Hello all... I'm a former Zoner, but I changed to BFL since I discovered that, well, Zone wasn't supporting my lifestyle so my 30-pound weight loss was impossible to maintain...here's my deal: I'm about 6' tall, female, and workout every day if possible. Through my first BFL challenge I pretty much stayed at around 186lbs but lowered my bodyfat % to around 20. (If I put my measurements in the Zone calculator, it tells me my BF% is over 30. Very off). So, through my last few months I've also figured my resting metabolic rate to be around 1700 calories/day. SOOOOO, it was this lightbulb realization of why I lost a lot of my muscle and couldn't maintain my fat loss while on the zone, since it had me eating 1400 cals/day (14 blocks). What I'm considering is continuing the HIIT cardio training 2 times/week, and weight training 3times/week (might move to doing more endurance weight training if I can't join a gym in my new city, but still), and maybe do [b:1b503a81d1][i:1b503a81d1]Zone balancing but with 17 blocks?[/i:1b503a81d1][/b:1b503a81d1] ANY THOUGHTS PLEASE? :?: Thanks so much!

Well, they're are differencews in the Zone diet and what Phillips recommnds in BFL, but they aren't really that terribly opposed> BFL is closer to 40-40-20, but it's based on lean proteins, mostly fruit and veg, minal but not exluded starch, and good fats, and that is very similar to the Zone. It also doesn't go as low on daily calories as the Zone either. The good thing about BFL, is the workouts which Phillips recommends, strength (weights) training mixed with cardio, which is a good thing for any fat loss "diet" in order to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. If you were to combine the Zone diet with BFL's workout program, you would probably get the same, or very similar results. Tim

[quote:252f0c367f="freklz"]Hello all... I'm a former Zoner, but I changed to BFL since I discovered that, well, Zone wasn't supporting my lifestyle so my 30-pound weight loss was impossible to maintain...here's my deal: I'm about 6' tall, female, and workout every day if possible. Through my first BFL challenge I pretty much stayed at around 186lbs but lowered my bodyfat % to around 20. (If I put my measurements in the Zone calculator, it tells me my BF% is over 30. Very off). So, through my last few months I've also figured my resting metabolic rate to be around 1700 calories/day. SOOOOO, it was this lightbulb realization of why I lost a lot of my muscle and couldn't maintain my fat loss while on the zone, since it had me eating 1400 cals/day (14 blocks). What I'm considering is continuing the HIIT cardio training 2 times/week, and weight training 3times/week (might move to doing more endurance weight training if I can't join a gym in my new city, but still), and maybe do [b:252f0c367f][i:252f0c367f]Zone balancing but with 17 blocks?[/i:252f0c367f][/b:252f0c367f] ANY THOUGHTS PLEASE? :?: Thanks so much![/quote:252f0c367f] [color=darkred:252f0c367f] Hi, From your post it woudl appear you have 149 pounds LBM, which, correct me if I'm mistaken, is very high, even for a 6 foot woman. I'd first make sure this is the reality. If so, then 17 blocks would be the appropriate Zone recommendation if you consider your activity level to approximate "Active". If your activity level is higher, which I suspect it is from your description, you'll need a couple more blocks. Also, while the midpoint of the range considered to be the Zone is approximately 40/30/30, there is little value in characterizing the Zone as being only this because it is not. Dr Sears has written (I don't know where to find the quote, but it's out there somewhere) that he regrets that he referred to the Zone in his early book as 40/30/30 because it has caused much misconception. The Zone has the flexibility built into it to adust to meet one's needs. If you previously had not been tailoring it to suit your body's individual requirements, this is most likely the reason it didn't complement your lifestyle. If you were losing muscle, you should have incereased your protien intake. Once you are sustaining LBM, you then address additional energy needs by increasing monounsaturated fat intake. If you're working to build muscle you increase protein intake accordingly.[/color:252f0c367f]

Thanks for the responses, Tim and Sue. So you think that if I need more protein, I should increase carbs accordingly? BFL is more 40/40/20 but really doesn't seem to call for much fat, since he assumes you get plenty from the carb and protein sources (which he emphasizes sweet potatoes, brown rice and oatmeal) Just toying with the idea of aiming for a more 40/30/30 balance.

One more thing you might want to lookinto. Over at http://www.crossfit.com they combine a vary varied and diverse workout program that covers the entire spectrum of fitness with the Zone diet. They have forums on this, and most loose fat mass, and actually gain LBM, and as Sue pointed out, they account for size and and energy requirements by adding blocks. Because of the workout program, they will require more blocks anyway, and in some cases, add an additional or so fat blocks. Tim

One thing that I'd like to add is that there is no "The Zone does not work for me..." The Zone is a range and it is the guidelines to what healthy eating should be for humans. If 'it' is not working for you, it is not because there is something better out there or that 'it' does not work. It is just that you have not found [i:9531fa1c68]your Zone[/i:9531fa1c68]. If by putting your info in the calculator it says 14 blocks but you find yourself having low energy and losing LBM, then it is up to you to experience and find your ideal # of blocks, which carbs are better for you (some people have a better tolerance to higher GI carbs or higher GL meals...), figuring out how many grams of fish oil to take, etc... As I have said before, The Zone is [i:9531fa1c68]the[/i:9531fa1c68] answer of how we are meant to eat and the books and tools are the guidelines for the masses to help you find [i:9531fa1c68]your[/i:9531fa1c68] zone. I hear some people say "Oh, the Zone did not work for me so I am doing the South Beach Diet or The Perricone Prescription or this or that instead and getting better results..." In the end, those people are eating in the zone they just caught on better with someone else's words... Anyways, good luck finding your zone freklz and the advice regarding this given to you by Sue is a great start to get you there. Pat

bill phillips is a marketer, not a fitness expert.....