Lost my sense of smell...

[Lela]

I have been lurking around these forums as a guest, reading other peoples posts for a while now. Maybe it is time for me to tell my story... 

My story:

I have always been slim and athletic, but during a 3 months stay in USA I gained 8 kilos (=18 pounds)! When I got back to Europe I tried to loose the weight quick but it soon came right back... with a vengeance! My first experience of yoyoing. There and then I decided that I would really make an effort to make a very, very slow return to my desired weight. I now aim for 1 kilo(=2.2 lbs) a month. No more - no less.

I stumbled on SLD when I, after a sinus-infection, lost my ability to smell and therefor also taste the flavor of the food I was eating. I could only tell if the food was sweet, sour or salty. I was devastated especially after reading that it could very well be permanent. During those days I noticed how much the flavor of the food means to me but also how my appetite was affected. I just didn´t want to eat. After 3-4 days my ability to smell started to return slowly slowly to my great joy and so did my appetite. I absolutely love food. There are people who just don´t like food as much and I now believe one reason may be that their sense of smell isn´t as sensitive as mine? (And for you information: I would never ever trade my sense of smell for being skinny. It was horrible, but in hindsite very educating, experience.) Anyone had any similar experiences?

After searching the net about flavor, smell and appetite I found this site. I started taking Canolaoil. From day one I experienced AS. At first I took half a tablespoon between breakfast and lunch and half a tablespoon between dinner and bedtime. I thought it would be best to split the dose (and it did work), but I was wrong. When I recently (to make it more convenient) started taking only one dose (1 tablespoon) first thing in the morning or just before bedtime my calorie intake automatically dropped to between 50-80% of my required 1200 kcal. Incredible. My weightloss started going too fast so I have had a few days off the oil to increase my appetite again.

I will drink oil forever. Before I have drunk flax oil, avocado oil, olive oil, wheatgerm oil, coconutoil and others for health reasons but I never tried oil without any flavour (since the healthy oils are the virgin flavorful ones). Now I just mix the virgin rapeseed oil in a big glass of cold water and chug it down: I don´t notice any flavor. It is working incredibly well for me.

It has now been 12 weeks and I am down 2,9 kilos! On the target!

[karky]

That is great!

Let me be the first to welcome you!

[Seth Roberts]

Fascinating story, I quoted it in my blog:

http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/07/30/sld-phenomenology/

[Lela]

Thank you, Karky!

Seth, I am also very fascinated... by your work! Thank you for sharing it with us all. Truly mindblowing.

[traveling]

Seth Roberts , thanks for sharing this. 

[natron]

Its interesting, some of my friends who are smokers and stop seem to share a number of common characteristics:

1)  they were (are) relatively slim while smoking
2)  say that food tastes better when they dont smoke
3)  usually gain weight after stopping

If smoking dulls the sense of smell, then it adds a log to the fire that weight control is "sense of smell driven" for many people.
Why else would smokers complain that by stopping they will gain weight, many of them use this as an excuse to not stop.

Natron

[Lela]

That is ineresting! I believe smokers don´t enjoy food as much. Someone I know who is a heavy smoker only enjoys really spicy food because he says that he can´t taste any other food. He eats very little and fills up quickly.