We find the plan very convenient. We have no trouble eating out. We make the best choices we can and forget about it. If I'm going to a friend's house I pack my own lunch (a small price to pay), and we have found ways to eat everything we like...pizza, mashed potatoes, sandwiches, ice cream, etc. It's amazing, too, that by reading labels I have found that sometimes just switching brands of a product would make it fit into the plan more easily, like bread, ice cream, and pizza sauce. I've heard people say that the plan is a quack because once you go off it you will gain the weight back. I wholeheartedly agree that this would happen...I became overweight because I overate. We have decided to make this way of eating a lifetime change. I have never been successful on other plans, and I've tried them all! I've never lost more than 20 pounds before and have never been able to stick to any diet. I have never felt hungry on this plan, and I don't get cravings that often. When I do, I have that food as part of my next meal or snack...in proportion. Overall, the zone has changed our lives for the better, and I can't recommend it highly enough! For us, it's not a diet; it's a lifestyle change...for the better.