Belatedly,Larmantine wrote:How do you feel? How is the metabolism? Have you noticed any weight loss? Do you experience cravings?
The longest I stuck with Soylent was about a month, and I felt great. But I don't think I lost any weight. My activity levels aren't what they should be. Insofar as I understand nutrition, which I may not, I think the initially 70ish percent carbohydrate makeup of Soylent may have been less than ideal. As dietary shifts go, it was far better than what I would have been eating otherwise, but my impression is that those ratios are better tailored to a more active, healthier person. In combination, I expect it should come as no surprise that I observed no rapid shifts in my composition.
I experience notably more acid reflux on Soylent than not, but this is to say that I experience it, if less, regardless of my diet. I've experienced no gastric distress otherwise. By version, they have changed their ratios, protein source/granule size, reduced sugar content, and added various enzymes intended to aid digestion. I'm not sure how much success this has met with. The only change I've noticed is that I like the taste less now, though it's still quite tolerable.
I experience less cravings than usual while on Soylent, but it may have just been the usual variance, cycles of discipline and will, some placebo, etc. I do think it likely that I had a number of dietary deficiencies that were at least moderately well addressed by it, and perhaps consequently less cravings.
My energy levels were good (relative, but much better than my usual). Mostly I would emphasize the lack of highs and lows, crashes. By contrast, I tend to oscillate between eating well and being disciplined and, well, binge eating with abandon: the Louis C.K. bit where I eat until I hate myself. In either case, though greatly exacerbated by the latter, my energy varies and variously plummets. Something to do with glycemic indexes, blood sugar, many other factors, I expect. Then I level off, feel good for awhile, and repeat. By analogy, the highs and lows of caffeine. On Soylent, I experience none of that. I'm never hungry nor ever uncomfortably full. I experience instead a great, consistent, comfortable peak. Aside being a relatively healthy, time-saving alternative to food, I think this is one of its best selling points.
