My Year with Soylent
One year ago today, I received my first shipment of Soylent, much to the consternation of many, many others who were still waiting for theirs. It’s the only benefit to living so close to the airport.
It’s been a busy year for me, with extended business trips to Asia, a broken ankle, the launch of Snare Labs, and a movie shoot, among my other responsibilities. I wanted to take a moment to write about having Soylent during the last 12 months and what I think the practical and personal differences have been for me.
My Philosophy
Right from the start, I decided that I was not going to eliminate food, but instead use Soylent in place of the snacks and the rushed, unhealthy meals I would have otherwise eaten. How this has worked out practically, is that I end up with Soylent for breakfast, many lunches, and snacks. My evening meals are usually regular food shared with friends/family.
Consuming Soylent
From the beginning, I found it to be MUCH better than any other “health shake” or “liquid meal substitute” product I had ever tried. Recently, I tried one of them again, just to check, and it was so cloyingly sweet that I threw it out after one sip. Yuck. I don’t really want to bash any specific brand, I’m just glad to be done with them.
Originally, I experimented with adding flavour so that I wouldn’t get sick of the taste. Surprisingly, though, I still enjoy the taste of Soylent plain, even after a year. My favourite addition is a banana, but I have tried all kinds of juices and flavours, including guava, coffee, and peanut butter.
Although I believe most people make a full day at a time, I often make just one “meal” (i.e., scoop) at a time. I blend it with ice and any additions, then put it in the freezer for 10–20 minutes. I try to take a break and pay attention when I’m having Soylent. A small note here, I originally received the vegetarian version without fish oil, so I supplemented with flaxseed and/or other Omega-3 sources.
Many people talk about gas when they start Soylent, perhaps because of my diet before, or my specific genetics, I had few issues with gas. At times, I do supplement with iron pills, because I am a woman who periodically bleeds.
Benefits
Weight Loss
Soylent does not call itself diet food, but I have lost about 30 pounds during the most sedentary year of my life. Normally, I work at Internet companies that provide free snacks and choose, whenever possible, a standing desk. This year was mostly one big sit down. Work trips for me are often busy, unhealthy events and this was also a year of multiple working trips. My broken ankle even put me in a cast for 7 weeks, which included the “big family meal” holidays.
If the last year had included as much activity away from my keyboard as the other years of my life have, I believe I would have easily lost more weight. I’m interested to see what this next year brings now that I can be active.
Time
Out of all the benefits, the second after weight loss is the simple benefit of time. I don’t spend any time thinking about what to eat or preparing it. My time buying groceries is significantly reduced. As well, because I decided from the beginning not to sacrifice mealtimes with friends and family, I don’t feel like I’m missing out, a freak in the corner sipping a shake while the people in my life have a meal together.
Consciousness
That might be a weird heading, I’ve been trying to think of what else to call it, but the fact is, that during a busy year, I was still more aware of my own health and what I was putting into my body than I ever have been in my life.
When I’m looking for ideas or have questions, I go to the Soylent forum. The information there is amazing and in-depth. For the most part, you don’t get much pseudo-science crap and those with nonscientific beliefs get shut down with facts. There are also recipes for successful DIY versions if you want to make your own. For those of you on Reddit, there’s a subreddit, of course!
Not having Soylent
On the forum, lots of people talk about feeling terrible when they suddenly stop their Soylent consumption.
When I broke my ankle, I extended my trip and stayed for the year end holidays in Vietnam. I had no Soylent during this time. I was surrounded by amazing food in Saigon and with my entire life being different, it’s too hard for me to figure out what differences might have been caused by not having Soylent. (I did supplement my diet with vitamin D and calcium while broken and stuck indoors.)
How I felt might have been due to my own brokenness or my long hours trying to launch Snare. I was VERY happy to get back to consuming it at home. There is a lot of peace of mind I get from having Soylent at hand.
The other time was during our movie shoot, the schedule was dawn to “when we were done” most days and I was freshly out of my cast, in a medical boot. My limited mobility, plus being on location meant that it just wasn’t practical to bring Soylent, so I would only have it in the morning and if I was starving when I got home. Again, hard for me to say what the consequences were. I certainly felt a LOT of stress and pain unrelated to my diet. The day after we wrapped, I had a rare 100% Soylent day and felt amazing — but that just might have been because I got a full night’s sleep.
Although I hesitate to say that I felt bad because I didn’t have Soylent, I certainly noticed that I felt a lot better when I was back to consuming it.
Conclusion
At this point, Soylent is simply irreplaceable for me. It’s healthy AND convenient, which is a rare combination with food. I expect to see more benefits this coming year in general health and weight loss. I may even try a DIY version that is more tailored for women.
Note: Because this might sound like an ad, I want to state, for the record, that I am not affiliated with Soylent (or the company that makes it) in any way and I am not receiving payment for writing this.
