My son is 15 1/2 and has been doing Crossfit for about 8 months. He has read Enter the Zone and wants to start the Zone, which I completely support. I just worry that he will be hungry - he tried Paleo and was starving. He is very fit; he's 5'5, 150 pounds and does Crossfit 6 times a week. He is starting to work out twice a day for the next few weeks because he'll be in his first Crossfit competition the end of January. He also takes a weight lifting class at school, so about 30 minutes of weights a day/5 days a week in addition to Crossfit. He calculated that he needs 16 blocks. I found a sample meal plan on a Crossfit website that I'm using to get started, but I know I'll need more meal ideas and recipes. He and I researched fish oil and I'm going to order the OmegaRx. Does it sound like he's on the right track as far as the blocks he needs? Any advice or suggestions for us?

I have to admit I wanted to try the Zone years ago and I gave it up because I didn't want to calculate the blocks in everything I ate. My son is actually the most excited about that part of it; he loved reading the research and facts behind the diet and wants to read all Dr. Sears' research. I still don't want to do that, but I'm willing to do this for him. I've got meals plans for these first two days of the Zone for him from the Crossfit website, but are there other resources to find sample meal plans that are broken into blocks? I need to get to a bookstore and find Zone cookbooks, but I welcome any recommendations. He wants my husband and I to do this with him, and we've agreed; we just aren't starting today like he is.

I have been and will continue reading through the forums here. I've already bookmarked the recipes forum but I wanted to post separately and ask for suggestions. Thank you in advance!

coming here is a great step! Sounds like you are all on the right track. If your son is hungry on 16 blocks, then we can offer tips on how to adjust. He can calculate if he wants to, but for yourself, you can always use the plate method. Looking forward to hear from you on his and your progress!

By the way, if he likes some elements of Paleo, he can do Paleo within the Zone parameters.
My wife and I do. Mostly we are nearly grainless, and most grains are unfavorable in Zone, anyway.
Paleo does allow more fats, so keep fats within Zone and healthy.
Paleo is more vegetables, some fruit, and no grains -
nearly the same as Zone.
Any questions, feel free to post.

Thank you both for responding. He's just starting today; he's really hungry but it is also a big change from how he'd been eating over the holidays. Should he give it a few days and see if it gets better?

Thank you again, I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions as he goes through this!

YES. Because the Zone also removes toxins from typical SAD (Standard American Diet), he might feel bad for a few days.
BUT, if he's done Paleo, prior to Zone, he might not have as much to clear, except some "Toxic Fat"
which happens to be Dr. Sears latest book, and a good book to get and read.

He did Paleo back in October for a Crossfit challenge, so he's been eating that typical SAD since right before Thanksgiving. We all ate much worse in December with way too many baked goods, so I bet that is mainly why he's feeling bad.

The other issue we're trying to figure out is how to time his meals while working around school and workouts. He's not used to eating a big breakfast, and he's doing Crossfit at 6am for the next few weeks. There won't be time for him to eat a full four block breakfast between working out and getting to school, so he wants to break up the meals. He just started trying to figure this out, but his initial plan is to have a two block snack before Crossfit, a two block breakfast after Crossfit/before school, a two block snack mid-morning, a two block lunch at noon, a two block snack after school, four block dinner and a two block snack in the evening. Is it fine to do that? I'm still worried he'll be hungry, but he's struggling to get down such a large breakfast this weekend and there's no way he can eat that much either before his workout or before school. Any suggestions?

Thank you again, I really appreciate the help and suggestions.

YES, it's OK to split blocks out throughout the day.
AND I think doing 2 blocks each both before and after 6 am crossfit is a good idea.

Sheri,

Your son shouldn't be hungry after his initial just adjustments to both the Zone and his new exercise plan. Studies show it takes four days of eating Zone meals and snacks 24/7 in order to lower insulin to the levels at which he begins to experience Zone benefits. During the first weeks of the song about 25% of people will feel sluggishinee or headaches or even experience flu – like symptoms due to the initial release of the toxic fat stored in their fat cells. An increase in his Omega RX does initially (a minimum 5g dose, 8 capsules daily he begins the Zone diet) will help tomitigate and can even prevent these symptoms, if he is one of that 25%. Keep us updated on his progress. I'll be happy to help

Sorry for the typos was using voice typing.

Splitting the blocks before and after his workout today helped, so he'll continue doing that. He says he's not hungry, but there's been a drastic change in his mood since he started this so I know he's feeling the sluggishness that you mentioned, Sue. I am going to order the Omega Rx tomorrow, until we get that should I get him a retail brand, just so he's on it? I read several articles about the difference in quality so I was hesitant to buy anything, but if it would help him get through these first days I will.

I'm pleased that he's eating so healthy, but I still worry that with all the exercise he does, he's not taking in enough calories. He has never liked veggies, but he's always eaten a lot of fruit, meat, whole grains and not really much sweet stuff - but he's a growing boy and ate like one, meaning he ate all the time. He ate a lot of food and wasn't gaining weight, he burns it all off. Now he's eating much healthier, but a lot fewer calories. Like I mentioned, I haven't read the books explaining the Zone; he has, but is it a valid concern for athletes and/or growing teenagers that they won't get enough calories eating this way?

Thank again so much for all the help.

Hi,

I would not recommend a retail brand of fish oil. The Omega RX should arrive soon after you order it. And no, the calories are not a concern. He already has the energy (calories) he needs stored in his fat cells and with the Zone diet he will tap into that for additional calories. Once he is at an ideal weight, he would simply add extra monounsaturated fat blocks to his meals and snacks to prevent further loss of stored body fat. Even Olympic athletes excel in the Zone. When you read a Zone book you will have a better understanding. I highly recommend reading one. For the most up-to-date info and a very thorough explanation read "Toxic Fat", Barry Sears' most recent book. For a quick, easy read to get a grasp of the basics read "A Week in the Zone", a paperback. BTW, for teens who are still growing, I've seen it recommended to add a block or two to the recommended daily block result on the calculator.

IF you decide to buy a retail brand, even temporarily, please ensure that it is at least 60% Fish Oil.
That is 60% combined EPA & DHA or close to it.
Most retail Fish Oil have much, much less.
So, to get a minimum of 2400 mg Fish Oil ( 4 capsules of Omega-Rx) from a retail brand,
he might have to take too many pills.
Not to mention, the impurities, Mercury, PCB's, etc.
.
For example, Dr. Sears Omega-Rx are 1000 mg each.
With 400 EPA mg and 200 mg DHA for a combined ish Oil amount of 600 mg or 600/1000 = 60%..
.
A "typical" store retail fish oil has about 326 mg (some a bit more, some a bit less) of combined Fish Oils in a 1000 mg capsule.
to get 2400 mg Fish Oil from a typical 300 mg retail brand, he would need 8 capsules per day.
So, be very, very careful ...

Thanks John and Sue! What you both said about the retail brands of fish is what I had read about the quality and the impurities, so we'll wait on the Omega Rx.

Sue,thank you for explaining how the Zone works as far as the calories he needs. I will get the books you recommended, I do want to understand it better. He doesn't need to lose any weight, he lost about 10 pounds when he did Paleo and has stayed at that weigh for a few months, so he's not doing the Zone to lose weight. I'll see how he's doing after he's made it through this first week, then we may add an additional block if he needs it.

Thanks again!

Good plan, Sheri. I suggest he put his stats into the calculator on this site and save the result. http://www.zonediet.com/tools/body-...calculator If he goes below 12% body fat then add the extra monounsaturated fat. If he's already below 12% with the first calculator result, increase monounsaturated fat to begin with. Increased monounsaturated fat plays many roles in the Zone, so he shouldn't hesitate to experiment a little. But do take care not to increase it too much. That said, I'd wait a week or two before making adjustments to the average Zone guidelines.

The extra block or two I suggested allow a growing teen to have the protein needed for growth. Age is not built into the calculator, which is based on the needs of an adult, to my understanding, so this factor is not taken into consideration in the calculator result.