Comments on: How to lose weight: on losing 40 lbs in 4 months

By: Rose

Rose — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:38:35 +0000

Alex,

Thank you for posting this! I am working on this lifestyle change and it is very encouraging to read about your personal experience.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:59:23 +0000

I am very happy with your article my x girlfriend for other reason were not together but she was raw vegian, and I always questioned her and tried some of the things she madeand it was not to bad made alot of things with flax seed, and others with fozen fruit. We would make ice cream for breakfast weird huh.. But frozen bananas, berries, and some raw nuts with some honey wow what a crazy breakfast but it was good and the kids loved it. I am a huge gym freak but I ripped my tendon off my bone on my left bicep so right now im a little bummed out but now I can concintrate more on my cardio. You are very insperatiobal to me and I know how to eat raw now I just need to get back into my good eating habbits again, I never like to use the word “diet” instead a life style change. And I am now 300 lbs I was 367 lbs I know eating raw can drop weight a lbs a day my x dropoed 75 lbs in 73 days it was a 90 challenge. We drank a tbsp of baking soda to help cleanse your body 3 times a day 1st thing in your mouth in the day and the last thing in your mouth at the end of the day but it does make you burp, I hope my small story can be a little insperational to you and who ever else reads this.

By: Prerna

Prerna — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:30:07 +0000

Hey Alex,
The article of yours is such an inspiration to me. I am trying to loose my weight since couple of months now, as i gained some lbs in the last few months. I’m 26 yrs old, use to work but when I got married,I thought of taking a break for a year or so to spend sometime with my husband. And in return got those extra pounds.
Now as per my height, my ideal weight should be 120 lbs and I’m right now at 165 lbs!! I read so many articles on internet, but yours is so far one of the best and most inspirational as well. My birthday is in Nov, i hope to atleast shed 20-25 lbs by then.
Now, my problem is I eat home-made food but rich food. You see, i’m a vegetarian (no meat, no eggs but milk yes) and from India. the food that we cook is usually rich in oil, spices etc. I don really like junk food, except for may be potato fries or wedges twice in a month or so. And i don even drink soda. Still i’m gaining weight. May be because of my love for milk, yoghurt and rice. I feel the quantity that I eat is more than required.
Your article has really shown me the way of going about it. My raw diet for 5 days starts from today itself..
Again, thanks a lot for sharing your experience with all of us!

Reagrds!

By: Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:51:37 +0000

Hi Alex,

I think your article is fantastic. You may not be a nutritionist but you certainly should be. What you say is completely true.

By: Megapixels

Megapixels — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:08:53 +0000

Great article. Your exactly right about how to lose weight. It’s really pretty simple. Burn more than you eat. Which your approach of eat healthy and exercise advocates. I lost about 14 pounds this winter by simply doing that. I’m an avid squash player, so exercise was no problem. The problem is, I love junk food. Plus the fact, that I can’t seem to eat junk food in moderation. Once I have I little, I tend to gorge. So basically, I forced myself not to eat any. Zip Zero Zilch. I did it for about a month and a half, and combined with playing squash 3-4 times a week, the weight fell off. I went from about 182 to 168 pounds. Needless to say, I play squash a lot faster now.

By: alex

alex — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:49:11 +0000

Privet Elena,

Yeah, I haven’t posted in a while… I wish I could post more but, unfortunately, right now I just don’t have the time with all the other projects in my life.

To answer your first question – there’s a lot of details, but generally, if you eat a LOT of greens such as lettuce, spinach, kale, etc. you will get all the necessary nutrients, protein, calcium, fiber, iron and other necessary stuff that you need. For example, 100 calories of greens contains much more protein than 100 calories of red meat. Of course, you’d have to eat a lot more greens than meat to consume 100 calories, but that’s the whole idea – eating as many greens as possible. Of course, that’s not the only part of it – for example, you need to eat nuts, or take supplements to get some necessary Omega 3 oils that are contained in fish. I also take a multivitamin every day.

I definitely know how that feels to have certain kinds of food “ingrained in your mind”. It also doesn’t help that traditional Russian parents seem to be hell-bent on feeding you as much жареная картошка as possible The way it worked for me is it was very tough to give up meat for a while.. but then, I completely lost the taste for it. After a few weeks, I stopped feeling the temptation for it, and nowdays I get disgusted at the thought of eating something heavy, like steak.

I’m definitely not a nutritionist, and don’t pretend to be one You should not believe anybody that’s trying to sell you anything, and most people that aren’t I’m a firm believer that everyone should do their own research and make their own choices. I still recommend you start with those books I mentioned. Good luck!

By: Elena

Elena — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:02:58 +0000

Hey Alex,
I realize you havent posted in a while and so I am not sure if you will receive this message. However, I will post this anyway.
You mentioned you are cutting down on certain foods and even food groups when you say you dont eat meat, sugar, etc…but you never mentioned how you account for the loss of nutrition that these foods give you. It is undeniable that each of the food groups give you nutritional value and so I wonder whether denying yourself one or more completely would be healthy for you in the long run. I am not trying to disprove your theory on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, my question is simply for my own gain of knowledge.
The problem is – I am also from moscow, russia – eating certain foods, like meat, has been so ingrained in my mind that not only does it seem like I cant live my life without it, but it also seems that life would be unhealthy without it.
I guess what I am trying to say is that my weight fluctuates pretty often, mainly because I am only 21 years old and I go through periods when I exercise a lot and some when I dont, but the way I have been able to regulate my weight (and my health) is to not restrict myself ANY foods like meat, as long as I eat them in moderation, exercise, and avoid the unhealthy eating habits of those foods. For example, I can eat chicken as long as its not fried, or I dont eat the skin, and I can eat red meat as long as I dont eat it more than once or twice a week.
I realize you are not a nutritionist, nor am I, but its always interesting to see the perspective of someone who has gone through this dramatic lifestyle change so please let me know your thoughts.

By: alex

alex — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 02:15:35 +0000

Hi Naila,

Brown sugar is also very bad for you. Avoid it as well.

By: alex

alex — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 02:10:25 +0000

Seth – I think this is where we fundamentally disagree. You can not consider losing weight on its own – you have to think of it in terms of proper nutrition. You’re right – it’s a much more complicated topic than how to lose weight, but I don’t think it should even be a goal to lose weight without thinking about total health.

If somebody is fat – that means the way they eat is wrong. And that means they run a higher risk of getting a nasty disease, such as cancer, heart attack, or diabetes. If that person loses weight on Shangri-La Diet, that’s great – but the health problem is still there.

It actually could get worse, because the person now thinks he/she got a free ticket, a “magic formula” to eat whatever they want and not gain weight. I know I certainly felt that way when I first read your book (a year ago) knowing nothing about proper nutrition.

If people get fat by eating unhealthy food, and lose weight by reducing their appetite and eating less (while still eating unhealthy food) it’s bad for your long-term health. I know it wasn’t your intent when writing the book, but unfortunately, that’s how your message looks like.

By: Seth Roberts

Seth Roberts — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:34:33 +0000

I don’t think the message of the Shangri-La Diet is that the laws of nutrition (the empirical rules about how what you eat affects your health, built up by centuries of research)are repealed. Of course not. Of course what you eat affects your health.

The Shangri-La Diet (or at least my book about it) is about how to lose weight — not about total health, which is far more complicated. The message is that you can lose weight without making any foods forbidden, without cutting back on certain types of foods. The Shangri-La Diet is about new ways of reducing appetite. When you are less hungry you eat less without trying and thus lose weight.