Yes. I am now on a ‘diet’. I’ve been 10–15 lbs heavier than I think I need to be, eating too much, and working out too little. I got the idea from my friend John, who has been doing the Zone Diet for a couple years now, I think, as well as Crossfit. This guy is in phenomenal shape (but then again, he started out in pretty great shape, too). Our friend Jeff also got into it and has leaned-down quite a bit.
So Bhumisha and I are deciding to give it a go. Some of it seems complicated, but I think once we get the hang of it, it’ll be pretty second-nature. It goes a little like this:
- Determine your daily ‘block’ prescription based on your body fat%, weight, and activity level (1 block = 3g fat, 7g protein, 9g carbs) (11 for me, 9 for Bhumisha)
- Divide your day into blocks for meals and snacks (e.g. 3 breakfast, 3 lunch, 1 snack, 3 dinner, 1 snack for a total of 11)
- Plan your feedings accordingly, such that you get x blocks of fat, protein, and carbs at every feeding.
“How do I know what a block is?” Well there are some handy lists to help you. Roughly speaking, 1 block of protein is (for example) 1 oz of lean meat, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, or 1 oz of cheese; 1 block of carbs is 1/2 apple, 1/4 cup beans, or relatively large volumes of most vegetables. Ridiculously small amounts of grains and pasta form 1 block of carbs. Fats are about 1/3 tsp oil, ~3 almonds, or 1 tsp avocado per block.
The goal is for all your feedings to have the ‘right’ proportion of carbs:fat:protein calories in 4:3:3 ratio. And no, you don’t eat a whole lot at each meal or snack, unless you are very active. Since I (now) spend most of my day at my desk, I don’t end up needing much. I’m rarely starving, but that’s not to say I don’t look forward to the next time I can eat.
I’m giving this a shot to retrain our bodies a bit and help us remember (learn) what a proper portion size is. I also need to learn the difference between being ‘satisfied’ after a meal and being ‘full’. I’ve only been on this for two days; I’m not full after a meal, but I am satisfied. Sure I could eat more, but I don’t really need to; I’ll bee eating again in a couple hours anyway.