How far should I go with CR? Is this too much?

[Stit60]

I'm a woman approaching 60 in a few months.  I'm 5'3" and as of last week, weighed in at 115 lbs.  Until menopause, 9 years ago, I was fit and healthy at 105 lbs. I've been active all my life as an amateur dancer and employed as an RN.  I retired 6 years ago.  After menopause, I started gaining and went up to 120 lbs at one point.  So did my blood pressure, cholesterol and even mild glucose elevation of 102 (fasting).  I developed the "menopot", going from a 25 inch waist to a 28.  And then, feeling tired, no sex drive and poor concentration.  I knew these were big warning signs so I started changing my diet, cutting out refined sugar, white flour and too many carbs.  I still ate a lot of dried fruit, nuts, avocado, low fat dairy and cheeses and meats like chicken. I kept up my regular 4 day a week ballroom dancing and 1 hour of ballet.  I did not lose any weight or inches. Last year in November, I read an article about CR and put myself on 900-1000 calories/day for 2 months.  I ate only berries, almond milk, beans, green, yellow and purple vegetables, fish and nuts, making sure I stayed between 900-1000 calories.  My results were astonishing!  My blood pressure dropped from 140/92 to 117/76, my weight went from 120 to 110, my belly was almost flat,  I stopped wanting naps in the afternoon, my skin became radiant and my thinking and memory became crystal clear. Over these past few weeks of being a home body from the Covid19 lockdown, I let sugar and too many calories sneak in.  I stopped counting. 2 days ago, I made a fresh start and started CR again. I hope to get back to my healthy state and hopefully achieve my weight and measurement goals.  My friends are worried about me becoming "anorexic" but , I know better and do not have the symptoms.  I am doing this for health, vitality, longevity and yes...a little bit of vanity too. One more note: my father, who is 90 years old has been CR'ing for years.  He lives on a diet of vegetables, fish or chicken once a day, fruit and very little carbs.  He is energetic, vital and well...let's just say, "frisky" for his age.   Looking forward to hearing from others with encouragement, suggestions and reading more stories of success.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Stit60

[mccoy]

Stit, CR is an excellent means to loose weight and stay healthy and, presumably, to achieve maximum lifespan.

All the successful long-time practitioners in this forum suggest that you track what you eat to avoid deficiencies on the long term. Since the diet by definition involves lesser calories this sometimes involves less of the foods which carry essential nutrients. The worst thing which can happen is to get sick because of something you believe is good and would be actually good if done scientifically.

So this forum strongly suggests that you use the cronometer free app and start inputting your height and weight data and weighing and tracking all the food you eat. This method has some limitations in that you may need less or more of the average requirements, but it is a powerful tool which can warn you if you are not eating enough of some nutrients.

900-1000 calories : if you are loosing weight and feel OK that's great but again, all the basic requirements of essential aminoacids, vitamins, minerals, must be satisfied. And we very often speak about not going below a BMI of 19 unless you are exceedingly diligent with your diet design (but that's very skinny). Other factors which support CR: proper exercise, targeted supplementation, enough sleep.

There are a few reference threads in this forum, like Michael Rae's thread on supplements. Probably the reference book presently on CR, including diet and other life strategies is the following. Professor Luigi Fontana has been leading studies on CR with the participation of some members of this forum. There are other schools, other slightly different philosophies, but once you understand the basics you'll be able to design a personalized healthy CR diet.

 

 

 

[Annik]

On 6/12/2020 at 7:30 PM, Stit60 said:

I'm a woman approaching 60 in a few months.  I'm 5'3" and as of last week, weighed in at 115 lbs.  Until menopause, 9 years ago, I was fit and healthy at 105 lbs. I've been active all my life as an amateur dancer and employed as an RN.  I retired 6 years ago.  After menopause, I started gaining and went up to 120 lbs at one point.  So did my blood pressure, cholesterol and even mild glucose elevation of 102 (fasting).  I developed the "menopot", going from a 25 inch waist to a 28.  And then, feeling tired, no sex drive and poor concentration.  I knew these were big warning signs so I started changing my diet, cutting out refined sugar, white flour and too many carbs.  I still ate a lot of dried fruit, nuts, avocado, low fat dairy and cheeses and meats like chicken. I kept up my regular 4 day a week ballroom dancing and 1 hour of ballet.  I did not lose any weight or inches. Last year in November, I read an article about CR and put myself on 900-1000 calories/day for 2 months.  I ate only berries, almond milk, beans, green, yellow and purple vegetables, fish and nuts, making sure I stayed between 900-1000 calories.  My results were astonishing!  My blood pressure dropped from 140/92 to 117/76, my weight went from 120 to 110, my belly was almost flat,  I stopped wanting naps in the afternoon, my skin became radiant and my thinking and memory became crystal clear. Over these past few weeks of being a home body from the Covid19 lockdown, I let sugar and too many calories sneak in.  I stopped counting. 2 days ago, I made a fresh start and started CR again. I hope to get back to my healthy state and hopefully achieve my weight and measurement goals.  My friends are worried about me becoming "anorexic" but , I know better and do not have the symptoms.  I am doing this for health, vitality, longevity and yes...a little bit of vanity too. One more note: my father, who is 90 years old has been CR'ing for years.  He lives on a diet of vegetables, fish or chicken once a day, fruit and very little carbs.  He is energetic, vital and well...let's just say, "frisky" for his age.   Looking forward to hearing from others with encouragement, suggestions and reading more stories of success.

My situation is very, very similar to yours. I am 60, 5'6" and weigh 122 lbs. I was a competitive figure skater and ballet dancer when I was younger, raised a family, and began a law practice when my children were teenagers. 

I practiced CR probably 20 years ago but had a severe personal trauma 10 years ago that gutted my life. I gained some weight and shut down in many ways during that period. 

I have re-built my life over the past couple of years and practice what I think of as a slightly modified version of CR. I consume between 700-1100 calories/day, fast for approximately 12 hours each day, exercise daily (mostly Pilates with a little low-impact aerobic exercise,) drink a glass or two of red wine daily, and indulge in a good restaurant meal once a week.

I take supplements and stay out of the sun for the most part. My skin is great (no wrinkles or sagging,) my long hair is still brown, and I still struggle with that bit of a belly (which drives me crazy. I had a ruptured appendix when I was 21 and have a large vertical scar. My stomach was never as flat as I would like it to be since then.)

I have familial hypercholesterolemia, so I take a statin. My overall health is great and I have a lot of energy and a healthy sex drive. I don't sleep as much as I would like (6 hours is good for me) but I haven't slept well for the past ten years.