[Zone] ZoneCoach - "Anti-Zone Medications"?

[meigg]

I read at the zoneperfect.com site today that some rx meds are anti-zone. I take depakote and seroquel and have gained 45 pounds. I read that you should eat ONLY favorable carbs, and subtract a carb block from each meal, and fat at that meal. Also, you should only eat 4 blocks of fruit a day.

Does this help? Does this work? I tried to do it and I am hungry (probably not enough extra fat.) Have you heard of this?

[ZoneCoach]

Originally posted by meigg
I read at the zoneperfect.com site today that some rx meds are anti-zone.I take depakote and seroquel and have gained 45 pounds. There are many medications which can raise hormone levels (adrenalin, cortisol and insulin) and limit entry into the Zone. Since drug interactions are very complex , it is wise to consult a pharmacist that is trained not only in drugs and their interactions, but also the Zone. There are about 10 pharmacists listed as ZonePerfect Certified Instructors on the ZonePerfect website.
Originally posted by meigg I read that you should eat ONLY favorable carbs, and subtract a carb block from each meal, and fat at that meal. Also, you should only eat 4 blocks of fruit a day. If you recall specifically where you read that information, I would be interested in knowing as that is NOT standard Zone philosophy.
*Dr. Sears suggests (generally)up to 25% of your carbs can come from unfavorable sources without negative effects.
*Subtracting a carb block from each meal is sometimes recommended after reaching a plateau or when fine tuning the program. Reducing fat is never a suggestion.
*Some fruits are more favorable than others (ie; strawberries favored over mango), however, I am not aware of any recommendation to restrict fruits to 4 blocks.

Originally posted by meigg Does this help? Does this work? I tried to do it and I am hungry (probably not enough extra fat.) Have you heard of this? [/B]You should never be hungry if following Zone guidelines. You may be short changing yourself on fat which would explain the hunger feeling. It can be a confusing subject. Please see my post on 'Fat Confusion'. Also, please be sure you're consuming enough water daily ~ at least 64 ounces
Additionally, you may want to consider supplementing with pharmaceutical grade fish oil as recommend by Dr. Sears in his latest book; The Omega Rx Zone. See Chapter 10, pages 120-129 after consulting with your physician.

[ZoneCoach]

Originally posted by meigg
I read at the zoneperfect.com site today that some rx meds are anti-zone.I take depakote and seroquel and have gained 45 pounds. There are many medications which can raise hormone levels (adrenalin, cortisol and insulin) and limit entry into the Zone. Since drug interactions are very complex , it is wise to consult a pharmacist that is trained not only in drugs and their interactions, but also the Zone. There are about 10 pharmacists listed as ZonePerfect Certified Instructors on the ZonePerfect website.
Originally posted by meigg I read that you should eat ONLY favorable carbs, and subtract a carb block from each meal, and fat at that meal. Also, you should only eat 4 blocks of fruit a day. If you recall specifically where you read that information, I would be interested in knowing as that is NOT standard Zone philosophy.
*Dr. Sears suggests (generally)up to 25% of your carbs can come from unfavorable sources without negative effects.
*Subracting a carb block from each meal is sometimes recommended after reaching a plateau or when fine tuning the program. Reducing fat is never a suggestion.
*Some fruits are more favorable than others (ie; strawberries favored over mango), however, I am not aware of any recommendation to restrict fruits to 4 blocks.

Originally posted by meigg Does this help? Does this work? I tried to do it and I am hungry (probably not enough extra fat.) Have you heard of this? [/B]You should never be hungry if following Zone guidelines. You may be short changing yourself on fat which would explain the hunger feeling. It can be a confusing subject. Please see my post on 'Fat Confusion'. Also, please be sure you're consuming enough water

[meigg]

ZoneCoach - thanks for your reply! Here is the Q&A from Zoneperfect.com:

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Q: I am taking Prozac, lithium, Geodon and temazepam, some of which apparently cause changes in metabolism, making it very difficult to lose weight. Do you have any information regarding how these drugs affect my ability to get into the Zone?

A: To determine if a drug may be an “anti-zone” medication you can start by checking with your pharmacist and ask if the medication increases blood sugar or cortisol levels, or slows the body’s metabolism. Unfortunately, these specific drug effects may not be noted in available literature. In any case, I usually recommend that a client on potential “anti-zone” medications tighten up their carbohydrate blocks and stick to strict portion control. My definition of tightening up carbohydrate blocks is the following.

1) Eat ONLY favorable carbohydrates (avoiding all products containing grains, starches, and known sugars), steel cut oats and pearl barley are allowed.

2) Have generous amounts of all the favorable vegetables.

3) Limit fruit to a maximum of four blocks throughout the day with no more than two blocks of fruit at any one meal or snack.

4) Reduce carbohydrate blocks by one block at each meal and add up to two additional fat blocks to each meal.

After portion control and tighter carb blocks are in place we unleash the secret weapon for increasing metabolism—increased physical activity and regular exercise! And last, but not least, ensure that the client is regularly taking 4 to 6 capsules of fish oil daily.
Jeanne Rhynsburger, R.N.

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I take Depakote (friend of lithium), and Seroquel (a friend of Geodon) - that is why this peaked my interest so much. 45 pounds later, I am willing to do what I have to so that I am back to a healthy weight. I don't need to be college thin, but would like to be out of the obese range.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

P.S. I will also check with a pharmacist with the site, but I did call the 1-800 numbers for both the drugs, and they said no to the questions above.

[ZoneCoach]

but I did call the 1-800 numbers for both the drugs, and they said no to the questions above.
That is good news. Therefore, it does not appear as though you are on any “anti-zone” medication and therefore should not need to follow Jeanne's suggestions at this point. :yay:
A great place to start the Zone is with the paperback A Week in the Zone. It is a much easier read than the the 5 year old hard-cover you have. Once you begin, try to stick with the program for 2-3 weeks before making changes such as dropping a carb and adding fat. You need to start with a baseline.
Let me know when you're ready to go!