Zone? Pinky...

B

brenda21

Cathlete
Pinky or anyone else who uses the Zone... I got the short version of the book today "A Week in the Zone" and it seems much more simplified than I remembered. I'm going to start to follow it closely in the next few days but I have a quick question.

If you want to have something like an apple or pear, are you to eat (for example) a few nuts with it to balance the equation? Do you find that after using the Zone for a while that you still need to do this balance?

Thanks in advance :)

Brenda
 
Hi Brenda,

>If you want to have something like an apple or pear, are you
>to eat (for example) a few nuts with it to balance the
>equation? Do you find that after using the Zone for a while
>that you still need to do this balance?

Yes, balance your fruit with some nuts or some other fat source like avocadoes (though I don't remember how much of an avocado you can eat per protein block). I normally eat my fruits with nuts, but let's take breakfast, for example... I usually have some egg whites with a slice of low-fat cheese and a slice of whole wheat bread. Sometimes I substitute the egg whites and cheese with three slices of lean ham. I use the fat in the cheese or ham as my fat source and skip the nuts. Hope this helps.

Pinky
 
When I do the Zone strictly I would have some protien with an apple or a pear, besides the nuts. I seem to get ridiculous about balancing protiens, carbs and fat when I need to loose some weight. The whole concept of the Zone is balancing..it can be confusing until you get used to it. I've done it for about 5 years. Good Luck...Carole :)
 
Pinky & Carole-
thank you! I think its just going to take some practice but I'm hoping it gets easier. Do you ever eat the Zone suppliment bars? I bought a few thinking these may help with the snacks and would be a no brainer for the balance.
Have a good Thanksgiving!
Brenda
 
Hi Brenda, good thing Carole brought up the protein quotient. For some reason, when you mentioned nuts all I could think about was the fat content.:) Yes, I do eat a half cup of cottage cheese with fruit (one apple or a cup of grapes) and a handful or 1/8 cup of peanuts with it. Yes, I do have Zone bars as a snack. They're kinda high on sugar though, and some of the flavors have a higher sugar content than others. So check the label. I tried Detour bars but found out that although they're low in sugar and carbs, they have some cholesterol, so I stopped eating them. I guess it all depends on what you're willing to trade off for yourself and your fitness goals. I hope this gets easier for you. Took me 2-3 weeks to really get it. Also, don't stress over every measurement and block too much. That will only ruin your motivation and drive you crazy. If you slip, let it pass. Don't punish yourself by eating less or exercising more. Diet and exercise has a cumulative effect on our systems, so one slip out of a week of clean eating won't hurt you. Hope this helps.

Pinky
 
I have tried the Zone bars, but prefer the Balance bars. I heard Barry Sears (the Zone author) created them. I use half of one for a snack on my busy work days. Pinky has some very good and valid points too. And I agree with her...don't give up. As I had put in another post. I started the Zone when I was 39. Within the first year I had run faster than ever before!. It blew my mind. I also got the best defintion from weight workouts. I haven't been very strict latley, but you seem to be giving me incentive.. :) Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving yourself...Carole
 
Ugh - I'm trying not to think of it as confusing. I'm trying to stick to the 1-2-3 (fat per protein per carbs) ratio. It does stress in the book that it is a guilt free program, hence if you go off just jump back on. I'm stocking up on the bars that follow this formula so I don't have to concentrate on the snacks, just meals for now. I'm hoping to get much better definition since I've increased my excercise program the last few months.

Do you both mind if I continue to ask questions as I try this? I think it will really work but I may need a little guidance. Let me know... thanks and have a great Thanksgiving!!
Brenda
 
Brenda, I never thought it too confusing because my sister helped me alot!. I have no problem at all with you asking questions, anything I can do to help..:) I think the Zone is awesome...Carole
 
Thanks Carole- I think I may get the hang of it. Have you found that it ever seems to be too much food? I ate the McCain's oatmeal with a few nuts, a little canadian bacon, then half a pear and some cottage cheese and was stuffed! I'm used to eating just a little Kashi w/ skim milk in the a.m.

I'm looking foward to becoming more Zone-wise... I think this may be what my body has been looking for.
I'll keep you posted and will look for your advice! :)

Brenda
 
Yes, when you do eat the favorable carbos, you do have alot of food. I made a recipe out of the "Mastering the Zone" book once, seemed like all this stuff you threw in a pot and cooked....my hubby and I got to laughing because we were so full..:). The meal also stays with you...unlike the Honey Nut Cheerios in skim milk that I used to eat! Yes, keep me posted...Carole
 
Carole & Pinky- When did you start to notice a physical difference? I've been watching sugar and carbs on a regular basis so I'm not really having the carb cravings, but am excited to see how my body changes. With my additional cardio, I can tell I'm losing fat/gaining muscle but I'd love to see addtional improvement with my eating changes...
Do you have the Zone Recipe Book? That might be the next step to make things a little easier.
Thanks for your help!!!
:)
 
I was running and lifting weights like in a gym at the time. I was 39, and probably in about 3 or 4 months what I noticed was more defintion all over. It is hard to describe but it was like I lost a layer of fat all over my body. It was really nice. I did get a Zone recipe book from my sister, there are also many recipes in the other book I mentioned.."Mastering the Zone". Glad to help...:) Carole
 
Hi Brenda, when I started with Cathe and the Zone, I was needing to gain weight so results took a while to see. Took about 2 months before I FELT a difference -- in my mental focus, my physical strength/endurance, the way my clothes fit. By month 4, these felt changes became visible. I was heavier but smaller. The results that Sears talked about with that research study concerning professional athletes and the Zone proved to be true. It just took me longer to get there.

I don't have the Zone recipe book but there are sites on the web where Zone eaters exchange recipes. You can do a search.

Lately I have been eating more fruit and vegetables and cut back even more on the rice and pasta. I've kept the whole wheat bread. In a week my waistline lost half an inch. Didn't expect this result, and so soon. You might see results faster especially that you're exercising and watching your sugar and carbs. This will get easier.

Pinky
 
I went to the Zone website (I don't think its Barry Sears' site, but ZonePerfect who make the bars)... there was a lot of interesting information there about how many blocks you should have for your body type (I never believe they can give an accurate reading just from a few measurements, though). One of the most helpful things was the hand/site indicator - protein the size of your fist, good carbs the size of two loose fists, "bad" carbs the size of one tight fist and then a little fat. This finally made more sense to me when I visualized it.

That seems to make it a little easier since I don't have a lot of time to weight and measure all the food I eat. What if it is too much though? Is it really wrong to just have a snack bar for breakfast? I was used to eating the Protein Plus bars and got in the habit of just packing them in my purse and going...
something tells me the answer is probably yes!

Also, do you take the Omega 3 oil? Do you have protein powder and if so which one do you use?

Once again, thank you so much for the help!:)
 
It does sound like you are getting it. I thought Barry Sears had a Zone site. I'll see if I can find it. I never really worried about eating too much protein, especially if I was marathon training, I usually ate about 4 or sometime 5 blocks of protein per meal. For breakfast I usually eat plain yogurt, fruit and nuts. I do take either Omega 3 or Flaxseed oil regularly. I don't really use protein powder, but have used the Balance bar shakes as protein powder on occasion. I believe the site is www.balancebar.com...:) I think you are doing well so far...Carole
 
The tips based on your palms and fist are actually in "Mastering the Zone" (I personally think this book is a lot more fun to read than the first one), and this helps me a lot when I'm eating out and don't have my measuring instruments.

I very seldom have a snack bar for breakfast, and when I do I eat one more protein block (low-fat cheese) because those Zone bars have only two. I don't take Omega-3 but it may be a good idea to do that. I do use protein powder, EAS whey protein vanilla (it's sold at Wal-Mart for less than $9 for 12 oz.), and put that in my soy milk. There's a scoop that comes with the whey protein. I fill that about 3/4 full and mix it with my soy milk -- makes approximately 3 protein blocks. I make up for the carbs by eating 3/4 cup of grapes or one small apple.

Pinky:)
 
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