New to CR

[Castanea]

I recently read "The Longevity Diet" and followed its recommendation to come here to the CR forum. In looking around here, it seems that there is not so much activity nowadays as there was a few years ago, which is a little discouraging, but here I am, anyway.

I'm male, mid-sixties, 6'0" and currently 145 lbs. That is after dieting for a while this year from a high of 156 lbs, where I had a noticeable "spare tire" which I recognized as dangerous. I've been blessed with good health on the whole and have been nutrition-conscious and mostly vegetarian all of my adult life, since reading "Diet for a Small Planet" in my early twenties, a book which changed my life as it did for many people back in those days.

"Mostly" vegetarian? I will eat meat to avoid offense to hospitality. And I've been off and on about eating a can of sardines once a week for the Omega-3's - I do feel better when I do this regularly. Since reading "Longevity Diet" I've decided to be much more regular about the once-a-week sardines. Two reasons:

In my diet this year, I had been tracking calories and otherwise eating healthy food as usual - just a bit less of it. I hadn't tracked my food at all for a long time, and a first lesson (as I sat on the same weight for a month, early on) was that at this age, somewhere around 2000 to 2100 calories is maintenance. When I cut it back to the 1900-2000 range, I began losing weight at a very slow pace, maybe a pound per month. At 1800-1900, it has been more like a couple of pounds a month, which feels like a good pace. I am noticeably hungry at that level.

Anyway, after "Longevity Diet," I went back over my charts and calculated some of the nutrition; by cutting back the calories, I had cut my protein back to what might be too-low of a level, around 40 to 45g./day. That is one reason for the sardines, and I have adjusted by increasing other protein sources, mostly at breakfast. Another reason for attention to Omega 3's is that one of my major protein sources is a combination of sunflower seeds and peanuts, in the 5/4 ratio that "Diet for a Small Planet" indicated as a complimentary protein combination. I mix them up, put them in a jar, and it is one of my go-to snacks, with a couple pieces of dried fruit. I now see that I need more Omega-3 to balance all the Omega-6 I am getting, thus my second reason for the sardines. I also take a daily fish oil pill, and have been doing that for years, since my doctor recommended it; also calcium pills, but no other supplements.

I don't just eat nuts/seeds; I eat a lot of whole grains, combined with beans of all sorts, tofu, and a modest amount of cheese (2 or 3 ounces a week). And lots of vegetables; I am comfortable with that part of my diet.

So for a couple of weeks now, I've been back up to around 50 g. protein, and am still in the 1800-1900 calorie range. It bears mentioning that I exercise moderately, mostly about an hour a day, alternating walking, strength work, and Pilates (which I've done for about five or six years. I also do Alexander Technique, which goes back 25 years or so).

I had not intended to lose weight beyond my current level of 145 until reading the book; I'm now thinking a good target for me might be 135. I doubt that I should go any lower, even though back in my twenties I was a very skinny 125. I'm guessing my "set point" is 145 because that is what I was all through my late thirties and forties, until I started slowly putting on the pounds in my fifties.

Anyway, I don't have any particular questions; I'm just here to learn and hang out with like-minded people. I Iook forward to checking out some of the older threads and keeping up with what is currently going on.

All good wishes to everyone!

[mccoy]

Hi Castanea, welcome in the forum!

From the description, your regimen sounds pretty good and only needs some fine-tuning, which you're already about to carry out.

Omega 3-s may also be taken from vegetables sourdces like chia seeds and groudn flax seeds (in the ALA form), or vegan DHA pills if you wish to decrease the sardines (nothing bad with some sardines, it depends on your degree of perfectionism or orthorexia as some psychiatrists like to call nutritional perfectionism).

One daily ounce of nuts/seeds is very much advisable according to the PREDIMED study, as also are 2 tablespoons of hi-polyphenols EVOO.

If you use the cronometer app you'll be able to check your daily protein level with regard to the acceted RDA and above all the amminoacids levels. 

Ca pills are controversial and maybe hi-Ca mineral waters are best. If you cut sardines and animal food you'll also need to take B12, an absolute must.

This forum is a repository of very valuable info on healthy nutrition and intervention to increase healthspan and longevity. I learnt a lot from it.

 

[Castanea]

McCoy, thank you for the welcome! I've thought about flax and/or chia seeds and will probably give them a try.
I'm closer to 2 daily ounces of nuts/seeds which is I suspect more than most people eat regularly, which is why I named it as a slight concern.
The cronometer looks to be great! I've been keeping my records with pen and paper and looking up the values in my trusty USDA nutrition guide. This will be much quicker and offers a lot of cool options.

Thanks for the advice about calcium pills and B12. Both nutrients are additional good reasons to eat sardines. And it makes me wonder if the reason a can of sardines after a longish absence made me feel better was a B12 deficiency. I regularly put a tablespoon of Bragg's nutritional yeast on my breakfast cereal, but that was maybe not enough B12, or not in the right form or something.

This kind of stuff is what I am looking forward to in this forum. Thank you!!!

[mccoy]

4 hours ago, Castanea said:

I'm closer to 2 daily ounces of nuts/seeds which is I suspect more than most people eat regularly, which is why I named it as a slight concern.

I believe there are a few strong nuts eaters here. I myself in a couple of months, with the new crop shall probably be eating at least 4 ounces per day. Only concern is if you follow strict CR then this hi-calorie food may prevent to hit the caloric target.