These are the results from the second week of my experiment on the Shangri-La Diet. If you are curious, you can take a look at the first week’s results and read the introduction for the explanation of why I’m doing it and how I think it works. Also note that I’m doing it simultaneously with low-carb maintenance.

Saturday (Day 8 | 14.5 from goal)
Gained back the two lbs I lost on Friday, but I was pretty much expecting it since Friday is my low-carb “cheat” day. I only ate half of my typical breakfast. I wasn’t hungry for lunch and waited almost an hour and a half beyond when I normally eat, but I wasn’t compelled to eat much less than usual when I did eat. I was a bit hungry by dinner time, but I didn’t finish my salad like I normally would. I took my second dose late that night and found that I was nauseated 10 minutes after until I fell asleep, which is something that hasn’t happened to me before. Also noticed something strange: plain water tasted sweet, something that I haven’t experienced since some heavy ketosis phases on Atkins. I am pretty sure I’m not in ketosis, so that wasn’t expected.

Sunday (Day 9 | 14.5 from goal)
Stable weight. Small breakfast again. Went to Aikido and wasn’t hungry afterwards when we got lunch, but again, wasn’t compelled to eat any less than usual. Got treated to dinner for Mother’s Day at our favorite Mexican place and couldn’t resist having a margarita and a few chips, but I didn’t clean my plate. My second dose of oil nauseated me a bit again but not for very long as I tried to drink a good bit of water afterwards. Water didn’t taste sweet today.

Monday (Day 10 | 15 from goal)
Gained half a pound. Not sure if it’s from the margarita or what. Craved my whole breakfast (bar and cup of yogurt) today so I ate it all. Wasn’t hungry for lunch and actually ate a small one for me. But I was hungry for dinner and probably had a bit more than I should have. Switched brands of oil. The new one has less flavor for me, but that also makes it taste “better”. The old one had a little bit of bitter flavor. I’ve noticed that I don’t gag at all anymore taking the oil or immediately try to wash it down with water. I’m wondering if I’m starting to make a flavor association. It tastes a little buttery.

Tuesday (Day 11 | 15 from goal)
No weight change. Ate my typical breakfast but was distracted at work by a fire drill and wasn’t able to take my oil in the morning like I have been. Still didn’t get hungry for lunch until about 12:30. Ate my typical salad for lunch. Took the oil about an hour later than I usually do in the afternoon (around 3:30) and noticed that I didn’t get the hunger pang I usually have around 4:45. Went to Aikido class and ate my typical small dinner when I come home. But I also had some low-carb ice cream. I’m trying not to artificially eat less just to see what happens… if I’m craving something I will eat it.

Wednesday (Day 12 | 13 from goal)
Lost 2lbs, but it is the day after Aikido class. Was hungry for breakfast and ate the whole thing. Wasn’t able to take the oil between breakfast and morning like I have been but still wasn’t starving for lunch and ate it a late but not a lot less food than typical. I left a lot on my plate at dinner, but most of it was the extra large portion of vegetables that came as a side dish, and we had an appetizer, so I probably didn’t eat less over all.

Thursday (Day 13 | 14.5 from goal)
Gained 1.5 lbs. No change in the amount I ate for breakfast, though I wasn’t as hungry this morning. Had my customary salad for lunch. Though I didn’t have the snack before Aikido class that I usually do (a breakfast bar). I took my afternoon dose of oil at about 4:30 so I wasn’t hungry before class. Had my typical light dinner when I got home and some low-carb ice cream for desert.

Friday (Day 14 | 13.5 from goal)
Lost a pound. Again typical from the day after Aikido class. I was pretty hungry for breakfast and ate the whole thing. I was also a bit hungry for lunch, which we had close to 11:30 instead of waiting till after noon. Cheated on my low-carb regimen for dinner since it was Friday, having some bread and a desert. But I didn’t clean my plate like I usually do.

Summary of Week and Thoughts:
I’m starting to lose faith that Shangri-La is going to be effective for me, but in the spirit of the experiment I’m going to keep it up for the next two weeks as long as I don’t gain any significant weight.

I’ve lost less than half a pound comparing the averages of the two weeks, but it’s better than not losing anything at all. I’m finding it interesting to watch the cycle of my weight change throughout the week. There’s definitely a pattern.

I wonder if I’m doing something wrong to not have lost more by now, but I have been very careful about making sure that I followed the simple directions. Possibly it could have something to do with the oil that I’m using. I no longer find it unpleasant to take the dose and I’ve noticed that I have the thought of it tasting buttery. Perhaps that means that I’m making a flavor association with the oil. I am going to try Grape-seed oil (another oil that I’ve read has very little flavor) next week to see if it makes a difference.

I have always been very sensitive to the tastes of things so I wonder if that could be a factor against my success in the diet. I avoid food that’s extremely hot and spicy because I don’t like being “assaulted” by my food. I don’t add salt or other flavorings to food and I sparingly add sauces if offered because I enjoy tasting the flavor of food as it is given. I also can taste the difference in different brands of bottled water which some people tell me is silly, but I distinctly dislike most “natural spring water” because I can taste the minerals. Could that make me unsuitable for the Shangri-La diet? Will I be unable to avoid the flavor/calorie connection?

Another problem may be that I also truly enjoy the food that I eat and hardly feel full at a meal. Stopping eating is mainly a matter of no longer having food on my plate to eat. It’s almost never an issue of feeling uncomfortably full. Even eating slowly doesn’t seem to have an effect on the amount I eat. This isn’t a problem with the low-carb lifestyle because you can eat as much as you like as long as it’s low-carb. But since the ultimate effect of Shangri-La seems to be voluntary calorie restriction, I may be out of luck.

Update: Week 3, I’m done.