Hi, helpers! I have recently rechecked the Zone body calculator, and still come up with 11 blocks, but I am having a hard time with this. My hubby tends to get home a little late and I am not always guaranteed eating at the right time, but even when I do, I find myself going out of the zone (I think) about an hour earlier than I should. I have experimented a little with having a 2 block snack at 4:30 or 5 PM, and those days I have been fine to wait until supper, and have felt good the rest of the night. I estimate my activity level at light, as I just do some walking, but I guess if you count all of the activity I do (from other posts you may see that I am not exactly a sit-and-vegitate kind of person), I may be more active than it shows on the calculator. I know I really shouldn't count shopping, running to the library, comparison shopping all over town, doing errands, etc., but I seem to be having trouble, so maybe I should? I don't know, I just wanted some input. I think I'll try 12 blocks for a week and see if there are any ill effects. For the few days, on and off, that I have tried it, I have felt much better. Have you known of anyone who has found this to help? Thanks, Ramblin' Ronica :)

:idea: If you are finding that your LBM is staying constant with 11 blocks, I would recommend that you add some extra monounsaturated fat, rather than an extra block. Monounsaturated fat provides satiety and will help keep you in the Zone just a little longer. Another suggestion would be to have a Zone snack and then deduct the extra block from your dinner (when eating late).

Don't be afraid to add an extra Fat block (a handful of nuts, a shmear of almond butter, olives) to your afternoon snack. A little more fat will stave off hunger (and low blood glucose) without interfering with your hormone balance. If it takes a few more calories to keep you in the Zone, so be it.

Thanks, I'll try that tomorrow (tonight I work so I can eat when I want, not when he finally gets home! :) ) Ronica

Hi Ronica, I agree with the info Anne-Marie gave you. You may find it helpful to also include a variety of low and medium density carbs in you meals, while excluding unfavorables or keeping them to maybe half a block per meal, to get more "mileage" out of your meals timewise. This, in addition to the extra fat, can make a big difference. I would not count time spent on daily chores and errands as activity, unless they are chores such as heavy yard work in which you are really exerting ( ie: breathing hard, heart rate up, sweating, etc.) . Since your only activity is walking I would call that light activity for the purposes of the Body Fat Calculator, unless you're powerwalking or doing some strenuous hiking on hills. If you don't have extra stored fat to lose, you may do equally well on either 11or 12 blocks. Sue

Hello, I have a question, If I do one hour 6 times a week to stationery bicycle, but the rest of the day my life is sedentary, Which is my activity level? Thanks :P

[quote:53458069d2="Tzeitel"]Hello, I have a question, If I do one hour 6 times a week to stationery bicycle, but the rest of the day my life is sedentary, Which is my activity level? Thanks :P[/quote:53458069d2] Hi, That would be classified as "Active". Sue

Thank you Sue Tzeitel :D

[quote:af90dcbf1f="Tzeitel"]Thank you Sue Tzeitel :D[/quote:af90dcbf1f] You're welcome!

Hi RONICA!! I agree with the other helpers, in regards to you adding more fat. Perhaps your trouble with hitting a plateau is related to that also. Not enough fat could stall your weight loss AND effect your appetite. Maybe you have been zoning for so long that you are beginning to skimp on fat, especially if you are eyeballing more and more ??? Keep up the good work! I thought about you and your driver's license (yeah! for you!!) I am 10 lbs under my DL weight (yikes-gotta get that changed...isn't it a "Girl's Law" that your DL weight is 20 lbs less than your actual weight???) That, and when I FINALLY got under the 150 lb mark on the scale (yeah!! for you too, again) . I can't wait to go to the doctor next month to get weighed and watch them NOT move that big lunker weight over to the 150 lb mark!! You are an inspiration :) Ronica! -Michelle