I know that the zone isn't based on calories and I've always managed to be very very successful on the zone diet. I always plateau, and the last time I did, I started looking into calories. An average day in the zone gives me about 1000 calories a day (which explains why I lose weight initially, bc there's a huge decrease in calories). When your metabolism slows, or gets used to that amount you plateau. Well,I found a tool on free dieting.com that calculates your caloric need and I was eating 700 calories under my recommendation. Sooo I gave it a shot. I reluctantly bumped my calories up to 1700 and saw immediate results. They were short lasting though, or maybe I got lazy. Maybe both. But I have decided to come back to the zone, do it right, and don't cheat myself. My concern today is will I lose the weight because I'm IN THE ZONE or bc I have significantly cut calories? Eating in the zone is so comfortable and second nature to me so trust me, I'm not being sceptical, mostly just confused. I have been using my fitness pal to track food/ calories but have decided to go back to a notebook log and focus more on blocks. I have currently lost 70 lbs since December 2011. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this:)

I've noticed the same thing. This is my first week in the zone and my calories vary. Sometimes they were low and other times, like last night, they were higher!

I recalculated my numbers and figured out I needed to be eating an extra block. Maybe that's the case for you?

I'm new to this as well so maybe my advice should be looked over until one of the others can offer their point of view.

HI there,

Hmm ... I would like to share a little of my experiences with you, maybe it might be useful?

I don't know where you need to be, calorie-wise, but, I do want to share that I know when I'm in the zone: after a few days, increased mental clarity, much greater physical energy, more stamina, and there's a certain kind of physical energy from within that I associate with being in the zone.

Oh, and no hunger, too ... well, the occasional twitch, etc, but I ignore them now.

And, I want to add, I experienced being in the zone when I was 50 pounds heavier than I am now. So while excessive weight makes a big difference energy-wise, I still had high energy even though I was 192 lbs. I'm 135 lbs or less now.

So ... do you remember times when you feel much better physically and mentally, and see what you were eating, doing, etc., at that time? E.g., on 1,000 and on 1,700, how did you feel physically, mentally, stamina-wise, clarity-wise, etc., etc? Oh, and lack of hunger, too ...

Knowing how you feel physically and mentally tells you when you're in the zone.

That said, I think 1,000 is possibly too low though if you actually need 11 blocks, unless maybe if you're a really small/short woman. I think 11 blocks, or 1,100-1,200, is closer to where a woman normally needs to be if that woman is needing 11 blocks.

Alexy

A bit more ...

I KNOW I'm not in the zone because I fell off the wagon, ate various things that I knew wasn't compatible with me, and the past day or so I have been feeling pleasantly sleepy and droopy (not something I normally experience when in the zone), my mind is more fogged, I have less physical energy, etc.

I AM taking NAET treatments, which hugely sap my energy, but this loss of energy is a very particular, specific, kind of feeling, quite different than the pleasantly drowsy, I-could-go-to-sleep-in-this-Lazy-Boy-chair feeling I've been having. So I'm zoning again now ... resetting my metabolism I guess you coudl say ... it probably wil ltake me a day or two to get back in the zone ...

I regret falling off the wagon now ... but anyway ...

Alexy

We do not count calories; however, the calories for 14 blocks:
Protein 14 x 7 = 98 grams x 4 cal per gram = 392 calories
Carbs 14 x 9 = 136 grams x 4 cal per gram = 504 calories
Fat 14 x 3 = 42 grams x 9 cal per gram = 378 =calories
14 blocks ==>> 1274 calories
.
NOTE: Th only time when calories will be significantly different is when your P, F, or C is significantly different than 14 blocks.
And Note that not everyone will need exactly 14 blocks of each.

Your info and my info is different ... I got the idea, years and years ago, that one block is basically 100 calories. I think from Barry Sears ... in one of his books.

And there was a discussion somewhere around here in the forum about the actual amount of calories--that many foods have, say, a little of this or that as well as being mainly one thing, e.g., carb, protein, fat.

So for example, looking at 32 grams of almond butter is mostly fat. It's 17 grams of fat. So, more realistically, let's halve the amount of almond butter here. So it's, uh, 16 grams of almond butter, which means uh 8.5 grams of fat. More realistic for many people. It still has, for that 16 grams of almond butter, 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of net carbohydrates.

So many foods, again, have a little bit of this or that. So these adds into the total naturally. Barry Sears doesn't count them becuase they're small in amount, etc., and it's too big a headache to try to account for every little addition. He wants to keep it simple and easy for all of us.

But these little additions do increase the amount of calories if you're dealing with actual foods.

That said. I think he said to assume roughly 100 calories per block. So 11 blocks is 1100. But the thread I was referring to, one person argued it's more like 1,200 sometimes because of all of those additions.

So it does depend ... if you're using just olive oil on a good day, as I do, then, it's closer to 1,100. But when I start using various nut butters to try to make it more interesting ... it goes up to ... closer to 1,200 on a good day ...

Alexy

Alexy

I agree there are some more calories than what I did in foods.
Because of the uncounted Protein and Fats in their counter sources. .
I just estimated and kept it simple.
So, in reality for 14 blocks one is probably getting closer to 1400 or 1500 calories.

Hi John,

Yeah, it does look like that doesn't it? :-)

Alexy

gotta give you credit for aknowledging this by the way ... that takes character. or integrity. or however you call it. LOL

alexy

THx.
I'll take, both, Thank You!
(Integrity and Character!)

LOL! :-)

Off to get my last zone snack before bedtime ...

Alexy

John!!! That was soooo extremely helpful!! I knew about the grams per block but never did the second part of the equation!!! I feel so enlightened right now!! Thanks!

Actually-- I just did the math on 11 blocks and it is 1001 cals. ok. No more math. Just blocks!!!