To many people, Shangri-La brings about thoughts of an imaginary utopia, or an idyllic paradise. They may also think of Shangri-La as described in the classic novel Lost Horizons by James Hilton. For many people, Shangri-La is actually the name of their weight loss diet.
The Shangri-La Diet Theories
Seth Roberts, an associate professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, invented the Shangri-La diet after a series of weight loss tests he performed on himself.
Theory 1:
Roberts maintains the theory that the body has an innate desire to be a certain weight, its “set point”, and that the body’s metabolic rate and feelings hunger will increase or decrease to maintain that weight. This theory is compared to a thermostat’s temperature setting. Additionally, attempting to change the body’s “set point” (i.e. lose weight) can be a difficult process often met with failure.
Theory 2:
In addition to the “set point” theory, Roberts believes the amount of flavor in foods, or how tasty it is, has power to control the body’s “set point”. Delicious foods rich in flavor, Roberts theorizes, raises a person’s “set point”, while tasteless foods lower it. In other words, tasty foods cause a person’s body to want to become fat, while tasteless foods cause a person’s body to want to become thin. Roberts calls this theory the “taste-calorie association”.
The essence of the Shangri-La diet is, in order to lose weight, a person must lower the set point by breaking the taste-calorie associations. Roberts believes that the body senses an input of calories soon after the intake of a tasty food, causing the body’s metabolism to alter and want more food. When the taste-calorie association is broken, a person’s body will not crave calories simply because of a tasty food.
To break the “taste-calorie association”, Roberts believes a person must consume several different types of calories from foods:
1. Calories with little or no taste;
2. Calories with an unfamiliar taste;
3. Calories that are detected after a delay
After multiple tests using himself as a guinea pig, Roberts finally created his Shangri-La diet, so named because it an “ideal” diet that puts people at peace with food.
The Shangri-La Diet
When a person begins the Shangri-La diet, their weight loss plan will consist of the following:
1. Drink tasteless oil everyday, such as canola or light olive oil;
2. Drink sugar, either in fructose or sucrose form, diluted in water.
The rationale here is that consuming these tasteless foods will diminish the body’s appetite for food.
Roberts recommends consuming these liquids at least one hour prior to any meals or drinking, so the body does not associate the liquids with meals. In terms of amounts, Roberts recommends that 150 to 300 calories of daily caloric intake come from the oil and sugar water. The higher calorie amount is for weight loss, while the lower is for maintenance.
For example, during the day, a person in the weight loss phase of the Shangri-La diet may consume:
– 2 tablespoons of oil, taken at two different times during the day;
– 6 tablespoons of sugar (fructose or table sugar) diluted in 1 liter of water.
The result of this consumption of liquids is the disruption of the body’s metabolism, which, so disgusted by the intake of oil (an emetic) and sugar water, suppresses the appetite, therefore causing weight loss to come through calorie deprivation. If a person chooses to follow the Shangri-La diet, it is vital that the meals they do eat contain a plethora of essential vitamins and nutrients, because oil and sugar water provide the body with nothing more than empty calories. Person’s considering a new diet should always discuss it with their doctor.