Nicole Carroll forwarded a great question to me. Here is the question and my subsequent response:
Hi Nicole,
I attended the CrossFit Charlotte Level 1 Certification and I have to say you all were absolutely brilliant. I have attended many certifications in my career and CrossFit was by far the most educational. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the zone diet if you don’t mind. I downloaded the info. off the CF journal. I also re-read entering the zone, I had it at home.
I weigh 143, height 5’7″my body fat is exactly 17%- I did the hydrostatic (underwater) testing exactly 1 week prior to the cert.
I have exactly 116 lbs. of lean muscle.
So, I should calculate 116 multiplied by .7 activity level, equals 81.2 dived by 7 puts me between an 11 and 12 block meal plan.
So, I went with the 12 block. 3,1,3,1,3,1 I weighed everything! portioned it perfectly. Well, day 4 I got up to teach my kickboxing class (I only teach once a week) had a raging headache and my muscles would barely allow me to make it through the class. I felt awful all day, no energy, headache, nauseous etc.. I had a zone friendly but much larger dinner that night and felt quite a bit better. I had lost 3-4 lbs. in the first week. I had a cheat meal that Saturday night but stuck to the diet. The following week the same thing happened on day 3. It is awful to feel that way. I didn’t want to continue doing this if I am going to feel awful on it. For the duration of the week I followed the daytime regimen perfectly but had to increase by about 1 more block at dinner so I didn’t wake up feeling so awful in the morning. It’s not that I am hungry (yes, a little at night) but I wake up with no energy and I usually only have a 1 block snack first because I workout first thing. I can’t workout on an empty stomach but I can’t do it on a full stomach either I am on week 3 and have stuck to a 1,3,1,3,1,4,1 diet and all my weight is back. Performance is still not good either. according to my calculations 12 block is about 1200 calories which is a lot less than I am used to, I usually ate the “perimeter diet” at about 1900 a day. I workout 6 days a week. I do the CrossFit workkouts daily and about 2-3 days add about a 2 mile run. 1 day a week I teach a 1 hour kickboxing class. I have had 1 dessert Saturday night as my cheat and that is all.
Here is my daily schedule m-sat.
I get up at 6:00am and eat the 1 block snack right away and have 1 cup black coffee,
1 get to the gym at 7:30am to workout.
Have breakfast 3 blocks by 9am,
lunch 3 blocks between 1 and 2,
1 block snack about 5pm,
get home from work between 8:30pm and 9pm and have dinner 4 block ish,
maybe 1 block snack at 11pm if I am famished.
I really want to decrease my body fat and increase my performance but I am most definitely frustrated and struggling with this. Any advice you can give me would be great. Maybe I am missing something? Either that or I am a big baby and just need to suck it up. Either way, I know you are busy but I would appreciate if you could offer any insight.
Here is my response:
Nicole shoots a few of the fun Zone questions to me from time! It sounds like you were eating pretty clean and not too much before…good stuff. The deal with the Zone is it starts off a calorie restricted diet which allows people to lean out at a remarkable rate. When folks hit a desired level of leanness, the fat content is increases anywhere from 2-5x. This is a maintenance Zone that is higher in fat and fuels nearly all of the top crossfit performers.
Now…why have you been feeling like crap? You may have cut your carb level quite a bit as compared to your previous eating, you may be a bit sluggish in ramping up your fat mobilizing enzymes, or you might be pretty near an optimum level of leanness for you. Most of the top females have their abs up and run around 12-14% BF. You are pretty darn close to that…do you want to lean out more?
Here is what I’d do: Increase your fat blocks to 2x. That means for every meal double the fat you are eating, at the end of the day you will have taken in 12 blocks of protein, 12 blocks of carbs and 24 blocks of fat. Do you feel better? If not bump it up to 3x. Same deal. You may need to tinker this all the way up to 5x fat. So, if you are at a level of leanness you are happy with you can run with this plan and you should feel great and see your performance take off. If you want to lean out more drop back to the base Zone for a day, then back up to the higher fat level for the next day. Alternate this and see how you feel. You should continue to make progress, both in terms of your leanness, and your performance. It will take a little patience but it sounds like you have PLENTY of discipline!
Rob,
Great reply, I have been meaning to ask you a similar question. I have been zoneing for about7 months(started @ 17blocks and have increased to 20 as activity lvl increased w/Games approaching) and in the last 3 months noticed i would occasionally get horrible headaches. Somehow i correlated they would subside with an increase in fat intake, is that normal? Now its almost like a low intake gauge! Thanks
Peter
Peter-
I think we can dial things in such that we run very well but not with a huge reserve capacity…that dip in calories seems to drive thigns to a halt! Interesting stuff.
Robb
Got one for ya!
I am a prescribed 18 blocks. 174/6’1/10-12% BF. So I do 5,5,2,5,1. I found that 5 blocks of carbs at a big meal was too much and I would be tired shortly after that. So, I dropped that down and now eat 3-4 blocks of carbs for each 5 block meal. Works for me, but I have been stuck at the 12% Bf range for quite some time. Not that its bad, but I’m still a little gooey around the mid-section. Diet is clean with the occasional cheat, but still clean. Is it just too much food, even with reduced carb blocks that is keeping me from losing what I want? I feel that if I drop protein blocks it would be an inadequate supply. What do you think?
Brandon-
I run 170lbs. and 17 blocks…about 8%BF. I think you are doing fine on the blocks, I’m wondering about the quality of the carbs, and SLEEP. When I hear “I can’t get lean” I’m wondering about carb content and quality and sleep. So, how huch ya sleeping and what are your carbs composed of?
Robb
Cool. Well then sleep might be it. Carbs consist of a lot of low glycemic veggies (main staples are: broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach), berries, the occasional sweet potatoe, some high glycemic foods when I have a small cheat meal, and the occasional beer. ??? I typically get around 7 hours. I get to bed around 9:30, asleep by 10:00-10:30 and wake around 6:00-6:30. So I guess I should extend that more to around 9 hours? Thanks!
Give the sleep a shot and see if it helps. I’ve seen it work wonders for folks.
Robb
And I thought my schedule was rough! She is going from 6am to 11pm (time of occasional snack) 6 days a week – AND she is working out 6 days a week!? No wonder she is famished and light headed.
I work 6 days a week, but I only pull two days of 5:30am to 11pm type of work and I KNOW I am sleep/rest deprived. Another thing that will help this woman is more rest and a better life balance.
-jj
Just a wee hour more than the 8hr snore does a magical wonder for mee.
Brad
Robb,
My boyfriend subscribes to the performance menu and I read your article on “42 Ways to Skin the Zone”. The female you mention in the AHCCZ section describes me to a “t”. 10 blocks, doing a very base zone, but with a fairly intense crossfit/kettbell routine. However, I don’t feel like I’m leaning out as fast as I would like. I’m eating mostly veggies, little fruit, lean meats and proper fats. I’m also getting a pretty consistent amount of sleep on a nightly basis (8+ hours).
I’d like to try the modified Zone you suggest in this article, but can you perhaps be a bit more specific as to why I want to double my fat intake??? This flies in the face of “common sense” as I know it, but I’m sure theres a scientific reasoning behind it. Could you please explain this to me??
Thank you so much.
Hey Monica!
The AHCCZ (always hungry, carb crazed Zombie) usually has a problem with either the amount of carbs on the Zone, the frequency of carb intake, or both. The first recommendation I make in that case is to stick up to 1/2 of the carb blocks into the post WO meal…particularly if the session was very metabolically demanding. This will minimize the amount of carbs in other meals and should allow for better glycemic control. One can further refine this by deleting a carb block or two and increasing fat by 3 blocks for every carb block deleted. Use some linear accounting…your day might look like this:
(are you as base Zone or 5x fat? I’ll assume 5x fat for this example)
breakfast 2p 1c 10f
lunch 2p 1c 10f
work out
Post WO 3p 5c 0f
dinner 3p 2c 33f
Total 10p 9c 53f
This is an arbitrary way to slice this up, but the main point is that the carbs are focused to the post WO period. If you notice we end up 1carb block shy on the day, so I increase the total fat blocks by 3 so we make up for the missed block.
Does this help? How are you slicing and dicing things?
Robb
Robb,
Thanks for the example…I understand a little better now. I’m base zone, at 2-2-2-2-2, but like I said I would like to lean out a little faster.
And now I understand why you up the fat blocks (to make up for the loss of carb blocks), but I’m sorry, I still don’t understand how increasing fat consumption facilitates a faster “leaning” process….Does the higher fat intake accelerate the metabolism?
I appreciate you taking the time to answer. I have access to a fairly comprehensive CF Journal/Pmenu library, so even pointing me in the right direction as to why high fat intake = faster fat burn would be very helpful.
Hey Monica-
The base Zone is ALREADY calorie restricted so you don’t want to cut things any further. What it sound like is you are having problems with TOO MANY carbs (consistent hunger). An easy solution is to either partition carbs to the post WO period and or delete some carbs…then you need to make up that calorie deficit by adding fat. What I’m hearing (apologies if I’m wrong here) is reticence to increase fat intake because you want to lean out…it’s important to remember…fat DOES NOT make us fat…not compared to carbs! The literature and anecdotal experience are pretty clear: Two diets, equal in calories. One is high carb, the other high fat…the high fat diet produces more fat loss than the high carb diet…and less muscle loss.
Does this help?
Robb
Hi Robb,
Love your blog and I have been ordering and reading your back articles from PMenu. Good stuff.
I have been “stuck” at 165 (6’1″) and 10% bf for a while now. I have been at 17 blocks for a while. Only a couple weeks ago I doubled my fat block because I was always starving. Just this week I upped my protein to 21 and now my block intake is 21p 17c 46f (12 fat blocks to balance the 4 added protein. I have also added in some yam into my carb blocks.
Does this sound consistent with your recommendations? I would like to get stronger, and a little less bf is ok, but not too much.
Thanks for your site!
Joel-
You will likely run fine at this level but if you want to gain muscle mass you will need to bring that whole operation up to 21 blocks and 5x fat (or as close to that carb wise as you can tolerate).
If you are simply looking to optimize thigns at the current BW then I’d stick with the 17 blocks and run at 5x fat.
Keep me updated!
Robb
Robb,
I just got turned onto your site, and love it! I started doing crossfit, I am now training for my first triahtlon. I have been working my way into the paleo diet, but am not there 100% yet. Having said that, down 20 pounds in the last 4 months or so! Still have a few more to shed.
The next step for me is to zone my paleo. I saw this setup:
TIMING OF ZONE MEALS
MEAL
TIMING
APPROX. TIME
Breakfast
Within 1 hour after waking
7:00 A.M.
Lunch
Within 5 hours after breakfast
12:00 P.M.
Late-afternoon snack
Within 5 hours after lunch
5:00 P.M.
Dinner
Within 2-3 hours after snack
7:00 P.M.
Late-night snack
Before bed
11:00
I think I am 23 blocks, 5’11” 3/4, 6.75 wrist, about a 36 waist, 5-6 days a week of about 2 hours of work, swim,bike,run, oilympic lift. I work a long day. Up at 5-5:30 and out the door by 6. Looking at this timing, I would have to eat dinner in the middle of my workout, after work. Also, I have been drinking accelerade to last through the heavy cardio days, and endurox for recovery afterwards. Any idea how many blocks they are? Any suggestions on how to make this work? If you just point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful!
Thanks,
Jim
Jim!
How much do you weigh? 23 blocks seems like a lot. Regarding meal timing: make it work for you. if you need to go longer between meals or make the meals larger and less frequent ( 4 instead of 6) go for it. Is 6 meals better than 4 for recovery? sure…but that is 50% MORE meals, the difference in recovery and performance is NOT 50%!! The ROI is just not there, especially if you are time crunched.
Post WO recovery: I need to do a post on this so I can refer people to it! In the mean time, you can shuttle up to 50% of your days carbs to the PWO period. Just re-proportion things in the other meals to make this work. You can use endurox or something like that but I’ve found yams, sweet potatoes for carbs and stuff like canned salmon for protein to be as good or better than liquid stuff. Have you checked out crossfit endurance? Ya GOTTA!
Robb
Robb,
Thanks a lot! I weigh about 205, next stop 200…kind of a big frame which kills me on the running. If you think it’s too many blocks, with a really active workout schedule, I’d love to know about it. thanks again!
I think that might be a little high…knock it back by 2…if your energy dips let me know and we can run from there.
Robb
Thanks very much, Robb!
I want to get stronger,and I wouldn’t mind a little mass. So, I immediately took your advice and yesterday started 21 full blocks and 5X fat. That is a lot of food! I love it. I felt really full after every meal yesterday. Today, I still do, but not quite so much. I will track my progress on body fat, strength, metcon performance and let you know how I fare later in the summer.
Thanks again!
Awesome Joel!
If the air/fuel mixture is dialed we should see minimal fat gain and optimized performance improvements.
Keep me posted!
Robb
Whatsup Robb!
Hey man whats going on i was just at blauer tactical for the cert, i was the 18 year old lol, (if you dont remember i think im standing next 2 u in the pic, haha)
Anyways, i was so amazed by all that you were saying i forgot to ask a couple questions, first off im 18 150 pounds and about 5’6, around 13% body fat i would say, i was wondering how many blocks i should have?, i was thinking 16?
Also, whats the deal with milk? i see that on your zone resource that its a no, however i hear Mark R in starter strength says to have milk to gain muscle, and in the Crossfit journal that its under the good combos. I know you know more about this stuff so im going to ask you. And is coconut milk a replacement for regular milk?
One more thing, i was reading the 16 block guide for men on your resource page, alot of the iteam s on there like coconut flakes, aren’t on the CFJ block guide what should i do about those?
Thanks again man, really appreciate it, im most likely going to take your nutrition certification when ever you have it, i look forward to it. when ever i have questions about this stuff im coming to you ha hope you dont mind!
Hey Devin!
16 blocks looks perfect, you should be good to go on that. Milk is AMAZING for building muscle…but it has some downsides that I think make it dicey for consumption over the long haul…use it when you need it then rotate it out of the diet for awhile. No doubt that getting big is a lot easier doing the gallon of milk gig. For weird food blocks just find out the amount of fat, protein or carbs for a serving…keep in mind that the blocks break down to: C=9g, P=7g and F=1.5 g. So if 1/4 cup of coconut flakes is 15g of fat it equals 10 blocks of fat.
Let me know if that helps!
Hey Robb! At the urging of my coach I went on the Zone…he said it would lean me out super fast. I freakin GAINED 5 lbs on 17 blocks/day!! History: I’ve lost 120 lbs…been working on the last 15-20 for almost a year now, it just won’t seem to go away. Been Crossfitting since January. Don’t think the diet helped my performance, but it did seem to improve recovery. Not sure where to go from here. Oh, last thing…it was all Paleo food choices…no grains, or dairy, just fruits, veggies and lean meats/good fats.
David-
You pinged me an email on this, yes? Just making sure I’m not skipping someone!
Robb
Hi Robb,
It’s the return of the redhead who can’t squat!
I wanted to let you know I’ve abandoned paleo completely and have returned to the zone at 11 blocks with your carb reduction suggestion. Like many people I fit the AHCCZ exactly. For me, consuming any more than one block of fruit at a meal makes me hungry 60-90 minutes later, even my post-workout meals. It’s so predictable I can set my watch to it! So most meals are either one block veg one block berries or just 1-2 blocks veg with fat increased according to your guidelines.
Where previously I was starving on 12 blocks now I’m happy on 11 (might try 10 in the future). I wish I had known all this two months ago instead of wasting my time gaining body fat on the paleo diet. (By the way, my husband lost fat on paleo and is now all shredded. Isn’t that the way things always happen?)
Anyway, I’m confident some fat loss will occur for me eventually. I’ll keep you posted!
Good to go girl! Props for tinkering with things but 1 demerit for “bailing on paleo”. Paleo is food quality, period…in the amounts and ratios that work for YOU. If you feel like shit on too much fruit, cut back the fruit! Paleo is “meat & veggies, Nuts & seeds SOME FRUIT, little starch, No sugar. One perfect indicator of whether a meal was a good fit is how hungry you are 2, 3, 5 hrs later. No hunger? Good carb level.
Keep me posted!
Robb,
I have a multi-part question. Background first. I eat what I consider a zone inspired diet. I have never made the commitment to measuring. I take several supplements including vitamins (I use Ray & Terry’s products, see list below), protein powder (mix of soy and whey usually at breakfast), and Arginine (I use Herc before most workouts). I was thinking about adding another supplement to my list called NanoGreens (http://www.mybiopharmacy.com/sng/sng_default.asp) and it got me thinking. Once upon a time I thought I had a plan concerning my diet and supplement use but now I am not so sure.
What vitamins do you recommend? Is a protein shake a good breakfast? What do you think of arginine? Is NanoGreens any good? Is it a good idea to add a scoop in my breakfast shake?
ALA/ALC, Carnosine, GSE, B-Complex, Coenzyme Q10, EPA/DHA, Green Tea Extract, Resveratrol, Sublingual B12, Multi Vitamin (includes the usual suspects)
In full disclosure I go by Epicurious when I post on the CrossFit site.
37yo/m/5’11/165#
George!
I’m pretty conservative on the supplement front…I love fish oil, r-alpha lipoic acid is good…there are a boat load of great nutriceuticals but I think the food needs to be dialed or it’s kinda peeing in the wind. I’m not a fan of shakes in general…they tend to not stick with people, I see fat gain happen easily and solid, real food just tends to produce better results. That said, shakes are fine in a pinch…I just see them undermine otherwise good eating habits. If an individual is trying to lean out I don’t allow the shakes at all. I like the arginine pre-bed or pre-training…good to go. nanogreens are great…give a weighed, measured zone a shot…it’s surprising how much this tweak can improve things!
Let me know if I hit all the questions.
Robb
Robb,
My brother-in-law introduced me to Crossfit a couple of weeks ago when he was back from Fort Leavenworth on his way to Okinawa. Marinie Corps and they love your workouts and to be honest with you so do I. I am 5’7″ and 200 lbs and do quite a bit of power lifting and was wondering where I can find a copy of the Zone\Paleo diet that everyone is writing in about. I already stay away from the processed foods and sugar due to low blood sugar issues and am looking for guidance to top off the correct way to eat so that I can drop about 15 pounds. At age 39 I need to begin slimming this pudge around my mid section as it will start having health effects later in life.
Thanks
Bob Keller
Bob!!
Grab the Books “Protein Power:Lifeplan” and Mastering the Zone. This is damn near all you need for your nutritional needs!
Let me know if you have other questions.
Robb
Hi Robb,
I am a crossfitter who is 37 and I weigh 155lbs at 5feet 10 inches tall. My goal is to gain muscle mass with limited bf (I know some bf will have to be added in the process)and would like to weigh about 175-180 lbs. My bf right now is about 6-7% at most. My wife says that I look good naked, but I know I look somewhat skinny in my clothes.
My diet right now adheres to 19 zone blocks. My energy level is extremely low at this point. I am sure thast I am not taking in enough claories. Mt diet consists of lean meat, egg whites, low glycemic veggies, spinach, 2 apples each day, cottage cheese, almonds and avocado.
I have seen in your blog the recommendation to increase blocks up to 32-35, but also to simply increase fat blocks x5. Based on my profile, what would you recommend. Based on my weight, my crossfit total is approaching the advanced level. I follow the crossfit site WOD 3 on 1 off. Any insight and recommendation is most appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mike
Hey Mike!
You have several posts in the comments…I think they are the same but if I miss something let me know. I’d up your fat blocks to 5X. Run with that for 2-3 weeks to get used to it as your caloric intake will ~double at 5x. From there add 2 blocks every 2-3 weeks. Run with the increase for 2 weeks to see how the body is responding. You should see a nice consistent uptik in weight. Every 10 days drop your fat down to base level to shock the system a bit and keep your body stingy with calories.
Let me know how things progress!
Robb
Robb,
I am a 5’11 male and weigh 185 pounds. I follow the CrossFit 3 days on, 1 day off schedule and train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 3 days a week. I was wondering if you could give a little advice on what my physical activity factor would be if i were to follow the Zone diet plan?
Thanks a alot.
Sean
Hey Amigo!
Oddly enough, that combo of Jits and CF only scores you a .8-.85 multiplier! Give that a go and see how things are working. If you are already quite lean you might jump in at 2-3x fat.
Robb
Thank you Robb. I’m going to start with those numbers and see how it goes. I appreciate your input!
Sean
Hi Robb,
Thanks so much for your reply. I have just purchased a number of your articles from Pmenu. They are amazing resources!!
One follow up question…Is the 3 on 1 off Crossfit WOD adequate to make muscular gains or should I be integrating some more strength work and backing off on a few metcons as discussed in a few Pmenu articles.
Again,your insights and expertise are most appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mike
Mike-
Some kind of Black Box program or starting strength with a mix of Met con will work wonders. That simple, linear progression really drives strength and mass gains.
Robb
Thank you Robb,
Just one more post for a while so as to let you support some of your other disciples…
Starting Strength that you mentioned regarding a strength program is the book by Mark Rippetoe. Am I correct? Are there actual training programs in the book. I thought it may have been a technique book only.
Also, regarding IF. Tell me about the optimal time to work out on this plan. If my last meal is at 7 pm and don’t plan to eat until 10 am the next day, is a morning workout optimal. (There may be may be about 2 hours between workout and feed based on my schedule). I am sure that I read this in one of your other responses. Will I have enough “fuel” in the tank to get through a tough metcon or strength workout without negatively impacting the training session. Is IF appropriate for someone trying to gain a few pounds of muscular weight.
Thank you, again for your quick replies!!
Mike
Mike-
Starting Strength does have programming. You should however pick up Practical Programming also…just an amazing distillation of information. Someone could progress for 5-10 years with nothing more than those books (assuming technical proficiency).
Regarding IF and training:
It really is an individual thing. Some folks do great training in a fasted state, others not so well. I do fine if I SLEEP ADEQUATELY, I’m a wreck if I try to do fasted training on top of sleep deprivation. I’d say a good rule here is if your food decreases the intensity of the WO, it’s a good idea to tweak things.
Robb
Hi Robb,
What is the best food source to help with the significant increase in fat intake. I like to eat almonds but I understand too many nut sources are not the healthiest way to go.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Mike
Mike-
Nuts are fine. I really like the nutty hot cereal recipe we had in the first PM issue. Coconut milk with curries, add extra olive oil to meats, soups etc. Just round it out with fish oil!
Robb
Robb-
My cf trainer sent me to your site, and I am both impressed and a little overwhelmed with all of the info. I’ve been a cf’er for over a year, love it- zone is newer, only a few weeks, but truly, can see changes already. I am 135 lbs, 66”, 29W, 34H. Prelim assessment tells me 15B, I go 1,4,4,1,4,1. I train @ 6AM, wod’s 5d/wk, with an occasional run, 1-5mi, depending on the wod! This seems to work well, however, I am learning that my carb (fruit)intake may be high, since I get hungry w/in 2-3 hrs. after a 4B meal. My carbs are good- fruits, brocc, green beans, greens, etc. (don’t use the higher GI carbs). Love the fruit, but am open to fat ratio for better performance in cf. Not sure if I am ready for that, but was wondering if you could even begin to advise, here. Also- I see that hard bolied aggs are 1 p, & am tickled to be adding them to my diet(had been witholding due to yolk fat) what’s up with the yolk (acid/bad fat) as it relates to daily fat intake in the zone? I so appreciate your consideration, here. Thank you- Sarah
Hey Sarah!
I wrote a piece for the Performance Menu “42 ways to skin the Zone” that details a few ways to modify things. In your case I’d drop a carb block in the 4 block meals and add 3 blocks of fat to keep the cals the same. You can also try putting more carbs into your post WO meal, you just need the accounting to add up at the end of the day. Yolks are GREAT! Get the omega 3 enriched eggs and they are even better.
Keep me posted on this!
Robb
Hi Robb,
I’m 39 yrs old, 150 lbs, 5’6″ about 12-14% bf and currently on 16 blocks… I’m on a 3 day on 1 day off CF schedule… I was wondering if I should increase my fat intake as I’d like to get leaner… thanks.
best,
Russell
Russell-
Drop the total blocks to 15 and stay at baseline fat. I’m 170 and at 16blocks. I think you will lean out more if you dial things back just a bit.
Keep me posted!
Robb
Hi Robb,
So pumped I found your website. Right now I’m a 23yom, 6’2″, 215 lbs. My lean mass is calculated to be around 195 lbs. Still looking to shed about 10 or so lbs to a more ideal(lean) weight. I do the daily wod 3 on 1 off. I also run about 2 or more miles a day with my dogs. Right now I’m on 19 blocks, 1-1-1 ratio. Lean meats, some cheese, apples, grapes, oranges, and lentils, olive oil, and almonds. Is this enough blocks? I feel like I’ve plateau on fat loss, and I still have noticeable body fat. I love fruit and know I need to shift my veg fruit ratio around. Gonna try and get 7 hours of sleep, then try and increase to 8. Any ideas for some quick meals?
Thanks,
Matt Pfeiffer
Matt!
If you are looking to lean out I think the food is pretty dialed, shift some of your carbs tot he post WO meal and less near bedtime and that may help. If you are skinny on sleep that can cock-block ANY nutritional efforts. It is a really big deal for fat loss. Give that a shot and see how it goes!
Hi Robb,
Thank you for your sound direction into my training and nutrition. Both Greg Everett and Mark Rippetoe suggest drinking milk to support muscular weight gain. What is your opinion on this? Drinking milk does not fall within the parameters of paleo eating.
Both suggest that short term milk consumption will not cause health issues and that it can be cut out of the diet once the desired level of weight/mass has been achieved. Do you see any huge problems with this. In an attempt to gain weight, I am considering it. Do you concur with your colleagues on this issue?
In my effort to gain lean mass, I am currently at 18 blocks X5 fat in the progression toward 26 blocks as outlined in the 42 ways to skin the zone article. I am living the IF life (16hours of fasting/ day) and my carbs are usually no more than 9 blocks a day with the difference (18-9 X 3) being absorbed in fat intake. I am training 3 times per week based on a starting strength program.
Is it necessary to dial back the food to base zone blocks if on the IF plan? Will it help?
Thanks Robb.
Sincerely,
Mike
Mike-
I think this is spot on. Milk is a VERY convenient way to get additional cals, protein etc. In addition to this there is NO doubt milk confers growth factors that exceed it’s protein or caloric content…it’s meant to drive growth. I think a problem arises when the need to get big never really goes away and you have guys drinking a gallon of milk when they are 30%BF. That growth promoting effect can certainly bite one in the ass in the long term. If you want to use it to reach a goal, i say go for it. If you could track down a grassfed source to supplement things that might be cool, although quite expensive.
keep me posted!
Dear Rob,
I train at crossfit SF and I am sorry that I missed your seminar, which I heard was extremely informative. I have two questions. First off I am 6’2” 185 pounds and somewhere in the 10% body fat neighborhood. How many blocks should I eat per day if I am looking to shave off some more body fat.
I am eating 14 blocks a day now and I feel great for about 5 days and then my workout intensity falls off , and I start feeling like I have low blood sugar and crave carbohydrates. Is this derived from not getting enough blocks throughout the week, not getting enough sleep (I get just under 8 hours a night during the week), or something else?
I have been doing the WOD at crossfit in the mornings and then doing another WOD during my lunch break four days a week. Is my lack of intensity at the end of the week derived from over training?
Thanks,
Ben
Ben!
You are way too skinny on the blocks. Up that to 17-18 blocks. You will still lean out just fine but you should feel better. Give that a shot and let me know how your feeling.
Robb,
I think it’s great that you have these sites and are starting these certs. It’s awesome and you are a credit to our community. Where do I begin?
I got certified (CrossFit) on leave (Military) and went back and began training mine and other units in Japan. It spread like wildfire and peoples results were amazing…especially those who I pointed in the direction of the Paleo and Zone books. One girl lost 35lbs just cutting processed foods. But with all of my reading and studying, I have a tremendous problem dialing my own diet down. I was training with my guys and was pretty lean…with an ok zone…about 19 Blocks / day. I injured my knee and hip on an op and we know how important those are. I lost the diet while on deployment and gained weight.
I am 6’3″, 230lbs with seemingly good muscle. I say that because my bodyfat is higher than I’d like it to be. I know that there is a better way to zone than I am…but am lost. Tsukate! Tsukate!
Problem two is that fruit is easier to come by than veggies where I am in the Military world right now. (Apples, Plums, Kiwi, Pears, Peaches and nectarines round out my list) with my proteins coming fresh off the George Foreman Grill (Ground Beef or Turkey, Tuna packs, Chicken and turkey breast/cutlets…with salmon if I’m lucky) and fats consisting of swallowing olive oil, peanut butter(rare), walnuts…and fish oil supplementation. Tsukate (Help)! Just in case this wasn’t long enough…
– How much Fish Oil is Rx’d and can it count in your fat blocks?
– How should I break these foods down to measure up to get me to my goal weight (200lbs – 210lbs) so I can drop weight class (Also a MMA fighter)?
Thanks and God Bless
Harvey
Harvey!
19 blocks seems a good level given your height, weight and goals. You SHOULD lean out on this…I do not see a problem with the fruit unless you are feeling wonky after meals. If this is the case you can shift some of those carbs to post WO meals.
Fish-oil-4-10 g/day…mix it up. This is a good dosage window to work with. Don;t count it as fat blocks! You don;t want to burn that stuff.
Tinker with this, send me a 3 day meal plan and lets see how you do.
Hey Robb,
I wrote a monster comment. Don’t know if it was too long, so will give a condensed version of just questions..
– How well does Beef Jerky fit into a zone snack or meal?
– Where does fish oil supplementation fit into a zone block req. And how much is Rx’d?
– My lean BM is around 195 (6’2, 230, 7.5 wrist etc..with CF WOD’s and Oly training mixed in) and am trying to cut weight and lean out to around a 205# fight weight…not upset if I walk around at 210. Zone calculator told me I should be at 22blocks.
-your rx in my case would be…?
Thanks for the help.
Harvey
Harvey-
Beef jerky is legit…try to find a gluten free variety. I think the pacific gold “spicey” fits the bill.
Don’t count fish oil as blocks. 2-10g/day is good to go.
20-22 blocks is good to go. what did you use for the activity multiplier? Might try the lower end.
robb,
You know.. I was on a 22Block Rx and found I was gaining weight..maybe muscle, but just seemed to be too much. It seems like Greg G says that he tells his athletes to maintain the Protein Blocks and Carb Blocks, but to play with the fat blocks a little…whether it’d be for weight control or performance. What’s your take on fat in the Rx and should I decrease my fat rx or increase it since my goal is to lean out…or should I just stick with the baseline Dr. Sears rx of somewhere between 19-20blocks?
Thanks again
Harvey!
If you want to lean out then stay at the base zone ala sears recommendations. When you are at desired leanness you will up the fat blocks from 2-3 times…sometimes called the Athletes Zone. If you search the CF message board and or the Performance Menu board for AZ you will find a boat-load of info!
Keep me updated!
Hi Robb,
Thnak you again for all of your nutritional and triaqning support. It is most appreciated by this entire community. As mentioned previously, I am 5ft 10 inches at about 155lbs. Trying to gain muscle mass. I have been following your rx in 42 ways to skin the zone of eventually increasing blocks to 26 and X 5 fat. I ma also planning to increase my milk intake to help with weight gain.
I am also doing IF for about 16-17 hours per day. Do I also need to dial back to base blocks (16) every six days or so if on the IF plan or will it have any great benefit. Also, is IF efficient for weight gain as long as calories are sufficient.
Thanks Robb
Mike-
For the weight gain you will need to consume food till it hurts. Literally. The IF may overly constrict your feeding window…you will just need to play with that. If you can get enough food in during that time the IF is sufficient, no baseline Zone day necessary. Enough food means you are gaining ~1lb every 2 weeks and it is pretty good composition.
Hey Robb,
One last thing…looking at the mass gain section of the Pmenu forum, I have noticed a great deal of discussion regarding the number of calories required for mass gain. I realize that eventually getting to 26 blocks will equate to about 4000 cals/day. Being 37years old, does this have to be scaled at all. What is your opinion on age/calories and weight gain. Eating food until you can’t eat anymore seems to be the prescription for growth. Would you still recommend this for someone my age.I am at this point 5ft 10 inches at 155 at a bf of most likely 6% at most. Most people say I am too skinny. Would the milk be added on top of the 26 blocks or incorporated within the blocks. I understand that this will be a very individual thing, but an curious about your thoughts.
I noticed a thread from Greg Everett regarding the amount of and variety of food that he had to eat to get to his current size. WOW!!
PS…do you offer phone consultations for training/nutrition. I would love to purchase an hour or two of your time and expertise.
Thanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Mike
Mike-
If you want to get some BW on you just need to eat. Age does not waive this fact! You will likely need the milk ONTOP of the 26 blocks and 5x fat…possibly not but be prepared.
I’m available for consult…ping me an email robb at norcalsc dot com and we can schedule an appointment.
Hey Robb,
I posted a comment a few weeks ago pertaining to my physical actvity level.. You recommended .8-.85 Based on that and my vitals, what would you advise as far as my block prescription?? I weigh 180#-185#, I’m 5’11 with a 33 in waist and 7 in wrist. The zone diet website says 19 blocks, do you agree or is that to high??
Thanks again, I appreciate you taking the time to help us all out!
Sean
Hey Amigo! I think that looks solid. You never really know till you get in and tinker. Whatever source you use it typically gets you within a block of your optimum.
Hi Robb,
I’ve been leaning out quite nicely on the amount of blocks you prescribed but i seem to be losing a bit of my strength – i did the CF total and i dropped 10 lbs. from my last squat and deadlift – is this normal?
thanks!
Russell
Unfortunately it is all too normal. We tend to have a little more intramuscular leverage at a higher BF%. You should be able to prop that up with better neural efficiency given time but that’s the breaks of having a 6 pack!
Mr. Wolf-
I’m trying to ‘zone’ in on the zone diet. I’ve been following the zone outlined in CFJ Issue 21 (linked on CFHQ). I think I’m following the right block menu, but not for sure. I currently follow the 5 block menu (5,2,5,5,2) for a total of 19 blocks. For the time that I have followed this, I noticed I have leaned out somewhat. I want to lean out more, but am afraid to cut blocks with my concern being inadequate protien intake. I am a 31M, 6’2″, with BF ~ 10%-15% (not really sure), but pretty active (CF 5/week & BBall 3/week). Can you give me any pearls of wisdom on my current zone endeavor? Thanx!!
Scott-
What’s your BW?
Hi Robb, Once again, it’s the redhead who can’t squat and apparently can’t lose body fat either. Zone with carb reduction per your recommendation feels fine but I’m still not losing. I’m thinking of doing Atkins Induction for a few weeks to jump-start the fat loss. I did it previously (back in 1999 when it was all the rage) with good success that stuck. I got inspired by your recent posts. Thoughts?
Also, to save yourself some time, have you ever considered creating a Robb Wolf “FAQ’s” section? It seems that many of the posts (including mine) are about a similar handful of topics.
Hey Dawn!
If I recall you were 10 blocks and we had you at 1/2 the prescribed carb blocks. That means ~45g of carbs. Induction is 20-30g. All ya need to do to be in induction is cut a few blocks! How much of your protein blocks is from dairy? How much sleep ya getting.
Re FAQ: I’m working on it! Answering questions is becoming a full time job!
Robb, it’s Dawn the redhead again. You remember my diet correctly. Because I work from home usually I get 8-9 hours of sleep. I don’t eat much dairy, maybe one block of every other day. However, I do eat 1-3 whole eggs daily–is that bad?
Per your suggestion I’ll try cutting out all fruit and will just get carbs from green veg for a few weeks and we’ll see what that does. Do you think almonds are a factor since they contain some carbohydrate? I eat probably 2oz per day.
Also I’d be happy to help you out with your FAQ section if that would be useful.
Dawn-
Eggs=no problem. Try the reduced carb intake, that whould do it. Weigh out the 2oz of almonds…that stuff adds up quickly!
FAQ? I just need to do the damn thing!
Mr. Wolf-
My BW is 177#….sorry I forgot to mention it!
Scott-
Given your weight I’d say drop the blocks a bit but given you are 6’2″ I’d say drop the carbs blocks a bit to lean out, just add 3 blocks of fat for every carb block deleted. This should lean you out pretty quickly.
Keep me posted!
Robb, I was wondering about the protein multiplier you use. I see a lot of reference to .7 on here and on the CF site. I thought I saw were you should use .8, .9 and 1.0 depending on your activity level.
Matt-
that’s right but those .8, .9, 1.0’s represent activity levels that are quite high. .8-.85 represents an individual who is doing a 3-on-1off
WOD schedule and something like BJJ 3-5 days per week. It is a remarkable level of activity to get that 1.0 multiplier!
Hey!
Thanks alot Robb for helping me i will be at your nutrition certification in Brooklyn coming up, since i live in Suffolk county. Cant wait! I do however have a couple more questions,
I have been following a ‘loose’ zone diet and i am starting to become stricter, because recently i have felt like shit,i have been eating bad carbs so i know to cut that out, however i uped my fat intake to 2x fat, and i did feel better immediately but i don’t think i should be at 2x fat because i have about 12-14 bf percentage. Should i go back to base fat and just strict the zone? Also what if i cut the carbs im eating will that help lean?
Whats the key source of energy? Recently i have just been down on energy is there anything i can up to get that energy kicking? Or even once i follow a strict zone perfect diet, what if i feel at any one given point i need more energy ? i know energy bars cannot be to great is there anything i can have say pre WOD to get me going for that workout? I was reading your shopping list and saw that espreso you talk about is that legit?
Thanks alot man,
Devin
Espresso? LEgit?! Egads man! I’m surprised you’re alive! As great (vital to life?) as that stuff is, when I hear “low energy levels” the two things I think about are too many carbs and lack of sleep. That considered, how’s your sleep and to answer your question, defenitely clean up the carbs and condsider cutting them further. Check out the question from Sean in the “Nutrition Cert” thread…it details what to do pretty clearly.
See you soon Amigo! Brooklyn is going to be AWESOME! I’m hoping to stay out there for a few days extra to see some of the sights and all that.
OK, Robb — I’ve been holding off posting this question by trying to find the answer myself, but I’ve had no luck.
Sears’ cites conflicting info regarding both fat and carb block compositions of some foods in two of his books (“The Zone” and “The Best 100 Zone Foods”). He also uses different “grams” when listing them, and it’s really irritating.
For instance, if each fat block is 3 grams, then he’s saying that I should eat 6 almonds per block…? (see 100 best Zone foods appendix). Others (including CF) list 3 almonds per block, but Sears states that this is only 1.5 grams (The Zone).
Ugh, if I 5x my fat and use his book as a reference, I run the risk of doubling my fat intake. What to do? Please, can you straighten this out? I understand CF Journal 21 contains erroneous carb listings, but this is utter mayhem! Who the h*ll can I trust?
Mark-
run with the 1.5g/block. This has to do with fat fre vs regular protein sources…I talked about this at length in the Golden Ratio piece I did for the Performance Menu
Hey Robb,
Im in the Military and I have been doing CF for about 6 months and Ive been on the Zone for about 3 months. 22m/6’/170lb/15% body fat. I have been consuming 19 blocks a day 1/4/4/2/2/4/2. Im usually able to follow the 3 on 1 off schedule. My WOD’s are almost always at 0615 but occasionally at 1600. I get about 6 hours of sleep a night. I have lost about 12-15lb but I would really like to get down around 8% body fat. My diet is pretty clean. I have a snack when I wake up then at 0830 I eat cottage cheese with berries w/12 almonds in the AM after the WOD. Lunch is at 1130 I have turkey,cheese,blk beans, and an apple w/12 almonds. @1400 I have a 2block snack 2oz cheese and apple w/6 almonds and then again around 1630 I have the same apple snack. Then dinner about 1930 4oz of chicken or turkey with low GI veggies usually broc or grn beans and peanut butter for fat.
I have started cutting a block of carbs at my meals but I havent been doing it long enough to see if it works so far I just feel hungry.
Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all of the info you have provided to the CF community.
V/r,
BrianD.
Brian-
You are still base Zone? If so, you SHOULD lena out just fine…unless the sleep is too skinny. Lack of sleep can completely cock-block fat loss. Up your sleep for a week and I’d be willing to bet you lean out.
Thanks for the advice Robb. I am going to try my hardest to get to bed earlier. What do you mean by “base Zone”? Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving.
-BrianD.
No increase in the fat.
Dude,
A lot of people are complaining that they are hungry after their meals and i sometimes get that way too. Is it okay to be hungry as long as you don’t fall off the zone between meals or should I make it a point to have denser carbs?
I can survive the hunger pains i just add more water to fill the void if need be.
Are you saying that taking a block off of carbs and adding fats is a quicker way to lean out? My stats 26y/o male 6’2 190 37″waist 7″ wrist 19% BF(way to high) plus crossfit mon-fri and mma at night. I take 16 blocks and am pretty happy with it.
Another Question: Im injured right now and unable to CF or do any workout should i drop the blocks or just stay the same? Thanks Bro i appreciate the help.
Randy
Randy-
If people are hungry they are eating too many carbs or to dense of carbs. A fix for this, and for leaning out faster is to cut carbs in half while adding 3 blocks of fat for each block deleted. Read 42 ways to skin the Zone for detaILS! For a more sedentary period, just keep things at base fat, you should be fine there.
Robb,
Thanks for the advice i read your 42 ways and found it to be quite helpful. My wife and i are started today and are going to track of out progress for a month. We are taking off a carb and adding to the fat. It’s not a new years resolution cause i think those are crap. We are just coming off the holidays ready to get some good results. I appreciate the help.
Randy
Hey Robb,
Great site and a lot of very good info. I’ve recently started CF and am trying to get my Zone / Paleo diet dialed in. I’m 5’9/34/205-210/~16% BF. Train at CF Portland 3on/1off, 2on/1off, mix in a 5-10k run sometimes 1x per week and do something active and “fun” on the weekends (ski, hike, road/mountain bike, etc.). I’ve read 42 ways and a few of the other articles and have a few questions on how i should slice and dice things. I’ve settled on 22 blocks, although that feels like way too many carbs for me so I’ve cut the carbs in half and replaced with 3 blocks fat as suggested, so it looks like 22P/11C/55F, how does that look? I need to run with it a couple weeks to see how it works but just wanted to make sure i was starting off right. Also, that 55 blocks of fat is ON TOP of whatever fat blocks come out of the protein sources correct? (so it’s more like 80 blocks fat if you include all that). Is 22 blocks of protein too much? I haven’t been hungry the last couple days, i generally work the meals like this:
Breakfast – 7 a.m.: 6/3/14
Lunch – 12 p.m.: 6/2/14
Snack – 4 p.m.: 4/2/14
Workout
Dinner – 8 p.m.: 6/4/14
Sometimes i break my carbs up at dinner where i eat veggies with my protein and fat and save some fruit or something for a litte later, like deserrt.
Sleep is a bit of an issue for me, i get about 6-7hrs but would like to get more, sleep in a dark room, etc. but just wake up and can’t go back to sleep. I have a somewhat stressful job and am just tightly wound in general so i know fixing that would help a lot.
My goal is to really lean out, I’d like to get down to ~8%BF, which would probably put me at about 190lb ish and still perform in the WOD’s. I’ve seen a lot of improvement in the CF but I think that’s a lot from the initial ramp-up.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks.
Eric
Eric-
Sorry amigo, but all i can muster for now is to tell you to go to 19 blocks, 1/2 carbs and run from there.
Robb,
I have a few of the same questions that Eric the previous poster had. I am 22, 6’2, 200lbs and use CFE with CF and some other lifting and workouts mixed in. I am structuring my zone blocks right now and think I should start at 20. I work better with lower carbs so want to cut that down. I broke down the zone blocks into calories, and then tweeked it to make it more along what I think might work best. I wanted to see what you thought, really quickly here’s a comparison:
20 Block Regular:
Cal: 1550, Protein: 140, Carbs: 180, Fat: 30
Profile= ~ 30/40/30
My 20 Block:
Cal: 1585, Protein: 160, Carbs: 90, Fat: 65
Profile= ~40/20/40
Does a switch like that make sense or should I keep the ratios where they are and just cut the carbs in half and tripple the fat straight up?
Thanks for the help!
Matt-
It looks good as a starting point! You just need to be detailed and then tinker.
Robb, I have a quick question for you. In your article “The Golden Ratio” where do you get the numbers for the changed Carb-Protein-Fat ratios under the 1-5x fat ramp up?
Sorry if that’s confusing. Basically, why are you changing the amount of Carbs and Protein when your ramping up the fat?
Tye-
The AMOUNTS do not change, the ratios change because the ratios change whenever you add more cals via fat! This si the realm of calculus and the 3 body problem of physics!
So, when I achieve my desired lean-ness, I up the fat content of my block prescription but leave the amount of Carbs and Protien the same?
Sorry for my apparent confusion. I’m just trying to really understand how the “Athletes Zone” works.
Tye-
that’s it brother!
Hi Robb- not sure if u will see this because the end of this thread is from 2009 (!)
But my question is- can one just figure out their macro needs by multipying the zone blocks and eat as they would (clean, paleo) on an iifym diet?
Or is eating p/f/c amounts per the zone way truly important to fat loss/lean muscle retention?
Thanks for your time
The excact breakdown is not that big a deal. Keep protein and the main feature of meals, use carbs based on leanness and activity, round out with fat.
Ok thanks!
Hi Robb,
Not sure if you will see this but wondering for quick fat loss how many blocks you would recommend? I am 5’5 female 155lbs and probably 28-30% fat! I have been having some adrenal and thyroid issues and finding it very difficult to lose any weight. Thanks for your help!
I would recommend working with a good functional medicine doc and getting your adrenals and thyroid straightened out before trying to limit calories and lose weight.
Hi Robb,
Not too sure if you will see this or still use your blog but I need some advice..
I am a 53year old male weighing 305lb with a bf % of 35. I have just started on the zone and having 20blocks a day looking like 5/2/5/2/5/1 with the correct blocks in each meal.
I have found I’m quite tired after 2.5 days of trialling it out come afternoon.
Would you say these blocks and breakdown are correct for me?
hey mate been reading up on a lot of your articles and discussions on the zone got a few quick questions. I’m 165lb bf 12% i train crossfit competitively between 1.5-2.0 hours a day usually 5/6 days a week. i don’t follow the zone but i eat quality food always meat n veggies with sweet potato or brown rice what would you suggest i do at the moment i eat around 170g protien 290g carbs 100g fat?
cheers mitch
That seems like a solid spot to be. Partitioning more carbs PWO is never a bad idea, about all that comes to mind. Keep me posted!
Hey, Robb. I’m new to CrossFit for about 6 months. I love it! I scale most workouts but I know I could do better performance wise if I could just dial in the nutrition. I would really like to lean out too. I’m 26 years old, 5’6″ and 175 lbs. If I did it right, I calculated it out at 39.5% bf. Weight wise, I would like to hit 150lbs before maintaining. I don’t know where that would put me at bf%.
I know I should be eating right/clean/paleo(ish). I know I should be prepping and planning, but its all so daunting I don’t do anything. I have a love/hate relationship with food, specifically the sugary carbs. I’ve tried many things, the most successful of my en devours was the 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan. It had me eating around 1500-1800 calories a day, this was on that specific workout though. I found as I learned more about the Zone and blocks that it seemed similar, but not the same.
Anyway, my coach directed me to the Zone and it all makes sense, I’m just not sure where to start. How many blocks do I start with. My coach suggested 11, but when I did another website’s calculations it gave me 14.
(a little background, I CrossFit 5 days a week for an hour, I teach dance 2x a week for an hour each and then 5 hours every Saturday. With an occasional 1-2 mile walk/run 1-2x a week with my husky, weather permitting. I’m also a mother of two and spend a lot of my time sitting but also cleaning up after the littles)
I’m concerned 11 may be too small amount. Maybe its because I’m a Carb Zombie (is that a thing?). But as I observed, your solution has been to increase the fat blocks, when lacking energy but only when been on the Zone for some time. So where do I start, 11 blocks or 14?
help,
Kimber
HMMM…I would shoot for 14 blocks of protein and fat, 11 of carbs. Run with that for a bit and see how you are doing. And yes, once folks are at the level of leanness they want, they tend to multiply the fat blocks by 3-5x. THIS ends up being the maintenance level for the long haul.
Keep me posted!
And 14 or 11 for fat?
And thank you for such a quick reply!
14!! Keep me posted!
Hi Robb,
I’ve read through the article and comments here and have a feeling I should probably increase my fat intake. But not sure how much, because I feel like I still have a few lbs of fat to lose.
I’ve been doing Crossfit for abt 6 months, Zone diet 3-4 months. I’m 4’10”, 113lb. I’m not sure how to figure out my bf%…
I want to lose more fat, but I don’t want my performance/activity levels to suffer!
I do Crossfit 5x/wk. I try to stick to 10 blocks/day, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2. But I’m beginning to feel like maybe this isn’t enough?!
Any thoughts/advice? Much appreciated!
Rob,
Read 42 Ways and had a question. Under AHCCZ, shouldn’t the total fat blocks be 22? Based on an original prescription of 10, plus the added 12 for the blocks added base on carb blocks deleted.
Thanks
Oh man…that’s been a long time…but yes, that sounds right with 22 blocks.
Hi Robb!
I’m about to start the zone diet and i have a quick question. When i reach maintenance and bump up the fat x times the macros ratio will change from 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat correct? is this ok?
thank you!!
Yes it changes and no, that’s not a problem! Keep me posted.
started the zone diet after being a low carb strict calorie counter for a long time recently cycling off a year long keto diet so I thought i would experiment around with the zone diet to give myself a mental break for a while and go on my bodies response and not by how many calories i have consumed.
Goal is to gain weight starting off by determining my maintenance base level on the zone diet, then once adapted move on to gaining some weight somewhere around 165lbs to begin with whilst monitoring effects on performance and body composition
Started Zone diet at 17 blocks a day – Currently 155lbs approximately 8 -10% bf training 2 hr strength 4 x week, 2 x conditioning/metcon weekly and cardiovascular daily
But currently losing weight whats the recommendation for the first approach , 2-3 x fat or increase daily blocks
Correction current weight 150lbs
being aware that tracking calories yields far better results having been a low carb strict calorie counter for a long time recently cycling of a year long keto diet so I thought I would experiment around with the zone diet to give myself a mental break for a while and go on my bodies response and not by how many calories i have consumed
Goal of this experiment is to determine a maintenance base level on the zone diet, then once adapted move on to gaining some weight somewhere around 165lbs to begin with whilst monitoring effects on performance and body composition
Currently 150lbs approximately 8 -10% bf training 2 hr strength 4 x week, 2 x conditioning/metcon weekly and cardiovascular daily
Starting Zone diet at 17 blocks a day – 5 breakfast, 5 lunch/pre wo, 1 post, 5 dinner, 1 pre bed http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf
currently losing weight so wasn’t sure if i should bump up to 19 blocks a day or double fats first to try keep the weight gain leaner so i can sustain the bulk for a much long period
so from your experience what would be your recommendation for the first approach when hitting a plateau in gaining weight, 2-3 x fat or increase daily blocks
I’d bump up protein only by a block, then double fats. Keep me posted!
would the approach laid out in 42 way to skin work, to increase in fat blocks prior
Week 1 17 blocks
Week 2 17 blocks @ 2X fat
Week 3-4 19 Blocks @2X fat
Week 5-8 21 Blocks @2X fat
Week 9-11 23 Blocks @2X fat
Week 12+ 25 Blocks @2X fat
every 5-7 days drop things back to a base 17 blocks to give the digestion and metabolism a break
Yep, again, lots and lots of ways to do it!
I normally have 2 whole eggs and 6 egg whites as my 5 blocks of protein for breakfast, should i be counting the 9g of fat from the whole eggs as 3 of my fat blocks
No, there is an assumed fat amount in most protein blocks.
I normally have 2 whole eggs and 6 egg whites as my 5 blocks of protein for breakfast, should i be counting the 9g of fat from the whole eggs as 3 of my fat blocks
Also should I be adding in 3 extra blocks of fat to make up for the egg whites not containing zero to very little fat
5p 5c 8f or just 5 blocks each
YES!
I need to gain some healthy weight and was wonder what the best approach would be
to in crease overall blocks first and if so how many or to up the fat again first
Week 1 19 blocks
Week 2 19 blocks @ 2X fat – current
Start ratcheting up fat!
What is the additional fat calculated at 1.5 or 3g
currently having a mental break from tracking and calorie counting so decided to experiment with the zone diet utilizing the BLK method from the CFjournal for a while before I return to a normal caloric tracked approach to my nutrition. since this method is new to me and because not tracking caloric intake only going buy how my body responds I am unsure what the best approach would be To gain weight with zone diet, additional fat or increase total blocks. Currently 19 x3 fat losing weight started at 147lbs now dropped to 142lbs
Hi
I need to gain some healthy weight and was wonder what the best approach would be
to in crease overall blocks first and if so how many or to up the fat again first
Week 1 19 blocks
Week 2 19 blocks @ 2X fat – current
Hi
I need to gain some healthy weight and was wonder what the best approach would be
to increase overall blocks first and if so how many or to up the fat again first to 3x or more
Week 1 19 blocks
Week 2 19 blocks @ 2X fat – current
Hi
I need to gain some healthy weight and was wonder what the best approach would be
to increase overall blocks first and if so how many or to up the fat again first to 3x or more
Week 1 19 blocks
Week 2 19 blocks @ 2X fat – current
Please help
Robb,
Doing the Athlete’s Zone and have been consistently tracking for the past 3 weeks at 16 blocks @ 5x fat. My total weight AND body fat % have been slowly dropping based on my weekly avgs. Started at 141 w/14% BF, now I am at 139 w/13% BF. My goal is muscle gain and I know I have to increase blocks since I have been losing. My question is, because my fat blocks are already at 5x, if I up my protein and carb blocks from 16 to 17, does the “5x fat” value also have to increase to “17 level x 5” or do I just keep that fat value at the “16 level x 5” like it is now? I have read the “42 ways” piece. Just want to be sure I’m doing it right. Thanks.
What adjustments can be made to the base zone prescription to aid in increasing weight and muscle mass – currently eating at 19 blocks
My situation is a little bit complicated. Wondering if you can help. I am 54 years old and followed the zone for seven years which kept my weight down to 132 to 135 at 5’6”. Zone worked very well for me for those years. Now that I am 54 and still exercising… Switch back trails 3 to 4 times a week one hour and 10 minutes with hills… I’m not a sitter so I’m actively moving all day. Plan to increase walking and jogging intervals. Here is the problem. I put on 10 pounds and cannot get it off. Have to admit I was not being strict with my diet and there was a lot of stress with ill parents. So here’s the more complicated part. I just had a breath test done to see what my RMR was and she said it’s the lowest she’s seen on any of the tests she’s given. I tend to be an under eater rather than an over eater so there will be times when I’ve had 800 cal and still not feel very hungry but that’s not a daily occurrence. I’ve been at 1200 cal using the MyFitnessPal app for quite some time now and trying to follow the zone pretty closely as I’m using it. Nothing is budging. I had a thyroid test done and it shows that my thyroid is just barely outside the normal level into the low thyroid category.I’ve now decreased my calories to 1130 according to a nutritionist that I saw who gave me the test. Do you have any suggestions for me at this point? My thyroid is low but it’s my T4 and my TSH is normal. Most people don’t even treat that T4 unless a person is symptomatic. Technically… Low metabolism is a symptom of a low T4. On the zone I am prescribed 12 blocks…Years ago I lost 16 pounds and hit my goal by using those same 12 blocks. Now it is a problem. How does a menopause affect the zone and is there anything I need to change because of that?