Hi, I've been doing superslow 2 x a week for about a year now. I'm 5"7, 140 lbs and around 20-21% body fat. i would like to get to lower body fat levels, I definitely have some fat to lose. The problem is I've been stuck at this weight for 6 months! I first lost 20 lbs doing superslow and eating a 60% carb diet rotating between 1000-1300 cals a week...then one day nothing. I then tried lowering cals even more and of course nothing. I've decided to try the zone but the calculator says I should be eating 12 blocks. For those doing superslow what is our activity factor? Because at twice a week for 20 min, according to Sears, that almost makes you sedentary... I'm worried that my metabolism has slowed down from all the dieting and even though Sears says the zone (low calorie diet) will fix "my hormones" I've been told by people that I should be eating 1500 cals to gain muscle/lose fat, I need help from a superslower!! There are so few of us out there... thanks!

[quote:83a2d2c7a3="annerasm"] I've decided to try the zone but the calculator says I should be eating 12 blocks. For those doing superslow what is our activity factor? Because at twice a week for 20 min, according to Sears, that almost makes you sedentary...[/quote:83a2d2c7a3] This has been an area of interest for me as well. The activity levels are a guideline heavily weighted towards [i:83a2d2c7a3]frequency[/i:83a2d2c7a3], without considering [i:83a2d2c7a3]intensity, volume [/i:83a2d2c7a3]and other variables that effect the muscle growth that occurs during recovery between strength training sessions. Also be sure to measure fat loss by fit of clothes and measurements, not by scale as increases in LBM will negate any fat loss from a 'weight' perspective. At anne-marie.ca there is a zoning superslow forum where Drew Baye checks in from time to time. He may have some suggestions for addressing this.

Thanks Scott, I've checked out the site, No info about how much to eat. I'll post something and see if I get a reply. Thanks for this. No change in my pant size either. Besides, there's only so many pounds of muscle my female body can gain and I want to lose 10lbs of fat. That HAS to show up on the scale. Nope it's a plateau. I've read that the most common reason for a plateau is calorie restriction for a prolonged time. I'm guilty of that. So right now I'm eating 15 blocks to make sure my body gets a break. Do you think that will help? I've also thought that maybe I should drop to once a week for superslow... Did you know that Superslow is teaming up with the zone? check out www.superslow.com. I guess they'll have the answers soon enough.

[quote:3bce62935d="annerasm"] No change in my pant size either. Besides, there's only so many pounds of muscle my female body can gain and I want to lose 10lbs of fat. That HAS to show up on the scale. Nope it's a plateau. I've read that the most common reason for a plateau is calorie restriction for a prolonged time. I'm guilty of that.[/quote:3bce62935d] Not eating enough can certainly slow fat loss. Breaking a plateau can also be achieved by dropping a carb block and adding back the equivalent calories in fat. If you can post some daily meals perhaps we can tweak things a bit [quote:3bce62935d] So right now I'm eating 15 blocks to make sure my body gets a break. Do you think that will help?[/quote:3bce62935d] It's difficult to say w/o knowing what your meal plan looks like. If your plateau is the result of too low a caloric intake it will help. If its the result of your dietary glycemic load being too high, we need to look at the macronutrient composition of your meals. But I understand how difficult it is without an activity guide that considers other variables in strength training. [quote:3bce62935d] I've also thought that maybe I should drop to once a week for superslow... [/quote:3bce62935d] That may also help. Overtraining can increase cortisol levels which can promote fat storage. [quote:3bce62935d] Did you know that Superslow is teaming up with the zone? check out www.superslow.com. I guess they'll have the answers soon enough.[/quote:3bce62935d] I've been watching it closely.

[color=darkred:ba14693ac8]Hi, This is not adressing your qn regarding a possible plateau, but I think it is worth mentioning. You and I have similar heights, weights, and LBMs (although my LBM is a couple lb more), so I have a little insight into realistic expectations for someone of your build. You posted you want to lose 10 lb of fat. This would put you at between 13 and 14% bodyfat which is not desireable for a woman. You may want to rethink your goals.[/color:ba14693ac8]

Here is my response to this question. Firstly, it is not easy to bring your bf% lower than 20%, so as it has been mentioned, your goals may be too lofty. There is no specific way of zoning or blocking if you do Super Slow, SCT, PFT, Max Contraction or any other form of high intensity weight training that requires longer intervals between muscle building workouts. Your block requirement is determined by the calculator in the books or on this site based on measurements and activity level. However, you must remember that these are guidelines and the true and precise way of determining your block requirement is by experimenting on your own with your regular lifestyle and finding your optimal range. When you perform your very high intensity muscle building workout, you may need to eat a block extra the day or in the few following days of your workout and then adjust to the lower block requirement the rest of the time. In your case, if you ONLY do 1 or 2 Super Slow workouts per week and no other form of exercise, not even daily moderate intensity walks, then you should put an activity factor of between light and moderate and work within that range to find your ideal block requirement to maintain your BF% and slowly increase your LBM. As your LBM increases over time you can consider adding a half block per day extra to account for the new LBM and continuous growth. ** If you are currently at 15 blocks per day and want to experience with that, then forget about the calculator recommendations and test it out for the next few weeks and see what happens to your BF% and LBM. Adjust from there. When experimenting, measure yourself weekly to find your optimal range and don't be afraid to experience up or down. Remember that Dr.Sears designed the best nutrition program in the world and he designed it to be guidelines for the earth's population, it's up to you to use his guidelines and do the work to find [i:ce6b7811d3]your[/i:ce6b7811d3] optimal Zone. Everyone is unique. Hope this helps. Pat P.S. What I am writing is if your are somewhat precise with your block count and food measurement. If you eat out all the time or do not measure precisely, it will be harder to make accurate changes, etc... Later, as has been mentioned before, you may need to look at the types of carbs you are eating and make adjustments there too. Then you may look at your fish oil intake, then your fiber intake, then your water intake... The adjustments you can make are numerous.......

As Scott implied, the activity guidelines in the Zone books are too vague and ambiguous (arbitrary?) to be applied to something like SuperSlow. I really can't offer a solution... I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect to find the answer in those guidelines. Regarding the SS Zone: I have been in correspondance with some of the (SuperSlow) people involved in the project, and, as I understand, SuperSlow and the Zone are NOT "joining up" or becoming officially affiliated. Rather, the SuperSlow Zone is an independent franchise that is neither part of the SuperSlow Guild nor the Zone, but has licensing deals with both companies to use their names and is staffed with individuals who are both SuperSlow and Zone certified. The SuperSlow Zone is NOT owned by Ken Hutchins and most SuperSlow instructors are not affiliated with the organization. In fact, most SS instructors are disgruntled and about to jump ship, from what I can tell. I don't think the new franchise is going to do very well.

Interesting. I get a completely different read. Hutchins isn't the owner, but he, along with Ryan Hall, Lindahl, McGuff, etc. are on the medical advisory board. Brenda Hutchins also heads up the Healthy Living Services arm of the SSZ. Ceritification in superslow (along with all the materials/technical manuals/videos) are now only available to those employed by the SSZ franchise. (The guild website also directs you to the SSZ site).

Well, I'm not going to come on here and knock superslow. But I will give you some background. It was developed for people with major atrophy and joint problems to build back their musculature. Does it work in that respect? Oh yes, however, on an acivity level, I wouldn't rate it over a 3 or so. Reaoning, you are working the muscles, yes, but in a very slow and controlled fashion. It really does not do much to stimulate the metabolism. As I've read from Dr. Sears books, he worked wit elite level athetes, i.e. the Stanford swim team. I was in the area when he was doing these studies, and being a former athlete, I know what these guys and gals went through. Trust me, it might not have been all supersow, maybe a bit, but it was usually training emphasizing all aspects, strength, strength endurance, cardio vascular training, and the list goes on, usually for several hours/day. That would be a level 9 or 10. A couple of people who have worked with Dr. Sears (the drs. Eades") actually focus on this in their book "Protein Power". They state that multiple forms of exercise are desireable/ Just my .02 Tim