The first week of December I re-injured my shoulder, and spent two solid months in physical therapy and out of boxing. I became the cardio mistress (wore my thigh-high leather boots, carried the whip) but the intense PT schedule meant I had to give up some of my regular workouts. I got sloppy with my diet and ate depressively and now I’m five to seven pounds past the weight I like most to be.
I have a plan: move less, eat more.
Wait! No, I remember, it’s move more, eat less. (The funniest part of that Mad TV vid: “Bullcrap, you don’t know me!”)
And to that end, I’m picking up my workout schedule and writing out my meal plans again. As you may already know, I typically follow The Zone (by Dr. Barry Sears), which controls weight by controlling insulin. It’s not a low-carb or a high-protein diet, but rather a protein-carb-fats balanced diet. I used to use the one-third / two-third rule: eating one part protein (lean meats) and two parts low-density carbs (fruits and veggies) with a sprinkling of good fats (mostly monosaturated, like you find in olives and almonds).
But I got sloppy about it.
Now I’ve decided to work with the “blocks” that Sears outlines in his books. In the back of each of the books I own there’s an index of sorts that lists lots of healthy foods and tells you how much of that food equals a block. Most women want to plan meals with 3 blocks of protein, 3 blocks of (low density, which equals fruits and veggies) carbs, and 3 blocks of good fats. Guys can do 4, 4, and 4.
I invested in a scale so that I can actually figure out how much 3 ounces of something is, and I’m measuring everything until I get a sense of the amounts again.
So, here’s my meal plan for my first day back in the Zone:
Breakfast
- 2/3 cup (cooked) steel-cut oats = 2 blocks carbs
- 1 cup raspberries = 1 block carbs
- 2 soy sausage links = 1 block protein (can’t bring myself to get 3 blocks)
- 3 tsp slivered almonds = 3 blocks fats
Snack
- 1 graham cracker = 1 carb
- 1/2 tsp peanut butter = 1 fat
- 1 mozzarella cheese stick = 1 protein
Lunch
- 3 oz chicken breast = 3 protein
- 3 cups broccoli = 1 carb
- 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries = 2 carbs
- 3 tsp almond slivers = 3 fats
Before boxing snack (one set of blocks from my dinner)
- half a Zone bar (gawd, I love these, esp the peanut butter ones) = 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fat
After boxing dinner
- 1/2 Zone bar (in car, on way home) = 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fat
- 1/4 cup black beans = 1 protein
- 1/2 cup hot salsa = 1 carb
- 1/3 tsp (a drizzle) olive oil = 1 fat
This outlines a pretty stringent Zone day, and as you saw, I didn’t quite get the breakfast balanced. But for me the really tough part about this plan is the period between lunch and boxing. The best way I know to do it is to eat lunch about 1 or 2 pm, so that I’m not perishing for food by 6, when I’ll tuck into my Zone bar.
But I’m resolved to get on the plan once again. I’ll keep you posted.
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