Zoning Questions/Feedback and AM pre workout nutrition?

[Erin Yates]

Hey Everyone,

I am looking for some nutrition feedback/advice here.

I have been eating paleo for around 10 months and feel great. Two weeks ago I decided I wanted to try zoning because I am not seeing the results I want to see both training wise and in the mirror and I have heard/read so much about the positive results of people who have zoned.

So far I feel great! I'd say within 3 days I could tell a major difference in my energy and I feel much leaner overall. I am about 5'7'' 122lbs and am eating around 12 blocks a day (protein shake PWO, 3block bfast, 3 block lunch, 1 block snack, and 4 block dinner). I have read a lot of negative things about the zone not being enough food but so far I feel great! The main switch I've made from just paleo is cutting significantly on the protein and upping the carbs (I had cut fruit out for a while in order to try and lean out and I LOVE being able to have low GI fruit again-apples, berries, etc.) I don't feel hungry, so I feel like I'm getting enough food. Does this amount of food seem ok for someone my size?

Also, I have noticed that sometimes I wake up hungry before my workouts (I get up at 4:30am and do CrossFit at 5...so the LAST thing I want is a protein shake or something sloshing around in my stomach during a WOD.) Can anyone give me any ideas for something small and quick that can get into my system so I have some fuel to WOD? The last couple of days if I wake up hungry (and this isn't every day-I think it depends on how late I eat dinner, etc.) I have taken a bite or two of a lara bar and that seems to help. I would rather find something that is lower in fat though. Any ideas?

Looking for input and/or what has worked for people similar to my size.

[Eric Montgomery]

12 blocks is about 1200 calories. I have a hard time believing an active person could feel and perform well on that kind of intake. That's almost at the level of calories you'd need to maintain basic body functions even if you didn't get out of bed all day.

122lbs is already very slim for your height, and getting any leaner isn't likely to help your health or your performance. Plus the low calorie intake alone is probably going to result in you crashing and burning sooner rather than later.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

I'm 3" shorter than you and slightly heavier. I'm having trouble figuring out why you want to lose weight...

No 12 blocks is not enough for an active female.

Katherine

[Joey Shishineh]

I agree that something doesn't add up here. Maybe track your calories and measure everything you eat for a week.

As to your question - I usually drink a couple oz of my PWO shake about an hour beforehand and I also eat a handful or so of trail-mix. Half hour is a tough time frame to get any food in - your best bet is to get up a half hour earlier.

[Jo Hsu]

Pre-workout nutrition is largely dependent on the individual. I had to play around with different options until I found what works. For me, that's a small bowl of cereal (I know, the paleo gods will smite me, blah) and a few spoonfuls of almond butter. I'm wondering if there's a typo in your stats though; 122 is rather light for someone who stands at 5'7"...

[Dimitri Dziabenko]

Depends on the workout, but I usually stick to whey + fruit before a workout.

Pre-workout nutrition is arguably more important than post-workout nutrition, since the preworkout protein will really hit the system just about when your workout is finished, whereas if you just do Post workout, you're coming to the party a bit late.

[Erin Yates]

Thanks for the feedback so far. There isn't a typo- I am around 122lbs. I just came off of doing a strength and coditioning program and was up to 130lbs with hardly any gains in my lifts. My clothes were tight and I didnt feel good. I think I was eating too much protein-I felt a lot more tired and weighed down than I do now. I dont want to lose weight. I would like to gain muscle and get my body fat percentage down a bit. If anything Id rather gain some muscle in order to look lean.

Anyone else have experiences to share or pre workout nutrition for that early in the am? I really dont think I can get up at 4am just to get more food in. I feel like my sleep is more important to me.

[Cain Papettas]

Originally Posted by Dimitri Dziabenko

Depends on the workout, but I usually stick to whey + fruit before a workout.

Pre-workout nutrition is arguably more important than post-workout nutrition, since the preworkout protein will really hit the system just about when your workout is finished, whereas if you just do Post workout, you're coming to the party a bit late.

hey dimitri i forgot where i read this, maybe a john berardi doc, but apprently fructose makes people feel worse before they workout like less energy due to the fibre content in fruit, may be wrong but hey just throwing it out there!!

[Eric Montgomery]

Originally Posted by Erin Yates

Thanks for the feedback so far. There isn't a typo- I am around 122lbs. I just came off of doing a strength and coditioning program and was up to 130lbs with hardly any gains in my lifts. My clothes were tight and I didnt feel good. I think I was eating too much protein-I felt a lot more tired and weighed down than I do now. I dont want to lose weight. I would like to gain muscle and get my body fat percentage down a bit. If anything Id rather gain some muscle in order to look lean.

Anyone else have experiences to share or pre workout nutrition for that early in the am? I really dont think I can get up at 4am just to get more food in. I feel like my sleep is more important to me.

Where are your lift numbers currently at? If you're a relatively novice lifter, lack of strength gains is probably a sign of a poorly designed program or not eating enough to support recovery. What kind of program were you doing?

It's not too much protein that would have made you tired or overweight--the tiredness was likely due to the fact that you said you cut out fruit and were probably eating almost no carbs.

Eating only 12 blocks is not going to help you add muscle.