Jeff-
Yup...told ya! Why convert from grams to blocks back to grams again when you can just use grams from the start and stick with that? Perhaps back in the mid 90's when the "Zone" first became popular, using the block method was a way for Dr. Sears to set his plan aside from the others. Funny thing, I was at the library one time in the late 90's and actually sat down to look through "Entering The Zone", Dr. Sears' first book, and I was thoroughly confused! Like one of the posters on an old Zone thread here, I thought I required a Masters degree in mathematics just to get through it. And trust me...I'm not dumb! Back onto the shelf it went along with the excellent concept that could have saved me a lot of 'dieting' woes that followed, had I felt more comfortable using it.

I also believe that once you begin using the gram method to get you started, you will also begin the automatic "eye-plate" thing. When I used the scale to measure everything (and I still do for the most part), I NEVER thought I would be able to 'wing' it. Now, I can look at a thick grilled pork chop and just "know" how much a 3 oz. portion would be. Coming from Atkins, where I was consuming uncontrolled amounts of protein, 3 oz. of cooked protein seemed rather paltry in comparison. Now I know that I don't have to STUFF myself to feel full (the way I had been doing on Atkins) so that same 3 oz. is quite adequate. Besides, if my meal was perfectly balanced to my macros (35C/35P/30F), I'm not even hungry by the time 3 hrs. has passed and it's time for my snack. Once you find your balance with calories and macros, you should be feeling the same way.

Cook and freeze is an excellent way to approach your meals. Another good one is Slow Cooking. My ex-MIL who owned her own business and worked 6-7 days per week, used to set aside sundays just for cooking purposes. She would shop on Saturday afternoon and then spend the entire day on Sunday cooking, packaging and freezing her meals. She knew 6 days ahead of time what she was going to eat each day and would write out a schedule so she never had to 'think' about it. As she left for work each day at 6:30 am, she'd simply check her list and either take it out of the freezer, or make note of what she'd have to prepare (side dish wise) from the fridge. I have to say, I admired her dedication when it came to this character trait.

My long-time girlfriend, who works 5 days per week, prefers to use a slow cooker for most of her meals. She looks through her slow cooker cookbook, enters the recipe into the software, adjusts them to fit her macros and then cooks away. She then writes a small "Z" next to the recipe in the index so that she knows which ones to refer to on the fly. She has dumped 40 lbs. and her DH has dumped 97 lbs. using The Formula. He is now at maintenance.

So you can see, there are "many paths up to the mountain" you just need to figure out what will work for you. You know these sayings: "If you fail to plan you plan to fail" or "the plan works if you work the plan"? Well, there is a lot of wisdom in these words. You MUST plan. Just like planning a trip, there are essentials to keep you on the correct route.

1. What is your destination?
This comes under the heading of goal setting. Establishing a short term weight goal is essential to success and is vital to your motivation. My short term weight goal was 125 lbs. Since I was 153 lbs. at the time I began the "Zone" (and had never gotten below 138 with other diets), I was hesitant about setting this number in my brain. But somehow I knew it was doable, so I wrote it down.

2. When will you arrive?
This takes your goal setting one step further. While establishing a short term goal is essential, you need to establish a timeframe that you will be working within. I knew that dumping 5 lbs. per month (for my size) was a 'reasonable' amount of weight to dump in 6 months (30 lbs. total) so my target date was April 1, 2006. Looking back on my records (YES...I do keep them!), I see that I had dumped 28 lbs. by the time that April Fools Day had arrived. NOTE: Then one week later, the Whoosh Fairy visited me and I made it to goal!!!! Close enough!

3. What route will you take?
Now that you know where you are going and when you plan to arrive, you need to plan your route. Your weight loss journey (as well as any good trip) depends a lot on which route you take to get to the destination. For me, it was sticking to the menu plans outlined in The Formula. It was my version of having a 'Trip-Tik from AAA!' All I needed to do was follow the route that was pre-planned and so I did. I shopped and prepared the foods that were listed in the book and was soon realizing success.

4. What things will you do when you get there?
If you've ever anxiously awaited a planned vacation, you start thinking about all the things that you will do once you get there. When I was anticipating my trip to Jamaica while it was January in Wisconsin (brrrrrrr...) I thought of being in the warm sun on the beach, strolling the straw markets, snorkeling and eating all that fresh, tropical fruit. When I was anticipating my weight loss, I began thinking of how I was going to feel not dragging around all the extra lbs. and the clothes (which was in desperate need of freshening, I might add...) I was going to be able to wear. I started anticipating renewing my exercise commitment (which I wasn't so committed to anymore!) and improving my overall health (which was beginning to decline.) Finally, I anticipated what my family and friends would say when they saw me. Since I travel so much, it is often a year or more between visits. The last time anyone back home saw me, I was a 'frumpy' 5'1" woman that weighed 153 lbs. and wore a size 14 jeans. I will be leaving in approx. 2 weeks to travel back home for a visit. And although I am still 5'1", by using The Formula, implementing a regular exercise routine of strength training and cardio, I am a toned, 120 lb. woman who now wears a size 8 jeans. I'm wondering whether or not my mom will recognize me when she picks me up at the airport !

If you have not done so already, you need to SET YOUR GOALS! Studies have shown that people who set goals, are more likely to be successful in the long-term than those who do not. Then once you set your goals, you need to WRITE THEM DOWN! These same studies indicate that by writing them down, you are embedding the purpose into your brain. Then once you write them down, you need to REFER TO THEM REGULARLY! Being reminded of your goals on a regular basis is positive reinforcement that works to keep you on track.

WOW...I just realized that I must have been channeling Tony Robbins!!! Man...I've got to stop reading all those self-help books!

Jeff, would be helpful if I posted some of my daily menus? I was thinking I could start a seperate thread for some samples. Let me know.

Thanks Donna that last post was wonderful, makes me wanna get going!



Morning star crumbles makes a good hamburger substitute, TVP!


So we or are not doing the zone? Am I posting the wrong recipes, or is
The Formula just another way of thinking about it. I am on the g.i. diet , but South Beach is almost the same.

Look forward to reading your posts Jeff and Donna!

Chari

Chari-
Thanks! Motivation is SO important. If I'm not motivated, I just don't do anything. And I find that motivation is also contagious. When I read someone's inspirational posting, I am motivated to continue on.

By the way, The Formula is a simplified version of The "Zone" so the recipes you posted are totally appropriate! Your comparison of the GI diet to SB is a good analogy. The Formula focuses less on blocks and 'unfavorable' foods and focuses more on grams, calories and REAL WORLD foods.

I too have used TVP as a hamburger replacement on occasion and even made a 'mean' sloppy joe recipe (at one time.) When I was a Vegetarian, I ate meat analogs (substitutes) all the time. I still use Tofu on quite a regular basis, but for the most part, now use lean animal proteins for almost all my menus.

Thanks for all your postings. They have been excellent and some of the older thread info is quite useful, especially to those who are only in the "thinking" stages of making the leap to the "Zone."

Goals, yes I agree setting goals are a requirement. You have to know where your going, so you know when you have arrived. 

My Goals will quickly revel where I have stumbled before. Instead of the “guilt of failure”, I’ve decided to start work on my core issues and then advance my goals as I achieve the first ones.

Generally, I have a tendency to make things overly complex. That’s ok for some subjects, but for dropping bad habits; it just hasn’t seemed to work. I always end up at the bad habits again.

Short term goals:

1) Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day (still bouncing between 1 and 5 feedings)
2) Start cooking again and all meals need to be proper balanced portions
3) Get body back into balance through new and proper eating habits (still having mood swings)
4) Learn and master recipe conversions
5) Plan meals in advance and cook as many meals at home as possible
6) Do not worry about weight loss for first month or so (what is the rule? 21 days for a new habit? – work on new habits)
7) Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help (biggie)

Well there ya go, the Lucky 7

Current progress
1) Took photos of self today (never done before)
2) Took and recorded body measurements today (never done before)
3) Almost done cleaning out kitchen of “bad choices”
4) Learning software

Still waiting on scales and books, before I get a shopping list together

Jeff

SB Diet and Zone

I was listening to a Dr Sears tape today, where he met the Doc who came up with the SB Diet.

Sears, told the good Doc that the SB was nothing more than the Atkins Diet for the first two weeks and then it went into the Zone Diet.

Conversions
American Metric
1 oz (ounce) 28.35 g
1 tsp (teaspoon) 5 ml
1 Tbsp (tablespoon) 15 ml
1 c (cup) 236.6 ml
1" (inch) 2.54 cm

In the tables below are shown the quantities which correspond to one block.
PROTEIN
1 block = 7 grams of protein
Best Choices Fair Choices Poor Choices
1 oz PORTION OF
beef (range-fed or game)
chicken breast
turkey breast
bass
bluefish
lobster
sardines
trout
tuna steak
tuna, canned in water
non-fat cheese
1.5 oz PORTION OF
deli style chicken breast
deli style turkey breast
catfish
clams
cod
crabmeat
haddock
halibut
mackerel
salmon
scallops
shrimp
snapper
swordfish

OTHER PORTION SIZES
2.5 oz calamari (squid)
2 egg whites
1/4 c egg substitute
1/4c low-fat cottage cheese

VEGETARIAN
3 oz tofu, firm or extra-firm
1/3 oz protein powder
1/2 soy burger patty
1 soy hot dog
2 soy sausage links
1 soy sausage patty
1 oz PORTION OF
lean beef
lean Canadian bacon
chicken, dark meat, skinless
lean corned beef
lean ham
lean lamb
lean pork
pork chop
turkey, dark meat, skinless
veal
reduced-fat cheese
skim mozarella cheese
1.5 oz PORTION OF
duck
deli style ham
ground beef (under 10% fat)

OTHER PORTION SIZES
3 strips turkey bacon
1 whole egg
2.5 oz skim ricotta cheese
1 oz PORTION OF
beef, fatty cuts
beef liver
chicken liver
pepperoni
salami
hard cheeses
1.5 oz PORTION OF
ground beef (over 10% fat)

OTHER PORTION SIZES
3 strips bacon, pork
1 hot dog
2 oz Kielbasa

CARBOHYDRATE
1 block = 9 grams of carbohydrate (do not count fiber)
Use unfavorable carbohydrates in moderation.
At least 75% of carbohydrates at each meal should be favorable.
Favorable Unfavorable
COOKED VEGETABLES
1 medium artichoke
1 c (12 spears) asparagus
1 c green or wax beans
1/4 c black beans
3 c bok choy
1+1/4 c broccoli
1+1/2 c brussels sprouts
1+1/3 c shredded cabbage
2 c cauliflower
1/4 c chickpeas
2 c chopped collard greens
1+1/2 c eggplant
1+1/4 c kale
1/4 c kidney beans
1 c leeks
1/4 c lentils
1 c boiled mushrooms
1 c sliced okra
3/4 c chopped boiled onions
1 c sauerkraut
1+1/4 c chopped spinach
1+1/2 c chopped Swiss chard
1 c mashed turnip
1+3/4 c chopped turnip greens
1+1/4 c sliced summer squash
1+1/2 c sliced zucchini
RAW VEGETABLES
11 c alfalfa sprouts
1+1/4 c bamboo shoots
1+1/2 c broccoli
3 c shredded cabbage
2 c cauliflower pieces
2+1/2 c sliced celery
1 cucumber
4 c sliced cucumber
7+1/2 c chopped endive
7+1/2 c chopped escarole
3 green or red peppers
2+1/4 c chopped green pepper
1/4 c humus
1 head iceberg lettuce (6" dia)
4 c chopped romaine lettuce
3 c chopped mushrooms
1 c chopped onions
2+1/2 c sliced radishes
1/2 c salsa
1 c snow peas
6 c chopped spinach
2 tomatoes
1+1/4 c chopped tomato
1/3 c water chestnuts

FRUITS
(fresh, frozen, or canned light)
1/2 apple
1/3 c applesauce
3 apricots
3/4 c blackberries
1/2 c blueberries
3/4 c boysenberries
1/4 cantaloupe
3/4 c cubed cantaloupe
3/4 c cherries
1/2 c fruit cocktail
1/2 grapefruit
1/2 c grapes
1/2 c cubed honeydew melon
1 kiwi fruit
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 medium nectarine
1/2 orange
1/3 c canned mandarin orange
1 peach
1/2 c canned peaches
1/2 pear
1/2 c cubed pineapple
1 plum
1 c raspberries
1 c strawberries
1 tangerine
3/4 c cubed watermelon

GRAINS
1/2 tsp dry barley
1/3 c slow-cooked oatmeal
1/2 oz dry slow-cooking oatmeal
COOKED VEGETABLES
1/2 c acorn squash
1/8 c baken beans
1/2 c sliced beets
1/2 c butternut squash
1 carrot
1 c shredded carrot
1 c sliced carrot
1/4 c corn
5 french fries
1/4 c lima beans
1/3 parsnip
1/3 c peas
1/4 c pinto beans
1/3 c baked potato
1/3 c boiled potato
1/5 cup mashed potato
1/4 c refried beans
1/3 baked sweet potato
1/5 c mashed sweet potato
FRUITS
1/3 banana
3/4 c chopped cranberries
3 tsp cranberry sauce
2 dates
1 fig
1/2 c guava
3 kumquat
1/3 c sliced mango
3/4 c cubed papaya
2 dried prunes
1 Tbsp raisins

FRUIT JUICES
1/3 c apple juice
1/3 c apple cider
1/4 c cranberry juice
1/4 c fruit punch
1/4 c grape juice
1/3 c grapefruit juice
1/3 c lemon juice
1/3 c lemonade
1/3 c orange juice
1/4 c pineapple juice
1 c tomato juice
3/4 c V-8 juice

GRAINS, CEREALS, & BREADS
1/4 small bagel
1/2 biscuit
1/2 oz bread crumbs
1/2 slice whole grain bread
1/2 slice white bread
1/2 soft breadstick
1 hard breadstick
1/2 oz dry buckwheat
1/2 oz dry bulgar wheat
1/2 oz dry cereal
1" square cornbread
1 tsp cornstarch
1 oz dry couscous
4 saltine crackers
3 Triscuit crackers
1/2 plain croissant
1/2 oz crouton
3/4 plain doughnut
1/4 English muffin
1/2 oz granola
1/3 c cooked grits
1/2 oz Melba toast
1/2 oz millet
1/2 blueberry muffin
1/4 c cooked egg noodles
1/2 four-inch pancake
1/4 c cooked pasta
1/4 pocket pita bread
1/2 pocket mini pita bread
2 c popped popcorn
1/5 c cooked brown rice
1/5 c cooked white rice
1 rice cake
1/4 bulkie roll
1/2 small dinner roll
1/2 hamburger bun
1 small taco shell
1 six-inch corn tortilla
1/2 eight-inch flour tortilla
1/2 waffle

ALCOHOL
6 oz beer
1 oz distilled spirits
4 oz wine

OTHERS
2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1/4 candy bar
1/3 slice cake
2 Tbsp cocktail sauce
1 small cookie
4 saltine crackers
1+1/2 pieces graham crackers
1/2 Tbsp honey
1/4 c regular ice cream
1/6 c premium ice cream
2 Tbsp jam or jelly
2 Tbsp ketchup
1+1/2 tsp light molasses
1+1/2 Tbsp plum sauce
1/2 oz potato chips
1/2 oz pretzels
4 tsp pickle relish
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp confectionery sugar
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp pancake syrup
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/2 oz tortilla chips

MIXED PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE
Contains 1 block of protein and 1 block of carbohydrate
1 c low fat milk
1/3 c soy flour
1+1/2 oz tempeh
3 oz tofu (soft or regular)
1/2 c plain yogurt
FAT
1 block = 1.5 grams of fat
[see special explanation at top of page about use of double fat blocks]
Best Choices
(rich in monounsaturated fat) Fair Choices
(low in saturated fat) Poor Choices
(rich in saturated fat)
1/3 tsp almond butter
1+1/2 tsp slivered almonds
3 whole almonds
1 Tbsp avocado
1/3 tsp canola oil
1 Tbsp guacamole
1 macadamia nut
1/3 tsp olive oil
3 olives
1/2 tsp natural peanut butter
1/3 tsp peanut oil
6 peanuts
1/2 tsp tahini 1/3 tsp regular mayonnaise
1 tsp light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 tsp soybean oil
1 tsp shelled & chopped walnuts 1+1/2 tsp imitation bacon bits
1/3 tsp butter
1 Tbsp half-and-half
1 Tbsp cream
1 tsp cream cheese
2 tsp light cream cheese
1/3 tsp lard
1/2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp light sour cream
1/3 tsp vegetable shortening

Attached Files

Conversions.doc (33.0 KB, 9 views)

The chart didn't turn out well but the attached file did!
Hope you find it useful!

Check back tomorrow

Chari

Yes, since the books aren't here yet. It will also give me stuff to put in the computer.

Here's what I'm thinking:

In the beginning -- I need to make food in bulk, trying to decide what to eat and cook five times a day is a bit much for someone that is use to only one meal a day.

I have a slow cooker and a slow roaster - love the slow roaster for big meat and birds. Alwasy comes out juicy and with so little effort.

Will pick up some freezer bags, after I see what you post - in case I need to food shop too.

Almost forgot: I'm not a big fish person. Prefer thangs that had feet at one time. Picked up 3 local frozen chickens today. Bug fed no less. Got to love a bug fed chicken. He gave me a deal too. Buy 2, 3rd was free - wiht the free chicken it worked out to be very close to store bought chicken prices.

This is better than a book or the library. You two have been there... done that ... which I find much more valuable.

Jeff-
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could 'just get over ourselves' when it comes to not being successful????? (Notice that I try and avoid the word fa***re?) It is also very scary when we have to stare at ourselves again and again and know that in order to succeed we must continue getting up and trying one more time.

But in the end, we are all human and we must continue to try.

I applaud your goals. They are the first steps in making this very important commitment. And I am very impressed with your current progress. You are terribly BRAVE to have taken photos. I wish I'd done that before I started. I was just too embarassed to do it (it's a woman thing!) But I DID take my measurements. Of course, men's measurements and women's are a bit different (I didn't measure my bicep, flexed, for example). Now that I have been working out, I wish I would have! Oh well...

So you're cleaning out all the "bad" food huh? Isn't that a "trip?" I have actually gone through that very exercise several times; once when I became a vegetarian; again when I went vegan; another time when I went gluten free (that was truly the worst!!!); then when I went Atkins (anti-carb); and finally when I went 40/30/30. Interestingly enough, I actually had to add more things than I tossed this last time. DH was really glad of that - saved lots of $$$ this time! Poor guy just shakes his head...

You are correct about SB, Atkins and the "Zone." SB is like a modified Atkins plan. Funny when you consider that most people lump the "Zone" plan in with Atkins and SB. When in fact, they are quite dissimilar in their philosophies.

While initially researching Dr. Sears and his work, I came in contact with some interesting info about how his business grew. I do not know how accurate the 'personal' views are, but the business stuff has been put out there for a while.

When he first published his research and it took off like a shot, many other professionals worked with him. The Daousts were two of those people. But after getting involved with him, they wanted to take the "Zone" further and develop a simpler version for the mass public that would essentially eliminate the block method, but also would include some really tasty recipes (something that the original "Zone" cookbook, Zone Meals In Minutes, did not. Well, of course, the good Dr. wanted to keep things as he had intended...complex and boring...and so the Daousts and Dr. Sears parted ways. The Daousts went on to set up their successful clinic in Washington and went on to write 3 books based on the "Zone" research.

Now Dr. Sears was understandably dismayed at this turn of events and it was about this same time his sister, Sheri Sears began taking a more active role in the company. But Sheri began to push for changes also. Understanding why snacks are so vital to the stable insulin levels, she proposed the idea of a prepackaged meal bar that could be sold as part of the "Zone" program. Well, Dr. Sears wasn't having any of it. After all, REAL food was the way to go and he simply wasn't interested in pursuing a line of pre-packaged food. And so, Sheri left to start her own company, mass produced her own bar and started the Fast Burn program which still operates today.

Again, Dr. Sears was dismayed. All HIS research, and these people just kept making money from HIS ideas! The nerve!

So he decided to fight back and contracted with a company to set up a website and mass market meal bars. Zoneperfect was born. But alas, the honeymoon was short-lived and Dr. Sears and Zoneperfect eventually parted ways too. Are you beginning to get the picture????

Dr. Sears has gone on to publish several other books based on his extensive research and he enjoys the success that his work has provided. He is now mass marketing bars, cereal, fish oil, books as well as many other food and non-food items. Better late than never....I guess.

OK...enough 'info' for now. I see that Chari has just posted that nice chart for your reference and you should find it very helpful when you need a quick reference to change from blocks to grams.

OK...Tomorrow, I'll dig up some of my 'typical' menus with quantities and macros listed. I'll TRY to find ones that don't contain a lot of 'custom' foods (although I have to warn you, many of my menus are customized.) When I come across one of those, I'll just suggest a substitute.

Glad to hear that you have a slow cooker and roaster. I used my slow cooker today and cooked a 3 lb. pork loin roast to perfection in it. I also had an old Nesco for years until it finally died. I did love it, but don't have much use for one anymore.

I also prefer my animal protein with "feet." I do eat some fish, but I am also not a big fish eater so I'll steer clear of any menus with fish in them.

Hey, good deal on the chickens! When we owned an organic farm back in Wisconsin, we would swap produce with the "egg" lady down the road. Her chickens laid the best eggs! While searching out organic food while on the road is a little more difficult, I am continually surprised at what we do find. Of course, fruit seems to be the easiest, but occasionally, we'll get eggs, produce and sometimes meat products. Eating locally is the best way to be sure you're getting the most nutrients for your "location." If we ever settle down again, we will be growing as much as we can hydroponically.

Well, I guess I'd better do my dinner dishes...it's already 9:30 pm here in Arizona and I sure don't want to wake up to them tomorrow. Considering I'll be up at 5:00 am to get my walk in before it heats up here, dirty dishes could put a real damper on my day!

Hi Donna,
Thanks for the History - I've been wodering about the realtionship between, ZoneLabs, ZonePerfect, and ZoneNet ... interesting

For finding food sources on the road try this site: localharvest.org its not perfect, but they are growing (nice pun) .

Its where I found the chickens, and he was in the same town - go figure. Working on rabbits too. I also have a source for Yac or is it Yack. Very, very lean. you have to be careful cooking it or it dries out - no fat. Oddly enough, I'm having a time of it; finding good eggs. I can find Layers, but they stopped selling eggs. To many stray dogs wandering around to raise chickens here. Not to mention the eagles.

O'my gosh, guess what? I get to part of a Golden Eagle release, two weeks from now. Poor bird has been in the big bird hosiptial since Dec. They have tried to release him 3 times, but to weak. Lead posioning, probably from the farmers shooting those stray dogs. Happens too often. They'll be bringing him here to release him. I found him or he found me .. still not sure which.

But I watched him crash into a tree and found him hanging upside down in distress. I'll never forget the visual, it was a sad sight. The best part of all this is, that group that has been nursing him has received a grant to continue thier work, based on the great results they have with Hunter; his name.

I've studied Hydroponics, Aeroponics and Sprouting. I've just been to darn lazy to start one. There always seems to be some reason, that this isn't a good time - thingy. Being mobile, I would think Sprouting would work very well for you. Same nutrition - shorter growth time.

What are you doing about your water source while on the road... quality wise?

Don't fret over the recipes, please only do them when you've got nothing else to do. There is the internet and if I get deperate, I'm sure I can find something on the net.

Was kind of waiting for the books. You mentioned something about starting on Plan E - I believe.

Jeff,

I thought you might like to get a better picture of the whole Dr. Sears saga. I guess some people are just better at academia than business. Too bad he didn't get better advice.

Some friends of mine just purchased Emu and said it was quite good. Being a "bird" I thought it would...taste like chicken...(pa da pum!) but they said the meat was red and to enjoy it, you had to cook it only until medium, much like beef. The taste, although similar to beef, has a more "wild" flavor; I'm thinking like venison or buffalo. I checked the nutrition info on the web and it has an excellent profile. Might be something to check into.

Golden Eagle release..that is very cool. With all the "urban sprawl" we see while on the road, it seems like the "wild" is almost disappearing. We have eagles in northern Wisconsin where we have a lake home. They are beautiful to watch - so large and majestic.

Since we grew most of our veggies, we too did a lot of reading on alternate types of growing and preserving. We had several fruit trees on the property, so canning, freezing and dehydrating were mainstays of our harvest. DH even got creative and built a large, freestanding dehydrator with lots of shelves. It not only was decent looking, it worked like a dream. Got the plans out of Mother Earth News. We had every single issue!

Sprouting was something we used to do, but got away from it - can't remember exactly why, but we both love sprouts. Hmmmm...you got me thinking. That would be an excellent way to get those phytonutrients! Definitely something I'll have to check into again.

Ah yes...the water issue. And believe me it IS an issue. One thing I can tell you is that we do NOT drink the tap water - regardless of where we are, unless we absolutely HAVE to. Suffice it to say that to do so would throw our 'systems' out of whack. We usually have to depend on water machines that filter water. We have our own 'water safe' containers that we carry with us and usually can do so in most larger towns. Of course, that is another issue since we like to travel to more remote places, sometimes the closest larger town might be a 30 mile one way trip and then, they might not even have a machine! Since we are completely self-contained with solar panels and an onboard wind-generator, we can pretty much stay anywhere without hook-ups. If there's a National Forest, so much the better! Now if we could find a way to incorporate a composting toilet we'd REALLY be in business!!!! (Enough said about that subject!)

Thanks for the lee-way on the menus. I'll still try to post what I can today, but we will be packing to leave tomorrow so the day may get away from me. I don't expect to have our satellite internet up again until at least Wednesday when we are completely set up.

A couple of things I forgot to mention; There are several websites devoted to the "Zone" that include recipes, software, delivered meals and pay-for support. I can tell you, the "Zone" software...who's name escapes me now...wasn't worth it at all. Stick with the LifeForm and you'll be MUCH happier. Also, if you're looking for "Zone" recipe ideas, try this website: click here . Keep in mind that the recipes are based on blocks and since you'll most likely be using the gram method, you'll have to adjust them to suit your requirements. I hear that the delivered meals are crap and not worth the money and while the pay-for support is OK, (I tried the free trial version), I did much better on my own. Just a heads up for ya.

Now about your meal plan. The Formula bases its weight loss plans on your starting weight. The idea is to allow your body to adjust gradually and prevent it from going into starvation mode. You want to try and convert your body from a fat STORAGE machine into a fat BURNING machine and to be successful, you must make changes slowly so your body can adapt. Based on your starting weight, I would suggest that you begin with the highest plan which would be Plan E. This plan will give you sufficient calories and lots of food to keep you satisfied.

Remember, you will be making some sweeping changes to your nutrition, so you have to cut yourself some slack in the beginning. Once you have a handle on how the meals are planned and when they are consumed, you can then move to the next lower plan if you desire. NOTE: Moving onto the next lower plan will NOT accelerate your weight loss. You want to make gradual changes that your body will accept and incorporate into a lifestyle, so you will want to do these things slowly.

Here is a little mathematical exercise that might assist you in determining what your daily calories should be. I posted this on another forum and most people were very surprised!

"For those counting calories AND exercising, here is a tip that really helped me get my food consumption in line with my exercise:

Figuring out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total daily energy expenditure can help you keep your weight in check. While not a 'new' concept, it can be used to optimize a nutrition program or 'tweak' an exercise routine. The idea is to keep a balance between the two to avoid plateaus or stalling. Here's how you do it:

1. Find your BMR
WOMEN: 655 + (4.354 X wt. in lbs.) + (4.569 X ht. in inches) - (4.7 X age in yrs.)
MEN: 66 + (6.227 X wt. in lbs.) + (12.7 X ht. in inches) - (6.8 X age in yrs.)

Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs each day just to sustain basic bodily functions like breathing, digestion and organ function. Your BMR is also flexible so as you gain or lose weight, grow in height or increase in years, it adjusts. Optimally, you should NEVER eat below this amount of calories. If you DO, your BMR will just slow down to accommodate the decrease in calories so that your body's existence continues. When this happens, most people will simply stall as their body is reading the decrease in calories as a signal to go into starvation mode, thus holding onto all body fat which could be used as a fuel source if the starvation continues.

2. Find your TDEE
Take your BMR and multiply it by one of the activity levels listed below:
1.2 = little activity or sedentary
1.375 = 1-3 days light exercise
1.55 = 3-5 days moderate exercise
1.725 = 5-7 days heavy exercise
1.9 = daily heavy exercise

Your TDEE is the amount of calories you need to sustain your current body weight. Like the BMR, your TDEE is also flexible based on your physical expenditure. If your goal is to lose weight, you NEVER want to eat above this number of calories AND you should keep your calories slightly below. For those interested in steady weight loss, reducing this amount by about 25% should keep you right on track.

My numbers look like this:
BMR = 1215
TDEE = 1944
To Lose Weight = 1458

It was difficult for me to believe that I was actually "gaining" weight while working the Atkins program with NO cheats. Out of frustration, I entered all my meals into my nutrition software (like FitDay) for several days. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I was consuming well over 2,000 calories per day - sometimes, even over 3,000 calories per day!!! No wonder I was gaining!!!"

This should give you a good idea of where your calories should be on a daily basis. Once you figure this out, you find that you want to begin with Plan D instead of E. Try it and see.

Also, if you have not determined what your bodyfat percentage is, here is another excellent site click here . I think I had given you a link to the ZonePerfect site and that link does not work now. In reviewing my notes, I found that the Linear site was much more accurate in their calculations than the Zone site. If you decide to go there, just scroll down past the skinfold test and use a tape measure instead. Enter in all the info and then scroll down for the results.

And should you decide that you want to get a device to measure at home, don't bother getting one of those Tanita scales. They're notoriously inaccurate. And don't bother getting one of those fancy electronic calipers. They're easy to use, but give you readings all over the place. I ordered one and even after consistently using it on my DH for several months, I just can't seem to master the thing!!! Ughh...so frustrating! The better caliper is the cheapie plastic one with graduated increments. NO skill is required and you can always see the measurement correctly. That item, combined with a standard tape measure will give you as much accuracy as you will probably need.

I have a MyoTape that has a locking mechanism and provides an audible "click" when you reach the correct measurment. Again, it was fairly cheap and is easy to use (it came with the AccuMeasure piece of garbage...). That was the best part of that purchase!!! In all fairness, I have to tell you that I DID just recently, order an Omron Bodyfat Analyzer which uses biolectrical impedance (BI) and has received good ratings from many users. Got it for $27 at Amazon and I needed another gadget to add to my collection . I'm hoping that I won't be sorry.

Finally, after realizing your location was Washington, I wanted to tell you that I was born at Ft. Lewis. When we visited the northwest 2 years ago, my mom was adamant that we stop in and see Madigan hospital. We have a very nice stay at the AFB there and did a little shopping at Lewis. DH is military, so we enjoy the perks too!

Gotta run; lots to do today. I'll try and get some menus posted, but if I don't, I should be back up by Wednesday. Have a great one!

Jeff this is an awesome crockpot recipe, I waited for the pork to cool and weighed out portions and single serve froze them, yummy. Maybe Donna can help , not sure if it's zone friendly , but looks like as long as the salsa doesn't have a ton of sugar it should be ok.

Crockpot Chipotle Pork Tenderloin [posted by annecolorgreen]

1 pork tenderloin, 1.5 to 2 pounds
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups Chipotle salsa
1/2 cup chopped onion

Place pork in crockpot; sprinkle with onions, add canned tomatoes and chiles, and top with the chipotle salsa. Cook on Low 8 hours. Meat will be extremely tender!

Southbeach-diet-plan
Chari

Chari-
AWESOME recipe!!! Pork tenderloin is DEFINITELY "Zone" friendly!

Jeff-
You'd have to add some extra veggies to this dish, but I think, based on the ingredients, this would make a very tasty meal!