How To Follow The Shangri-la Diet

The Shangri-La Diet was formulated by University of California psychology professor Dr. Seth Roberts. Dr. Roberts decided to experiment on himself with his unusual weight-loss idea after a trip to France, where he found he was losing weight and associated it with the large amounts of previously untasted soda drinks he was drinking. The diet is based on the premise that the human body has a "set point" for things such as weight, meaning it tries to maintain a particular value. The diet aims at lowering this weight set point.

Step 1

Drink 1 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil straight back as you would a shot of liquor, or combine it with cold water. Hold your nose or wear swimmer's nose clips while drinking to disguise the feel of the oil and deaden the taste. Don't eat an hour before or after drinking the oil. Also don't drink flavored drinks, chew gum or cleaning your teeth during the two-hour period.

Step 2

Eat a meal after at least an hour has passed since you drank your oil. You may eat anything you want, but Roberts advises that you select foods with flavors you are unaccustomed to. He says your body is tricked into thinking these are the only foods available, and it shuts down feelings of hunger to help keep you alive during a time when food is scarce. He says if these circumstances continue, your body will eventually change its set point.

If it is not possible to eat different foods, try to change the flavors of your customary menu by adding unusual herbs and spices. An example given by Dr. Roberts is to add ground cinnamon to a pizza.

Step 3

Drink more olive oil. When at least an hour has passed since your last meal, repeat the oil-drinking process. The total number of calories you take from the oil depends on how much weight you want to lose. A good rule of the thumb is to double your weight in pounds and use that figure as the total oil calories you should consume. One tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories, so a person weighing 180 lbs. should drink around 3 tbsp. per day.

Step 4

Eat again after an hour, following the same advice from above. On the Shangri-La diet. there are no set times for your meals, and you can eat as often as you wish, providing you wait a minimum of one hour after drinking your oil.

Tips and Warnings

You can use sugar water instead of olive oil. Consume approximately 1 tsp. of sugar for each 20 lbs. you weigh. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs., drink 7 tsp. of sugar daily. Mix the sugar with water and drink slowly; drinking the solution in less than a half-hour could cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Drink the sugared water in two sessions to help avoid blood sugar spikes. Observe the two-hour window rule. You can take all your oil or sugar in one sitting, or at several times during the day. The important thing is to ingest the recommended amount of tasteless calories daily, and to do it each time within a two-hour window; the time of day you do this is irrelevant. Some people feel a decrease in appetite almost immediately, while for others it can take several weeks.
Dr. Roberts advises that his diet might not be a solution for emotional over-eaters. While many dieters feel less attracted to food when drinking the tasteless calories, the diet does not work for everyone. Before starting a weight-loss diet, consult with your doctor or a nutritionist.