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> Soylent is for meals you don't care about but need This is the problem. That concept is completely foreign to a lot of people (me included). The combination

• greatjones 10y ago
  > but I'll never understand that feeling of "ugh, I need to eat, guess I'll have a Soylent". It sounds like you have either more free time or a more a steady work schedule then their target user.
  • cko 10y ago
    I have all the free time in the world and I have that "ugh do I really need to eat again?" I find it hard to hit 2500 calories daily to not lose weight.
    • oh_sigh 10y ago
      Replace all water with whole milk - problem solved!
    • toasterlovin 10y ago
      Honestly, what the other poster said: whole milk. 2400 calories per gallon, well balanced between protein, fat, and carbs (you might say that it is ideally formulated to feed large mammals :P). The best part is that it is readily available every where and super cheap (< $3 per gallon).
      • zodiac 10y ago
        Why not shouldn't instead of whole milk?
      • semi-extrinsic 10y ago
        Even better: custard. Straight from the box.
      • deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
      • nikatwork 10y ago
        65%-90% of humans are lactose intolerant[0], and lactaid pills aren't always effective. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance#statistics https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance#statis...
        • toasterlovin 10y ago
          I'm guessing that ratio is probably different for people on HN, since, as fluent English speakers, they're more likely to be descended from Europeans.
          • vidarh 10y ago
            It is, but it's still significant. 13% for whites in the US but rising to near 90% for some ethnic groups. Europe varies greatly, with by far the highest level of tolerance in Northern Europe (I'm Norwegian, and I didn't even know about lactose intolerance until I was in the 20's - it just wasn't something that became a subject until we were exposed to more immigrants as while it existed in Norway before that it was <5%), with lactose intolerance increasing to well above 20% in many other European countris. In any case the advice to down vast quantities as milk isn't universally applicable anywhere.
          • TheCoelacanth 10y ago
            I would be very surprised if HN didn't also a large number of people of Asian descent who are much less likely to tolerate lactose.
  • tluyben2 10y ago
    Somehow this seems like an American thing or maybe people in other places make less of a spectacle of it? Always having too little time, always working and being proud to plan every minute of every day (recently Marissa Mayer and Bill Gates and someone else from the US said in interviews they have every minute of every day planned; sounds like pure hell but he) seems very American. This Soylent thing fits in there. Why would someone want to work that much unless you want to become a billionaire which, again, seems a drive in media coming from the US? Maybe it is just the media I read though, but here there is no vibe like that and when I meet (very successful/rich) entrepreneurs in Asia/Aus/EU they seem to be always eating elaborately so they do not give of that vibe either. Again the press distorts but posts here on HN and a thing like Soylent support that press.
    • greatjones 10y ago
      > Somehow this seems like an American thing or maybe people in other places make less of a spectacle of it? I think there is more acceptance in certain cultures, for example, to skip lunch because it's a busy day. Having worked globally and in multiple industries, I don't believe it's an American only thing although probably more common there. I see it as more of an industry thing, and each industry seems to have it's own use case for a product like Soylent. i.e. the programmer 'in the zone' and not wanting to stop for dinner or the investment banker running on a few hours of sleep due to an upcoming pitch. > Always having too little time, always working and being proud to plan every minute of every day I'm not sure how that was implied, but that does not represent the typical American workforce in my view. > entrepreneurs in Asia/Aus/EU they seem to be always eating elaborately I would be surprised to hear these types of individuals don't deal with skipped meals or lack of time based on what's going on in there life/work like their counterparts in other countries do.
      • tluyben2 10y ago
        > I'm not sure how that was implied, People here imply that people consume Soylent either because they cannot get enough calories in with normal food to not lose weight (what a luxury that must be), or, in most cases and as the direct parent writes, that they do not have time to eat 'normally'. That seems to mesh with the whole culture of fast food and minute day planning; I for one could not tell you if I have time for an elaborate meal or a quick meal at lunch today and I would not want to know if I do either. I'll see what happens when I get hungry. > but that does not represent the typical American workforce in my view. Not typical workforce; I'm citing some famous and very rich US business people. Just noting that these people seem proud of it while I don't hear the same stories (in the press) from anywhere else. And others (especially on HN) seem desperate to copy it (which is, I assume, were Soylent came from in the first place); people who cite this (time-hacking/life-hacking/whatever-hacking it is called) as a great feat are all from (=living in currently) the US when I check their profiles.
• jedberg 10y ago
  Think of something you have to do every day that you don't like to do. Like flossing maybe? Some people really enjoy flossing. Some people don't. If there were a device I could put in my mouth and in 30 seconds everything were flossed, I would totally do that. But some people would think, man how can you do that and take all the enjoyment out of flossing? Sometimes when I'm working, I run to the fridge, grab whatever is in it and eat it while I keep working. It usually doesn't taste like anything because I don't even bother heating it. Soylent lets me do that but it's a lot healthier than whatever leftovers I might grab out of the fridge. Either way I'm not enjoying the food nor the company (I'm at my desk at home alone). I'm also only spending 10 minutes.
  • couchand 10y ago
    "If there were a device I could put in my mouth and in 30 seconds everything were flossed"... I think what you're looking for is dental floss.
    • AlexCoventry 10y ago
      If it takes you less than a minute to floss you're probably doing it wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PreNWWOYfI#t=32s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PreNWWOYfI#t=32s
      • gohrt 10y ago
        Eh, flossing is a placebo anyway.
        • tempestn 10y ago
          I can't attest to whether it helps prevent cavities or gum disease or whatever, given regular dental visits. I can say though that I used to rarely floss, and since I started flossing daily a few years ago, my teeth remain noticeably smoother and cleaner feeling between dentist visits, and require considerably less scraping when I'm there.
        • 10y ago
• cknoxrun 10y ago
  I have two young kids and a startup. The idea that I should view each meal as an opportunity to be enjoyed is honestly a pipe dream right now. I enjoy as many of my meals as I can with my family. But when the kids are sick or I'm running behind and have a meeting, I grab a soylent and I feel like it's a lot healthier than picking up sugary junk or other alternatives.
  • balls187 10y ago
    I have one kid, and no startup, and sometimes the only meal I get to enjoy is lunch at the office. When going out to eat, I would hold my son in my left hand, as I shoveled food into my mouth with my right hand, taking a break to apologize to whomever was dining with me for having such bad manners.
  • eropple 10y ago
    Soylent has nine grams of sugar per serving. It is sugary junk.
    • minitech 10y ago
      Isn’t it supposed to be a meal or something? Nine grams isn’t that much compared to e.g. a muffin (~30 g).
      • adrianN 10y ago
        A muffin is not a meal though. A juicy steak with a side of grilled vegetables has ~0g sugar.
        • gohrt 10y ago
          I tried that. I got sick after I eat a juicy steak that I put in the trunk of my car last week.
          • webscaleizfun 10y ago
• Taek 10y ago
  Eating a meal takes a lot of time. You've got to prepare it, clean up afterwards, and take your mind off of whatever you are doing. Or you have to order it, and then still usually there's some cleanup and interaction. The liquid Soylent is about as disruptive as drinking water. That's really useful to me when I'm sucked into a programming challenge or research task. Sometimes I'll go 3-4 days doing nothing but work and sleep. A meal is really disruptive during those times, because I just want my head fully integrated into the problems I'm working on.
  • summarite 10y ago
    If that's a regular schedule for you - Don't you feel you're missing out on living life?
    • sgdesign 10y ago
      Telling someone they're "missing out on living life" just because they don't do the same thing as you is really condescending.
      • Taek 10y ago
        I don't think it was meant that way, I didn't take offense.
    • Taek 10y ago
      When I'm really sucked into a problem is one of the few times that I feel fully alive. It's like being in a flow state for multiple days, pushing every cognitive resource I have to reach a solution. I think it happens less than once a month, and almost always lasts less than a week. I do wish that I went hiking more often, camping more often, and I wish that I had more social interactions that were free of social and business undertones.
      • cyberferret 10y ago
        You sound like me 25 years ago. I assume you are still young (20-30?) but I would urge you to take a look at your lifestyle and habits now, with a view to changing it to incorporate more of your hiking and camping and social interactions that you mention. I once felt that living like you currently are was sustainable and that I would be impervious to the long term effects, but now that I have hit the half century mark, I am finding I suffer from all sorts of back and shoulder pain from sitting for extended programming sessions lasting days. I also have rapidly degrading eyesight, and high risk of glaucoma from staring at screens all day every day, and I have other health and digestive issues from not eating regular healthy meals, or drinking enough water back in the day. It is highly likely that the lifestyle you are accustomed to will turn around and bite you one day. Make changes now so that you don't end up the same as this old programmer. :)
• praxulus 10y ago
  Surely cleaning up after cooking is almost always a chore, no matter how delicious the food was?
  • nemo44x 10y ago
    You could also take pride in cleaning and maintaining your tools. It's rather fast if you don't burn your food and if you use proper cleaning agents like "Barkeepers Friend" when soap isn't appropriate.
  • fernandotakai 10y ago
    i usually cleanup while i listen to an audiobook/music. it's not a chore.
• nsxwolf 10y ago
  How can you eat 5,000 kcal a day and not be a huge fat pig? How many miles a day do you need to run to burn that off? I used to be a normal weight, but I had to eat 1,200 kcals and run 4 miles a day.
  • Evgeny 10y ago
    How can you eat 5,000 kcal a day and not be a huge fat pig? How many miles a day do you need to run to burn that off? On the days when I lift weights I eat close to 5K calories, sometimes even a little more, depending on the commute. All of my daily commute is by bike, including taking my kid to and from the kindergarten, and later to some extra activities (welcome to Denmark), which can be anywhere between 20 and 35 km total for the day. I'm 178 cm and weigh around 79 kg.
    • ensiferum 10y ago
      Thats quite a bit of cycling. Don't you think all that cycling is getting into your lifting? I used to cycle about 10km a day and found that it was already hampering leg training at the gym.
      • gaius 10y ago
        Not if you are eating 5000 kcals and getting enough sleep...
      • Evgeny 10y ago
        I actually changed my approach to lifting a little and now following the principles described by Greg Nuckols in his article about increasing work capacity http://strengtheory.com/increasing-work-capacity/ http://strengtheory.com/increasing-work-capacity/ So essentially every week I'm doing just a little bit more volume in every exercise, either by adding a little weight, or an extra rep. So far I'm able to do it consistently for a few months so I guess I'm recovering well. Then of course there is all that "getting used to it" thing where you do something long enough and get into it gradually and increase little by little and you're fine. I worked originally about 5 km from home and it felt like it was enough cycling there and back. Then I changed my job and now I was 11 km from home so I started combining bike + train for a while because that felt like too much to cycle. Then one sunny day I cycled all the way home. I realized two things: 1) I'm not that tired and 2) I cut 10 minutes off my train + bike commute. So now I bike all the way and save time and money at the same time! Win-win!
• BurningFrog 10y ago
  Don't you ever have things to do? I like a great meal a lot, but if that was the three top events each day, I'd consider it an empty life.
  • briandear 10y ago
    You are clearly not French or have you lived there. A great meal should absolutely be one of the highlights of a day. Food can be (and should be) the catalyst of great conversations, great ideas or even meditative self-reflection. Soylent seems to me to be a hipster Ultra Slim Fast and consumed for the exact same reasons legions of working women have that stuff in office refrigerators. I can respect that people have different priorities than a great meal each day, but I can also pity them.
    • BurningFrog 10y ago
      Even if I was French, I would be happy to ignore arguments about how I must to things because it's The French Way.
  • ng12 10y ago
    Who said anything about that? Of course I have things to do, but grabbing a sandwich from the deli on my block is almost as fast as soylent and much more enjoyable. Although from this thread I'm starting to think the real reason many people dislike Soylent is the holier-than-thou attitude many of it's supporters seem to sport :)
• TeMPOraL 10y ago
  > This is the problem. That concept is completely foreign to a lot of people (me included). The combination of my body's needs and the way I was raised lead me to view each meal as an opportunity to be enjoyed, never a chore. Different people, different concepts :). I used a Soylent clone in the past to replace breakfast/lunch and I liked it. I feel I might be unique at that among my coworkers, but I e.g. really prefer eating at my desk - I can parallelize it with work, or reading a book, or reading HN, which is infinitely more interesting to me than eating out with most people. > but I'll never understand that feeling of "ugh, I need to eat, guess I'll have a Soylent". My mother was on a diet plan once, where they suggested two options for meals each day, and if you really didn't feel like eating that, you could replace it with a protein shake. There were days when that shake really was the best alternative, and it allowed her to stick to the plan instead of giving up.
• mbrock 10y ago
  That's a problem of empathy. You can't understand how other people would have this specific feeling or practice. Obviously though many people do have it. There seems to be something very unsettling to people like you about the idea of "meal replacement". To me it appears to be a kind of cultural conservatism, like it's an attack on "family values".
  • ng12 10y ago
    It's not about empathy. The original poster was asking why people don't understand Soylent, and my answer is that it's solving a problem that they never even considered could be a problem.
• dimino 10y ago
  But do you understand that based on the way I was raised, eat was the thing you did because if you didn't you'd literally die? There is no cultural value to food, for me. There is no social value that I find appealing about food.
  • ng12 10y ago
    Right, I do understand that! That's the whole point. Your experience is completely foreign to me which is why I didn't understand Soylent's purpose when it first came out. It's like trying to sell an umbrella to a nomad in the Sahara.
• mcv 10y ago
  Not everybody is the same. Maybe it's not for you, but for people to busy with something else to think about what to eat, soylent is a lot better than fast food, a bar, whatever random crap you have lying around, or skipping a meal.
• ubercore 10y ago
  That's not _the_ problem, it just means Soylent isn't for you. Which is cool. I love Soylent 2.0. I'm very happy that I can get a decent chunk of my calories from a vegan source with little effort and lots of convenience. Maybe it's the way Soylent markets itself, but I don't understand why people are so _personally_ offended by it. Just... don't eat it.
• sliverstorm 10y ago
  It depends a little on what you choose to eat. Hitting my calorie goals would be easy if I ate fast food, but I'm trying to bulk while avoiding refined carbs and keeping my fruit & vegetable intake up. There's a volume challenge - 5,000kcal is only 1.5lb of butter, but 32lb of broccoli. There's also a mechanical challenge- chewing constantly (e.g. when eating lots of vegetables) is emotionally exhausting. I do acknowledge it's possible there are people out there for whom there is simply no greater joy than eating, who would eat nonstop with joy. But, not everyone is like that.
• Raphmedia 10y ago
  > This is the problem. That concept is completely foreign to a lot of people (me included). When I arrive home to an empty apartment at 9PM, I sure as hell don't feel like cooking. Sure, I cook great meals during the weekend and the days I come home early. But cooking when you got back from a big day of work + an infernal commute is cooking nothing but a chore. Edit: That being said, I'll drink a regular liquid meal and only if all the other alternatives can't be done (no food in the fridge, I am not home, I need to eat in the car, etc.) I don't see the need to get Soylent either.