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I actually just got my first batch of Soylent this week, and I'm cutting out 'traditional' food for 2 weeks as an experiment. I've only been eating it for about

I actually just got my first batch of Soylent this week, and I'm cutting out 'traditional' food for 2 weeks as an experiment. I've only been eating it for about a day and a half now, but changing from eating discrete meals to sipping on a cup of Soylent continuously throughout the day is very different. Have you noticed any psychological changes in how you view food since starting?

plus 12y ago
I have been using Soylent as my primary source of nutrition since November. I will generally have around 3 non-Soylent meals a week. Part of the reason I started Soylent was for financial considerations, as I am a graduate student on a relatively low-paying stipend. In terms of how I view food, I am less willing to go off Soylent for foods that I do not enjoy considerably. Whereas before I would eat at Subway or McDonalds on a weekly basis, since starting Soylent I haven't eaten fast food in months. On the other hand, I order a nice greasy pizza from a local pizzeria every couple of weeks, which is more frequent than before. I never really cooked before, and Soylent is considerably cheaper than eating out for every meal, so I have more food money to spend on things I genuinely enjoy. As Rob says in this article, I find myself able to separate the feeling of hunger from the desire to enjoy food. When I have specific cravings or when a meal is part of social interactions, I have no qualms about eating "real" food. But when I'm alone and hungry for nothing in particular, why would I eat something that's more expensive and less healthy than the Soylent I already have sitting in my fridge?
datashovel 12y ago
The most noticeable thing to me is, before I started using Soylent as meal replacement, I noticed my brain would shift attention and in a way interrupt me to say "you need to go eat now, you're hungry". These days I don't notice the interruptions as often and when they do happen they're not as significant. Instead it's more like "Ok, I'm done with that task, what should I do now. Oh yeah, I haven't eaten lunch yet..."
- jkachmar 12y ago
  I'm curious, is there any reason you're breaking your Soylent consumption up into meals? I've just been keeping a small mug of it on my desk and sip regularly while I work; every hour or two I'll get up and refill it. Aside from the convenience factor, it's nice (and strange) to go through my day only feeling hungry in the morning before I've started eating.
  - datashovel 12y ago
    Actually I just used the term "lunch" to communicate the idea. I do similar to what you've described. But generally I try not to let it sit there too long, mainly because I imagine a spilled glass of Soylent might not be good for the laptop :)

plus 12y ago

I have been using Soylent as my primary source of nutrition since November. I will generally have around 3 non-Soylent meals a week. Part of the reason I started Soylent was for financial considerations, as I am a graduate student on a relatively low-paying stipend. In terms of how I view food, I am less willing to go off Soylent for foods that I do not enjoy considerably. Whereas before I would eat at Subway or McDonalds on a weekly basis, since starting Soylent I haven't eaten fast food in months. On the other hand, I order a nice greasy pizza from a local pizzeria every couple of weeks, which is more frequent than before. I never really cooked before, and Soylent is considerably cheaper than eating out for every meal, so I have more food money to spend on things I genuinely enjoy. As Rob says in this article, I find myself able to separate the feeling of hunger from the desire to enjoy food. When I have specific cravings or when a meal is part of social interactions, I have no qualms about eating "real" food. But when I'm alone and hungry for nothing in particular, why would I eat something that's more expensive and less healthy than the Soylent I already have sitting in my fridge?

datashovel 12y ago

The most noticeable thing to me is, before I started using Soylent as meal replacement, I noticed my brain would shift attention and in a way interrupt me to say "you need to go eat now, you're hungry". These days I don't notice the interruptions as often and when they do happen they're not as significant. Instead it's more like "Ok, I'm done with that task, what should I do now. Oh yeah, I haven't eaten lunch yet..."

jkachmar 12y ago
I'm curious, is there any reason you're breaking your Soylent consumption up into meals? I've just been keeping a small mug of it on my desk and sip regularly while I work; every hour or two I'll get up and refill it. Aside from the convenience factor, it's nice (and strange) to go through my day only feeling hungry in the morning before I've started eating.
- datashovel 12y ago
  Actually I just used the term "lunch" to communicate the idea. I do similar to what you've described. But generally I try not to let it sit there too long, mainly because I imagine a spilled glass of Soylent might not be good for the laptop :)