Modified Zone or "I have a distored view of portion size!"

I just wanted to share a little blip that my husband wrote up for Staci. It would be valid for you guys if you want to use it. Just follow exactly what it says.

If you are like me, I had to know exactly how much I had to eat and when. For a while I tried not putting a cap on my eating and I wouldn't lose weight-even though I was eating Paleo! It was because I was eating and eating and eating. You can still become fat, even if you eat too many nuts or meat. So, this was the way that I ate Paleo and got my portion size and my infatuation with food under control.

To the Jamesmobile!::

Check out this link:  "http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf" http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf . Read the link, then read the rest of this, as it will make more sense after reading the PDF file. Print it. We have the food lists in our kitchen.

This deals with the Zone Diet.  The zone diet is concerned more with quantity rather than quality, but it should help you learn a little about portion size.  I am going to deviate the diet a wee bit, to get you kick started quicker. 

You will be on 11 blocks

Typically this means 11 block of protein, 11 of carbs, 11 of fat.
 But for you this is going to be:   11 blocks of protein
                                                     6 blocks of carbs
                                                    26 blocks of fat

You will eat four meals a day:  Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.  Snack can be a mid-morning snack or afternoon snack.  No eating after 7pm.

Here are three options for you: Pick one

    Bigger Breakfast:           Breakfast              Lunch                 Dinner                   Snack
                                       4 Blocks protein        3 protein          3 protein              1 protein
                                       2 blocks carbs            2 carb                 2 carb                 0 carb
                                        8 blocks Fats              6 fat                  6 fats                  6 fat

    Bigger Dinner:     Breakfast                    Lunch                       Dinner                Snack
                                   3 protein                   3 protein                  4 protein            1 protein
                                   2 carb                        2 carb                      2 carbs              0 carb
                                  6 fat                           6 fats                        8 fats                6 fat

    Regular/normal:    Breakfast                 Lunch                        Dinner               Snack
                                  3 protein                3 protein                     3 protein           2 protein
                                  2 carb                    2 carb                          2 carbs             0 carb
                                 7 fat                       7 fats                            7 fats                 5 fat


Check the food list on page 3 and 4 for what constitutes a block: For instance 1 ounce of chicken = 1 block, so if you need 4 blocks of protein for a meal you will eat 4 ounces.  Weigh your food after you cook it.  Don’t worry, the weighing and measuring gets easy.  Pretty soon you will be able to eyeball it with great accuracy.  The food list includes foods that are not paleo. DO NOT PICK THE NON-PALEO FOODS!  Just don’t pick any carbs that are breads, cereals, grains, beans, corns, rice.

Don’t freak out about the fact that you have 26 fat blocks.  FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT! In fact, eating the high fat--lower carb ratio will make your body fat loss amazingly fast. Ask Lindsey.

***The first week will probably suck.  You will most likely feel hungry, have headaches and feel tired.  This is because you are coming off the drugs of grains and gluten.  After about a week, you will actually have more energy than you did before.

Stick with it, it get easier, even enjoyable.  It took awhile but now I have lots of great recipes and fun foods.

--James