Seth Roberts, PhD, a psychology professor from the University of California at Berkeley, created the diet, after he recognized a relationship between weight control and associative learning. In his research, he used himself as the guinea pig, in applying this scientific research to weight loss.

On this plan, dieters will learn how to determine and adjust their “set point” to better focus their dietary needs. Through the consumption of increased amounts of flavorless oils and sugar, smaller portions, and low glycemic index foods, dieters will learn to suppress their appetites and eat less frequently, resulting in weight loss.

What makes the diet different?

This plan claims to combine the mind-body connection, nutrition and psychology research to determine a new set of weight loss tactics. Creator Roberts used himself as the original subject for weight loss experimentation, and he promises that the addition of certain foods to your diet will assist in rapid weight loss.

What is the Shangri-La Diet?

A “set point” is defined by the Shangri-La Diet as “the weight your body ‘wants’ to be – the weight you are when you are not paying attention to how much you eat.” If your “set point” is 150 pounds, you will constantly feel hungry and eat more when you are below this weight. If you weigh more than your “set point” weight, you regularly feel too full and uncomfortable. Every time you prepare to eat, your “set point” determines how much you will consume. The larger the gap between your “set point” and your weight, the more hungry you will be, which can lead to overeating. This diet plan attempts to educate dieters to lower their “set point” everyday, by tricking the body into feeling full (and suppressing their appetite), in order to achieve weight loss. Charts and tables are included to help dieters determine what they need for their desired weight loss.

The plan requires that dieters drink one or two liquid solutions numerous times a day. The choices are sucrose (sugar) with water or extra light olive oil (other light oils, like safflower or canola, can also be used). The diet recommends consuming between 200 and 400 calories a day from these sugar and oil solutions, but this can vary. These solutions can be consumed any time of day, and should be consumed one hour before any meal or snack, in order to help dieters feel less hungry when they sit down to eat.

Dieters are encouraged to eat anywhere from one to three meals a day (with or without snacks). Roberts mentions a time during his dieting when he was only eating one meal every two days, because he claims that was all he was hungry for. Dieters can eat whatever they want, but are recommended to consume foods with a low “flavor-calorie association.” The more flavor a food has, the more easily it raises your “set point,” and the more you will want to eat. If you are not familiar with a particular flavor, you have no association with it and will eat less of it at first. Sugar and oil have no flavor-calorie associations, so they will decrease “set points” a lot.

Further Shangri-La Diet tips for lowering “set points” and appetite suppression include:

o Drink tea and chew gum constantly throughout the day.

o Try new foods, as you are much less likely to overeat if you have never tried the food before.

o Cook more, since home-cooked foods are less uniform than processed or fast foods, and thereby vary in flavor each time you make them, so that they have a lower flavor-calorie association.

o Eat foods with less flavor, like raw fish, and you will want to eat less.

Dieters can dine out for one or more small meal every day, and are encouraged to schedule meals around their social schedule. The idea is to enjoy your meals with friends and family, and save the sugar and oil for when you are eating alone or on the run.

There are no recommendations for alcohol consumption on this plan. Since dieters can eat whatever they want, it is possible to assume that alcohol is allowed in moderation.

What are the weight loss expectations?

Weight loss results will vary depending on how many meals dieters choose to eat per day. The diet does promise the results can begin in as little as two days. It suggests that dieters might lose as much as a half to one pound per day, but no more than two pounds a week are “recommended.” Roberts does caution dieters that if you stop taking the sugar water and/or oil, you will slowly put back any lost weight.

Is exercise promoted?

Exercise is not necessary for successful weight loss on this plan. Dieters who exercised regularly before they started the plan are encouraged to continue, and are reminded that an increase in activity may assist in further weight loss. The Shangri-La Diet also mentions that exercise alone is not a good way to lose weight.

Are supplements recommended?

A daily multivitamin is recommended for dieters.