Summary

I lost about 29 pounds / 13 kg. (as of July 6, 2010) by following a diet that was developed by psychologist Seth Roberts.  Briefly, the Shangri-La diet involves appetite suppression via the ingestion of flavorless calories in the form of oil and/or sugar water.  The diet is described here, here, and here, among other places.

Background

I first heard of the Shangri-La diet when I read this article in the New York Times back in September, 2005.  The diet seemed so bizarre that the idea of it stuck with me—until, about four years later, I finally decided to try it.

Being 5’ 10” tall and weighing 222 lbs. (1.8 m / 100.7 kg.), I wanted to lose weight, and I was looking for a diet that would satisfy the following five criteria:

1. It wouldn’t require me to change the types of foods that I eat.  I’m a vegan for ethical reasons, and I did not want to stray from that philosophy.  (Note, for example, that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to eat a low-carbohydrate diet without consuming animal products.)
2. The diet wouldn’t depend on willpower, at least not heavily.  Knowing myself, I would not be able to adhere to a diet that could be sustained only by exerting an iron will (which is, essentially, almost all weight-loss diets).
3. The diet did not have any obvious characteristics that might cause one to believe that it would be harmful to your health.
4. The diet wouldn’t require regular exercise.  I’ve hated exercise my whole life, and I don’t have time for it, anyway.
5. The diet could be continued indefinitely.

The Shangri-La diet met all five criteria, so I tried it—to some success.

My current routine

I start the day with two large mugs of coffee with sugar (about 1 teaspoon per mug) and some soy creamer.  Around noon, I take 3½ tablespoons of flaxseed oil (usually Spectrum Original, without added lignans), followed by a few gulps of water from a drinking fountain.  I eat a large dinner around 7:00 PM, and I have a substantial snack (really, it’s more of a second meal) around 10:00 PM.  I don’t eat dessert after dinner, but my snack usually ends with a piece of cake or pie, a candy bar, or some cookies.  All the food I eat is always vegan.  I don’t eat between the two meals.

I don’t keep track of calorie counts, but my dinner is larger now than it used to be before I started the diet.  To give some sense of the size, at a Thai restaurant I typically eat a bowl of soup, two fresh vegetable spring rolls, and an entrée with vegetables and tofu.  My 10 o’clock snack is about half as large, or maybe a bit more than half.  I feel quite full at the end of the dinner and following the snack.

Routine at the start of the diet

For the first two months or so, I used extra-light olive oil instead of flaxseed oil, and I would follow the olive oil with a 16 oz. glass of sugar water (9 teaspoons of sugar dissolved in lukewarm water).  I would sip the water slowly, over the course of about an hour.  One day I didn’t have any sugar, and I noticed that my appetite was sufficiently suppressed by the olive oil alone.  Soon after, I tried flaxseed oil and found it comparable to the olive oil.  I stayed with the flaxseed oil because of its possible health benefits.

Other thoughts

• The first few days I tried the diet, I really didn’t experience much of a reduction in my appetite.  I did manage to avoid eating until dinner-time, but the task was difficult.  I was discouraged and started to think that the diet wouldn’t work for me.  However, I did continue it, and I started drinking the water more slowly (I had initially gulped it down quickly).  Taking many small sips over an hour seemed to do the trick.

• On Seth Roberts’s home page, a dieter named Kathy Sierra wrote, “Within three days, I was actually forgetting to eat”. I never experienced such a profound effect.  The diet certainly reduced my hunger to the point where my appetite was manageable, but I would still experience some “break-through” hunger, especially if I felt bored or stressed.  Also, seeing (or, particularly, smelling) appetizing food would bring a temporary wave of hunger.  I find it very difficult to be around other people when they are eating lunch.

• When I first started the diet, I noticed that I enjoyed my dinner quite a bit more than usual, but that effect seems to have diminished somewhat over time.

• Other Shangri-La dieters have reported a reduction in their cravings for junk food.  I have not found that to be the case.  I’m quite fond of foods with strong, spicy flavors, and I continue to eat things like spiced nacho chips, jalapeño-flavored almonds, and chocolate with chilis.  I don’t snack between my two meals.

• In certain circumstances, I’m forced to eat lunch, as when there is a family function that I need to attend, or when a meeting at work takes place over a meal.  Luckily, though, such events typically happen less than once per month.  When I know in advance that I will be eating lunch, I don’t take the flaxseed oil.

• I’ve experimented with other oils.  Udo’s DHA oil blend doesn’t work very well, possibly because it has a fairly strong nutty flavor.  Total EFA (vegan) from Health from the Sun worked as well as the regular flaxseed oil from Spectrum.

• My advice to those would try this diet is to stick with it for at least a few weeks, even if you don’t experience dramatic appetite suppression from the start.  Try varying some of the parameters (amount or type of oil, amount of sugar water, speed with which you consume it, etc.) to see if you can hit upon the right combination.

Remaining concerns

• My initial goal weight was 175 lbs. (79 kg.), but I’m not confident that I will be able to achieve that weight.  During the past few months, my weight loss has slowed down considerably (see graph above).  I have not been “cheating” at all, but I also notice that I’m having more hunger pangs than usual, particularly during mid-to-late afternoon.  My appetite is still sufficiently suppressed that my willpower is not near the breaking point, but I have some concerns over the long-term trend.  I may go back to taking both oil and sugar-water to see if that helps.

• Holiday times pose particular difficulties.  I strayed from the diet during Christmas and New Year’s, and I regained some of the weight that I had lost (but then I subsequently lost it again.)

• Perhaps the biggest drawback to the diet is that I don’t eat with my colleagues at work anymore.  Lunchtime was an opportunity to relax, socialize, and catch-up on events.  I can’t sit with people while they eat—it’s too difficult for me—so I typically work right through lunch.  (On the plus side, though, I get more work done.)

Overall impressions

I am certainly glad that I encountered the Shangri-La diet, and I’m grateful to Seth Roberts for having invented the diet (and publicized it).  Losing 29 lbs. / 13 kg. (so far) is no small accomplishment.  I plan on continuing with this diet indefinitely.

I’m hardly an authority on the subject, but if people have questions, they can contact me at alexc@aya.yale.edu.