On being a true Zonie

If you want to be a true Zonie, you must learn to walk the walk and talk the block!

The AVERAGE woman usually needs 11 blocks per day while the AVERAGE man  usually needs 14 blocks a day.  Factors affecting one’s daily block requirements are lean muscle mass and activity level.  Keep in mind that 11 blocks is the minimum block requirement for an adult (with some exceptions), so do not  try to “speed things up” by eating less than the minimum amount.  Remember the Zone is all about hormonal control, with one of the nice side effects being loss of excess body fat.

Definition of a Block

A balanced Zone block contains 3 mini blocks containing the following macronutrients:

1C + 1P + 1F

1 Carbohydrate =  9 grams
1 Protein  =  7 grams
1 Fat = 3 grams

When eating a low fat protein source such as chicken and fish, it is assumed that 1.5 grams of fat is hidden in each mini block (7 grams) of protein.  For this reason you will often see a mini fat block counted as 1.5 grams.  One half of the fat block is hidden in the low fat protein source and the other half of the fat block is added. 

This is broken down as:

1 Carbohydrate = 9 grams
1 Protein = 7 grams
1 Fat  = 1.5 grams + (1.5 grams hidden in low fat protein source)

In both cases the full fat quantity in the balanced block is always 3 grams (the hidden 1.5 grams of fat in the low-fat protein source) and the added 1.5 grams of fat.

A full fat block = 3 grams
A mini fat block = 1.5 grams

If eating a non-fat protein source ie egg whites, protein powder, non-fat yogurt etc., one must add 1 full fat block (3 grams) or 2 mini fat blocks.

Conversely, if eating a high fat source of protein ie steak, bacon, salmon etc., no added fat is required.

continue to next section ..  Fine Tuning in the Zone