Zone + Block Calculator

The Basics

The Zone Diet sets your body up to BURN FAT as a primary source of fuel while you retain your LEAN BODY MASS (LBM). How? By regulating the amount of INSULINyour body produces. Insulin is released by the pancreas after you eat carbohydrates, and while it assures that your cells receive the necessary blood sugar, it also inhibits fat burning, converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate directly into fat and causes hunger. The Zone Diet moderates the insulin response by limiting the intake of refined sugars and keeping all other carbohydrates to about 40% of the diet.

The concept of the Zone is simple – every time you eat it must be in the correct ratio of Protein to Carbohydrate to Fats. That ratio? 40/30/30- 40% Carbohydrate, 30% Protein, 30% Fat. The maximum control of insulin occurs when this ratio is met.

The idea of 40/30/30 has been around for a number of years. The difference the Zone makes has to do with Zone Blocks, of which there are two types. The first is the Individual Block: an individual block of Carbohydrates (C) is 9 grams, an individual block of Protein (P) is 7 grams, and an individual block of Fat (F) is 3 grams.

Put one of each of those individual blocks together and you have the second type, a Complete Block. The idea behind the Zone Diet is to have a certain number of Complete Blocks at each meal or snack. So when I talk about a 4 Block Meal, I am talking about 4 Complete Blocks, or 4 individual blocks of protein, 4 individual blocks of carbs, and 4 individual blocks of fat.

Use the table in How Many Blocks? to determine how many Complete Blocks you may eat per day OR have the math done for you by using my Block Calculator.

Zone Meal Plans – broken down into blocks & meal samples. PRINT for easy reference. *Avoid Unfavorable foods on page 4.

 

Top Ten Basic Zone Principles

You guessed it – Keep It Simple Stupid!
 

  1. Balance your Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats at each meal
  2. Have a snack or your first meal within one hour of waking
  3. Drink an 8oz glass of water at least 8x a day
  4. Meals (3-5 blocks) will last 4-5 hours while snacks (1-2 blocks) will last 2-3 hours
  5. Always eat your fats, but keep the unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio at 2:1 or better
  6. Eat lean low-fat protein sources, including salmon 1-2x per week
  7. Keep unfavorable carbs to 25% or less during meals
  8. Eat a 1-2 block snack about 30 minutes prior to sleep
  9. If you are hungry, eat
  10. If you fall off the wagon, forget about it! Dust yourself off and climb back on with the next meal or snack

 

Top Ten Ways to Make the Zone Easier to Follow

  1. Make blocks in advance – Buy cheese, chicken, etc. and measure into 1, 2, 3 or 4 block servings to put in the fridge – this makes putting meals and snacks together on the fly much easier
  2. The freezer is your friend – Buy steak, chicken and fish in bulk and keep them on hand
  3. Cook enough for leftovers – Can you say BIG pot of my Turkey Chili? The meal that keeps on giving!
  4. Feeling Dazed and Hungry? Too much carbo at the last meal – readjust and try it again
  5. Feeling Alert and Hungry? Too much protein at your last meal – readjust and try it again
  6. Drink lots of Water – You’ll find this one in a few of the Top Ten lists because if you don’t stay hydrated you’ll have headaches and constipation – yuck!
  7. Take soda and juice out of your diet – These are two of the biggest culprits in the “lowfat” (get-fat) world we live in, but cut these out and you’re on your way
  8. “Pseudo-Count” P&C and let the Fat measure itself – If you’re not comfortable counting blocks right away, ease into it by having roughly equal blocks of Protein & Carbs with a few nuts or a little olive oil
  9. Keep a Zone or Elevate Me Bar with You – For emergencies 
  10. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – Stress is NOT one of the goals of zoning, so don’t go crazy stressing over everything

http://www.dbhonline.com/zoneful/index.htm - Source

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