January 2, 2008
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The Zone Diet
Each year's top 10 New Year's resolutions inevitably include "lose weight." I have become convinced that proper diet is the most effective means of reducing excess body fat.
Lipidologist Barry Sears was searching for a magic bullet to save himself from heart disease, which killed his father and two uncles in their fifties, and to make a fortune on the patent. He experimented with the essential fatty acids GLA (borage oil) and EPA (fish oil) to regulate eicosanoids, but found that diet was a more effective way. He designed the Zone Diet to regulate eicosanoids by controlling insulin levels. He still recommends high-dose fish oil, but its effectiveness is reduced without the Zone Diet.
When I first read the nutrition portion of What Is Fitness?, I dismissed the Zone Diet, because it contradicted what I learned in school, the USDA's food pyramid, and most nutrition experts. I started to change my mind after reading some articles about how scientific evidence doesn't support a low-fat diet. In November, I watched a video article of the CrossFit Journal where Coach Glassman stated that 1) when a second-tier athlete takes the discipline to weigh and measure food according to the Zone Diet, he or she quickly separates from the rest of the pack and becomes a first-tier athlete, 2) high performance tells him something about what you're eating, 3) the Zone Diet flenses body fat, and 4) the Zone Diet increases pull-up numbers that aren't attributable to weight loss (e.g. increased 15 pull-ups with a weight loss of 3 pounds). The part about pull-ups clinched it for me. I couldn't do any. I decided to try the Zone Diet to see if it would enable me to do a pull-up (and also to shed more body fat).After a week on the diet, I did my first pull-up in years. 3 weeks later, I did 2 pull-ups in a row and could do intermittent singles. Another 2 weeks later, I did 3 in a row with intermittent singles. I also lost about a pound per week. I could do push-ups on the ground instead of elevated. Workouts that I thought would make me sore didn't make me sore. I believe the Zone Diet increased my physical performance. It seems to also have reduced drowsiness after meals.
Dr. Sears's latest book, The Anti-Inflammation Zone, hypothesizes that the underlying cause of most chronic diseases is inflammation below the threshold of pain. If his physical performance theory works, his inflammation hypotheses for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and other diseases may also work. His first book, Enter the Zone, being an old diet book, is cheap used at Amazon.A few caveats: 1) Dr. Sears believes the hypothesis of Evolution, 2) he recommends Eastern meditation to reduce stress (I suggest prayer), and 3) protein is not cheap (at least not as cheap as the carbohydrates I used to buy). However, I believe good health is worth the extra expense."Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31
Comments (3)
you eat 130g of protein per day? It's based on how much muscle you have, says the trainer. And you have less muscle than me. (I assume). So... that only means I should eat 130g per day at least.
What's you protein source? I usually have a pack of tofu (which is about 30-40g) for lunch. plus a little bit of pork. I'll start to add chicken and protein shake into my diet.
UPDATE
It's been 11 months since I wrote this blog entry and over a year since I started the Zone Diet. Here are some updates since then:
1. I've lost ~20 pounds, ~30 pounds total since starting CrossFit, probably more fat than weight, since I've probably gained muscle. My weight loss plateaued after a couple months, then I lost about 5 more pounds after recalculating Zone blocks (food intake) based on this video.
2. I've lost about 5 inches around the waist. Waistline is a better measure of fitness than weight. I need a belt to keep my pants up now.
3. My maximum pull-ups increased to 12 in a row. I can do chest-to-bar pull-ups. The increase isn't solely attributable to weight loss, because I've been able to do a weighted pull-up with 35 pounds.
One way I know the Zone Diet works- the consequences when I cheat:
1. I get drowsy.
2. My physical performance suffers.
3. It takes longer to recover after workouts.
A few problems I've encountered with the Zone Diet:
1. Managing hunger- it's been hard for me to stay full. Fiber and water both help short-term stomach expansion. Eating a large bulk of high-fiber vegetables like lettuce or cabbage satisfies, but too much fiber gives me gas, which protein makes smell particularly pungent. Fat helps longer-term satiety. I wish it would work faster so I don't have to either endure the hunger or overeat.
2. I miss eating "normally." With the Zone Diet, you can eat anything you want, but in disappointing quantities. It's more difficult when eating with others. I try to limit my "unfavorable" carbohydrates to post-workout, when insulin sensitivity is high, but it's hard to stop eating refined carbohydrates. They taste great and are less filling.
3. Produce also costs a lot. High-fiber vegetables are filling, but cost more per block than less filling carbohydrates.
These problems are still outweighed by the benefits, so I'll probably stay on the Zone Diet for life.
@zenjax7 -
Here's my current protein calculation: 155 pounds body weight -11% body fat =138 pounds lean body mass x.7 activity level =96.6 grams daily protein requirement x7/6 (fast one day per week) =112.7 grams +7 grams to build extra muscle =119.7 grams. It had been 130g when I multiplied by a .8 activity level before watching this video.
Chicken and milk are the cheapest protein sources. I have chicken for meals and milk for snacks. I get gas if I drink too much milk. I also have beef and turkey when they're on sale. For Thanksgiving, I bought an almost 24 lb. turkey. When I don't have time to cook, I eat Balance bars, which contain soy protein. Protein powder is only for when there isn't any other protein available (e.g. when I'm eating with other people). Recently, I started eating cheese and peanuts as protein sources with extra fat. Peanuts contain 7g protein and 14g fat per oz. I like eating them with bittersweet chocolate, which contains additional fat.