Shangri-La Diet

The Creator

The Shangri-La Diet was created by Seth Roberts, an associate professor of Psychology at the University of California Berkley. Roberts spent years trying to perfect the Shangri-La Diet, using himself as a guinea pig to study the diet's effects.

The Theory

1. Roberts uses a foundational “set point” theory of weight control for the Shangri-La Diet. The term “set point” basically means that at any given time your body wants to be a certain weight. Your body, in response to desiring this particular weight, will increase or decrease your feelings of hunger. If you try to modify your weight away from your certain “set point” you will be unsuccessful with your efforts to lose weight.
2. Roberts furthered the “set point” theory with his own theory of “taste calorie association”. He believed that the tastiness of the foods consumed controls the “set point”, making your body want to gain weight when the food is good tasting, while more bland food lowers your “set point”.

Belief in the “Set Point” Theory

Robert based his Shangri-La Diet from the idea that the human metabolic system evolved during the Stone Age when mankind was subject to a low availability of food followed by an alternately high availability. When food was not available in high quantities the prehistoric body would:

• Slow its metabolism
• Decrease its “set point” to a lower weight

Additionally, when food was readily available:

• The “set point” rose
• Hunger increased
• People gorged and fattened up in preparation for famine.

How the Shangri-La Diet Works

Roberts believes that in order for the Shangri-La Diet to be effective, the dieter must break the “taste-calorie association”, thereby lowering the “set point”. At first he hypothesized that this could be achieved by disassociating calories and taste through:

• Consuming calories that have little or no taste
• Consuming calories that have an unfamiliar taste
• Consuming foods containing calories that are only detected by your body after a time delay.

When That Failed

After experimenting with the above theory, Roberts then explored the notion that the best way to lose weight was by taking small amounts of the following in between meals:

• Small amounts of tasteless oil, such as canola oil or very light olive oil.
• Small amounts of diluted sugar in water, such as fructose or sucrose.
• Swallowing a raw egg quickly (watch out for salmonella!).

Guidelines for Shangri-La Diet

Roberts recommends a few tips to aid the efficacy of the Shangri-La diet:

• Do not take any of the remedies less than an hour before eating or drinking.
• One should only allow 150-300 calories a day for the Shangri-La Diet methods.
• Practice the methods for the rest of your life.
• One normal meal of about 900 calories a day.
• Two pieces of fruit a day (these shouldn’t exceed 75 calories combined)
• Sugar water at a maximum of 150 calories a day.

Pressing Questions: Is This Madness?

Warning: The Shangri-La Diet has not been conclusively evaluated and found to be a categorical method of weight loss. The diet is only a culmination of one man's observations. The Shangri-La Diet should be considered more of a fad diet than a healthful way to lose weight. Roberts' protocol is frequently deemed as unhealthy by doctors and other health professionals. Most nutritionists would recommend that the best way to lose weight is through eating three healthy meals a day accompanied by alternating snacks, and a regular exercising program. There is no effortless way to lose weight and even Roberts admits that for his diet to work, the dieter must continue his recommendations for a lifetime. As with all diet plans, be cautious and talk to your doctor when in doubt.

Written by Virginia Payne