Hi all! I am brand new to this. I have read almost everything on Zoneperfect.com But I either missed something or this is too hard for me......
When making my breakfast Ithis Am I had a hard time equaling out the blocks. I had Oatmeal for my carbs but it also had fat and protien. I had Veggie sausage links for protien that also had fat. So I am getiing #'s like 1.3, .7 etc. This seems very tedious to get equal parts. Am I only supposed to go with the dominant nutrient? AGGGH!!!

Hula,
I thought I'd post a reply for you so there'd be something here until the Zonecoach had a chance to catch up with you (she has been very helpful to me). But I don't want you to get discouraged with this great plan. The key is to go for the dominant nutrient block. Dr. Sears has it figured this way for us. Yes, there may be some fat and protein in the oatmeal. Just count it as one or more blocks of carbs and match with your sausages for your protein block(s). He already has the fat in the sausages figured in unless they're extremely high in fat. Same thing with the fat. Say, for example, you use nuts for fat. They also have some protein in them. Don't worry about it. Just use the appropriate amount to make up the number of fat blocks you're aiming for.

Keep in mind that after a few weeks on the Zone, you'll have some basic meal patterns which you know and on which you can depend. Keeping records will help you build that set of meals and menus even sooner. Then it doesn't feel as though you're crunching the numbers all the time. Soon you'll be zoning along with only an occasional need to consult the plan basics to be sure you're still accurate or when you want to add a new meal or menu.

I haven't used zoneperfect so know nothing about it, but I do know that there is an enormous amount of info in the books. I like Mastering the Zone, but many like A Week in the Zone. Amazon.com has a section where you can look for used books which are very cheap (and sometimes although they say "used" they are offered totally new for incredibly low prices.

Good luck to you. And I'm sure the Zonecoach'll get back to you soon. I didn't in any way intend to intrude on her answer to you-----just to offer some encouragement in the meantime. Good luck! Happy LCing!

That makes it MUCh easier. Thank you so much for replying. I was feeling lonely;-) I still am worried though b/c other people talk about counting all the nutrients in one single item. But I see you are losing...so it must work the way you do it. Anyway, it is a well balanced, healthy way of eating. I am really wishing I had some lacto-vegetarian recipes or menu plans...That then would be a breeeze. Any idea where I can get that? Just to save time. I see some people have joined EDiets using the Zone diet. I wonder if that would be a waste of $ or a real time saver. Thanks again for your reply and info. Anything else you would like to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks~*~*~*~*~

Thanks for jumping in. I have been out of town for a few days. I also appreciate it when others do offer advice. It keeps everyone participating and learning. If I note an error or mis-understanding in a response/post, I will offer a correction.

How's your journey going? Continuing to lose?

Hi, Zonecoach! Thanks for asking! I am feeling better physically since making the adjustments you suggested (adding a few chickpeas to the salad since I never could get it up to 3 cups) for example. But my weight loss has stalled as it always seems to about this point. Almost 3 weeks into the diet my progress has been to drop 6 pounds in the first week, gain back two, and then lose one of them. Now I haven't seen the scale budge for a week. I know that at my age and stage in life (almost 56) it is unrealistic to expect that I'll go faster------but I do. I'm not working out heavily (haven't gotten the weights into the program yet) but I do walk at least once a day despite the foot pain problems I'm having. What's so discouraging is that I'm close to a spot where all my working clothes will fit----around 140 (though I'd like to get to my goal) and I have a birthday, a short vacation, and a foot surgery coming up and then I have to go back to work (I'm a teacher). I had so hoped to make enough progress that I could be a little more relaxed foodwise (I don't mean a giant binge-----just a couple pieces of pizza one day) on my vacation----and still get back to maintaining my weight loss around the reduced activity post surgery. I have been posting my eating plan to my journal here (gave up Fitday since it doesn't really help much with the Zone----at least for me). So, if you get a chance to take a look, I'd appreciate it. I have gone off all my medications (not fun during allergy season), given up almost all artificial sweeteners except stevia------I really miss my occasional glass of diet soda, too, so it's a hardship. I've hunted for every hidden carb, stayed to almost completely favorable carbs-----although I did add a 9 carb diet fudgesicle the last couple of days, but figured it into the plan. And none of it makes my progress any more rapid. I've been re-reading the Zone books and Dr. Sears says 1 to 1-1/2 pounds per week of fat is all I can expect to lose, but I'm not even seeing one and it's been my past experience that the fat is usually bound up with enough water that a 2 pound loss per week at this calorie level is not too much to expect.

I know my sense of desperation is out of proportion to the seriousness of the problem, but I feel it nonetheless. Suggestions would be welcome. In the meantime, I'm just keeping on keeping on.

Thanks for the info. So I can do it either way, I guess. Here is one thing I am not sure of though....What is considered "lean protein" I ask b/c I only eat soy products as my protien source, and a little cheese. I am eating soy at every meal. I am a lacto-vegetarian. I actually can not eat cottage chhese or drink milk either. So that leaves me with Soy, cheese, and m/b yogurt. Since this is mya huge part of my diet, and you say they are combination foods, I really want to make sure I am counting whatever should be counted.... Here are some examples of some of my soy products and their mini-block counts...
1. One Morningstar veggie sausage 1 fat / 0 carb / 1.4 protein Would I count the fat?

2. " " Veggie bacon strips 1.5 fat / 0 carb / .3 protein Would this even be considered a protein? or would it be a fat?

3. " " Veggie Buffalo wings 3 fat/ 2 carbs / 1.7 protein See my confusion? I think this should have staryed in the grocery store m/b (maybe).

4." " Garden Veggie Patty .8 fat / 1 carb / 1.4 protein So it is a protein, but do I count the carb or fat?

5. Tofu with 1.5 or 3 fat and 1 protein would be counted as both fat and protein I presume?

I hope this isn't too much for you. I am just a little overwealmed with trying to create equal nutrients at each meal.
Another thing....Really, with peanut butter...you don't count the protein???
Thanks so much for your help. I have heard of some people joining Ediets to get help with the Zone. DO you know anything about it? I wonder if it would help a lot with meal planning. Thanks again, and sorry for so much. As you can see I am boggled

Just letting you know I'm not ignoring your questions. I'll get back to you , hopefully late this eve re: your soy dilema. As far as ediets goes...sorry ~ can't help you there. IMO, it's best to learn the basics by doing things yourself so you're better prepared for the long haul. Kinda like math. Learn how to do things the long way before using a calculator.

I can understand the urge to reach the goal prior to an event. You just feel so much better about yourself; more confident when you know you're where you want to be. I just got back from Vegas ~ 4 days ~ 4 pounds! It will probably take me longer than 4 days to get back, but it felt good while I was there!
I did take a quick look and will look closer when I have a chance. Nothing stood out like a huge red flag. Perhaps the fat (a little short), but I'll have to look closer. I have to trust you (and others) to know how to Zone a meal and follow labels. If you're sure on the counts, I have to trust that since I don't have time to research "soy sausages" for instance.
I can understand that, however, the longer you go without, the easier it will be and you'll get to the point of not even missing it. Conversely, if you gotta have it, go for it. It's not the worst thing in the world. I believe Diet Rite is sweetened with Splenda ~ very acceptable. Not sure of the taste... Perhaps it's time to try dropping a carb and adding fat ~ to get you past this plateau. There are some other things too (not exactly within Zone rules) that might help. Let me look closer at your stats later and get back to you.
Not to worry. I, and others can totally relate.

It can be very overwhelming at first, especially when you're trying to read and absorb everything in the books and on the sites.

As Dr. Sears says, it would take a mini calculator in our brains to continuously figure out every single macronutrient. There are few food items which are considered "combo-foods". Basically, those are soy (like tofu) and dairy (milk, yogurt, etc.). The proteins found in plant based items are not well absorbed by our bodies (only about 70%), not to mention, they are not "complete" proteins. To simplify things, the majority of foods are categorized as either; protein, carb or fat. Please be aware nuts and nut butters are considered fat. Beans / legumes are considered carb (remember to subract fiber to get the count). The fat does not need to be counted in LEAN protein sources, however, conversely, do not add fat to a higher fat cut of meat (like a NY strip steak).

There is no need to go overboard trying to figure every little thing. The longer you do this, the clearer your head becomes making it easier to make adjustments to fit you. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with being precise and counting everything, as lisalaura likes to do. Either way is acceptable and will give you success. Quite frankly, all that math makes my brain hurt! It took me a long time to reach the point of being "middle of the road" with accuracy.
Happy Zoning!

One more message, Zonecoach. Just finished working my way through the 233 posts and have now done my homework-----here, at least. It was a fascinating journey; no wonder you get tired of saying the same thing over and over! Plus, I ran afoul of a rather cranky Atkins vs. Zone interaction and the fascinating fructose discussion. Took a while, but I learned a lot. All the weight training chat might even inspire me to get back downstairs to my smith machine and free weights. That would be a miracle. I found the post with your menus, so you don't have to bother reposting as I had asked above. I sure appreciate your working with us on this forum.