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Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

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Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#151

Post by icelancer »

graeme wrote: post #150
icelancer wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>One additional problem of soylent: the designers assume we need a steady inejection of the same macronutrients every time we eat. We know positively that this is false. Bodybuilders have long known that carbohydrates are more effective after a workout. As with increased protein after a workout. We don't "know" this. There is strong anecdotal evidence showing that it MIGHT be true. But Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, and…

You're right. I hesitated with that line, and should have said "we suspect" rather than we know. Constant macronutrient ratios treat the body as a linear system. I doubt the body does best on a constant injection of the same nutrients. But I don't actually know that.

I don't know either, but I strongly, strongly suspect the laws of thermodynamics are more important than the nuances of human biology, such as they may be. Human biology has done exceedingly well in ridiculously varying conditions. I really doubt that a long lasting lack of X nutrient is going to kill someone. The defining characteristic of human biology is that we live despite tons of variations in diet, activity level, and exogenous conditions like water purity, temperature, humidity, etc. The human body is damn good at figuring out what to do with an incredibly diverse array of energy sources. It is not fragile AT ALL.

But again, my beef with Soylent is that they make wild claims that might not be accurate. And so what, really? Every other supplement manufacturer does the same damn thing - and worse. See also: Any "growth hormone" supplement, deer antler spray, etc.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#152

Post by jacques_chester »

gaelian wrote: post #129
jacques_chester wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. There are existing MRPs. 2. There are companies that will prepare and deliver meals for you. Usually lower in sodium than dining out / take-away. 3. Soylent is surrounded with controversy because of the deliberate avoidance of expert input leading to trivial but potentially life-threatening errors: http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueReddit/comments/1jvsie/the_man_w...

I don't have a horse in this race one way or the other. I didn't back Soylent, I'm not for or against it, just an observer. But did you read that Herman guy's original comment[1]? He's borderline ranting from the outset. Amongst other ostensibly useful advice, he tells the Rob guy to include copper when he already did, the Rob guy gives a reply that seems to encourage further engagement but Herman does not respond. H…

Yes, he's a dick and he missed copper. I'm going to assign the dickishness to passion and the missed copper to missing copper in the list.

But his general point is still correct: a mix of foods trumps a formula, especially given population variations in requirement and uptake.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#153

Post by samstave »

jacques_chester wrote: post #149
samstave wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I have no ability to judge the veracity of the claims of Soylent.me -- let me tell you the only reason I am hopeful it works is for the same reason Jobs only wore black turtle-necks and jeans: simplicity. I want to be able to take a good fuel for my body and indulge in great food whenever I want. I want to be able to back-pack for a week with only a 4-pound food supply.

> I want to be able to take a good fuel for my body and indulge in great food whenever I want. Then eat some meat and some vegetables. > I want to be able to back-pack for a week with only a 4-pound food supply. Then take trail mix.

jacques_chester, The Dream Killer.

P.S.: I am currently eating Chicken I made with a side of snap-peas from my garden. I do what you say already -- I just also want an alternative which has incredible shelf-life, portability, cost-benefit, etc. etc. etc.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#154

Post by jacques_chester »

samstave wrote: post #153
jacques_chester wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I want to be able to take a good fuel for my body and indulge in great food whenever I want. Then eat some meat and some vegetables. > I want to be able to back-pack for a week with only a 4-pound food supply. Then take trail mix.

jacques_chester, The Dream Killer. P.S.: I am currently eating Chicken I made with a side of snap-peas from my garden. I do what you say already -- I just also want an alternative which has incredible shelf-life, portability, cost-benefit, etc. etc. etc.

Dream killer? Nah, merely a young curmudgeon. I need my 10,000 hours of grumping so that "get off my grass" really stings, y'know?

By the way -- there are such alternatives already available. Have you bought any before?

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#155

Post by gaelian »

jacques_chester wrote: post #152
gaelian wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have a horse in this race one way or the other. I didn't back Soylent, I'm not for or against it, just an observer. But did you read that Herman guy's original comment[1]? He's borderline ranting from the outset. Amongst other ostensibly useful advice, he tells the Rob guy to include copper when he already did, the Rob guy gives a reply that seems to encourage further engagement but Herman does not respond. H…

Yes, he's a dick and he missed copper. I'm going to assign the dickishness to passion and the missed copper to missing copper in the list. But his general point is still correct: a mix of foods trumps a formula, especially given population variations in requirement and uptake.

I'm encouraged by your optimism. Being a little cynical myself, I could just as easily have attributed his dickishness to arrogance/elitism and the missed copper to the possibility that his arrogance/elitism lead him to not even bother to finish reading the whole post before passing judgement and writing his original comment. :P He also missed the opportunity to provide further input. Not that's he's required to do so, but it's a bit disingenuous to not do so and then complain months later that you were ignored.

I do agree though that a mix of foods does seem to trump a formula, at least at our current level of understanding. And I can’t say I’d really be willing to make myself a guinea pig in this experiment at this juncture, but I’m still glad people are thinking about this issue and trying new things.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#156

Post by anfedorov »

hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #92
plainOldText wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's even better to read the comments after reading the article. Here's a possible flow: 1. Read the article 2. Analyze. Establish your position/beliefs 3. Read the comments 4. Adjust your beliefs in the light of new evidence :)

OT: Often I read HN comments before reading the article, it helps to filter the BS off.

I almost skipped the article because of the top comment, but he says a lot more than the comment addresses, so it's worth reading nonetheless.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#157

Post by gnaritas »

__--__ wrote: post #137
tocomment wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a protien shake for breakfast really that bad? I have not been able to find a breakfast food that's quick, tastes ok, and isn't high in carbs.

Steak and eggs. Quick, tasty, high in protein, low in carbs. Considered a traditional breakfast.

Requires cooking, not quick.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#158

Post by obstacle1 »

marze wrote: post #143
obstacle1 wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Imagine if there was a new drug that gave the mental benefits the guy reported after two weeks of use and saved you money too. I found this drug that makes me feel way relaxed and totally content with the world. I don't do anything while on the drug, 'cause life's great just sitting here on the couch. As a consequence of sitting on my couch enjoying my great life, I don't spend any money, so I'm totally saving compa…

"recommending we throw out any pretensions of objectivity or science or knowledge in favor of "do what you feel"." Not so. Mental agility, weight, blood pressure are all easy and inexpensive to track. A person's perception of how well they slept, overall feeling of well being, etc., can also be tracked if they are careful to quantify and record them. I think you underestimate the power of carefully recorded data, whi…

Here is what you said earlier:

>If your aim is for improved mental function, more energy, less health problems, etc., you don't need to know how to interpret any obscure tests. You'll know.

The above directly contradicts your most recent reply, since it obviously precludes the possibility of any meaningful quantification.

"Screw the tests, you'll know" is precisely the opposite of objective analysis. We'll know what? Nothing objective, that's for sure.

Since you appear to be arguing both for and against quantified self-style living in this thread, I can't help but wonder what your angle is. Are you actually just arguing for Soylent? Your position makes no sense, but you're enthusiastically defending the product, and you've done it in prior threads about Soylent, too.

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#159

Post by andyakb »

cabinguy wrote: post #23
alphaoverlord wrote: post #9

I'm all for people having the freedom to eat whatever they want and I really like the quantified self aspect of seeing how diet affects how they feel and metrics of health, but I have to say the author grossly does not understand the medical tests he had done and misinterprets the data. I'm not going to comment on the drink, but rather on his misunderstanding of medicine. First, EGFR is not "Epidermal Growth Factor R…

DEXA scans can be used to accurately measure body fat, too.

Right. I would wager money that this is why they were suggested; to measure muscle preservation

Re: Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

#160

Post by foobarbazqux »

jimbokun wrote: post #49
tocomment wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a protien shake for breakfast really that bad? I have not been able to find a breakfast food that's quick, tastes ok, and isn't high in carbs.

How about a banana?

Bananas are mostly carbs. In Africa, plantains and bananas provide over 25% of carbohydrate requirements for 70 million people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain_%28cooking%29

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