April's CR Diary

I'm a big fan of bee pollen (bought fresh and local at farmers' market). It's high protein and packs tons of vitamins and trace minerals and enzymes for a relatively low-calorie count. Just google for many informative links, but here's one: http://members.tripod.com/~Bee_Mann/beepollen.html

the article was great! I liked seeing the photos of the food. for the less technical among us, seeing photos of your meals, is more helpful than seeing the amounts written out in grams... any chance you could photograph your meals for a few days? Just a crazy request.... Thanks again for your website.

HEY WHAT ARE THE LITTLE BLOG GROUPIES SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN YOU ARE AWAY?!?!?!

Carolyn: no kidding, eh! :)

April: Thanks for all those links in one place, that's very handy.. gotta bookmark it :)

Wonderful! I also thank you for so many great links in one place. I knew I could find the info on your blog, but this makes it so much easier to reference. Thanks!

Hey did I post that comment? Have I been sleep typing again?

April this peice is hilarious! I love the way you phrase the questions. My sister asked me today what I was doing and wanted a shot at it. Thanks so much for this post. It will be very helpful for her.

The comments about what anorexia is written by Liza May is wrong on so many levels. You should really do your research and so should she before making these points of view public. That article is insulting to anyone who has or has had anorexia.

April-withdrawal?!?! Most definitely!
In the meantime we can catch up on our reading and extra inspiration from an already incredibly inspiring blog.. What would we do without?

Hope the trip is a success and your little fridge is not quite overflowing anymore..only a couple more days..can't wait to hear the reports.

:-D

Here's the Chasing Life link from CNN...I think it just went up today

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/chasing.life/

Since we're answering questions...

I've been wondering how trustworthy the nutrition information on some of my foods is.

For example, Dry Soup X, in which you add 8oz or so of boiling water, has a beans-and-pasta soup. It says that a serving size is about 45g (one package), and the calories are 140. But I was like, "Well, wait a minute. Is that 54g wet or dry?" Because 130g (half a cup) of canned baked beans is around 140 calories.

I dumped the dry soup into my cup measure, and lo and behold, it was about half full. But again...that was *dry*. If, after it's bulked up from water, I go strain it out and dump the reconstituted beans and pasta into a cup, it'll probably be about a cup.

Of beans and pasta.

So aren't I actually eating about 280-300 calories? Four hundred, even, given how calorie-dense pasta is? Obviously that makes a huge difference.

I try to eat around 1500-1600 calories a day, and I do rely on foods like packaged soups, Lean Cuisine, and so on. I need to know that I'm really eating what I think I'm eating. Do you have any advice?

Yvonne,
I might catch flak from other CRONies on this, but the sad truth is that no nutrition data is perfectly accurate. On the whole/average, things are probably within range, but for each specific food item the FDA is fine if the stated nutrition is within 20% +/- of the "actual" numbers.

Now, how can they know the "actual" numbers, if they allow for 20% margin of error? You've got me.

My not so humble opinion is that if you are getting AT LEAST 100% of your daily RDA nutrients from mostly WHOLE foods (not processed), and you are eating less than you would if you were not CRONing while very slowly losing pounds (if heavy) or maintaining weight (if not heavy), then you are doing WELL.

Anyone else want to chime in on this?

Miss T: Yes, agreed, not only that but nutrition varies by season and by place of origin. It's a matter of best guesses. However, we can put a best guess on a best guess; it may not be right, but interpolation is better than nothing. At the end of the day the biological results are the only proof!

Mary: I'm interested why you find it so insulting. Any interest in defending that remark?

I think (in my rarely humble opinion!) that the difference between "eating less" and "eating fewer calories" needs to be made clear. I am eating much more than I ever used to but am consuming a lot fewer calories and am certainly much closer to getting the proper nutrients on a consistent basis. JD :-)

Has anyone tried the "Life Expectancy Calculator" (www.Livingto100.com)? Its a gentle reminder that our CR is not the one and only factor in having a long and healthy life. Dr. Thomas Perls provides a breakdown at the end of the calculator as to how you can add years. Its very interesting!

Thank you, Miss Tenacity and Brooke! Much appreciated.