Has Anyone Tried the Shangri-La Diet?

No that's good but replacing it with a ton of dairy and meat is crazy.

Why?

I've never heard of that one, but regardless, good luck. How's the exercise? Burning calories also builds muscle, and as a body builder I used to know said, the more muscle one has, the more calories one burns just sitting around.

Too bad I've never taken that to heart myself -- other than the "just sitting around" part. :'D

I created a screen name on this website just so I could post on this topic :)

Okay, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about the actual Shangri-la diet. So I’ll give my input, as someone who is on the diet. I’m a 20 year old female. I’m not overweight yet, but I’ve gained 40 pounds in the last 4 years, so I was on my way... being that I was once an infamous fast food junkie. I decided that I wanted to be a little healthier but literally, all I ever wanted to eat was #2 from McDonald’s. I felt hungry even after eating whole meals at home and would sometimes still go to McDonald’s after supper. I was addicted.

I wanted it to stop for good.

I googled the words “the easiest diet.”

The Shangri-la diet was the first that came to my attention. They made it seem like a miracle. I tried it that day, not understanding really HOW to do it.

You have to be food and flavor free for one hour before the oils, and one hour after. This means no food, no gum, no mints, no tooth paste, no CHAP STICK. I started with one tablespoon. I felt a mildly suppressed appetite.

I tried two tablespoons, thinking that the sudden miracle would kick in. It didn’t really. In fact, I just felt hungrier. But I caught myself not actively eating as much - not purposely going out for food, from boredom. Or eating a whole meal as a snack. I felt hungry in the same way that I always did, but somehow less motivated to eat.

I started using chap stick more often when winter came. THIS ENTIRELY MESSED UP THE WHOLE DIET. NO CHAPSTICK. (lol, really, i must emphasize). I suddenly started feeling REMARKABLY hungry. I would crave almost anything in sight. I was never a chocolate person, but I’d go on brownie binges. This was entirely hindering. I couldn’t see what was wrong at the time, so I quit the diet.

After reading the FORUMS on sethroberts.net (this is important information), I figured out the chap stick was actually allowing flavor into my no-flavor window period. I was off the diet for probably two weeks before trying again.

I also realized that the table spoons I was using were not, in fact, actual table spoons. So I got a real table spoon, a new bottle of Extra Light Olive Oil (ELOO), and went back to the diet.

It moderately worked again. Still felt hungry sometimes. Felt compelled to eat less. No real reason, I just felt like I should eat less. I felt like cheeseburgers were what I didn’t want to eat anymore, so I stopped eating them. I also tried to get on a regular schedule with the ELOO, to avoid accidentally allowing flavor in at the wrong time.

The ELOO was becoming sick. It was tasting okay in the beginning but worsened every day. Some people have to break up the table spoon dosages because they feel sick. I felt moderately sick sometimes, but nothing worse than an occasional stomach ache. I never split the dose, though.

Then I discovered NOSE CLIPS. I bought some from the pool store a few weeks ago (Leslie’s Pools, God bless). I used the swimmer’s nose clip to drink the olive oil. It suddenly was tasteless entirely, and somehow more appetite suppressing.

Also... this lack of fast food gave me an inspiring idea. I have a treadmill in my room that I never use. So I thought, “why not use it?” I started out trying to walk/jog a mile. Now I try for 3 or 4 or 5. Sometimes I jog in the morning for a mile, then walk two or more at night. I watch tv or listen to music. Getting new music often or waiting to see a good tv program really motivates you. But while I’m sure this increases my metabolism, whenever I’ve been on my exercise kicks before... it never really made me lose weight, per se.

The last step in my success with this diet was discovering a cup of water. I started pouring two tablespoons of ELOO into a cold cup of water. I put the nose clip on, and drank the water (& continue to). However slow or fast I want. This seems to work best for me. I am feeling an increase in appetite suppression. I have lost about 11-13 pounds in a month.

I feel more hopeful for losing weight, so it’s easier to eat foods that are healthier. It feels “good” to eat something that isn’t greasy, but I still eat fast food too. About once or twice a week. Which is about 1/7 of the prior consumption.

Today I felt hungry twice.

The one day that I did accidentally skip the ELOO since being back on the diet, I felt pretty hungry. I could definitely tell a difference and decided not to skip any more days.

So I have come to endorse this diet. With the nose clip and water (this can be less of a social spectacle if you do it in the car, on the way to work or elsewhere), the diet is remarkably easier. Though I really do think you have to learn different little things here and there, as I’ve described some.

The down side of the diet...
1. if you stop drinking the oil, you stop feeling the effects. I don’t know how this will apply to long-term adherence to the diet.

2. if you mess up the flavorless window, you will start feeling unusually hungry and have strange new cravings.

3. certain things seem to be effected by the diet. For example, I took a Tylenol PM off the diet once, and it worked wonders. I fell right asleep (though I hate to admit that I took it as a cheap way to fall asleep earlier than normal due to work schedule). I didn’t feel abnormal in any way. However, when I took a Tylenol PM on the diet... I became INCREDIBLY, ridiculously hungry. I have never eaten 7 meals in one day in my life, except the day I took two Tylenol PMs on this diet. I ate non stop the whole day. It was terrible and no one I’ve ever known has had this problem. I will never use tylenol pm again. It also seemed to make the pill less efficient for a sleep aid. But probably because I kept getting out of bed to make food.

4. if you drink the oil in the morning, you will feel reasonably hungry by the evening. I like to wait til about 1 pm, for maximum appetite suppression.

OTHER THINGS TO MENTION
1. don’t start the diet without reading the book OR the forums on seth roberts’ websites. It willl not work as well and will seem discouraging. There is a formula for how much oil to take, based on how overweight you are.

2. it pretty much does work as described, but it feels like less of a miracle when you try it yourself. It’s actually kind of a bit of work to figure out this diet applied to yourself, as an individual. It works for everyone a little differently but I suspect that it CAN WORK FOR EVERYONE using the right techniques.

3. some people prefer flaxseed oil, canola oil, or other oils. Extra Virgin Olive Oil typically seems to be the one that everyone accidentally tries, confusing it for ELOO, and probably could be successful but not without nose clips and throwing off the measurements a bit.

4. some people say that they have increased ability to sleep & clearer skin or shinier hair. (for me, sleep = true, clearer skin = mildly, shinier hair = unnoticed)

5. some people also report decreased interest in smoking, or drinking alcohol.

6. i tend to feel sensitive to caffeine. Drinking a pop makes me feel a little hyper.

I hope this helps a little and best wishes for you :)

Have you ever considered the South Beach Diet. I really hate to call it a diet as it is NOT gimmicky. It can easily be a “way of life” as it is just plain sensible eating. I have lost 45 pounds on it and have kept them off. Others have lost much more — depending on how long you stay on the particular stages.

A friend has 2 grown kids — both overweight. Her daughter chose the surgery and after an initial loss she has not lost much more and is still overweight. Her son tried the South Beach Diet and is steadily losing weight — and is satisfied by the diet.

As I said — it can be a ‘way of life’, as it is sensible eating. Some call it a low carb diet, but it is not! It is a “GOOD” carb diet.

Consider it.