Starting the Zone off right

[Eva Claire Synkowski]

Originally Posted by Robb Wolf

Everyone from Sears to Poliquin comment that some folks are carb tolerant and some are not. I think the folks who do well on the Zone are relatively carb tolerant. I remember the first crossfit certification Nicole Carrol went to...she was still vegetarian and eating a relatively low protein diet but had capped delts and her abs were up. She is leaner and more muscular now with the Zone and seems to do great on the Zone but when I eat Zone parameter carbs I start getting carb related hunger pangs...

i was wondering about the xfit rockstars in terms of body comp. i know nicole has said zone helped performance, but i was unsure how much bf she had to lose at her baseline. i find zone as rx'd pretty tough to follow, as trying to fill the carb blocks usually end up on relying on some crappy sources.

def found its much easier to just go paleo. as soons as the grains start creeping in to fill zone blocks, its a field day. and really, 1/3 tsp olive oil - who counts that?

[Allison Barns]

Originally Posted by Robb Wolf

Yea...that was a tough thing for me standing in front of a room full of people at a CrossFit certification and needing to toe the party line. It was not kosher to say" The Zone will work like magic for some of you ...not so much for others. And some of you will want to kill ME trying to comply with this."

The Zone can be a good starting place. Weighing and measuring are crucial so you know how much is going down the hatch and how folks are responding to that...but if you are following this highly precise method of eating and you have LESS blood sugar control than a simple meat-n-veggies approach...something is wrong there.

Even all this Paleo stuff I just recommend that people try cutting grains, legumes and dairy out for a time. Reintroduce and see how you feel/perform. just about EVERYBODY feels better without wheat. Some notice no change with or without dairy...for others it's a big deal. Just try it and see.

I REALLY like using the base Zone blocks and swap out carb blocks for fat blocks (3 fat for 1 carb). This still offers accuracy/precision but I think better glycemic control.

Robb - You, rebel, you! Thinking people have individual dietary needs! No wonder you're in the wilds of Northern California with all those radical free-thinking hippie types! (I am a proud Northern CA born and bred (Davis, Sacramento, Arcata -Humboldt State!) gal).

Questions on swapping the carb blocks for fat blocks: Do you swap all the carbs, the majority of them, half of them, what? (Probably depends on the individual, huh? ). I'm at 14 protein blocks, so 3 fat for 1 carb would be 42 extra fat blocks? Is that right? Seems like a lot!

Thanks!

[Rob Bullock]

Originally Posted by Allison Barns

Questions on swapping the carb blocks for fat blocks: Do you swap all the carbs, the majority of them, half of them, what?

Thanks!

I would love some clarification on this as well.

Thank you,
Rob

[Robb Wolf]

Hey guys!

It really depends on what you are up to but just sub the 3 fat blocks for every carb block you delete.

Allison-
If you are at 14blocks and say wanted to tinker with a fairly low carb approach you could delete 7 blocks of carbs, replacing those calories with 21 blocks of fat. This way you still know pretty closely what your caloric intake is. Let's say you have a client that is VERY insulin resistant (fat). I'd recommend they do something like this as it will offer better appetite control AND it is still significantly caloric restricted. Make sure ALL the remaining carbs come from veggies and greens (low GI/GL).

Nothing magic. Adequate protein, insulin control, caloric restriction and good bookkeeping to help direct future decisions.

[Allison Barns]

Thanks Robb. I'll... I mean my client will .... give it a whirl.

[Robb Wolf]

Originally Posted by Allison Barns

Thanks Robb. I'll... I mean my client will .... give it a whirl.

LOL! Perfect!

[Rob Bullock]

+1 on thanks for the clarification.

Rob

[Allison Barns]

Originally Posted by Robb Wolf

Hey guys!

It really depends on what you are up to but just sub the 3 fat blocks for every carb block you delete.

Allison-
If you are at 14blocks and say wanted to tinker with a fairly low carb approach you could delete 7 blocks of carbs, replacing those calories with 21 blocks of fat. This way you still know pretty closely what your caloric intake is. Let's say you have a client that is VERY insulin resistant (fat). I'd recommend they do something like this as it will offer better appetite control AND it is still significantly caloric restricted. Make sure ALL the remaining carbs come from veggies and greens (low GI/GL).

Nothing magic. Adequate protein, insulin control, caloric restriction and good bookkeeping to help direct future decisions.

I've been trying this and have noted an increase in muscle soreness with workouts (and increased need to pee). It was suggested to me to up the carbs on a day every 3-4 days to help with this. Any thoughts from you knowledgable folks?

[Mike ODonnell]

Try adding a carb load after workouts....the old PWO meal/drink. May help you recover faster while still keeping a low carb the remainder of the day.

If you are doing low low carb (unknown your total calories) and especially a workout that requires glycogen....I would suggest either the PWO or carb load day....tinker with it and I am sure you will find something that works for you.

As for the pee thing...high protein compared to the other factors in the diet does act as a diuretic....usually recommended to drink more water.

[Allison Barns]

Thanks Mike.

What's the recommended time-frame for the old PWO meal/drink?

I drink a ton of water (96 ounces minimum as measured by number of times I fill my water bottle) as a normal course of events and do seem to be drinking more lately.