> I, however, would agree that 1/3-1/3-1/3 is a well
> balanced diet (it's about what I eat myself). I don't
> think it's necessary to eat as little fruit and greens
> as many on this list do.

I tend to agree with Erik on this. It was called the isocaloric diet by Dan
Duchaine, and he considered it a less stressful version of the zone diet.
Later, Lyle McDonald advocated it as a pretty easy way to get enough of
each macronutrient. The basic idea is to stay close to the zone diet
parameters, but give yourself a 10% cushion one way or the other (or the
other :).

> Tummy-troubles &
> weight-gain comes much easier to me after a period of
> say gluten-free bread than after an "episode" of
> chocolate.

I have found that a certain amount of chocolate has something like a
thermogenic effect on me. It seems to speed up my metabolism if eaten
rarely and below a certain "threshold". I've been amazed in the past when
I've gone on a chocolate binge and wound up losing rather than gaining
weight. (Of course, and unfortunately, the effect seems to be diminishing
as I age). Has anyone else experienced this?