Hi! Today is my first day in the zone, and I'm feeling like I might be screwing it up already! :cry: At the moment, I'm enjoying my lunch as prescribed in the 7-day meal plan. The recipe called for canned chick peas, but all I could find was Garbonzo Chick Peas - is this the same thing? I know Garbonzo beans are different. I haven't eaten beans for years (former Atkin dieter), so I'm rather out of the loop on these kinds of carbs? :? The only deli-style ham my grocery store carries is "honey smoked." Does it matter that it has more fat than the regular oven-baked turkey cold cuts? Also, my local grocery store did not have slow-cooking or steel-cut oatmeal. All I could find was a non-instant oatmeal that takes 5 minutes to prepare. I don't think I bought the right item. If anyone out there is familiar with west coast (Calif.) grocery stores, I'd like to hear about where you found the oatmeal. :wink: Finally, the 7-day meal plan does not include snacks but I know the regular eating plan encourages it. At this early phase, is it ok for me to have a snack like the ones listed in the suggested meals chapter? Or, can I have a Zone Perfect or Balance bar? Thanks to all! :) Newzoner

First all, I'd like to congratulate you on your good start in the Zone! In my experience, garbanzo's have always been the same thing as chick peas. So I think you're fine there. As for the ham, if that's the best you can do then there's no need to worry about it. The whole purpose of the Zone is your overall effort to come as close as possible. A ham with a higher fat content in it won't necessarily knock you out of the zone. As for the oatmeal, I usually buy the "old fashioned" 5 minute oats myself because my grocery budget at times is already stretched and the steel cut oats tend to be expensive. I, too, am from California (Southern) and have seen the steel cut oats in Ralphs (on the bottom shelf usually, only 1 brand) and I'm pretty sure that Trader Joe's carries it to. Also, Wild Oats or Whole Foods Market (organic supermarkets) will carry them also. Pertaining to your question about the snacks other than the ones listed in the book--If I'm running late or out and about I'll just go ahead and have a Zone Perfect bar. Balance bars don't seem to satisfy me as well as the others do, but are better than junk food when in a pinch. There's a website that you can look at where the owner has a big list of snack alternatives, it's www.karenskitchen.com. Good luck on the zoning! It's a great way of life!

Hi Laurel, Many thanks for your thoughtful reply. At lunch, I went out to Whole Foods and found the Red Mill brand steel cut oats, and they cost less than the one I bought at Ralph's last night! What a find. :lol: Thanks for the reference to Zone Perfect. I had one of those in the past, but was suspicious because 1) it tasted awesome! and 2) it didn't have the 40-30-30 info on the label, though I knew the Zone name. Today has been a challenge because I couldn't eat even 1/2 of my breakfast (cottage cheese, mandarin oranges, pineapple) because for some reason it made me want to vomit. :shock: Guess it'll take some time to get used to the cottage cheese. So, I was starving for lunch by 11, ate it at 11:30, and now I feel like dinner is so far away! I thought about grabbing a Zone Perfect bar while out at Whole Foods, but wasn't sure...now I wish I had! :!: Anyway, thanks for the info and I'm looking forward to my results! I hope to lose 25. Good luck to you too! Cheers, Roxanne (Newzoner in San Diego)

Hi, Congrats on beginning the Zone! :D If you don t' happen to like something on the sample menu, make you own meal. It's really pretty easy. Go to the "Food Block Guide" in Zone resources on this site. For a 3 block meal( average size meal for a female) simply choose 3 blocks of protein , 3 blocks of carbs, and 3 blocks of fat from the list. It's not necessary to eat cottage cheese if you don't like it! :? Dr. Sears advocates eating the foods you like within Zone guidelines. 8) As far as fat in your ham, your entire 3 block meal should contain a total of at least 9 g fat. A little extra fat will be of no consequence to your Zoning. It will actually help you stay in the Zone. On the othe hand, too little fat will be not allow you to stay in the Zone. Yes, snacks are very important. You should eat two every day. Zoners usually have one in the late afternoon, and one at bedtime. It's important to never go longer than 5 waking hours without eating either a meal or a snack. If your breakfast is very early, say 6 AM, and your lunch is over 5 hrs later , say 1 PM, you may want to have your snack mid morning instead of in the afternoon The bedtime snack is important to assure you stay in the Zone while sleeping. Dr. Sears is not affilliated with Zone Perfect, nor does he endorse their products. OmegaZone bars are available by mail (see links on Home page of this site) and many Zoners prefer those, since they are unable to stay in the Zone with Zone Perfect bars. Dr. Sears holds a U.S. patent on the OmegaZone bars in relation to their ability to control insulin levels within the Zone. Glad you found some steel cut oats. The 5 min cooking oats are not considered to be favorable carbs for the Zone. If you have any questions, please ask. There are many knowledgeable and helpful people here in the forums. I found at first that it helped me to read the Zone info over several times to take it all in. It may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but once you've been doing it a while it becomes second nature and not a lot of thought is needed to put together a Zone meal. Have fun with it! It's well worth the initial effort. Sue

Hi Sue, Thanks for your reply. I appreciate that you took the time to write. So, let me get this right: Zone Perfect bars are not zone-friendly? I was suspicious because I didn't see 40-30-30 on the label. I did buy Balance bars, though, and may eat them if in a pinch. Thanks again. I have gotten great feedback and support today! Looking forward, Roxanne

The Zone Perfect bars are balanced 40-30-30 with a half a bar equal to one block. However, glycemically speaking they are higher on the scale than Dr. Sear's Omega Zone bars. For some people, the ZP bars last long enough (I'm one) and for other's they don't. The Omega Zone bars release slower into your bloodstream. As for the Balance bars, they don't last me. So its about determining what works for your body chemistry. But stating as I did before--cost is a factor to me, especially with a family of five eating in the Zone--so unfortunately I can't afford the more expensive Dr. Sears Omega Bars. (Luckily, the ZP bars work fine). I agree with Sue, try to work out your own menus and find food that you like. Snacks are important too, try not to skip them. If you do, your blood sugar will get to low and before you know it, you'll have crashed and feel miserable. P.S. How much was the Steel Cut Oats at Whole Foods? If it's affordable there, then I'll go get some. It's a little out of the way, but I'll check it out if it's worth the trip. Thanks!

Hi, The Zone represents a range of P/C ratios, the middle of which is about .75 (the 40/30/30 you mentioned). A food does not have to be exactly 40/30/30 to keep one in the Zone. Some people have to adjust C and F to find their Zone and never eat 40/30/30 ( see section on "Adjusting Your Hormonal Carburetor) yet are very much in the Zone. That said, the ZP bars I have seen do mostly fit the 40/30/30 scenario. The ingredients are formulated in such a way that they don't tend to keep some people in the Zone. They simply don't work for some individuals, especially those who are more carb sensitive. Sue

Hi Laurel, At Whole Foods, the Red Mill Steel Cut oatmeal was $2.29. Thanks for the feedback on Zone Perfect. Have a great weekend! Cheers, Roxanne

I'm an Angeleano. (live in Palmdale, but I get around . . . a lot) Slow cooking oats are generally referred to as either "Steel-cut Oats", "Irish Oatmeal" or "Oat Bran" (which is quite different was "Oat Bran [u]Cereal[/]). I usually buy McCann Irish Oats from Trader Joes ($4.79/can -- which makes a month's worth) as they have the best price and I prefer their texture when cooked over the others I've tried. Other brands (off the top of my head) are Coach's Oats or Bob's Red Mill steel-cut oats. Besides Trader Joes, most health food stores will sell them in some form (either prepackaged or bulk) as will most major grocery stores. (Stater Bros., Vons, Pavilions, "better" Ralphs)