Elite Zoners: Athlete's Zone?

[Gant Grimes]

When I was straight Zoning, I had trouble with the volume of food I was eating. There's just too damn much, especially when you approach 20 blocks all around. Now, I can get a 5P/2C/15F meal with 5 oz. smoked turkey, a little BBQ sauce (yeah, I know), and a shot of olive oil. Sufficient blocks, no indigestion, and no crapping like a pack mule.

[Garrett Smith]

Totally agree with Gant.

Towards the end of my Zone days, I decided I wanted to get bigger. I weighed around 175 at ~7%BF. I decided I wanted to be 200 at around 7% BF. So I decided to eat like I would have to if I was 200 pounds, figured out my blocks and all.

Talk about feeling crappy and forcing food down! The indigestion only got worse, as I had to eat more and more fruit in order to fit in MORE carb blocks! That's the last time I think I'll ever actively try to get bigger (unless Coach Greg E. puts a "hypertrophy" phase into the CA WODs, but I still won't change my eating!). I also believe that was the end of the Zone and the beginning of unmeasured Paleo with BED influences.

[Chris Forbis]

The Zone (Sears' forum, to be specific) is actually how I discovered Crossfit. I spent about 1-1.5 years on it, before moving on to other (better) stuff. I find I do better on lower carbs. I am still a WAM Nazi though.

[Greg Battaglia]

I've been following the Zone pretty tightly the past few days and I've observed a few things, some good, some bad:

Good
-I never feel bloated after meals
-I'm leaning out a bit

Bad
-ravenous hunger, at times
-No fatigue, but a lack of energy for workouts
-Relying on too much fruit to meet carb levels

Chances are this won't last long.

[Jonathan Owen]

Gant, do you use any tricks to help down the olive oil, or just open up a can-of-man and do it? I have tried shots of oil before, and felt like puking for hours aterwards!

Jon

[Jordan Glasser]

Greg,

Right about the same time you began this post I restarted the zone. My reasons for switching from were because my attempt in seasonal approach to IF/Paleo surely did not match my activity level and types of physical activity (I am way more active in the winter). When I became more of a PWO carb nazi, I decided that I was pretty close to zoning, so I may as well jump back in. The one other reason was I believed I was eating too much protein. Along the lines of what you posted in another thread.

I'm still on top of my pwo carbs, and sometimes my a little pre-workout with great results. Since everyone's beef with the zone seems to be volume of food and eating all the carb blocks, basically I just dont' eat'em unless I need'em. If I don't workout heavy, and stay away of metcons, I eat about 6-8 of my 16 blocks of carbs, replacing those with added fat. With my carbs all green and leafy and volumous to help fill me up. In the end it's very much so like a paleo diet, but, I WAM, and have limited amounts of protein.

BTW, except for adding some whey protein as of late, everything else is 100% paleo.

Have to run, but results have been great. Leaned out a little, energy level up, and performance up.

I'll get back to this when I get finish work.........

[Greg Davis]

Jonathan,

Its can be just like taking a shot of alcohol, and theres a way to take it down where you don't taste it at all. Just slug it back but have a drink ready, and don't swallow until you follow up with the swig of your drink.

I bring a travel olive oil bottle (small one I just refill) with my meals if I have to bring a lunch etc., and if needed I just follow up the meal by swigging right from the bottle and chasing it down with my drink/water.

No way I'm swallowing olive oil on its own, thats when you get the nasty taste (worse if your oil quality isnt great).

Learned how to do it taking back shots of gin in college... but for some reason its hard to explain and some people dont get how to do it. Not that shooting olive oil should be a mainstay of a diet but hey gotta do whatcha gotta do sometimes to keep it real.

[Troy Archie]

Buy really good Olive Oil if you want to take it down straight. You'll find it easier to take down and eventually probably really like the taste, that's what at least has happened for me. Also, check out Scotty's Mayonnaise recipe in PM Issue 28 of May '07. That stuff is gold.

[Jordan Glasser]

I take swigs of olive oil all the time. It's fine by me. Troy's right, there are some that are more palatable then others. I don't know if pure price makes it better tasting for me....I go with a generic brand organic, Taste great!

[Troy Archie]

Look for First Cold Pressed Olive Oil.