Starting the Zone

[Christine]

I realize this group only has people who already Zone in it, but I thought it would be good to have a go to thread with the ins/out/ suggestions of how to get started and then STAY in the Zone.

The Crossfit Journal is a GREAT resource to doing the Zone. If you are starting to Zone you will probably want to tape the block chart to your refrigerator. It really does help. Below is another block chart from Dr Sears that adjusts for the fiber content in vegetables.

These are some other practical things to do to help make your Zone experience really work. Perhaps some other more experienced Zoners than me can offer what else really helps.

Borrow one of the Zone books by Dr Sears from a library. Entering the Zone OR Mastering the Zone OR Toxic Fat. Each of them is a short read, talks about the science of the Zone Diet, and helps with planning what to eat. Not essential.. you can do it all with the Crossfit Journal article, but who wouldn't want to know more?

Buy a good bathroom scale - some use impedence to give a body fat % that is a decent approximation. (Bed, Bath and Beyond has a good selection and usually has coupons in the weekly paper - about a $75 investment)

Buy a kitchen scale, measuring cups and measuring spoons. You can do Zone by eyeballing it, but you will get better precision and results when weighing your food. (Again easy to find at BB&B for about $50)

Buy a measuring tape if you don't have one. You need it to calculate your BF by Zone tables.

Find the place that you can record what you eat, your weight, measurements, etc. Whether it is a notebook, binder, your planner/PDA or an excel spreadsheet. Charting progress really is a motivator and recording keeps you honest with yourself.

[Jerry Hill]

Awesome information, thanks for post Christine.
I know you post on your blog but if you care to share here...
What type of success and in what time frame have you had so far?

[Christine]

This may seem unnecessary advice but before you start the Zone or any radical change to your wellness plan, get a physical. If you didn't do this before you joined CFOT, shame on you. If you haven't had a physical in more than a few years, wag two fingers at yourself in the mirror. And if you are in your Wisdom years, i.e. birthday back when retro stuff was new release, well once a year is not a bad plan - which probably means if you don't have the date of your last physical on immediate memory recall, it's time to schedule the next one. Yes I know Crossfitters like to think they are immortal and indestructable, but really we aren't. (think Vitamin M.)

And this is not just a good idea from a liability/risk of injury perspective either. CF and any diet is going to make wonderful dramatic changes to your life. Having a baseline of bloodwork numbers to work with helps to chart your progress. Sure you want to be stronger, do more pullups, etc, but there are days when you may only see progress in something like your resting heart rate. Also, while I am pretty sure most MD's will look at you like you have a third head when you tell them you do CF, or will give you the old "calories out > calories in " speech about diet; it is a good to have someone with medical experience to guide your progress.

And this last point comes from a little bit of personal experience. Zoning or any diet is going to alter your body chemistry. If you have been living a high glycemic life, you may feel a shift downward before you start feeling energy. Some people feel irritable when they make this change. It is natural because your serotonin levels will drop when you reduce the glycemic load of your food. Sorry, but the brain likes to eat sugar, and you are going to most likely be giving it less and your brain needs to adjust. For some, it may be better to ease into Zone, rather than go cold turkey. One clue here is if you could assess yourself as an emotional eater. Not the I like meatloaf and mashed potatoes because it reminds me of Mom's, but the I'm stressed at work and I need to eat a quart of ice cream . If you do the latter, you probably eat more carbs than you realize and should probably ease your way into the Zone.

Easing into the zone can be done a bunch of different ways. Some people start by dumping dessert and getting a proper evening snack and zoning their breakfast. Others work on the "work day" meals they tote to work. Others slowly get into zone as they "get rid" of the boxes of cornflakes and finish off that last box of Thin Mints in the freezer. Don't worry if you aren't going at Zone full throttle, all at once... as long as you intend to get there. Don't take license to be lazy about it, just make the changes incrementally. As Jerry often says... "It's all progress."

This may sound silly, but don't give this part of Zoning the gloss over when you have your physical, especially if you ever have or currently take SRRI's, or any medication or supplement regularly. If your doctor doesn't know much about the Zone or how changing your diet will interact with other medicines, all the more reason to go slow. My personal experience was that I had to go back to taking a couple of B vitamin supplements I used to take, even though I eat plenty of fruits and veggies. My body is just wired where I need more B's.