Larry, they're great, aren't they? Try the cookies if you haven't yet. They work even better for me.

Hi Sue - I have some of the cookies. I think they work about the same for me as the bars. I see why you did so well on the zone bread.


DINNER

4 oz deli turkey smothered in 4 oz avocado and 1sliced tomato (4P & 0.5C blocks)

2 cups frozen cauliflower (boiled & mashed) + 2 oz hummus + 1 tbsp plain yogurt + Parmesan (2C blocks)

8 oz fresh raspberries (1.5C blocks)

2 cashews

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

I was very full at the conclusion of the meal but I got hungry at 9:00 p.m. (too early for my night snack). I had a few bites of plain yogurt and one Brazil nut to tide me over until snack time. It worked and it's probably only about 1/4 of a block. This might be a good way to deal with the hunger when it comes at the wrong time.

And, I'm still doing well with Zone bread. I stocked my freezer a couple weeks before it disappeared. Tonight's dinner was delicious. I spread a Zone pizza crust with a reduced fat spreadable jalapeño cheddar cheese, topped it with vegetarian faux ground beef and some Kalamata olives, and then heated it in the toaster oven. :)

BREAKFAST

egg white & light string cheese omelet with onions, tomato & spinach (4P & 1.5C blocks)

5 oz oatmeal, 2 oz carrots, 80g fresh blueberries (2.5 C blocks)

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

I got a little hungry about 2 hours after this meal but it's about time for my 1st lunch snack

Larry, one possiblilty for your sometimes inexplicable bouts of hunger could be you previous high protein eating plan. People coming off a high protein sometimes experience a prolonged adjustment time to the Zone diet (physiologically I mean, not psychologically).

Typo . I meant to say: coming off a high protien diet.

That makes sense and it's good to know about that, Sue. I was eating basically just meat for two years. Then I only ate vegetables and avocados (protein deficient) for about another year. My system is probably very pleased to be getting the right balance and wants more.


1st LUNCH SNACK

zone cookie, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine lettuce 4P / 4C / 12F


2nd LUNCH SNACK

2 oz tuna (2P blocks)

8 oz frozen broccoli + 60g tomato paste + Parmesan (1.5C blocks)

70g frozen strawberries (0.5C blocks)

Olive oil. I made a mistake and put on too much olive oil. The total fat for the snack was 24g.

No hunger after either of these snacks.

My next snack will be at about 4:00 p.m.

Thanks for the info. I hadn'tremembered the timing details. Good that you've got things more in balance now. Keep up the good job. It will soon become second nature. With time you'll find you intuitively put a Zone balanced meal in your plate.

Sue - it sure is helpful to have this forum for encouragement, clarifications, etc. Thank you!

1st DINNER SNACK

4 slices tofurkey with mustard (2P blocks)

1 bag frozen zucchini flavored with 1 oz hummus and 1 oz yogurt (1.5C blocks)

40 oz fresh blueberries (0.5 block)

I was too full to have any extra fat. The hidden fat in the tofurkey and the hummus = 6g.

2P / 2C / 2F

I got hungry a little before the time for the next snack...


2nd DINNER SNACK

zone bar, 4 almonds, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine lettuce (2P / 2C / 6F)

No hunger - zone bars seem to always keep me full.


TODAY'S MEALS

7 a.m. snack
10 a.m. breakfast (hunger at Noon)
Noon snack
2 p.m. snack
4 p.m. snack
6 p.m. snack (hunger at 8 p.m.)
8 p.m. snack
9:45 p.m. snack

This is a pretty good schedule. I did get hungry a couple of times but it was just before the next meal time came. I might continue eating this way for a few days.

Sue - I thought of another possible explanation for my hunger. My meat-only and vegan diets were both very low carb and consisted of 70 - 80% of total calories coming from fat. My implementation of the zone diet with 3X fat is only 45% of calories from fat ---

28 + 36 = 64 P + C calories per zone block. 17 X 64 = 1088 calories (17 blocks of carb and protein)
fat grams per meal -- 12+24+24+12+24+6 = 102g x 9 calories = 918 calories of fat

2006 total calories (about 45% from fat)

My system could just be used to using fat as fuel and wants more. Like you say, I'll get used to the Zone Diet over time.

Hi Larry,

When you're in the Zone you burn fat to fuel all your body''s energy needs. There's a limit to the amount if fat a body can burn.. As long as you're not still losing stored fat, it's bit likely you'd need more dietary fat. It's my understanding the adjustment period after an all protein diet is usually more about the body overcoming the effects of long term ketosis caused by the overlaid if protein.

Oops, typo.

*it's unlikely you need more fat

Sue - I remember now that Dr. Sears' blog about why Atkins doesn't work said that it increased cellular inflamation which causes insulin resistance. So maybe that's what I have but I'm not sure about that because my triglycerides were at 56 when I started the zone diet. Anyway, it's probably not real important for me to know exactly why I have the unexplainable hunger if eating Zoned meals and snacks will eventually fix the problem.

BREAKFAST 10:00 a.m.

egg white & whey protein pancake with 100g frozen strawberries (4P & 1C blocks)

40g almond butter (24g fat)

cauliflower + tomato paste + Parmesan (2C blocks)

1.5 oz barley (1C block)

total fat = 24g

This meal kept me in the Zone. No hunger.

Yes, no need to dissect everything since it's obviously working for you. I'm sutious. What are you doing with the tomato paste, making a little sauce?

Another typo...

*I'm curious. (sutious)

Hi Sue - yes, it's an easy sauce. 1 tbsp is 1/2 a carb block. It's great with a few shakes of parmesan cheese on vegetables.

1st LUNCH SNACK 12:00

2 oz tuna, one large cucumber, 10 oz mushrooms (sauteed), olive oil, 100g strawberries (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

No hunger


2nd LUNCH SNACK 2:00


2 oz crab, 4 oz onion (sauteed), olive oil, 11 oz raw cherry tomatoes (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

I got a little hungry at about 3:30


AFTERNOON SNACK 4:00

zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz romaine (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

No hunger.

Thanks, Larry.

1st DINNER SNACK 6:00

2+ oz of turkey breast, 1 lb eggplant & 4 oz onion sauteed, olive oil (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

I was very full before eating from the Zone Bar I had at 4:00 but as soon as I started this meal I became very hungry. I didn't feel fulfilled afterwards and had to eat a little yogurt and a little cashew butter about 30 minutes after I had stopped eating. :(


2nd DINNER SNACK 8:00

zone bar, 10g almond butter (2P / 2C / 12g fat)

no hunger


I may try incorporating 1/2 zone bar into most of the snacks to see if that keeps me full all day

7 a.m. SNACK

-Zone bar & nuts

no hunger


10:00 BREAKFAST

-egg white & low fat mozzarella omelet with 4 oz onion, 1 tomato & a handful of spinach (4P, 1.5C)
-5 oz oatmeal with 2 tbsp tomato paste & Parmesan (1.5C)
-100g frozen strawberries (1C)
-Olive oil on the omelet + hidden fat in the cheese = 24g fat

I felt a little hungry right after the meal and for two hours but not hungry enough to eat something.


12:00 SNACK

-1/2 zone bar, 1 oz crab, large cucumber, tomato, olive oil (2P / 2C / 12g total fat)

Got a little hungry at 1:00 and ate a few bites of plain yogurt and a small amount of almond butter. I guess having 1/2 of the snack be half a zone bar doesn't work.


2:00 SNACK

-Zone bar, 4 cashews, 6 pistachios

okay hunger control from this snack


4:00 SNACK

-2 oz turkey breast smothered in 3 oz avocado and 150g cherry tomatoes (2P / 0.5C / 13g fat)
-8 oz frozen broccoli with 2 tbsp hummus and Parmesan (1C / 3g fat)
-4 frozen sweet cherries (0.5C)

I had a little too much fat (16g)

No hunger.


6:00 1st DINNER SNACK

-2+ oz crab, 2 oz avocado, olive oil (2P)
-6 oz frozen asparagus with 1/4 cup curry lentil soup as a sauce and 1 tbsp yogurt (1C)
-2 oz raw carrots and 1/4 apple (1C)
-total fat was 12g

Got a little hungry at 7:30

8:00 2nd DINNER SNACK

-Zone bar, 1 brazil nut, 2 cashews, 6 pistachios, 2 oz baby romaine

Good hunger control from this snack.


My last snack will be at about 9:30.

I think I'll go back to 3 snacks and 3 full meals. It's a lot of trouble to eat this often and I'm not seeing any benefit in hunger control.

Larry,

It looks like you struggle most when you eat meals or snacks that are lower in density. However, it does not seem like you are experiencing the "unfocused hunger". With lower density veggies, you might be able to push the amounts up just a bit. Not too drastic, but just enough to curb the hunger.

Thanks, Cranberry. I was wondering about that. I may add one C block to my meals and see how it goes. It is definitely focused hunger.

BREAKFAST

-XL egg white and whey protein and blueberry pancake (4P, 1.5C) with almond butter (24g fat)
-raw tomato (0.5C)
-cooked -- 2 cups cauliflower & pan of spinach with 30g hummus for sauce (1C)
-2 oz raw carrots (0.5C)
-1/4 apple (0.5C)

4P / 4C / 27g fat, including the hidden fat in the hummus

I got hungry 90 minutes after the meal and had 4 spoons of plain, nonfat yogurt and 1/2 tsp of almond butter

LUNCH

-4+ oz crab smothered in 4 oz avocado with 150g cherry tomatoes (4P / 0.5C / 20g fat)
-8 oz frozen broccoli in a sauce of 30g hummus and 1 tbsp yogurt (1C)
-40g barley (1C)
-200g frozen strawberries (2C)
-5 grapes (0.5 C)

total fat, with the fat in the hummus, was 23g

4P / 5C / 23g fat

Great hunger control with this meal!!

DINNER at Ruby Tuesday

chicken breast, spaghetti squash with olive oil added, salad bar (about 3 dozen tomato slices & some lettuce), a small amount of mashed potatoes from my wife's plate.

I estimate this dinner was 4P / 5C / not sure about the fat content (1 tbsp of olive oil plus whatever fat was in the chicken and sauce)

I got hungry about 90 minutes after dinner so I had a few bites of plain nonfat yogurt and a couple of walnuts.