Seth Roberts - a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley - experimented with a whole range of diets before arriving at one which not only worked extraordinarily well, but took the least amount of effort and willpower, and worked without deprivation. Based on the principle that you have a weight set-point, which you eat to until you no longer feel hungry, Seth recommends that you have a regular tablespoonful of light olive oil or sugared water between meals to lower your set-point, lower your hunger - and therefore lower your weight. No calorie counting, no change of diet - and no hunger. It's that simple!
--This text refers to an alternate
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'A weight-loss theory that might just benefit a few million people.' -- Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics Responses from Shangri-La bloggers: 'This diet works, it's easy, I eat whatever I feel like, but I snack much less."This is the first time I have ever left food on a plate."Before this, I felt powerless over food. Diets never worked. It was just an addiction. Now I eat when I'm hungry.' 'My interest in chocolate has dropped dramatically.' 'It appealed to my essential laziness.' -- www.freakonomics.com/blog
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Seth Roberts is an associate professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Berkeley.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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I am a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. I am on the editorial board of the scientific journal Nutrition and have published dozens of scientific articles on many topics, including health, nutrition, and weight control. I blog at blog.sethroberts.net.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
195 of 202 people found the following review helpful
By Fat Man
Format:Hardcover
I was very skeptical of the claims made about this diet. Who wouldn't be? It sounds like the ultimate diet scam, designed to appeal to sedentary fat idiots who long to believe they can lose weight without expending any effort or having to give up their favorite junk food. Then I read the book. It's very clear and well-reasoned, but it was still hard to get past the fact that it goes against practically all the standard weight loss ideas I'd ever heard. Of course in the long run none of the standard ideas ever helped me lose weight and keep it off, so I decided to give this method a try. The great thing about it is, it's exceptionally easy and painless and very inexpensive to try it. Spoiler alert! I hate to give away the ending but for me at least it TOTALLY WORKS! I've noticed that people's reactions to this book, with very few exceptions, fall into two categories: those who think it's crazy and can't possibly work, and those who actually try it and are very surprised to find themselves losing weight. The book itself is kind of quirky and offbeat, but seems to be backed up by solid research. For such a small book it sure has a lot of footnotes. Can I just say something? I'm not hungry!
178 of 184 people found the following review helpful
By John Viega
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm yet another person who is happy with the results from following the guidance in this book. I think that it's clearly true that this "diet" (it is not really a diet per se) is working for a whole lot of people, and also that there are some people for whom it is not working.
It's unlikely that tons and tons of people are all experiencing a similar psychological effect. It's possible, but if that were true, I'd expect that some other fad would have been able to produce a similar widespread effect long ago. And if it is true, then so much the better, and the people who can't reproduce the effect, should move on, and appreciate that it does seem to work for many.
I also think the theory behind why the "diet" works is interesting, but not completely validated. That is, while it seems to work, perhaps the reasons why are wrong (more likely, that the theory isn't totally complete). I think they make intuitive sense, but it may be there's some other factor that differentiates some people, and makes the core idea not work for them.
But I think the most common reason for this not working is probably due to misunderstanding the idea. I've seen the same few mistakes made over and over:
1) Not understanding the diet, and not following it properly. When it passes by word of mouth, for example, many people will try extra-virgin olive oil instead of extra-light olive oil (ELOO).
2) If you're already on a diet, and go off that diet when you start this one (or relax your old diet in any way), you can pretty much guarantee you're going to gain weight, at least in the short term, because your caloric intake is likely to skyrocket, even w/ the appetite control from the ELOO / sugar water. That's what you get when you start eating a lot more junk than you're used to.
3) Shangri-La will make you less hungry, but it is ultimately up to you to eat less. It's clear in the book that you still need to restrict your caloric intake, it's just that the ELOO / sugar water, when used properly, can help on the appetite, making it easy to self-restrict your caloric intake. If you have some psychological need to always eat what's in front of you, even when you're full, then you may not eat any less, and you won't lose any weight.
Personally, I do have a bit of a psychological tie to cleaning my plate, especially since I paid for the food and want to get my money's worth. I'm working on that, but what I've tried to do is make sure that I put less food in front of myself to begin with. For example, there's a pizza place a few blocks from me that sells pizza by the slice. When I first started the diet, I'd get two pieces, and would end up hungry pretty soon after. A week after starting the diet, I went into the pizza place. I decided to eat one slice, and then only get the second slice if I was still hungry. I wasn't, so I left, and didn't get hungry again the rest of the day. If I'd have ordered two slices, as normal, I still would have eaten the second slice, and never would have restricted my caloric intake on the meal.
I'm still working on this. But I have found that within a week, I was able to reduce my calories by half from before starting the diet, without any real hunger discomfort (certainly, when I get hungry I eat). That doesn't mean I always take in half as many calories, mainly because there's still the psychological aspect of cleaning my plate! I've had meals where I really wasn't hungry at all a couple of bites into the meal, but I still kept eating, because I'd paid for the food...
All in all, I'm aware of this issue, and I'm still keeping the calories down, and losing weight, totally without hunger. I think I've got room for improvement, but it is coming down to concious choices. I think I'm appealing to my desire to get the most for my money by trying to order less. For example, I can now generally either eat an appetizer or an entree... I don't need both. I just pick the thing that looks best.
Hope this helps.
It's unlikely that tons and tons of people are all experiencing a similar psychological effect. It's possible, but if that were true, I'd expect that some other fad would have been able to produce a similar widespread effect long ago. And if it is true, then so much the better, and the people who can't reproduce the effect, should move on, and appreciate that it does seem to work for many.
I also think the theory behind why the "diet" works is interesting, but not completely validated. That is, while it seems to work, perhaps the reasons why are wrong (more likely, that the theory isn't totally complete). I think they make intuitive sense, but it may be there's some other factor that differentiates some people, and makes the core idea not work for them.
But I think the most common reason for this not working is probably due to misunderstanding the idea. I've seen the same few mistakes made over and over:
1) Not understanding the diet, and not following it properly. When it passes by word of mouth, for example, many people will try extra-virgin olive oil instead of extra-light olive oil (ELOO).
2) If you're already on a diet, and go off that diet when you start this one (or relax your old diet in any way), you can pretty much guarantee you're going to gain weight, at least in the short term, because your caloric intake is likely to skyrocket, even w/ the appetite control from the ELOO / sugar water. That's what you get when you start eating a lot more junk than you're used to.
3) Shangri-La will make you less hungry, but it is ultimately up to you to eat less. It's clear in the book that you still need to restrict your caloric intake, it's just that the ELOO / sugar water, when used properly, can help on the appetite, making it easy to self-restrict your caloric intake. If you have some psychological need to always eat what's in front of you, even when you're full, then you may not eat any less, and you won't lose any weight.
Personally, I do have a bit of a psychological tie to cleaning my plate, especially since I paid for the food and want to get my money's worth. I'm working on that, but what I've tried to do is make sure that I put less food in front of myself to begin with. For example, there's a pizza place a few blocks from me that sells pizza by the slice. When I first started the diet, I'd get two pieces, and would end up hungry pretty soon after. A week after starting the diet, I went into the pizza place. I decided to eat one slice, and then only get the second slice if I was still hungry. I wasn't, so I left, and didn't get hungry again the rest of the day. If I'd have ordered two slices, as normal, I still would have eaten the second slice, and never would have restricted my caloric intake on the meal.
I'm still working on this. But I have found that within a week, I was able to reduce my calories by half from before starting the diet, without any real hunger discomfort (certainly, when I get hungry I eat). That doesn't mean I always take in half as many calories, mainly because there's still the psychological aspect of cleaning my plate! I've had meals where I really wasn't hungry at all a couple of bites into the meal, but I still kept eating, because I'd paid for the food...
All in all, I'm aware of this issue, and I'm still keeping the calories down, and losing weight, totally without hunger. I think I've got room for improvement, but it is coming down to concious choices. I think I'm appealing to my desire to get the most for my money by trying to order less. For example, I can now generally either eat an appetizer or an entree... I don't need both. I just pick the thing that looks best.
Hope this helps.
132 of 137 people found the following review helpful
By Lily M.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm so sorry that the one star reviewer didn't try the diet. I think he/she would've been surprised by how well it works. And it's not just for "couch potatoes." It's for anyone who wants to lose weight. This country has a terrible obesity problem. I know this program can help, because it helped me.
I lost 10% of my body weight in a couple of months on this program. I would like to say as emphatically as I can that the book doesn't contain "pseudo-science." The author(a Ph.D professor at one of the country's top universities!) goes to great pains to include material from other scientists and respected journals. And the footnotes are exhaustive! Sometimes when a new idea comes along, it's difficult for some to let go of old dogma. Don't be discouraged by naysayers! Keep an open mind. Try it yourself.
I lost 10% of my body weight in a couple of months on this program. I would like to say as emphatically as I can that the book doesn't contain "pseudo-science." The author(a Ph.D professor at one of the country's top universities!) goes to great pains to include material from other scientists and respected journals. And the footnotes are exhaustive! Sometimes when a new idea comes along, it's difficult for some to let go of old dogma. Don't be discouraged by naysayers! Keep an open mind. Try it yourself.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
So Far, So Good...
I started 4 days ago. 2nd day, appetite waayy down. 1st workday was a bit iffy, though. My only problem is nite time eating. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Rayca
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really Should Be Called the Set Point Diet
It works. I had a similar experience in the 1980s when I tried Macrobiotics. All the food was different from my Midwestern upbringing. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Chicago Bookie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like the idea
I'm just at the start point here but the whole book makes sense to me. Now I guess I need to go to some of the websites. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Frank E. Terrill
5.0 out of 5 stars
game changer!
About five days into trying the diet described in this book I texted my mom "This is a game changer, I am not even hungry! Read more
Published 1 month ago by kel
2.0 out of 5 stars
Did not try it
basically drink a couple table spoons of extra virgin olive oil every morning---that is the entire book. That is suppose to keep you from over eatting the rest of the day. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Julie Heinrich
1.0 out of 5 stars
And when it doesn't work for you?
I read about this diet in the Freakonomics book and was intrigued. I purchased it and read it cover to cover, and then implemented it into my daily life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jody R.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Big promise, very little merit.
The reason for little value is that it requires to take too much sugar or too much oil. Both are hard on liver and kidneys. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Alec L
4.0 out of 5 stars
So far so good
Wanted to try it for myself after doing a ton of research and reading more positive reviews then negative ones. Started it 5 days ago and I can def tell it suppresses my appetite. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Monkeygirl 79
5.0 out of 5 stars
why shangri la diet is the best diet book in the universe
Shangri-la diet is the best book in the UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i LOVE THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT HELPS PEOPLE. Read more
Published 4 months ago by ms scary
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worked for Awhile
I just couldn't keep swallowing oil every day, but if I could have, I would have lost weight because it does curb the appetite.
Published 4 months ago by nomdeplume
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