greetings, all i've been studying the zone for about a month and change right now, and i have been trying to be as precise as possible. i just calculated my body fat percentage: Zone Calculator Results Body Fat %: 6.00 Body Fat Weight (lbs): 8.40 Lean Body Mass (lbs): 131.60 Daily Protein Requirement (g): 105.28 or # of Blocks of Protein: 15 this is @ an activiy factor of Active-Daily aerobic training or daily moderate weight training. i got to this point boxing for about 6 months; and i moved to another city, so i maintain that same type of activity level running about 3-4 miles every other day and the other three days i run briskly for a mile @ about 7 minutes on average; then a 3/4 mile @ an avg 5:30; three 1/4 sprints @ about 1:30 avg; then i get into heavy calisthenics: shadow boxing drills, dips, pushups on my fists, fingertips, inclined, declined; duckwalks for a half a block. i finish with about 30 min to 40 of yoga-type stretching - two minutes each muscle. this is about a 1 1/2 to 2 hr workout. the other days i supplement my 3-4 mile run with pullups, abdominals, squats and jumps. i think i'm a bit more active than the average man, but i know i not @ athletic status b/c my professional boxing friend in florida trains for 2 hrs and a half w/o stretching. he could also run a mile in 5 minutes. tito trinidad trains for 7 - 8 hrs; but i've got a day job so i'm not there yet. i don't know if i should be classing myself @ a very active activity level: it reads Very Active - Heavy daily weight training. i don't use weights, but i think i do everything else my body can do without them. this would put me @ this level: Daily Protein Requirement (g): 118.44 or # of Blocks of Protein: 17 what activity factor am i on? another question, i've read some of the forum, and i see that active people should get more fat in the system. how much do you think i should get? i'm using avocados, almonds, and peanuts; how much of each? best, ed

[color=darkred:de5d5ef82a]Hi, I'd recommend 16 or 17 blockds for you. Itt willdepend upon hopw you feel and whether or not you begain to gain bodyfat. If you try 17 and begin to gain body fat gain then cut back to 16. Additional fat would be used to meet your energy needs. If your body fat % goes too low and it's at about the lowest you'd want it right now) you'd add additional fat to prevent it from lowering. Hunger would be another reason to add additional fat for someone training multiple hours a day, but one would need to be careful to first ascertain that the hunger was not the result of incorrect P/C balance.[/color:de5d5ef82a]

thanx for your response, sue. how many blocks of fat should I consume per meal? i eat one avocado spread out through my meals; like how many blocks of fat are in that? i also carry a small container of almonds; how much fat is each almond? i hate to bombard you questions, but the specifics on fat content are scarce; my pre-workout snack constitutes one lemon, a raw egg, and a spoonful of olive oil; would this be a correct snack ratio? one more thing; i squeeze the lemon into a quart of water to promote bile movement for a stomach issue i have before i eat the egg, pulp, and oil; can i get my carb block from the squeezed lemon alone, or should i ADDITIONALLY eat the pulp to get the fiber to cut the carb in the lemon? have a great day! ed

[color=darkred:8895be2ebf]Hi Ed, I replied to your re: the lemon /egg snack in the other thread where you posted about it, so you ca refer to that. As for the amout of fat you need in a meal, you need to begin at 3 grams of fat for every block of P and F you consume, to be in Zone balance. Half this fat (1.5g) is usually in the lowfat protein source and the other half (1.5 g) we add to the meal as fat blocks. One tablespoon of avocado has 1.5 g fat and 3 almonds have about 1.5 g fat. Refer to this link for other foods: http://www.drsears.com/drsearspages...kguide.jsp If you find you're losing body fat when eating the fat amounts I mentioned above, or you lack energy, then try double, or triple, or more, the amount of fat you eat per meal. It all depends upon you specific need. You'll have to monitor your body fat to determine that. BTW, the fiber will not "cut the carb" in teh fruit. If you eat he lemon in it's natural state without juicing it it will get into your blood stream slower than if you juice it first. Drinking the juice and then eating the pulp is not really the same thing. [/color:8895be2ebf]

[quote:1b1942c6d6]one would need to be careful to first ascertain that the hunger was not the result of incorrect P/C balance.[/quote:1b1942c6d6] to my understanding, sue, if you have hunger without mental clarity you remove one C block; if you have hunger with mental clarity you add one C block. the term 'mental clarity' is not too precise for me, i guess, since i'm new to this. i usually feel focused with or w/o hunger, on a diet or not. i would like to zero in on what mental clarity or the absence of it precisely feels like. can you clarify? it'd be a big help. what i do feel @ times, not always, when i eat a 5 block meal, is a bit tired, no hunger, maybe just too full. can this be classified as absence of mental clarity? what other feelings are associated with mental clarity and the absence of it? on the other hand, at times, with a 4 block meal i don't feel satiety; is there a way to make a distinction between what is causing hunger - either incorrect P/C/F balance or too many or too little blocks? another thing that i feel @ times is that right after any meal, i may still feel hungry and could go for another block, but after an hour or two, i stop feeling the hunger and @ three and four hour mark i am not hungry, until the point right before i am going to eat. i don't know if this is psychosomatic or if i could beat this perfecting my zone. what do you think? hope this is not too much to swallow in one shot. have a great day! ed.

[color=darkred:92912115c3]Hi Ed, Mental clarity refers to performing at your peak mentally. I believe this is explained in more detail in the book "Mastering the Zone". The symptoms one may feel, other than changes in mental clarity, are numerous and can include, but are not limited to, tired, jittery, irritable, lethargic, sleepy, spacey, dizzy, slight nausea, etc. These are all signs of too much C in the P/C balance. IMO, you would benefit by increasing to at least 17 blocks, and you will probably also benefit from the addition of extra fat, as I already mentioned. I'm basing my recommendation on the info from your previous posts regarding your block amounts, activity, sometimes feeling unsatiated or hungry after meals, and your body fat%. The way to determine how much fat one needs is through trial and error, and by monitoring your body fat as I mentioned previously in another post. Dr. Sears has an easy way to determine fat needs. If you can see all your ribs add more fat to meals. When the ribs disappear cut a bit of the fat back. Below is an excerpt (in green) that I've pasted in from the FAQ's Page on this site:[/color:92912115c3] [color=green:92912115c3]This extra monounsaturated fat provides the extra calories to maintain your body's per cent body fat without affecting insulin levels. For many world class athletes in the Zone, they consume 60% percent of their daily calories in the form of fat. [/color:92912115c3] [color=darkred:92912115c3] Everyone has individual needs. The beauty of the Zone is the ability to adapt it to fit your particular needs.[/color:92912115c3]

thank you for that response, sue. correct me if i'm wrong, but i've been secondguessing on with what book to buy, and i believe mastering the zone is the one. i haven't read any of the other books - i've been budgeting my paycheck very acutely, but i've been THOROUGHLY examining the drsears.com and the zonediet.com site page by page by click by click by scroll by scroll. i have been able to get into the zone with various foods using the zone food block guide, carb-counter.org, and calculateyourdiet.com, and my trusty $5.99 kitchen scale - i just tell people i'm going to the olympics when they look @ me weiging my food @ work. [quote:e1c4047afc]Everyone has individual needs. The beauty of the Zone is the ability to adapt it to fit your particular needs.[/quote:e1c4047afc] well, i know you know what my individual needs are. i hate to bring it up again because you have addressed this for me, and i sincerely thank you. but can you please share your advanced thoughts once again? for it is critical to my health that i incorporporate my lemon juice and beet juice into this equation so i could reap the benefits of both therapies. i only ask you this b/c i respect your level of commitment and knowledge that you have obviously accumulated through the years of dedication to your well being and those who post on this forum; i commend you for this; you are an excellent human being. if you don't mind reading further here's my progress so far: everyday last week i drank my quart of water mixed with 1 lemon last week, and 1 full egg with a teaspoon of olive oil before my workout - no pulp. by the end of the week, i felt myself stabilizing in a zone-like manner, with energy to start and finish the workout @ about 85% my performance rate - i started the week probably @ a 50-60% performance rate, from the 100% rate i performed @ with heavy carbs before a workout before i started the zone. i figured that the lack of hunger was due to the insulin depression caused by the heavy aerobic activity. yesterday, i had the same snack, but i skipped my workout b/c i rest on sundays. predictably enough, about an hr after the snack, i had mental clarity, but i was hungry. trying to follow the need to add a carb block displaying mental clarity w/hunger, today, i ate the pulp of the lemon. i felt okay right after i did this; as soon as i swallowed the teaspoon of olive oil, however, my knees got weak, and i even felt sleepy. this happened to me once when i added a spoonful of olive oil to a cup of oatmeal in my pre-zone workout days. now, do you think that this is because of the lack of hormonal control associated with the insulin response in the lemon w/water that will always produce different results, or is it something in the addition of the olive oil that may be excessive b/c i already have the aa fat coming from the egg? i am going to read the report on eicosanoids today. i am investigating this angle b/c i read on zonediet.com that insulin can also be stimulated when one eats too many calories @ one meal. my full egg also has but 6 grams of protein; according to this site one egg white is 3.5 grams, hence 2 egg whites would give me 7 grams; would the lack of a protein gram consumed with the pulp and lemon juice cause my weakness in the knees? i also understand your thoughts in reference to the aa in the whole egg. i don't want to seem stubborn about using the whole egg; it's just that i have read so much on the importance of the yolk's cholesterol for muscle growth and digestion; i have been trying the whites some days and did notice increased moisture in my hands. i never stop learning, and i am always open to change; further research will determine my ultimate decision. i understand you have addressed this issue for me previously, and i don't expect you to take my hand through this, but if it's not too much trouble can you tell me where i could find the information i need to see if there is a way to incorporate juices into the zone? can mastering the zone direct me further? one after thought: do you know if the unfavorability of juicing in the zone have anything to do with a higher glycemic load due to the lack of fiber? i just figured that the lack of fiber left more insulin stimulating carbs thus adding to the glycemic load. i know that a glycemic load of 3000 is the maximum for any one meal; do you know if the glycemic load limit is less for a 1 block snack or for juice? thank you so much for your responsiveness. the truth is, i don't know if the olympics is too ambitious for an ex-military wanna-be special ops agent, but my passion is my athleticism. and when i read on that lady that made it to the olympics @ 32 using this system, i have been hooked. something in my heart has driven me forward along this path to an optimum level of performance. @ the risk of sounding redundant, thank you and the rest of the respondents for their help. your consistence is greatly appreciated. have a great day! -ed p.s. since you haven't responded completely yet, let me add that today, 4/19, i have consumed the qt of water w/lemon w/pulp, whole egg; i know that this is insulin as i feel weak in the knees and sleepy, and this issue had nothing to do with the fat addition, however, i'm going to workout on this alone for controlled experimentation. tomorow i'm going to eat the pulp because it is just too much carbs, i believe; w/o the pulp, however, i think i push insulin levels to low as per my resting day experiment; i have to figure how i keep it balanced; i'm also considering eating half the pulp; browsing the site i saw a little information that dr sears posted on adding soluble fiber to liquid meals or more protein to make them zone-friendly; can you comment on any of this? any little bit helps. thanx.

[color=darkred:048e42b90c]Hi, I'll take a closer look at your post tomorrow (contains lots of info) and I'lll get back to you soon.[/color:048e42b90c]

[color=darkred:3268aba9e4]Hi Ed, None of the Zone books will tell you how to make juices favorable. Instead they will verify that they are unfavorable carbs to be used in moderation as a condiment would be used. I have all the Zone books and have read them all, numerous times. Juice simply is not favorable. Yes, you're correct that the reason for juice being unfavorable is that the insulin stimulating carbs have essentially been concentrated, and the elements present in the whole fruit or veggie, which can slow down the entry of the insulin stimulating carb into the bloodstream, have been removed. As I mentioned previously, drinking the concentrated juice and then eating the leftover pulp is not the same as eating the whole fruit before it had been processed (juiced). In aqddition, the beets you juice are not even favorablein their whole unprocessed form. In regard to which book to buy, it depends upon what type of info you're looking for. "Mastering the Zone" (MTZ) will give you good basic info, but being one of the earlier books, the info it contains regarding omega 3 is scarce and outdated, and the food lists and some recipes are also outdated because carbs have since been revised (both the amounts and the favorable/unfavorable designations). If you're looking for the specific science behind the Zone diet, I'd highly recommend the "Anti-Aging Zone", although it will not give you as much guidance on implementing the diet as you'll find in "MTZ", "A Week in the Zone", "The Soy Zone", and "Zone Meals in Seconds". If you're looking for very specific info regardin the best foods for the Zone, "Top 100 Zone Foods" is an excellent and very interesting resource, although it doesn't contain the in depth info on the diet that you'll find in some other books. To reap all the benefits of theZone I would recommend following the advice in the "The Omega RX Zone" and "The Anti-Inflammation Zone". I don't think consuming the juice of one lemon together with one whole egg would drive insulin levels too low. As I've mentioned before, I think you may not be eating enough blocks in general. This will result in hunger even if your balance is appropriate to meet your P/C/F balance needs. Also, IMO, the slight difference in the amount of protein in a whole egg as opposed to two egg whites, is irrelevant. (BTW, the diffference may be even less than the 1g you think it is, since the amounts on labels and in tables of nutrients are rounded.) The Zone represents a range of P/C (from .6 to 1). A gram or two of P or C here and there is of little consequence in the whole picture in regard to insulin control.. In regard to the feeling in your knees when you ate the oil, have you since been able to duplicate it? I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There could be a number of reasons for it, which may not be at all related to the amount of fat in the snack. Perhaps a physician who specializes in integrating conventional medicine with dietary interventions and nutriceuticals could help with the conditions you are self treating with the juices.[/color:3268aba9e4]

thanx, for your response, sue; i theorized that the addition of the olive may have stimulated the insulin response b/c i read on the zonediet.com site that insulin can also be stimulated by eating too many calories @ one meal; for instance today i ate a supposed 5 block meal, an hour after eating my post-workout 2 block snack; 2 block snack (as unfavorable as it may be): beet and carrot juice = 100g beet and 50g carrot 2 eggs 5 block meal: 3 oz of cooked sirloin beef which i erroneously calculated as losing 1 oz per raw meat; so bypassing my error this really may be 6 blocks of P on the other hand i went to calculatemydiet.com and i get this figure for sirloin: "beef, bottom sirloin, 25.77g of protein; so i don't know what i'm doing; do you know how accurate the food block guide is? for an ounce of COOKED "beef, bottom sirloin i get 8.59g for an ounce of RAW "beef, bottom sirloin" i get 5.95 gr which i guess only taking away a gram or two makes the food block guide almost there, but when you multiply these figures i'm off by almost 10g of protein; who do i believe? anyway, i also ate the following; 2 cups + of salad taken from a mixture of about three cups tossed salad mixed with 1/2 an avocado an unknown amount of green leaf lettuce 1/2 tomato, 4 oz broccoli, 1 oz spinach; i figured this was four blocks based on how i felt yesterday after eating this; i also added 1 oz of cooked onion, garlic, and tomato separately and absolutely nothing else. i put 2 cups with the + sign because my measuring cup is about a little less than a third of a cup deeper than a cup 1 kiwi dessert i could have sworn i got this right; but i felt sleepy right afterward - no mental focus thinkng of food; i guess i have to cut a block of carb next time; but i don't think this is five blocks; it may have been almost 4 blocks if calculateyourdiet.com is accurate? is it enough for four blocks @ 25.77g of protein? i usually feel more like i'm in the zone on my days off when i was weighing everything cooked. do you think that the insulin rush from the beet juice i drank an hour before had anything to do with this? this is one of the major problems i have; i need a source to refer to make this a lot simpler. i understand that i should pick up all those guides you mentioned; but which should i pick up first? i only ask b/c i've got about $1k in expenses coming up this week, and i could probably only afford one. thank you so much, sue, you have been a big help; excuse my persistence, i just need to get this right.

[quote:937553c5d7="googlosity"]on the other hand i went to calculatemydiet.com and i get this figure for sirloin: "beef, bottom sirloin, 25.77g of protein; so i don't know what i'm doing; do you know how accurate the food block guide is? for an ounce of COOKED "beef, bottom sirloin i get 8.59g for an ounce of RAW "beef, bottom sirloin" i get 5.95 gr which i guess only taking away a gram or two makes the food block guide almost there, but when you multiply these figures i'm off by almost 10g of protein; who do i believe?[/quote:937553c5d7] Ed, If you don't mind weighing things in grams, or doing the conversions to ounces yourself, I did the work of looking up all those foods on the USDA site and making a table of the values in grams. The post for the table is here: http://forum.drsears.com/viewtopic.php?t=1188

[color=darkred:1a257c0a21]Ed...Ed...Ed.... let's try to simplify this you. I doubt you'r'e in the Zone from your description of meals so far. It will take up to 4 days from a new Zoner to lower insulin levels into the Zone . This is accomplished by eating within the Zone guidelines (not your egg/juice concoction...sorry...couldn't resist :oops: ). Until you've have at least a few days eating only Zone balanced meals and snacks, it is more or loss pointless to attempt to analyze the effects of meals. As I said before , the book you buy depends upon what your focus is (refer to my previous post). My suggestion for the quickest way for you to reach the Zone would be to use the "Food Block Guide" on this site to put together meals and snacks. Eat the number of blocks we established to be appropriate of you. I'd highly advise to stop weighing every little bit of everything. Weigh the meat only. Weigh it raw, or divide the cooked weight by .75 (usually appropriate) to approximate the raw wt to use for figuring block amounts. For everything else the approximate cup size, or spoon size, or number of pieces, etc. will suffice. (BTW, I spent my first 5 yrs in the Zone by doing the divide the plate method without measuring a thing, lost 100 lb, and maintained the loss.) Here's an analysis of the meal you posted: 4P, 1.5C, 5 F (probably a lot more) Beef: 4P (3/.75 = 4), but unfavorable (only game or range fed, A.K.A. grass fed, beef is favorable because it has a much lower AA content); sufficient hidden fat plus at least 2F (actual amount pf F blocks depends upon fat content of the beef), Salad with added onion tomato mixure: 0.5 C, 3F(You ate two thirds of the 3 cup tossed salad with additions. The entire amount is as follows: 3 c tossed salad, negligible carb, not necessary to even count; tomato 0.25C; broccoli 0.5C; spinach negligible;avocado 4F;added onion mixture negligible amount.) If you wish to count the negligible amount of tossed salsd it would add less than 0.25C. 1 Kiwi: 1C[/color:1a257c0a21]

i've given your advice SERIOUS consideration, sue, and i started going for the zone today; i stopped drinking the qt of water with lemon and stopped the beet juice for the first time in about 6 months. here's my consumption today so far as follows: pre-workout morning snack: two scrambled egg whites 1 kiwi sprinkled with garlic powder and pepper 1 1/3 tsp of olive oil (doubled for energy) post-workout snack: two scrambled egg whites 1 kiwi sprinkled with cinnamon 2/3 tsp of olive oil = should i need to double the fat for the post workout snack too? 4 block 1st meal 4 oz of skinless turkey breast topped with chopped garlic, onions, jalapeno, tomato 3 cups of salad = 1/2 tomato, green leaf lettuce, 1/2 onion. 1.5 blocks? 1/2 lemon on the salad = .5 block 240g green beans - i steamed them after the weighing - 1 block 1/2 cup of grapes - 1 block 4 tbsp of hass avocado - it came out to be a little less than 1/2 avocado. 4 blocks i felt satiety, but my mental focus is off - hazy vision; i think part of it still has to do with the blood-sugar spikes i was getting with the juices yesterday and before; i feel a bit more balanced though. was the first meal a 4 block meal? 5 block 2nd meal 5oz of skinless turkey breast topped with chopped garlic, onions, jalapeno [same as above] 5P 1 banana 3C 1 apple 2C 1/2 avocado 5F i feel a bit tired right now, after this meal. i do feel these symptoms clearing up, however, as it's now been 30 minutes after the meal. i felt better during my workout; not 100% but toward the end of my 3-mile run i think i was finally able to start burning fat as the insulin rush was wearing out, and i finished stronger than i have been all week. question: for more energy do i double or triple my fat intake @ every meal or just the pre-workout snack? i checked out the anti-aging zone @ the library and will start reading it today to get a better idea on how to get started more precisely. i want to stabilize my insulin levels but once i do i wanted to continue using the beet + carrot juice b/c it has been so beneficial. you posted that 1 lemon could be used in combination with a meal; therefore, i was wondering if i could drink my beet + carrot juice together with a complete zone meal; can this work in the zone: i want to juice 100g of beet and 100g of carrot which is 19g of carbs - 2 blocks; this makes about 1/2 a cup of juice. my plan would be to drink 1/2 of the 1/2 of cup - a 1/4 cup - with with my first meal, counting it as a block of C; then drink the remainding 1/4 cup with another meal counting it as a block. i figured, as unfavorable as it may be, that this way the juice is used as a condiment and not as the primary source of carbs for a meal. will this keep me in the zone? thank you once again, for your consistent effective responsiveness. ed- zoner in training p.s. in re: [quote:a82257205e]Beef: 4P (3/.75 = 4), but unfavorable (only game or range fed, A.K.A. grass fed, beef is favorable because it has a much lower AA content); sufficient hidden fat plus at least 2F (actual amount pf F blocks depends upon fat content of the beef), [/quote:a82257205e] i buy my sirloin @ an "organic" food store, and the frig reads that it has no additives, antibiotics, or pesticides; how does beef qualify as "only game or range fed, A.K.A. grass fed?" does the part of the cow - e.g. sirloin - determine this? if so, what part of the cow should i buy? the butcher told me sirloin is the leanest, and i read round had the most protein content with least fat and calories.

[color=darkred:0c5af6bbb3]Hi, Your changes are great. Most important to judge will be how you feel abou 4 hours after your meal, specifically in regard to hunger. In answer to your questions, the 4 block meal is a bit short on carb, but essentially fine (difference is that you probably are counting the lettuce, which I wouldn't bother to count in that small an amount). If you choose to double or triple fat, do it for all meals and snacks. Using one block of juice as the only unfavorable carb in a 4 block meal is OK. Whether it keeps you in the Zone will become apparent (by how you feel) once your insulin levels are solidly in the Zone. "Grass fed" refers to what the animal itself eats, not to what cut of beef one uses. The 5 block meal you posted has too much unfavorable carb (banana) and would not be likely to keep you in the Zone.[/color:0c5af6bbb3]

[quote:0b418acdb1]The 5 block meal you posted has too much unfavorable carb (banana) and would not be likely to keep you in the Zone.[/quote:0b418acdb1] thanx for your responsiveness, sue. i only started using bananas b/c it is recommended in this breakfast recipe: http://www.drsears.com/drsearspages...aberry.jsp what makes bananas unfavorable? i bought like three bags today: two green for cooking and one yellow. what do you think? thanx, ed p.s. while we're on the subject of unfavorable; what makes a carb unfavorable? is it because the glycemic load of one block of that carb would exceed 1000? if so, why else? where can i get glycemic index and glycemic load info on all carbs other than the "understanding carbs" link on the drsears site? would keeping my glycemic load under 3000 per meal keep me in the zone whether the combination of carbs were unfavorable or not? one last question: drsears calculates glycemic load differently than every other source. what makes his method better?

[color=darkred:d80aaee2ea]Hi, Unfavorable carbs are categorized as such simply because they stimulate the blood sugar too much to allow insulin levels remain in the Zone. Dr. Sears advice is to use them as you would use condiments, in small amounts. You asked "what do you think?". My advice would be to use mostly all favorable carbs and to keep the use of bananas to a minimum. Try them and see how you resopnd. No, keeping the GL of a meal to 3000 or less whether or not it is unfavorable would not necessarily keep one in the Zone.[/color:d80aaee2ea]