A Day In The The Zone – a personal story

This story refers to the review of the book The Zone, by Barry Sears in Strategies no. 529. It is an example of my personal interpretation of Barry Sears Zone diet. Everyone has, of course, to find what is most suitable for them and their personal needs. Others may also choose to interpret The Zone diet differently.

In connection with writing the review of Barry Sears book, The Zone, I went to an evening lecture in Stockholm. Stockholm is 80 km away and I had to eat a quick early dinner at 5.00 pm.

This is the quick Zone dinner I ate:

One can of tuna fish in water – 35 grammes of protein or 5 Zone-block.
Two tomatoes – 18 grammes of carbohydrates or 2 Zone-blocks.
One apple – 18 grammes of carbohydrates or 2 Zone-blocks.
One thin slice of pure rye sour dough bread with no additives – 9 grammes of carbohydrates or 1 Zone-block
One table spoon olive oil 15 grammes of fat or 5 Zone-blocks

All together this is five Zone-blocks each of protein, carbohydrate and fat or 35 grammes protein, 45 grammes carbohydrate and 15 grammes of fat. This equals the ideal 30-40-30% distribution in calories (Protein and carbohydrate contain the same amount of calories per gramme, while fat contains 2.25 times more. Hence the 35-45-15 gramme distribution. The total amount of calories is 500, which is the maximum to be eaten at any one time, according to Barry Sears.

I am in Stockholm at 6.30 pm. I am going to listen to the American author Arjuna Ardagh who is in town to present his new book, The Translucent Revolution. His lecture starts at 7.00 pm and finishes at 10.00 pm. Taking my seat at the lecture I realise that it was a long time ago I listened to an evening lecture. This is the first time since my Zone diet. I enjoy not losing focus at any time. I don't eat anything except drink a glas of water.

A few minutes after 10.00 pm I am in the car again driving home. I don't even reflect on if I feel hungry or not. I feel fine and focused. At 11.15 pm I am at home. Now I feel hungry, genuinly hungry. It has been six hours since I ate my Zone dinner. After starting on the Zone diet a two years ago I realised that I had not felt real hunger since I was a child. Instead of hunger I was feeling the need to eat something to adjust my insulin balance, according to Barry Sears. The reason being eating too fast (high GI) and too many carbohydrates. But now that need is gone. Before I go to bed I eat a Zone-snack, piece of medium fat (17% cheese) and half an apple.

If I had become hungry while driving home, I would have stopped at a petrol station and bought a 3 decilitre pack of medium fat milk, which is pretty much a perfect Zone combination, 10 grammes of protein, 15 grammes of reasonably slow (low GI) carbohydrates and 4.5 grams of fat.

As I did not get either hungry or unfocused at four hours after my meal, I know my dinner was a perfect Zone-combination. In a later book, Mastering the Zone, Barry Sears describes how hunger and loss of focus and concentration within four hours after a meal signals too many carbohydrates at the last meal. If you are hungry but fully focused you have had to much protein in your last meal. If you are fully focused and not hungry within four hours after a meal then you are in The Zone. Your last meal was a perfect Zone combination.

Next morning I get up and have my Zone breakfast:

2 boiled eggs
25 grammes of low-fat (10%) chesse
2,5 decilitres of low-fat (0,5%) youghurt with 0,5 decilitres of pure rye flakes
One whole grapefruit.

This gives a total of four Zone blocks and lasts me until lunch.

My lunch is combined in the same way as dinner giving a total of five zone blocks:

175 grammes of meat or chicken
400 grammes of steamed broccoli and cauliflower
2 cooked tomates
One table spoon of olive oil
One whole apple

Creative regards! Jonas Himmelstrand

© 2005 Strategies to Learn & Grow