April's CR Diary

Maybe you bother her because you seem to selfishly value the quantity of your own life over the quality of life shared with others through the ancient custom of feasting.

Thanksgiving is a time when people deliberately overfeed and, traditionally, do so in the company of others. It is among other things a celebration of the conviviality of life through the exaggeration of our common need to eat. When you back away from such a celebration through a miserly accounting of your consumed calories you appear to back away from the larger community, and the community responds by shunning you.

Or maybe I'm wrong. What did you do for Thanksgiving?

"b)examples of people who can control their consumption, since if we can do it, the implication is that anyone can do it"

I think you hit the nail on the head. People use the "it's too difficult" excuse to avoid doing a lot of things they know they should do but don't really want to...

April-
I completely commend you for taking all of this criticism with a grain of salt. You don't attack their accusations in a petty way, but revel in the opportunity to break them down, and prove them wrong.
Well done.
[:

That kid grew up and eventually gave birth to MR! Also being a member of the "clean plate club", she went through all sorts of weight battles over the years but has finally found a beautiful blend of nutritiousness and deliciousness!

On a related topic, I would love to have these critics sit and observe the quantity of food MR (for example) packs away in a day. They'd be somewhat astonished, as they seem to have the idea that low calorie intake must equate to miniscule amounts of food. It's simply not true! JD

Anyone who is something of a celebrity (even if just in the blogosphere) will attract attention, both positive AND negative. There's a segment of the population that likes to put down other people to make themselves seem more important and puff up their own ego.. and attract attention, that too.

I expect that if you were known for just your union work, and that if that had the same profile that your CR work does, that she'd have penned an anti-union article... So try not to take her anti-CR article personally.

[Formatting is not working correctly, this was supposed to be paragraphs]

Hi April,

It's somewhat disconcerting reading the comments from posters who disapprove of caloric restriction because of social reasons. In my opinion, if they don't want to practice CR, that's their decision, but it's not acceptable for them to criticize you for not conforming to society's (or their) values. Keep on living your life the way you want to, not the way others want you to live.

However, I do agree with some of your detractors in one regard. Most of your posts center around how to maximize your lifespan, which obviously is the primary goal of CR. I, however, feel there is little reason to live in the state I am in now, let alone extend my life. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a year ago, and I'm in such bad shape I can't remember much of what has happened since then. I am very close to losing my job because of confusion, memory loss, and difficulty thinking caused by what has so far proven to be untreatable mania. Writing this post took three hours because I frequently lose my train of thought, or forget things. For example, I spent five minutes today trying to remember what I ate last night for dinner, forgetting it was even Thanksgiving.

I used to be an active member of the life extension community. Since this diagnosis, however, I have realized that there is a significant percentage of people who spend their lives in agony like me, hoping for any sort of relief. While I am not criticizing you for taking advantage of the gift of your good health to practice CR, I do wonder whether my prior donations to the Methuselah Foundation might have been better spent on promoting research into today's crippling diseases. By now, I would trade the rest of my life if I could just spend five years in a reasonable state of health without constant panic attacks, being unable to sleep for three days at a time, severe depression or cognitive dysfunction. This does NOT mean that I'm considering suicide, but it does mean that I want more from life.

You might counter this argument by stating that research into life extension would also offer secondary benefits such as cures for common diseases. While true, such cures would only be that - secondary benefits. Direct research into the diseases would inevitably result in sooner cures.

How would you explain to a patient in severe, unbearable pain that you are working to extend his life first, and then cure his pain later?

Keep up the good writing. Even though I won't remember posting this by tomorrow, I will still write a note to visit often.

-[Name withheld to protect employment status for as long as possible]

The commenter above raises a very important question, one that I think about often. There are people suffering with terrible illnesses right now, and their pain could be alleviated by the right resources directed at the right research. I have a close friend whose child was extremely sick with a normally fatal disease, and I saw close up the horror of living day to day when one of your loved ones could be taken from you by a disease that really needs a cure. Suffering with a horrible disease like bipolar disorder is probably one of the most painful things one can imagine. I definitely hope that some of the diseases that plague people now will be alleviated or cured by some of the therapies in the works, and that all our lives will be improved as a result. But if that can't be, then there's a definite problem of how to choose to allocate resources. I don't envy those in government who are charged with the responsibility of deciding where research dollars go... or those at drug companies who make decisions about what to research, with stockholders breathing down their necks for profit and patients in desperate need of cure. The choices are terrible, and you deserve relief from your pain and a happy life right now!

I don't have an answer for you, and I think it would be arrogant to pretend that I did. But I will pray for you, and I will keep you in my thoughts. Thank you for visiting and for commenting.

april

I wonder how Rebecca feels about people eating special diets to avoid spending eternity in hell. Jews, Moslems, and others have special diets. Does she 'dislike' Jews and Moslems for their special diets too?

This is my first post on this blog but I feel compelled to answer "Anonymous"
I am presently caring for a son who has been variously diagnosed as bi-polar/ADHD and medicated for both conditions. The results of these medications have truly accentuated any neurosis that he might have had. The ADHD diagnosis was incorrect and aggravated his anxiety. At present we are trying to wean him from the many meds that his previous psychiatrist prescribed - no easy or short order task.
What I am trying to say is that I hope you are not leaving your care and well being solely in the hands of the doctor. You need to be your own physician, but only after you have aquainted yourself with the many sides of this bipolar illness. For instance, my son has found out that his seeming depths of despair were actually 'dysphoria' and he is now able to handle these feelings when they occur. No doctor has ever mentioned this fact about dysphoria to him and it was only through his reading that he knew it.
I cant emphasize enough how important it is to get the correct diagnosis and meds. You can actually be as informed as your doctor if you are prepared to spend time on the net etc. Psychiatric meds are expensive and the pharma industry is making big bucks. The R&D they spend is miniscule compared with their profits. If you would like more info on the meds my son has been on and what the results have been please email me. I know that each person reacts differently to a particular med and unfortunately patients are - at this point - guinea pigs.
My email address is

I 'm not offended by your choices. I'm offended at the cult-like aspect of obsessive control. I am lucky to be naturally thin, and I eat healthy and organic food which I usually prepare myself and eat until I feel full. I never count calories or weigh food. To me, that level of fanaticism isn't worth it. I know I am healthy and make good food choices. Do I have to let my food choices run my life? No. There are too many more important things to me than obsessing about every gram of food consumed. Like LGB people that don't need to let their lives revolve around their sexual orientation, I don't need to define myself by a diet.

I wonder if people apply the "cultlike" term to people who spend tons of time watching sports, playing fantasy football, playing online computer games, teaching yoga classes, gardening, or obsessing about their home improvement projects? I don't find any of the above to be a worthwhile investment of my time, yet I don't feel compelled to seek out and comment upon the blogs of people who wish to invest their effort in that fashion. I find it odd that millions of people plan their evening activities around when a particular TV show comes on, but it's not upsetting to me, and I don't accuse them of being in the cult of American Idol. I can't imagine being sufficiently concerned about how my house looks that I would spend hours working on home improvement projects, watching TV shows and reading magazines about house and garden, picking out just the right colors to paint, putting up tape around the edges of the room to make sure there were no mistakes, taking time away from work and firends to do the painting, etc. That's just not a good investment of energy, IMO. Yet many people love it, and I don't accuse them of being obsessive or in a cult, even though I can't imagine why one would invest so much effort in the walls. I do often think the walls are pretty, but I'd never want to go to so much effort myself.

Again, no one is trying to get you to do CR. If you are happy with your choices, I'm happy for you! Enjoy your life... I will be busy enjoying mine.

Thank you for your comment, and please post any healthy recipes you enjoy cooking... we love to learn new recipes!

april

"I find it odd that millions of people plan their evening activities around when a particular TV show comes on, but it's not upsetting to me, and I don't accuse them of being in the cult of American Idol."

Yeah, think of all those people eating chips with ranch sauce while drinking beer and watching OTHER people succeed on "The Biggest Loser."

Same goes for those armchair quarterbacks who think their favorite team won because they drank their beer with their left hand in the third quarter. Most of football is spent talking about player statistics and the career of this or that star player.

Personally, the only success I've really cared about is my own, and after that the success of my friends and family. I've decided I no longer want to sit and watch others live their lives and succeed with their goals while mine stays stagnant like a puddle of mud. In the age of the universe, my life is very short. I want to know and explore the possibilities it harbors: to fulfill the potential that I see deep within me that will allow me make the most of every moment of life.