First off, would it be ok for me to make my afternoon snack my midmorning snack? I eat breakfast really early and if i have a snack and then make my lunch a 2 block lunch... it just doesnt work. But I am ok if I have a 3 block lunch then dinner 5 hours later. Wanted to know if that would throw me out of the zone. In my work place..... people snack all day long. On the most tempting things like goldfish crackers, (its almost halloween) so we have all the candy. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to avoid the temptation? Thanks

i think it would be fine for you to have your snack mid-morning. Remember, if you are hungry, that is indicative that you are getting out of the Zone. Also, try to make sure you are still spacing snacks and meals out so that you are eating around every 4 hours. Try to think of the candy :twisted: as exactly what is keeping you from looking and feeling how you would like. I have found that drinking a large glass of water often fills you up enough to get away from those cravings. Remember, we should be drinking about 8 cups of water daily. Good Luck! :D

Cool!! Thanks for the reply. But I am a little confused. You said space out meals and snacks to every 4 hours..... does this mean that I can go 4 hours after a snack? I thought a snack lasted about an hour to an hour and a half. If I could space out my snacks to at least 3 hours that would be great. Sorry... still new at this. Say.. breakfast is at 6:30 Snack - 10:30 Lunch 1:30 Dinner 5:30-6 Bedtime Snack 8:30 - 9 Does that sound right..... or I am leaving to much time to between snacks and meals

Taking your nutrition in smaller, more frequent servings is actually ideal. Don't get hung up on the numbers as much as you should pay attention to how you feel. It's never bad to eat (favorable) food when you're hungry. It is a far worse thing to force yourself to wait, stomach growling, until it's "time" to eat. Best way to avoid the glucose roller coaster is to eat small, frequent servings. [A tip from personal experience: If you have a supervisor or boss who won't allow eating at your work station, tell him you are borderline hypoglycemic or diabetic (you won't be lying). If he still doesn't like it, threaten to sue him for not catering to your particular situation. If that doesn't work, get a better job. It's your health.] You will know best if you drop out of the Zone, and remember it is necessary to pay attention to how you feel throughout the day, keep a mental diary of eating habits that were effective, the foods that kept hunger away for 5 hours, the foods that didn't make you sleepy, etc. I have found, for instance, that I can remain 'Zoned' when I eat 2-block snacks while at work, with a frequency of every 2 or 3 hours. Bring Zone-favorable food to work that you can snack on in small increments, (cheese, deli meat, tuna, nuts, fruit, salad). Make your "lunch" a 2-block helping, and have a couple snacks before and after. Enjoy your morning and afternoon snacks while your unhealthy colleagues take their cigarettes breaks. The shorter lunch will allow you to take a walk or read a book while the fat ladies bask under the flourescent light of the lunchroom, eat their pasta salads and french fries, and share tips they heard from their sister-in-law, or on Oprah, about the latest miracle diet fad they're gonna hafta try [i:22bb9a3a22]next[/i:22bb9a3a22] week. Hallowe'en temptations? I keep plenty of honey peanut Balance bars handy when the ol' Reese's bowl starts calling.

Or, if you can't eat at your desk, take a "bathroom break" and munch a bar on your way to and from, or even in the bathroom if you're desperate. (I have been known to eat a piece of string cheese in the bathroom when out for drinks with friends--I feel a little guilty not bringing enough for everyone!) I use the "is it worth it" test for candy--if it is the most orgasmic thing on the planet, I may indulge a bite with some turkey for balance, but I find that it's not often that I do that. When you think about it, a Snickers bar is usually not worth the trip out of the Zone. (For my husband and I, we both "crash" hugely after a big candy thing--he will literally pass out on the couch, and I'll have some major gastro-intestinal distress--so it's usually not worth it for us.) That way, I occasionally get a bit of really fine chocolate, which is a pleasure that is not worth giving up for me, but I don't waste it on Hershey's. :) Ronica

your imagery, adam, is pretty powerful, but I would not have flinched ever so slightly if you had said "while the overweight people"...or " while others suffering from obesity"...etc.... (forgive if I seem nitpicky cuz I know you meant no harm...)