Hi. Like a lot of people I've noticed in the forums, I am new to the Zone diet plan. I've been going strong for 4 days and I so far, so good. However, i do have a couple of questions that hopefully some of you seasoned Zoners can answer. 1. I totally eliminated caffeine from my diet over the course of a couple of weeks, per Dr. Sears' suggestions in the Enter the Zone book. However, it is extremely cold where I live right now and I would love a cup of coffee. How adversely would one little cup of coffee effect my hormonal balance? 2. At any given meal, does it matter what order you eat the various macronutrients in? When I bring my lunch to work, it's not always convenient or even possible to prepare my lunch within 4 hours of my breakfast. So, today I ate 1/2 pear at my desk and then about 10-15 minutes later found time to eat the rest of my lunch. Will this throw my insulin levels out of whack???

I've deleted caffeine from my diet except for the one cup of coffee I allow myself one a day and I suffer no adverse effect from it. Many days I have decaf instead and I can't honestly tell the difference. I honestly think that I could do just decaf and notice no difference. keep in mind that everyones metabolic response to things such as caffeine is different. People have kicked around the order which is optimal for consuming macronutrients and I've read various theories discussed in these forums. Personally, as I'm one of those anal compartmental type eaters, I eat my protein, carbs and then my fat. If you are not going to consume all of your food at one given sitting, it is understood that all should be consumed within 45 minutes to one hour. This has been discussed both on the forums and I've discussed it personally with the folks at Sears Labs. Hope it helps?

Thanks jf! Both responses help, but especially the 2nd. These forums are awesome! What a great way to keep the motivation soaring!

Meals are usually designed to help you go 5 hours, not just four. I can do five easily, so you may be able to stretch it if you are still in the Zone. You could always eat a piece of cheese with your pear. :wink: Glad you're enjoying this! These forums are awesome places for help and motivation. Keeps me going! Ronica