jrae
2006-08-10, 09:32 PM
This is an excellent summary on the Shangri-La Diet posted on the Shangri-La forum
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Shangri-La Diet by Dr. Seth Roberts
“Cliff Notesâ€
Overview:
Not a diet, but a way to reduce your hunger & cravings, so you can adhere to any “healthy diet†of choice. Weight can be lost with minimal exercise. The book does not promote significant exercise, just to continue what you are doing and exercise at least 3 x week.
Background:
Seth Roberts experimented on himself and discovered a way to lose weight by tricking the brain. The basic idea is that you have a "set-point", which is the weight your body wants you to be; a result of the amount of pleasurable (good-tasting) foods available. You lower the set point by making the brain think that food is scarce and your body should burn all food as energy and not store any as fat. Seth's insight was that the brain thinks that food is abundant when good and/or familiar flavor is followed by calorie intake. The body reacts to this by raising the set point in order to store calories as fat as a hedge against future periods of food scarcity. The theory is that if there is plenty of good-tasting food available, we will only eat food that tastes good and we will eat it over and over again. He suggests taking in calories with no taste at least once each day.
Basics:
• When at your set-point, your hunger will self-regulate to maintain your set-point weight within a few pounds
• Your body can operate in either “feast†or “famine†mode
• In “feast†mode your set-point (the weight your body wants to be at) goes up, your appetite goes up, and diets are difficult to adhere to because you’re always hungry. You eventually give up on the diet because you can’t stand always being hungry no matter how disciplined you are.
• In “famine†mode your set-point is reduced, you lose your appetite, and you eat less. Weight loss then follows naturally and painlessly.
Methodology:
Consume 100-400 “flavorless†calories each day either all at once or split into 2 or more doses. Consume each dose at least 1 hour after eating/drinking and 1 hour before eating/drinking anything except water.
Recommended amounts are as follows (p. 56 Roberts, Shangri-La Diet):
If you want to lose… Sugar in Water Sugar Calories Oil Oil Calories Total Calories
< 20 lbs 1 Tbsp 45 1 Tbsp 120 165
20-40 lbs 2 Tbsp 90 2 Tbsp 240 330
> 40 lbs 3 Tbsp 135 2 Tbsp 240 375
Notes:
Can vary proportion of flavorless oil & sugar water between all oil and all sugar water, depending on personal preferences.
Oil can be taken in a quick gulp and washed down with water (it does not affect blood sugar)
• Flavorless oils include: Extra Light (tasting) Olive Oil, Canola & Safflower
Sugar water should be sipped slowly (> 30-minutes) to avoid a spike in blood sugar
• Fructose causes a smaller increase in blood sugar; sucrose (table sugar) easily available and cheaper than fructose
Extra Notes:
Diet beverages may have a flavor/calorie association. If diet beverages with flavor (even lemon water) are consumed with meals at any time, the body may interpret as a time of abundant food and try to increase appetite to store more calories.
The flavor of toothpaste may also generate a flavor/calorie association, so “flavorless†calories need to be consumed at least 1 hr prior to or after brushing teeth.
Food with the same repeated flavors build a stronger flavor/calorie association and increase your set-point (the weight your body wants to be at). Some examples of food with strong flavor/calorie association include soft drinks, fast-food, and frozen and/or prepackaged meals. Thus, it is best to cook at home, where the same exact taste is almost never achieved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Shangri-La Diet by Dr. Seth Roberts
“Cliff Notesâ€
Overview:
Not a diet, but a way to reduce your hunger & cravings, so you can adhere to any “healthy diet†of choice. Weight can be lost with minimal exercise. The book does not promote significant exercise, just to continue what you are doing and exercise at least 3 x week.
Background:
Seth Roberts experimented on himself and discovered a way to lose weight by tricking the brain. The basic idea is that you have a "set-point", which is the weight your body wants you to be; a result of the amount of pleasurable (good-tasting) foods available. You lower the set point by making the brain think that food is scarce and your body should burn all food as energy and not store any as fat. Seth's insight was that the brain thinks that food is abundant when good and/or familiar flavor is followed by calorie intake. The body reacts to this by raising the set point in order to store calories as fat as a hedge against future periods of food scarcity. The theory is that if there is plenty of good-tasting food available, we will only eat food that tastes good and we will eat it over and over again. He suggests taking in calories with no taste at least once each day.
Basics:
• When at your set-point, your hunger will self-regulate to maintain your set-point weight within a few pounds
• Your body can operate in either “feast†or “famine†mode
• In “feast†mode your set-point (the weight your body wants to be at) goes up, your appetite goes up, and diets are difficult to adhere to because you’re always hungry. You eventually give up on the diet because you can’t stand always being hungry no matter how disciplined you are.
• In “famine†mode your set-point is reduced, you lose your appetite, and you eat less. Weight loss then follows naturally and painlessly.
Methodology:
Consume 100-400 “flavorless†calories each day either all at once or split into 2 or more doses. Consume each dose at least 1 hour after eating/drinking and 1 hour before eating/drinking anything except water.
Recommended amounts are as follows (p. 56 Roberts, Shangri-La Diet):
If you want to lose… Sugar in Water Sugar Calories Oil Oil Calories Total Calories
< 20 lbs 1 Tbsp 45 1 Tbsp 120 165
20-40 lbs 2 Tbsp 90 2 Tbsp 240 330
> 40 lbs 3 Tbsp 135 2 Tbsp 240 375
Notes:
Can vary proportion of flavorless oil & sugar water between all oil and all sugar water, depending on personal preferences.
Oil can be taken in a quick gulp and washed down with water (it does not affect blood sugar)
• Flavorless oils include: Extra Light (tasting) Olive Oil, Canola & Safflower
Sugar water should be sipped slowly (> 30-minutes) to avoid a spike in blood sugar
• Fructose causes a smaller increase in blood sugar; sucrose (table sugar) easily available and cheaper than fructose
Extra Notes:
Diet beverages may have a flavor/calorie association. If diet beverages with flavor (even lemon water) are consumed with meals at any time, the body may interpret as a time of abundant food and try to increase appetite to store more calories.
The flavor of toothpaste may also generate a flavor/calorie association, so “flavorless†calories need to be consumed at least 1 hr prior to or after brushing teeth.
Food with the same repeated flavors build a stronger flavor/calorie association and increase your set-point (the weight your body wants to be at). Some examples of food with strong flavor/calorie association include soft drinks, fast-food, and frozen and/or prepackaged meals. Thus, it is best to cook at home, where the same exact taste is almost never achieved.