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This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

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Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#61
post #25

>Soylent contains all of the nutritive components of a balanced diet, but with just a third of the calories... This worries me. It's not a misquote, either. From his blog^0 : >...I get all the nutrition and energy I need with about 1/3 the calories the average American consumes... The average American consumes 2,757 calories^2 . There's a term called the Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the amount of calories your body ne…

Indeed, if I was to make this I would have to up the fats. If you're a health 5'10 175. You may have some fat you can burn. I'm 6'2 and uh... not nearly that heavy. So I think this drink might be a bit dangerous for me, as it is.

I'm 6'2, 175, with a lean somewhat muscular build, more in the core and legs than in the arms.

(Wow, this is starting to sound like a personal ad, heh)

Anyway, if you're not "nearly that heavy" then I imagine you are quite thin? So yeah you don't need to be dropping weight! Beef it up!

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#62

His approach assumes (among other things) that we know absolutely EVERYTHING there is to know about nutrition. I'm fairly confident that that's not a good assumption. And that a long-term diet of his soylent will lead to some nasty deficiency. (Of course, if he's willing to be the research guinea pig for the rest of us, more power to him.)

I'm skeptical, too.

Without any variety in your food intake, it's an all-or-nothing approach which seems pretty risky. You'd need to keep a close watch on your vitals to ensure you're not missing out on specific nutrients. Something like this would need to be tailored to each person's needs depending on their lifestyle, which can also change depending on various factors like climate, age and so on.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#63

Previous discussion on the creator's blog: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5215223 Generally accepted ad a hoax or ruse of some kind. My opinion: Food is good. I don't want to replace food.

I don't think it's a hoax - he's sending me a batch and I can't wait to try it. I enjoy food occasionally , but most of the time it's just a giant pain in the ass.

If I had to hazard a guess at why the gut reaction is to call it a joke, it would be that (1) meal replacement shakes have been around for at least two decades and (2) it's not a weight loss suggestion (although he mentions it may be useful for that).

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#64
post #25

>Soylent contains all of the nutritive components of a balanced diet, but with just a third of the calories... This worries me. It's not a misquote, either. From his blog^0 : >...I get all the nutrition and energy I need with about 1/3 the calories the average American consumes... The average American consumes 2,757 calories^2 . There's a term called the Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the amount of calories your body ne…

Actually there is a lot of evidence to show that calorie restriction can lead to longer lifespans. I'm not a nutritionist, doctor or someone who is on a calorie restriction diet (though I'm sure I eat less than the average American). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction

Caloric restriction used to be thought to increase lifespan, but more recent studies don't support this.[1][2]

[1] - http://earthsky.org/human-world/oops-caloric-restriction-may...

[2] - http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v489/n7415/full/nature1...

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#65
I've always wanted to do this, and actually have talked to some GI's making this happen. They always said you can do it for a couple of months, but the stomach is designed to handle solid food. I definitely plan to become a beta tester for him though. For a college student, this is a dream.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#66

I'd be really curious to learn how his teeth and gums are doing. If you can find a way to eat without ever having food touch your teeth or gums, I'd imagine you'd have incredible oral health. Thoughts?

Going from short-chain carbs to polysaccharides alone should help a lot.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#67
post #31
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer the name Bachelor Chow myself, though I'd try Soylent as well. I wouldn't want to eat it for every meal but every once in a while I'm in such a hurry that it would be practical to do this for a period.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who instantly thought of Futurama. This does seem like a food product for people who are too lazy to make even a simple meal and clean afterwards.

It's not a matter of being lazy. Cooking and eating consumes hours in my day. At least four hours a day, and typically six hrs a day if I get fancy with cooking.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#68
post #60

>> " I read a textbook on physiological chemistry" >> "I'd been reading a lot of books on biology" Well award this man a degree already. Am I the only one who doesn't trust these kinds of qualifications? A software engineer who is a hobbyist bio-chemist is telling me about a system that "costs 150 a month, cures skin diseases in 9 days, will get you in the best shape of your life, and tastes great." (per his blog) Re…

Maybe not as dangerous as a stead diet of McD's. See it in persepective. He's at least trying, not just stuffing his mouthhole with salt-sugar-fat crap.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#69
One thing experiments like this often seem to forget is that our bodies have evolved to eat. Even something as simple as your stomach physically expanding to hold large quantities of less nutrient-dense whole foods has been shown to have an effect on the body and brain.

Re: This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

#70

I'd be really curious to learn how his teeth and gums are doing. If you can find a way to eat without ever having food touch your teeth or gums, I'd imagine you'd have incredible oral health. Thoughts?

Alternatively, it might weaken your teeth, in a similar way as being in space weakens your bones, while running helps build bone mass.
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