Hey guys, I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. I also want to put out a disclaimer that I've been browsing the forums for a few days now and I still have a bunch of questions!

I'm a 21 year old 5'11" Male, 164 lbs, 14-15% bodyfat

I go to crossfit 5 times a week and I've been eating Paleo for about a month and a half with some re-introduction of dairy/cheese.

It's important to note that I didn't lose a massive amount of weight on paleo, I've always been around 160-165.

On Paleo I felt great and the gains/improvements I saw were amazing. My WODs got faster and my lifts got bigger. However, my bodyfat has stayed pretty much the same and I want it to go. My abs are visible, but I have the "flat tire" around the bottom of the waste and it would be nice to "look how you feel," for lack of a better .

I've been eating Zone for three days now and according to both CF21 and Dr. Sears I should be consuming 16 blocks. I would just like to know where I actually SHOULD be eating, because I've consumed 18 blocks the past two days and been hungry. The next day I thought I would do that actual 16 and I was starving!!!!! The only thing I could think about was food and researching on forums/blogs/etc. I also haven't been sleeping well at all. I've also found that when I'm at crossfit my mind's on food and I've been a lot sorer than I was on paleo. I also took a test yesterday and I couldn't focus at all. My mind was on food still. Also, my weight went from 165 to 162 in two days.

I would love to get down to 8-9% bodyfat, but I'm not starving myself to do it. I've really tried to eat a lot of vegetables and moderate my fruit intake so far. I've been using beans as a source of carbs as well (i missed them on paleo). Should I up my block intake to 20? Should I be eating 3x more fat so that I'm a lot less hungry?! I went from 50-60% fat from paleo to 30% and about 2800 calories a day to about 2000. This just doesn't make sense to me! I really appreciate the help!

Also, when I ate the 18 block days I was also hungry

Hi,

Based on the stats and other info you posted, I'd recommend staying at 16 blocks. The 3 pound wt loss in a couple of days is not unusual. It's highly likely that it's mostly due to loss of retained fluid as your insulin levels lower. Follow the info in this link to determine how to adjust: http://drsears.com/portals/6/Docume...lchart.pdf

Up to 25% of people can feel crummy at first (lack of energy, constipation, even flu-like symptoms) due to the initial release of excess arachidonic acid (AA; aka the bad fat, inflammation) as the body begins to burn it's stored fat. Temporarily increasing your fish oil dose will dilute this excess AA to alleviate the symptoms. Once you begin to feel better, if you feel you're lacking energy for you workouts, increase the monounsaturated fat blocks you add to meals and snacks.

Eating the Zone diet is one of the 3 crucial parts of a successful Zone lifestyle, the other 2 components being Omega Rx (fish oil) and polyphenols (Polyphenols XT would be the best choice because of the levels of delphinidins it contains from maqui extract). Delphinidins increase production of ATP. ATP is the chemical that provides all the body's energy.

The beans, assuming you mean legumes, might very well be playing a big part in your hunger. Replace them with non-starchy vegetables, and some berries if you don't want to go with all vegetables.

If you'd like to post a food diary (specific foods and amounts) for your last day or two, I'll be happy to take a look. A lot can be resolved by a trained eye looking at a food diary.

I'm happy to help if you have more questions.

Sue, I really appreciate the response. I'm currently taking a fish oil supplement, but I'll look into the polyphenols. I ended up caving in in-between the time I wrote the blog post and the time you responded. I was driving and I honestly felt like I might drive off of the road or hit someone else. I was dizzy and I couldn't focus on anything. After I got home I had a cup of coconut milk, a banana, 1 Tbsp of peanut butter, and a scoop of whey. I instantly felt better (felt like I could think and concentrate a bit more). I haven't read into the Zone, so I'm sorry if I'm asking questions that I could answer from the book:

How does someone operate at such an significant calorie deficit? (starvation mode?!)
Shouldn't a post workout meal be larger than other meals?
What should you eat before a workout and when should you eat it?
Why am I sorer now than I was on paleo? Will this change?

To give you an idea of what I've been eating:

Breakfast(1030): 4 Block: 3 eggs, 1 cup of soy milk, 2/3 banana, 1 cup strawberries, 1 and 1/3 teaspoon butter
*Extremely hungry at 12:15 crossfit workout
Lunch/Post Workout(1:45): 5 Block: 4 oz tuna, 1 egg, 1 apple, 3 cups broccoli, 1 cup strawberries, 1 Tbsp avocado, 1 and 1/3 Tbsp light mayo
Snack (3:30): Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint
Snack (5:15): Odwalla chocolate peanut butter protein bar (2 block content)
Dinner (8:15): 4 oz pork, 1/2 fresh salsa, 3/4 cup black beans, 4 Tbsp avocado
Snack (10): 1 egg, 1 cup strawberries, 3 almonds

I know that the bars are probably not the best to eat, but I'm a college student and it's extremely hard to eat on the go with all of the measurements and regulation in this diet. Some advice on that would be helpful as well. I want to really commit to this, but today was so bad that I had to do something. Thanks!

Hi,
I see this post is of February, but if Brian is still reading I would like to know how is it going, I mean from Paleo to Zone.
I have given Paleo a try, but the 30 grams of carbs a day recommended to me are giving me just cravings. I am not able to skip from being a sugar burner to a fat burner, as they say. I think I am getting back to the Zone, maybe dropping a block of carbs in each meal, so to reach, let's say, 8 block of carbs instead of 11. Just because my weight is still the same. But 30 grams of carbs means 3 blocks. I can't.

The Zone is meant to burn Fat, as well.
You can fit a lot of Paleo concepts within the Zone.
And it sounds like, even as Paleo, you might have been too low with Carbs.

Hi John,
that was I think myself. But it is what I have been recommenden on Paleo. /0grams of proteins and 30 grams of carbs. The concept is, as far as I know, to raise up fats as you drop carbs. Once Sue had suggested to drop a block of carbs in every main meal as my weight was stuck. I have a strong sensibility to insuline, that's what my analysis say

Sorry, I meant 70 grams of proteins

I agree with Sue.
Except in rare cases the minimum blocks is 11 (77 grams Protein) per day.
With the 16 blocks Sue recommended - that is 112 grams Protein.
Assuming 1 block snacks and three meals per day, by dropping a block of carbs at each meal,
that comes to 13 blocks carbs per day or 117 grams Carbs.
If you keep Carbs to vegetables and avoid or minimize fruit,
then that will go a long way towards your sensitivity.

OOps, mixed up posts.
At 11 blocks per day that is 77 grams Protein, and 99 grams Carbs.
Dropping 3 meals' Carbs per day, 8 blocks Carbs is 72 grams Carbs.

Sweet spots for Paleo (Carbs) in line with Zone.
Use Zone as a guide, but for reference, these are the general Paleo sweet spots:
.
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars.
(Same as Zone).
.
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily protein requirements, eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous (& Zone) servings), and staying satisfied with delicious foods, you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week (same as Zone) and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range.
.
Zone is a more refined Paleo and/or Mediterranean plan.
(Even a better version than South beach, and way before it.)

Thaks John,
sorry for my late reply. it's what I am doing, dropping one block of carbs at each main meal: 8 B carbs, 11 B proteins and fat.