Soylent Month Three • Hacker News Board

Re: Soylent Month Three

#11

Post by aprescott » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:48 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

At the risk of stating the obvious - this is all good and the experiment he's running is very interesting, but - no. I really like eating tasty food. Not for the nutrients, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a hot shower daily even though, technically, I can rest as well on a bare floor and shower once a week. To each his own, but some things are just too u…

This seems to be a common complaint, and the response seems to frequently be: you don't need to replace all your food intake. 50% of the time you eat you might find it tedious and boring, so you can leave the other 50% for pleasurable eating and cooking or whatever else you enjoy about non-clinical cuisine!

Re: Soylent Month Three

#12

Post by rdouble » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:49 PM UTC

I can't figure out if this is just an elaborate troll.

Re: Soylent Month Three

#13

Post by willholloway » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

At the risk of stating the obvious - this is all good and the experiment he's running is very interesting, but - no. I really like eating tasty food. Not for the nutrients, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a hot shower daily even though, technically, I can rest as well on a bare floor and shower once a week. To each his own, but some things are just too u…

I created my own version of soylent (primarily made of a combo of hemp and whey protein powder, canola oil and vitamins, chocolate flavored and sweetned with sucralose and stevia) because I liked the idea so much. Its a great tasting chocolate shake and I look forward to each one. A liquid shake lunch doesn't have to taste bad.

Re: Soylent Month Three

#14

Post by webbruce » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

"We no longer need big biceps". Well true, unless you want to attract women.

Re: Soylent Month Three

#15

Post by abstractbill » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

rdouble wrote: post #12

I can't figure out if this is just an elaborate troll.

Well, he's making something people want; I'm an existence proof, as are a few other commenters on this thread.

Re: Soylent Month Three

#16

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:51 PM UTC

thangalin wrote: post #4

"If people had more self-control obesity would take care of itself." Obesity might be partly genetic. http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/

[deleted]

Re: Soylent Month Three

#17

Post by fusiongyro » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:51 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

At the risk of stating the obvious - this is all good and the experiment he's running is very interesting, but - no. I really like eating tasty food. Not for the nutrients, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a hot shower daily even though, technically, I can rest as well on a bare floor and shower once a week. To each his own, but some things are just too u…

He addressed this point in the interview posted a month or two ago. He compared it to going to the movies. You can love movies without wanting to go see one three times a day. He still eats real meals occasionally.

Re: Soylent Month Three

#18

Post by apalmer » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:52 PM UTC

theyshookhands wrote: post #3

> No one in the United States plows fields or hammers steel. Wow. Talk about being disconnected from reality.

I was shocked when I got to that part. Even aside from the specific jobs he mentioned, he seems to truly believe no one in the united states does physical labor that requires physical strength. Even being charitable one would have to at best assume he meant 'almost' no one which is still is profoundly disconnected from reality.

The experiment as a whole seems somewhat uninformed, there are many liquid diets intended for long term use which have been developed scientifically and the results of which have been studied for decades. I guess this is good for his own personal discovery, but I think his goal is also around making money... in which case if I were in the market for a liquid diet I would rather something that was designed by nutritionists, taken by thousands of patients,and scientifically reviewed... rather than a learn as you go tested on one individual

Re: Soylent Month Three

#19

Post by zeteo » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:52 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

At the risk of stating the obvious - this is all good and the experiment he's running is very interesting, but - no. I really like eating tasty food. Not for the nutrients, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a hot shower daily even though, technically, I can rest as well on a bare floor and shower once a week. To each his own, but some things are just too u…

"This automobile business is all good and interesting, but - no. I really like riding in a horse buggy. Not for the speed, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like candle light and wearing a top hat even though, technically, I could do as well with a baseball cap.

To each his own, but some things are just too unorthodox."

Re: Soylent Month Three

#20

Post by corresation » Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 8:52 PM UTC

Jacob4u2 wrote: post #8

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

At the risk of stating the obvious - this is all good and the experiment he's running is very interesting, but - no. I really like eating tasty food. Not for the nutrients, but for the experience. Similarly to how I really like sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a hot shower daily even though, technically, I can rest as well on a bare floor and shower once a week. To each his own, but some things are just too u…

I don't think that's a fair comparison. What if sleeping on the floor and not showering made you think better and your body healthier? It's not simply a privation technique, he seems to be doing it to hack his body for better performance. Although kind of anecdotal evidence, the article mentions several mood and energy changes when not on the soylent diet (I think those things could just as likely be a change in envi…

What if sleeping on the floor and not showering made you think better and your body healthier?

There is almost certainly someone, somewhere, claiming that sleeping on the floor and/or not showering makes you think better and your body healthier ("The Cave Man Sleep Technique....we didn't evolve in cushy beds now did we?")

99% of these sorts of stories are outrageous pseudo-science looking for an easy fix. Mood/energy changes from diet are interesting reading, but hold astonishingly little value because of the Hawthorne effect, and the simple reality that again people want easy fixes: His description of the perilous decline of his mental capacities when he regressed to normal food sounds like the standard nonsense you hear from people pushing energy bracelets.

Like the GP, food is one of the glorious luxuries of life. Next he'll be chemically castrating himself to save the annoying time waste of sexual congress.