Fair readers, I am sorry to report that the Shangri-la Diet has come to an end for me.

I tried to drink the extra-light olive oil twice a day, but I just couldn't keep it up. Somehow, it never stopped feeling like sludge going down my throat.

My appetite did seem to die down a little at first, but it would still sneak back at the most disastrous of times, like when I was facing a plate of cookies. At other times, the oil made not one whit of difference. I even seemed hungrier than normal. And with calories at a premium, I just couldn't justify the 240 going for the oil anymore.

I guess the good thing is I kept eating low-carb meals the entire time I tried the oil regimen, so I didn't have any major setbacks. And I did gain some very nice oil to cook with.

So farewell Shangri-La. Guess I'll have to reach my weight-loss paradise another way.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com