Protein/Zone Block Allowance Confusion
Last Updated Aug 2007
Q: I have had HUGE success with the Zone. I lost 70 lbs. and at 38 (soon to be 39)I
am thinner
and healthier than I was before we had our three wonderful children over the past 4
years. I
am 5'9" and currently weigh 165 with a 27 inch waist and 37 inch hips. My goal is
to reduce
my weight another 15 lbs. and my waist to 26 inches and hips to 36 inches.
When I punch my goal numbers into the Zone calculator, it generates a 77 grams/day
protein
allowance and an 11 zone block/day allowance. According to my conversions, the 77
gram/
day allowance equates to only a little over 2 ounces of protein per day, whereas
the amount of
protein needed to meet the 11 Zone Block allowance equates to significantly more
protein.
Can you please help me to understand what is wrong with my thinking?
Thank You,
Darcelle
A: More than 70 percent of the weight of protein is water. This is why 1 ounce of
protein (28.5
grams) contains only 7 grams of low-fat protein. Therefore 77 grams of protein
would require
you to eat about 11 blocks of low-fat protein during the course of the day.