April's CR Diary

In going lower, don't you forget that all the packaged and prepared food you'll it like those south beach diet things are not good for you, nor is the garlic powder or the eggwhites you buy prepared. Longevity is not all about restricting calories. It's also about eating free farmed stuff and exercising in fresh air.
No matter how low you go in calories, your eggwhites will still come from chicken farms loaded with hormones and toxins and those will get to you at some point in life.
I mean, you won't be able to live to be 120 in a western society living in a major city (don't forget all the other toxins you get while driving, while heating your house) even if you do strict CR, so why not go with the moderate and opt for a disease free 100?

Also Aprilitamu, don't forget that you don't eat some very important foods; beans, wholegrains and fish. Those have very high nutritious values and your diet lacks them immensely. They are all protective of cancer. Don't rely on supplements, who knows what is really in them? So, in your quest to go even lower calories, just remember most of the time it counts more what you eat than where or how much you eat. If you don't eat legumes, wholegrains and fish regularly, your going lower will only mean malnutrition since you're so dependent on those eggwhites which god knows from how raised animals they come from.
you might easily get cancer while attempting strict cron if you don't eat what the longest living people of this earth have been eating for centuries.
Legumes, wholegrains and fish.

quote: So I'm thinking of going lower. A lot lower. And that will come with a price.

yes, april, yes it will....

quote: I want to live my life according to my own priorities and goals, my true will, if you will, not according to unconsidered and unquestioned biological compulsions, and not according to what will please others.

that is the only way to go. It is so shit to deal with others and trying to please them, because they really don't have your best interests at heart,

I just feel that they need to see you fail to justify how badly they are treating their bodies.

cron people are out-numbered...we are alone.(thats how I feel sometimes)

April, for what its worth, I support/look forward to reading of this journey of yours.

Sheila

Hi April
I'll raise a glass of wine next time I have some with the family, to wish you well on the new weight goal journey. Thanks to you and Mary Robinson for reminding us about the empty calories in gak, specially during the holidays. I kept within my caloric level while eating some gak last week and feel worse for it now. I also relaxed my no-dairy rule, drank too much wine and got a sick stomach for a day after the holiday office lunch.

Like you, I've experienced a biological negative reaction when I reached 3 pounds below my current set point. I actually had to share with my fellow yoga practitioners one day that I thought I had overdone my caloric restriction, was starving and had to go home with apprehension about the weight, unable to practice. I guess I have made a committment to the yoga practice and it requires a certain level of caloric intake.

From what I have analyzed, I don't think I'm practicing moderate CR, but I'm not at extreme CR either. I'm somewhere in between, perhaps in your current situation.

Why don't you give MR for Xmas the gift of some salsa lessons in Philadelphia? You would probably both enjoy that and you've expressed wanting to be twirled dancing salsa.

Cheers
Arturo

Hi April, I've been reading your interesting blogs. I'm new to this site and practice calorie resriction or limitation with adequate nurition. Well I'm trying to anyway. I have found the word "restriction" is taken by many people to be harsh, unfriendly and hardline. I sure don't like being percieved in such a political manner. In my experience I have found the name triggers defensiveness in people. I wish calorie restriction sounded more friendly. It would if they'd change the name. // I know you enjoy your dinners out but would also like to lower your cals. I find that drinking wine is an appeite stimulant and if i have it just before a meal i loosen up and let my guard down and eat too much. I don't find i want to drink it much anymore. If I do want it I will have it last of all. Then i don't have the calories to spare for it. Hooray! I didn't make room for and i didn't loose control.

Hi April,

How low are you thinking of going? I've often wondered whether CR folks have come to any sort of consensus on how low is too low. Obviously, there is some level of restriction below which it is literally impossible to get all the nutrition you need. Has anyone figured that out? Are you planning on gradually lowering your target calorie intake or are you just going cold turkey?

I, too, have been thinking a lot about my goals for 2007. Now that I'm 40 pounds lighter, I'm turning my attention to exercise for cardiovascular and bone health. So my goal for 2007 is to come up with a simple, sustainable exercise program. It's strange - in the past, exercise was always about losing weight for me. Now that's not an issue anymore, I feel liberated to think about exercise in a whole new way. I think I used to see my half-hour on a treadmill as a punishment for being overweight. Now that my focus is on health, I find myself thinking of exercise as something that can actually be fun. And it certainly isn't quite so embarrassing to show up at a gym now that I'm thinner. (I used to feel like a beached whale in my gym clothes.)

Anyway, good luck with your goals. I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

To Mamamia: I think a lot of people find the term "caloric restriction" off-putting. In their book, Delaney and Walford suggested calling it the "longevity diet," which I sort of like. It puts all the emphasis on the real goal of CR - living longer. However, anything with the word "diet" is problematic. We live in a culture that is *so* jaded (and rightly so) when it comes to dieting that I think people would hear this term and think it's just another fad. So I don't know what the solution is.
When people ask me how I lost all my weight, I simply say: "I'm on the stop-eating-crap diet." That always gets a laugh.

Again, I am so provoked by your entries. It is that time of year to take stock and think about the immediate and the distant future. I had been thinking about moderate CR, as I would like to be in control of and aware of the nutrients that I am consuming. I am not making excuses, but it seems that such a drastic modification of my diet could be a difficult point for my relationship. However, it is my body, and I must make decisions that will produce a better life for me. Thanks for the inspiration.

Good luck April - if your new low is too low your body will tell you, and not with just a bit of hunger either. You know enough to trust your body rather than what other people are telling you.

Hey there. I know you do not want to discuss or even mention the name of the book you are currently reading about child obesity and prevention. However, my sister is giving birth to her second child this week and I really would love to give her this book. She currently has a two year old that already loves McDonald's french fries. I do not want to be the one to personally inform her. I think it is best she get ahold of some solid data and make her own decisions. If you are willing, I would love to give her the book for Xmas. Thanks so much

oh, I must agree with Istanbulwitchy...

Lately, the only protein source I will now allow myself is from raw fish (sashimi) from sushi bars.

And that is it. I love getting my raw Omega 3's from the raw salmon that I eat.

I realize that fish has the potential of mercury poisoning, but I just outweigh the benefits.

Sheila

Shelia,

For people who are really on CR (and I get the sense that you are or are becoming one) salmon is not as good a choice as flax oil. Here's the short(ish) version of why:

Longer-lived and/or CR'd animals have less long chain omega threes in their mitochondrial membranes. They both convert less of the short omega threes into long omega threes, and they tend to incorporate less of the long ones into the mitochondrial membranes. However, when you feed them DHA and EPA (the long chain omega threes found in salmon) to them directly (as in feeding them salmon) it overrides their ability to minimize the long chain omega threes that make it into the mitochondrial membranes. Feeding the CR'd animals more DHA and EPA increases the rate of free radical damage to mitochondrial DNA. Since we're more like the CR'd animals, we want to avoid this. That's why flax oil (which has short chain omega threes) is a better choice for omega threes for us.

Also, salmon tastes like cat breath. :)
http://www.mprize.org/blogs/archives/2006/04/catbreath_fish.html

a

Z-mu, you know I love you, but you're wrong on every score. Extending maximum lifespan really can only be done by restricting calories. It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat, assuming that you do get adequate nutrition, which I do, as crunched on my software. And while you're right that South Beach Diet wraps (which I eat less than once a week as it is) are not a great CR food, eggwhites are. You just don't happen to like them. Check out organic Eggology eggwhites for an organic source (may be hard to find where you are, but you don't like eggwhites anyhow... for those who do, but are concerned about chemicals, they're the way to go and available at Whole Foods.)

I don't rely on supplements for nutrition... I get the RDA of everything but zinc from food. Very few people do that. Beans and whole grains are not necessary foods to get good nutrition. MR eats beans, but at my calorie level, they're just not a good buy. I eat them sometimes... had some chickpeas the other day... but one certainly doesn't require them. Grains are just unnecessary and for someone small on strict CR, a waste of calories. I do eat 5 calories a day of wheat bran (1 tablespoon) for extra fiber.

Don't rely on myths or "common sense" to find out what good nutrition or malnutrition is... do your diet on software. How are you liking CRON-O-Meter? I found it hard to use at first but got accustomed in a week or so. Going lower in calories means more strict attention to nutrition, but that doesn't mean eating relatively empty foods like grains. Quite the opposite, in fact.

You're quite right that pollution is a concern, which is yet another reason why we all have to work to get the Republicans kicked out of the White House in 2008.

Alas, I doubt that strict CR will get us to 120 (at least starting as late as I did) and I am fairly sure moderate CR won't get anyone to 100, unless one combines it with very lucky genes. That's why I support research into biotech that will eventually do a better job.

a

Carolyn... I'll tell you off blog!

:)

a

Hi April, good luck on taking CR lower i'm sure you'll do great! I'm sure you will make it to 120 :)

You said that people shouldn't consider CR until at least 21, I was 20 when I started =/

Heres a quote from an okinawa article:

"Ushi advises her 77 year old daughter, is moderation. If you want to grow old as I am you must eat less. Never stuff yourself! Listen to me "hara hachi bu". Ushi is 104 years old :)

I reckon strict CR will get us younger CRers somwhere between 110-120.

Sheila, you would have to be eating 340 gms or 12 ounces of raw salmon a day to get the recommended 70 gms of protein! Yikes! Consuming that much of any one meat or fish simply cannot (in my opinion) be either healthy or sensible, never mind thinking about the mercury levels. JD

Hi april,
Just wanted to quickly respond to you since you responded to me on Mary's blog.

I guess I really don't feel that you are extreme at all. I found all the fuss about your magazine articles pretty crazy. I think you've hit a good balance and done a great job with it and all that you do for all of us is just wonderful. (I'm a fan:) I've been to the extreme myself and it can get uncomfortable. I've done it with the raw food and that is truly extreme; to pull yourself right out of your social circle because of your food choices (or lack of them) is a little nuts to me. I ended up not much healthier and feeling a bit foolish for all that I put my family through for a year and a half. So any change these days for me must be done gently and carefully. That's why I'm loving the CR that I'm doing, cause it hasn't negatively impacted my family at all. It's all good truth be told.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it. I'm glad for you with this choice and I'm glad you've got the support you need to make this work. Cheers

Deborah

Judith, you are right, I do need to find better protein sources.

I just LOVE sashimi! I also eat the raw tuna and yellotail.

April, thanks for the info on flax versus salmon.

I will take that into consideration.

Sheila

Obviously we are not on the same score here. I don't think I am wrong since I am not making it up when I take food examples of the longest living peoples' diets which are legumes and grains.
To prove my point, please show me one person who lived longer than he/she is supposed to doing your style of or any kind of american designed style of cron. I can show you thousands of people who lived to be older than 100 doing what I advocate should be done: Eating organic pulses, legumes, veggies, brown rice and grains, lots of fish and non-cow's milk products, some lean meats. of course eating reasonable amounts of them, but eating them.
Eggwhites won't save you. every nutritional practioner will tell you that it's not healhty to count on them as your sole source of protein. There are so many more healthy options. Go out of your Americanized cronie mind and explore what the longest people on this earth have been doing.
Don't get offended please. I am only strongly suggesting that your way may not be the best way.

In Okinawan which has the largest number of people aged 100 or above in the world, the elders who lived to 100 all had a BMI between 18-22, so presumably anybody below or above that range dropped dead before 100, so the type of CR that takes your BMI below 18 will I expect prevent you reaching 100 years of age. see Okinawa Program, page 48.

So what human evidence do we have that it is worth the risk ? Not even people who want radical life extension (Aubrey de grey and Ray kurzweil) practice anything beyond mild CR and they likely would do more serious CR if they thought it would extend their lives, I am sure they would be dedicated enough do follow a serious CR regime.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comment and welcome!

Unfortunately, your statement is an example of the wrong way to read evidence. I addressed that in great detail in a post that was probably before you started reading the blog. It's here:
http://www.mprize.org/blogs/archives/2006/11/a_caution_about.html

Also, Aubrey de Grey doesn't practice CR at all. He doesn't believe that any kind of CR will result in any more than a few years life-extension. Unless something has changed radically since I last saw him, his diet is an example of neither CR nor ON. He's naturally skinny, but that (as has been gone over many times) is not CR and does not confer life-extension benefits.

I believe that Ray's calculation about what level of CR to practice is largely influenced by his age when he started and his age now, but I haven't discussed it with him in detail. Ray is also the most optimistic of folks about the nearness of life-extending biotech, so that may influence his choices too. MR and I are hopeful but less optimistic.

The risks of serious CR can be managed with carefully tailored bone building and cardio exercise, careful nutrition and supplementation, and a warm jacket and scarf in winter. So for me, there's not much of a downside. For someone with different priorities, it wouldn't make sense. That's why I stress that these are very individual decisions. I'm just sharing my own throught process.

april