first nutrtion plan

Well it's been two weeks since I have been on The Zone diet and I have to admit that this diet although tough to follow works extremely well. I will break down the basics of this diet plan for you and include some links to help you get started.

For the last eight years I have tried many approaches to my diet, Ask any friend, client or family member, if I watch what I eat and they will tell you I am an extremest. My first attempts at modifying my diet started when I got back into lifting weights. I remember buying big tubs of protein powder and creatine and trying to eat as much protein as i could handle, hoping I would gain muscle and loss fat.

The next approach I took was when I got hired as a trainer at Crunch Fitness. This was the no carb all protein diet. I remember my first mentors telling me how to get "ripped" by eating lots of red meat, tuna chicken and of course wash it down with a turbo tea, red-line chaser ( this is like drinking 10 redbulls)

Finally after many years of disappointing results I purchased my first Nutrition plan, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.( http://www.burnthefat.com/index1.html ) This was the first time I read about the importance of macronutrients and how do distribute them throughout your diet. This great book  changed the way I looked at food and educated me on many concepts I use and teach today.

The Zone Diet uses a lot of the same principles, frequent meals, food combination, proper hydration, and most important a strict adherence to the prescribed macronutrients. The difference lies in the type of carbohydrates you will be consuming. The Zone is not a Carbohydrate free diet,  but instead a balanced plan focusing on " desirable Carbohydrates" These usually consists of low glycemic index carbohydrates such as, leafy greens, vegetables and most fruits. The Zone diet prescribes 40/30/30 macronutrients, that is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat

Lets get started.

The first step on the Zone diet is to figure out how much protein you will need each day. From that calculation it will be easy to figure out how many carbohydrates and fats you should consume.

To make this simple I will include a link to The Zone web site where you can use their online calculator. (you may need to register, but it's free) All you will need is a measuring tape, your height in inches, your activity level and a scale. here's the link http://www.zonediet.com/Default.aspx 
go to tools then the calculator.

Once you figure out your body fat it will give you the recommended "blocks of protein, carbohydrates and fats you should eat each day.  I will include a list of "desirable" foods and how much equals a block but if you search the site you can find sample menus, food lists and other resources.


To summarize the diet for you:

• Eat five times a day, 3 meals and 2 snacks. never go longer then 5 hours without a meal or snack
• Distribute the amount of protein carbs and fats throughout the day.
• Always match your blocks of food evenly. For example 3protein 3 carbohydrate 3 fats for breakfast
• Make sure you always food combine. Every meal and snack should include a protein carbohydrate and a fat
• Use lean low fat proteins such as chicken breast, turkey breast, tuna, egg whites......
• Try to minimize complex carbohydrates and stick with low glycemic index carbs such as salad, vegetables, fruits and legumes
• Use monounsaturated fats at each meal. such as, olive oil, walnuts, avocado, almonds...
• Drink 8oz of water at each meal
• Never eat more then 6 blocks at any meal or snack

I will post a list of recommended food groups soon, for now figure out your protein requirements,  have fun getting started, play around and make some mistakes.