If Eliezer eats less calories than needed for maintenance, he'll lose weight just like anyone else. It'd be physically impossible not to, unless he can absorb nutrition from the air somehow. Normally, eating a ketogenic diet should make it easier to eat less, so he'd need less willpower. Having to lose weight sucks for anyone (I'm trying to lose weight again myself), because there's no way around it: you have to eat less than you burn. And I gather that Eliezer has worse problems than usual, trying to do that. I remember reading about that, and IIRC is not 'just' a question of willpower. Willpower won't keep you from physically getting weak like a sick kitten, or fainting, or stuff like that. I really hope this stuff works out!
Someone really ought to figure out why it's so easy for some people to maintain a healthy weight, and so difficult for others. My husband eats what he wants, and stays naturally slim. Why can't I do that? I suspect that in my case, I love beer, wine etc. too much. But other people don't drink, or hardly drink, and get even fatter than I, so that can't be the problem for everyone.
BTW, I really wish people wouldn't say things like "fat people should just eat less". There's no 'just' about it, it's frigging hard! And you have to do it your whole life!
That's another thing though - just how hard it is varies. I've had periods where I could lose weight/maintain a good weight without great difficulty; and in other periods, just the thought of trying to do that was too much. And I don't really know why that is, either.
That's another thing though - just how hard it is varies. I've had periods where I could lose weight/maintain a good weight without great difficulty; and in other periods, just the thought of trying to do that was too much. And I don't really know why that is, either.
Maybe it depends on whether you're above or below your set point.
Eliezer and I have put together this first pass at a recipe for DIY ketogenic soylent--or, as he prefers to call it,The Mildly Surprising Super Ketonic Dietary Replacement Weight-Loss Fluid - It's Not Food, It's Dietary Replacement Fluid!(R) (I am not in full support of this particular preference...)
So let's play Make a Prediction. It seems more likely to be useful than "free associate with why soylent/ketosis is awesome/stupid". Imagine that Eliezer has around a week's worth of infinite willpower (that can only be spent on resisting food cravings etc.). Further, imagine your crystal ball shows you that a month from now, he hasn't lost any weight. What does it tell you about why?
Ketogenic Soylent v1
1 scoop Gold Standard whey protein
1½ tsp calcium citrate powder
1 tsp creatine
½ cup+1 tbsp ground flax
4 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
2 tbsp lecithin
⅗ tsp potassium citrate on day 1, increase gradually to 1tsp by day 5, don’t exceed 2tsp
½ tsp iodized salt
⅛ packet Emergen-C
⅕ cup olive oil
1¼ tbsp flaxseed oil
⅗ cup MCT oil
Sucralose to taste
We might need to add water to get the consistency right.
Pills
1 capsule vitamin D supplement/day
2 Opti-Women vitamins per day
1 capsule MSM
Totals Per Day
Calories: 1866
Fats: 193.5g
Carbs: 12g
Protein: 54g
Fiber: 25g
Biotin 250mcg
Calcium 150mg
Chromium 120mcg
Copper 2mg
Folic Acid 600mcg
Iodine 200mcg
Iron 18mg
Magnesium 75mg
Manganese 5mg
Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane 1000mg
Molybdenum 70mcg
Niacin 20mg
Pantothenic Acid 20mg
Potassium: 5g
Riboflavin 20mg
Selenium 70mcg
Sodium 3g
Thiamin 20mg
Vitamin A 5,000IU
Vitamin B6 20mg
Vitamin B12 100mcg
Vitamin C 250mg
Vitamin D 1600IU
Vitamin E 100IU
Vitamin K 80mcg
Zinc 15mg