The Book Itself
Is it necessary to own Dr. Roberts' book The Shangri-La Diet to "do" the diet?
I had researched quite a bit about the diet, and although I had read that it wasn't really necessary to own the actual book, I was interested in the research that led to the theory. So, I made the $11.97 purchase.
It's true: the book weighs in (no pun) at 194 pages, but the content itself constitutes a mere 157 pages. Don't let the picture on Amazon fool you, this is a "small format" hardcover, roughly the width of a paperback and only slightly taller.
The beauty lies in the simplicity of the theory and of the diet itself. There are exactly two rules to The Shangri-La Diet: take in flavorless calories daily, and do it at least an hour away from any other food. The calories are from either a flavorless oil (extra light olive oil) or sugar water (sweetness is not a "flavor" to your body's set point).
There you have it: I've given away the entire diet. Don't worry, it's been done countless times by others. But I'm happy with my purchase, because even though it only took a weekend of occasional reading to complete, the theory behind the diet was understood. How something so simple, so elegant, so utterly at odds with everything that's been written and suggested to weight-loss seekers could actually work is explained in this book.
My only complaint might be that the disadvantages (and a few have been raised: tooth decay, diarrhea, nausea) are for the most part glossed over, save for the discussion of blood sugar elevation possible with rapid intake of sugar water. Is this because most of these symptoms are minor, and that olive oil is part of a healthy Mediterranean diet, and that most adult's sugar intake already far exceeds the amount the diet recommends? It would seem so, as the tenets of this diet are largely considered safe, especially contrasted with something like Atkins.
So, do you need the book to understand the diet? Short answer: no. Does it help you understand the theory behind why it works, and help you explain the diet to incredulous friends and family? Yes.
The diet starts Wednesday May 10th.
I had researched quite a bit about the diet, and although I had read that it wasn't really necessary to own the actual book, I was interested in the research that led to the theory. So, I made the $11.97 purchase.
"Quite possibly the smallest diet book ever written." - Sean Curley, from SethRoberts.net
It's true: the book weighs in (no pun) at 194 pages, but the content itself constitutes a mere 157 pages. Don't let the picture on Amazon fool you, this is a "small format" hardcover, roughly the width of a paperback and only slightly taller.
The beauty lies in the simplicity of the theory and of the diet itself. There are exactly two rules to The Shangri-La Diet: take in flavorless calories daily, and do it at least an hour away from any other food. The calories are from either a flavorless oil (extra light olive oil) or sugar water (sweetness is not a "flavor" to your body's set point).
There you have it: I've given away the entire diet. Don't worry, it's been done countless times by others. But I'm happy with my purchase, because even though it only took a weekend of occasional reading to complete, the theory behind the diet was understood. How something so simple, so elegant, so utterly at odds with everything that's been written and suggested to weight-loss seekers could actually work is explained in this book.
My only complaint might be that the disadvantages (and a few have been raised: tooth decay, diarrhea, nausea) are for the most part glossed over, save for the discussion of blood sugar elevation possible with rapid intake of sugar water. Is this because most of these symptoms are minor, and that olive oil is part of a healthy Mediterranean diet, and that most adult's sugar intake already far exceeds the amount the diet recommends? It would seem so, as the tenets of this diet are largely considered safe, especially contrasted with something like Atkins.
So, do you need the book to understand the diet? Short answer: no. Does it help you understand the theory behind why it works, and help you explain the diet to incredulous friends and family? Yes.
The diet starts Wednesday May 10th.
posted by The Fat Guy at 4:53 PM
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