.drsears.com/portals/6/Do...lchart.pdf

Can I ask which of Dr. Sears Books you have read ?

I am researching your question...will have more information for you.

Insomnia
There may be many reasons for your insomnia, Following the Zone and supplementing with omega 3’s may provide additional benefit. One of the benefits of omega 3 supplementation is a restructuring of the brain to improve neural communication, especially by increasing the levels of serotonin. This allows for better quality of sleep and enhanced REM.

Kylie, here are a couple of things to think about.

If you're taking your fish oil dose at dinner or later, try taking it at breakfast instead. Some people have reported it interfers with their sleep when taken later in the day. I've had personal experiely stopped, nev to return again.nce with this one. I've never had trouble sleeping, but when I tried switching my fish oil to the evening I kept waking up all night. I switched the dose back to early morning when I hade been taking it prior and the sleep distrubance abruptly stopped, never to return again. Also make sure your polyphenols are taken at the same time as the fish oil.

Hunger earlier than 4 hours after a meal together with sleepiness means you've eaten too much carbohydrate in relation to protein for your body's particular needs. Drop one block of carbohydrate from each meal, have the other two carbohydrate blocks from the best Zone veggies and berries and see how that goes.

I dont feel sleepy after meals or snacks just hungry again about 2 to 2.5 hours after
Still to many carbs??

The books I have read are "zone meals in seconds" and the zone diet both by Dr. Sears
Its a paleo things lights out lol

So I should take fish oils,

I would HIGHLY recommend you take fish oil.. I believe everyone should. Again you may think this tech-support is bias... But I have used other fish oils and none had the positve effects on me like Dr Sears OmegaRX.

Kylie,

I have experienced the early hunger that you are experiencing, as well. It often confused me (in the past) because when I ate zone-favorable carbs, I would just simply feel the early hunger, but not necessarily the fogginess or tiredness. However, I would have a more severe reaction if the meal consisted of unfavorable carbohydrates. So, initially, I thought that my problem was not enough carbs. So, I increased carbs. However, that did not help at all.

In my history, I also had other things that pointed more towards carb sensitivity (abnormal glucose tolerance, gestational diabetes). So, even if things pointed in the direction of adding carbs to my zone, I actually subtracted carbs and added some fat. That seemed to help quite a bit.

I will admit that I still at times experience hunger earlier than most people, but I am eating healthy food and feel great! My blood sugars are in control and has not developed into full-blown diabetes.

What do we think of rye crackers??
Ill try one less carbs and one more fat
Thanks x

Just be careful on the rye crackers. Many of them have wheat flour mixed in. And, even if they are 100% rye, they are still made from a rye "flour", which is a more processed form of the rye grain. That basically will increase its glycemic load, making it less favorable in the Zone.

As for balance, for each 3-block meal, I eat 3 blocks protein, 2 blocks carb, and 5-6 blocks of fat (sometimes I can get by on a bit less fat). If you look at calorie breakdown, this is actually about the same calories as a typical balanced 3 block meal. And, 2 blocks of carb on the plate is easier to swallow, still provides a LOT of food. Might actually be easier to get more favorable carbs in, as it doesn't seem as hard to fill the carb block requirements.

What do we think of rye crackers??
Ill try one less carbs and one more fat
Thanks x

I really like this link that helps in making adjustments. http://www.drsears.com/portals/6/Do...chart.pdf.

Refined grains and their food products are substandard foods for several reasons: Crancerrycat makes a good point about refined grains.

HEY Tech, that link is abbreviated in the Forums.
If some one tries to click on it, they get an error.
A "Page/File not found" error.

Thank you Cranberry cat and Tech,
I know what you mean about processed food from being paleo for about a year its hard to get my head around seeing them on the food list,
It is slightly confusing when you look at a zone plan and it includes bread
I have been back on it about a week, I have so much more energy and been training well, not had to many cravings or if I have they have passed, until
just now eaten an Easter egg, was for someone else, even worse had to buy another one for them too
One of the reasons may have been coz it was at home in my kitchen, but when we have a slip off how is best to get in the zone again?
I plan to hit the gym in a mo as I will feel better after that and I have planned my meal for tonight as to get that right,
Oh and deliver all my Easter eggs
Do you guys sometimes slip out of the zone too?
Oh what about wheat/gluten free oat cakes??