ben, sorry about the injuries. i'm a b-baller when i'm not nursing broken fingers, so i KNOW whereof you speak. UGGGH! soccer is too grueling for those of us with short legs and attention spans to match. :-)
interestingly, i've found when i'm on the zone, i don't produce as much of the ***** acid that creates soreness in the muscles. iow, i don't get nearly as sore after a workout (sore muscles, etc.) as i used to. i can still get sore muscles, but the difference is noticeable to me in a big way.
ok, enough hype. everyone is different and will have different results. but i highly recommend everyone tries this (after consulting their physician, of course) b/c i think it is likely the results will be great.
step 1: figure your lean body mass here
zoneperfect.com
verify it here...
he.net
you use this as a basis for your pretein requirement. after all, it is logical andre the guiant requires more protein than the "wathcoo talkin' 'bout, mr d" dude, right? this figure is NOT cut in stone and you are free to adjust it later.
step 2: figure out your activity level
sedentary...
light (walking)
moderate (1.5 hrs / wk)
active (> 1.5 h/w)
very active (>2.5 h/w)
elite athlete (knighty, you out out there? ;-)
the first link above figures your lean body mass and, based on your activity level, gives you what the zone refers to as you "zone block requirement."
in my case, it is 15 blocks. i might divide them up as follows:
meal 1: 4 blocks
snack 1: 2 blocks
meal 2: 4 blocks
meal 3: 4 blocks
snack 2: 1 block
each block is 7 grams of protein, 9 g of carbs and 3 grams of preferably monounsaturated fat. my saturated fat come from the typically lowfat meat sources i eat - assumed too be about half my 3 g fat rqrmt so i add 1.5 g of monunsaturated fats in the form of almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts or olive oil based salad dressing to move me to the 3 g level (1.5 g from meat, 1.5 g added = 3 g).
here is a link to the amount of different types of food that will yield their zone block equivalent (7g P, 9 g C or 1.5 g F - not 3 grams b/c 1.5 g fat assumed consumed when eating protein - you need to double if eating fat free protein, o reliminate if eating fatty meat)
zoneperfect.com
technical folks love these numbers, other folks freak out.
here is the simplified "eyeball" method for those who hate numbers...
zoneperfect.com
for those chef inclined...
here's an online cookbook...
zoneperfect.com
i'm not so inclined... :-)
i get most of my protein from straight chicken, steak, hamburger, 1.5% cottage cheese... those types of things. if i get hamburger helper, i double the hamburger to reduce the % of carbs relative to the protein (hey, life isn't too bad, here!) and eat a few grapes to add in some good carbs. - pay attention to the nutrition info on the boxes of stuff you buy - that information is great! if i eat something carb heavy, i add straight meat. if i want a beer, i'll eat beef jerky with and eat a couple peanuts.
i get most of my carbs from fruits and some from veggies (not as much as i should!). i even get some from cereal (but i don't eat too much), candy (but i don't eat much) and bagels (but i don't eat too much).
i typically add almonds or peanuts or macadamia nuts or other sources of monunsaturated fats to every meal.
ok, i'm not a gourmet guy, but it works for me! :-)
feel free to adjust the diet as your body tells you to. you should not lose strength or endurance on this diet! if you are, add a block or two until you feel comfortable again. if your weight isn't budging and you feel great, eliminate half a block. if you drop lbs too fast, add a block or two. this isn't a horse race, it is a marathon.
imho, providing your body what it needs, within a reasonably tight range, allows it to work very efficiently... no need to process and get rid of stuff it never required....
oh, and drink LOTS of water. :-)
of course, i am not a doctor. nobody should change their diet w/o consulting their physician first.
ps - the reason for eating balanced P C and F at every meal is to keep your body's insulin response within a very tight "zone," hence the name. overproduction of insulin, coupled with excessive carbs is a situation that leads to your body packin' on the fat.
trader joes sells "balance" bars that make good snacks. i like the "outdoor" versions the best. costco has zone bars on sale 2 boxes for 1 if you got their in-home coupon book. that makes them about $0.60 a piece. they are pretty decent, too.
for more info and research...
zoneperfect.com
zonehome.com |
