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In response to my post about Sensa, a couple of readers suggested I take a look at Seth Robert's Shangri-La Diet. I promptly did some googling, reading what I could find online, and also reserved the book at my public library. I picked the book up yesterday, and I've read about two thirds of it already -- it's not long. It is, however, very interesting, and blessedly clearly written.

Here's what I have been able to glean so far about the theory and practice of the Shangri-La Diet:

Okay, I've been taking gelatin for a couple of months, and I'm on my second three-week cycle of growth hormone releasers. How is it going?

Hi Dana,

Just wondering if you ever had a chance to de-carb any of the holiday recipes sent in? I'm starting to plan my Thanksgiving meal now and wondered if the two recipes I submitted could be de-carbed. If not I'll just find something else to make. I think I sent in the Wisconsin Cranberry Salad and the Cranberry bread.

Also, I'd asked if any of the Whey Protein powders were safe for kids under 18. Let me know if you ever find out the answer.

I rescind my offer to try Sensa. A little poking around the 'net turns up the fact that A) the 30 day "free trial" ain't free -- they send you a two month supply, and simply don't charge you for it until thirty days are up. If you send everything back by day thirty, you pay only shipping and handling (both ways.) However, B) many people said that it was viciously difficult to cancel, and that the Sensa people kept shipping the product and charging their credit card, and even turning them over to collections, claiming they hadn't properly canceled. I'm not getting myself into that, thanks.

Have you seen the infomercials for the new weight loss product Sensa? They make the all-too-familiar claim that you needn't change the way you eat -- simply use their product, eat whatever you like, and you will lose weight.

There is a new twist, however. Most products that make this claim are drugs of one sort or another. Some are thermogenics that speed up metabolism. Others are fat sequestrants that bind up fat in your gut, so that theoretically you absorb fewer calories. Still others are laxatives; this is the case with several of the weight loss teas on the market.

Low carb yeast bread. Oy. It can be done, but it's fluky, and while it won't jack your blood sugar around, I'm not sure it's good for you. More and more, I'm of the opinion that gluten isn't great for anyone, and wheat isn't really food, at least not for human beings. That said...

I still owe you more posts on strategy #2, especially on subbing for flour, but with my desktop computer at the doc's -- it has a nasty virus -- I'm stuck working at my dining room table, on my netbook, hardly ideal ergonomics. I figured I'd do something a tad less complex, before my back yells at me.

In the thread about The Origins Diet, this comment from Paul Abrinko appears:

I need to go hang out with That Nice Boy I Married, who today doubled as That Nice Township Board Candidate I Married, and watch the election returns. So I will leave you in capable, informed, and seriously funny hands: Tom Naughton, the man behind the brilliant and hilariousl documentary Fathead, a send-up and commentary on Morgan Spurlock's Super-Size Me.

Once again, due to my penchant for shopping used, I'm reviewing an older book. This one is The Origin Diet, which I found at the used book clearance sale at my beloved Monroe County Public Library. By Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, and subtitled "How Eating Like Our Stone Age Ancestors Will Maximize Your Health," it looked worthwhile, especially at a sale where all hardcovers were running a big 50c.

Once again, due to my penchant for shopping used, I'm reviewing an older book. This one is The Origin Diet, which I found at the used book clearance sale at my beloved Monroe County Public Library. By Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, and subtitled "How Eating Line Our Stone Age Ancestors Will Maximize Your Health," it looked promising, especially at a sale where all hardcovers were running a big 50c.

It’s Halloween weekend, and you know what that means: the holidays are straight ahead, and with them piles and piles of carby junk, and worse, people nagging you to eat the stuff. Why so many people think that saying things like “But you have to eat it! It’s traditional!” and “I worked all afternoon making it just for you” constitutes an expression of holiday goodwill, I have no idea, but sadly this behavior is all too common. You need to think ahead about how to respond to this sort of thing.

I created this dish to have the flavors of Buffalo Wings in a hot, creamy, low carb, high protein dip. I took it to my Toastmasters Club Halloween party, and it was a big hit.

Buffalo Wing Dip

1 pound cream cheese -- at room temperature
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
4 scallions -- minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup minced cooked chicken
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

Turn the slow cooker on to low, and put the cream cheese in it. Dump in the blue cheese, too.

Well, phoo. It's official: There is not a single darned low carb item on the menu at Taco Bell. Used to be that I could order a taco salad, hold the beans, double the chicken or beef, and simply not eat the shell. Wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was nutritionally acceptable, and tasted okay.

Baking is one of the most complex forms of cooking. It’s not like making chili or soup, where a quarter cup of chopped onion more or less, or an extra few ounces of ground beef won’t make a big difference. Baking has to be reasonably precise to work.