It sometimes just takes a little longer for the body to settle into the zone. I am glad you are gaining control and able to manage without too much fat. I think you are doing better with smart carb choices.

Thanks, Cranberrycat. Getting enough but not too much fiber is the challenge. I have to be careful about eating too much broccoli, okra, etc. Onions, zucchini, spaghetti squash and eggplant seem to be good choices for me.

Breakfast -

2 cups water before the meal

Omelet - egg white, low fat mozzarella, onion, tomato, water chestnuts, spinach (4P & 2C blocks)

Olive oil

Steel cut oats (1C block)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g.

4P / 4C / 12F

I felt some hunger right at the end of the meal but it quickly went away and it held me until lunch.

Lunch -

2 cups water before the meal

4 oz of crab smothered in 4 oz of avocado (4P blocks)

8 oz frozen broccoli + 2 oz water chestnuts + 2 oz hummus (2C blocks)

150g cherry tomatoes, 2 oz carrots (1C block)

frozen blueberries (1C block)

3 cashews

The total fat for the meal, including the hidden fat in the hummus, was 25g.

4P / 4C / 12F

This was similar to the crab & avocado lunch, yesterday, but I only had 1 block of fruit today instead of 3. Both meals were not good hormonally. I got quite hungry today about 1.5 hours after the meal. We may be seeing a pattern of 3:00 p.m. hunger. My snack will be at 4:00. I eagerly await it.

Dinner -

At a restaurant

milk with protein powder (3P, 1C blocks)

some of my wife's salmon (1P block)

lentil soup (1C block)

1/2 portabello mushroom, a little eggplant, mixed vegetables (1/3 C block)

My stomach felt a little off before the meal. Consequently, I felt very full after. I didn't get hungry at all during the evening.

I forgot to list the 1/4 cup of pasta that was in the dinner. (1C block).

I like those veggies too, Larry!

BREAKFAST

egg white & whey protein omelet / pancake - 4P blocks
-with 200g frozen strawberries - 2C blocks

40g barley, 60g tomato paste, a pan full of spinach - 2C blocks

40g Almond butter - 12F blocks

This kept me in the Zone with no hunger.


LUNCH (two 2-block snacks instead of one meal)

1st snack - 1 Zone bar + 5 macadamia nuts (2P / 2C / 6F)


2nd snack 1.5 hours later -

3 oz deli ham, 1.4 cup cottage cheese (2P blocks)

150g cherry tomatoes, one cucumber, 1/2 apple (2C blocks)

12 pistachios, 4 cashews

The total fat, including the hidden fat in the ham, was 12g

For some reason this 2-snack approach works better than having one 4-block meal. ???

I was in the Zone and not hungry.

Some people get better control of insulin levels by eating frequent smaller meals like your 2-block snacks. Doesn't work that great for me, but it is more of a timing problem because I can't take that many breaks during my work day to eat.

I'll have to experiment with snacks instead of meals and see if it works on other days. I don't think I'll need it in the morning because I haven't had the after-meal hunger problem then. I eat a Zone bar & some nuts at 8 a.m. and then usually start eating breakfast around 10:00.

DINNER

tofu ground beef cooked with egg white (4P blocks)

sauteed onion + zucchini + eggplant + tomato paste + Parmesan (3C blocks)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

3 oz baby romaine lettuce

Olive oil (total fat for the meal was 24g)

4P / 4C / 12F


I got hungry about an hour after dinner and ate 1/2 a zone bar and a few nuts at 8 p.m. That puts me at my limit of 16 blocks for the day but I'll probably have my usual 1-block snack at 9:30, too.

Does anyone know - is it better to be hungry and only eat the amount I'm supposed to eat or is it preferable to quell the hunger with a little balanced snack like I did tonight?

BREAKFAST

2 cups water before the meal

omelet - tomato, onion, spinach, low fat mozzarella, egg white, olive oil (2P & 2C blocks)

raw -- 2 oz carrots, 150g cherry tomotoes (1C block)

frozen strawberries (1C block)

The total fat, including the hidden fat in the cheese, was 24g

I got kind of hungry about 2 hours after. I was planning to have 2 snacks for my lunch today anyway so it worked out okay. I snacked at 12:30

LUNCH SNACKS

SNACK #1
Salmon
Steel cut oats with 1 oz hummus
1/4 cup lentil soup with yogurt

2P / 2C

I'm not sure how much fat was in the Salmon because my wife had already added it but the total fat for the meal was probably around 12g.

I got pretty hungry about an hour after this snack.


SNACK #2

Zone bar & 20g almond butter

I forgot to add in the fat already in the zone bar so I had 18g instead of 12g

I didn't get hungry after this snack. I might need to make both lunch snacks zone bars.

Larry,

The hunger after Snack #1 is most likely due to the carbohydrate choices being more dense in carbohydrate.

That must be it, sue.

DINNER

3 oz sardines, 1 low fat string cheese, 3 bites cottage cheese (4P blocks)
Olive oil (12 fat grams)

1 can drained tomatoes with 1 oz hummus (1.5C blocks)

12 oz frozen asparagus (1C block)

150g frozen strawberries (1.5C blocks)

there were 12 fat grams in the sardines + 3 in the string cheese + 3 in the hummus + 12 in the olive oil = 30 grams of fat

I got hungry about an hour after dinner again. This time I'm waiting it out and not eating until 9:30 when I usually have my night snack. I'm still not sure if it's better to eat when I get hungry like this, or if it's better to stick it out until the next meal/snack time. I might try having 2 snacks to replace the dinner meal and see if that works better.

I'd rather see you eat a balanced snack than wait.

Oh, good. Thanks!!

Larry,
At the point of being hungry, it really doesn't matter what you decide to do... either way, you are not in the Zone if you are hungry. You just need to figure out the best way to get back in. Eating might seem logical, but keep in mind that eating too much will also put you OOZ, even if the food is balanced.

I must say I am enjoying all this! I am learning a lot from Sue and Cranberry Cat -- as well as getting some ideas for quick meals. Go, Larry!

You're welcome Larry, Eating will accomplish a couple of things. You'll bring your blood sugar back to a place that makes you feel comfortable and you will not be prolonging the amount of time spent not bring in the Zone. Even if that might end up adding an extra snack for the
day, no worries. With your LBM and level of activity, plus the fact you have a low body fat %, it should be fine.

Hi Mary,

I agree, Kudos to you, Larry, for sharing your detailed journal. You're helping many other people learn more about the Zone.

Just a quick note again,

Since sometimes it is difficult to recognize true OOZ hunger from other various symptoms of hunger (as in the possibility that hunger is being mistaken for thirst, as was discussed previously), eating may not solve the problem and may cause one to go further OOZ.

I have treated OOZ hunger in various ways. Sometimes I feel like I just have to eat, and I often feel that eating at this point does not always cure the hunger, i.e. feeling continuous hunger after eating, or even moreso. At that point, if it is convenient, I try to do other things. Sometimes a good nap is in order (if that is allowed in the given situation). Or, sometimes I feel that exercise actually helps. Might seem odd, but I have solved many hunger issues by engaging in some exercise.

Thanks, Cranberry - I'll keep those ideas in mind.

BREAKFAST

egg white & whey pancake with 150g frozen strawberries and 40g almond butter (4P & 1.5C blocks)

sauteed onion, baby romaine and eggplant with tomato paste and Parmesan (2C blocks)

raw carrots (0.5C blocks)

Total fat for the meal was 24g.

This meal held me pretty well. Seems like breakfast always does.

1st LUNCH SNACK

zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz baby romaine lettuce

2P / 2C / 6F


2nd LUNCH SNACK

zone bar, 20g almond butter

2P / 2C / 6F

Both these snacks kept in in the Zone, nicely. Those zone bars are amazing.