After eating a complete 5 block meal, how many hours are needed in between that and a 2-3 block snack/meal? I've done 3 hours several times this week and I'm wondering if this is effective or ineffective. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.

Bryan; the amount of time between meal and snack will depend on how long you have been eating in the Zone.
Generally, Individuals will vary slightly on the timing of their snack... which is perfect... That is how it should be.

I think your doing well.

I really like Dr. Sears way of eating and his approach. He understands we are not cut out with a cookie cutter.
We are individuals and being such, our dietatary needs vary slightly. So listening to your body's response to the food your putting in your mouth is very important.

I think a good example of what I am saying can be found at : http://www.drsears.com/portals/6/Do...lchart.pdf

Bryan,

I will also share with you that as we are all individuals, we all respond a bit differently to the Zone. The books suggest "hunger-free" for 4-6 hours after a meal, but for me, this is rarely the case. I have always thought "what am I doing wrong", until I posted a question to Dr. Sears a few years ago. Basically, it is NOT me, I am NOT doing anything wrong. It is just that I am an individual and we are all different. So, being that I usually get hungry within 4 hours, I normally try to get a Zone snack in within 3 hours of my last meal, if the next meal is going to be longer.

I also notice that the hunger timing differs throughout the day. I tend to feel that I have more difficulty managing my afternoon, so that makes it a great time to place a snack, right in the middle of the day (rather than trying to go from 12:00 to 5:00 without eating).

Keeping a journal and noting your level of hunger each time you eat, you will soon begin to see patterns and you will know what works best for yourself.