New to CR, have 4 basic questions

[mccoy]

There might be a decisional process which can lead your choices, after having made clear that it is not at all proved that CR in humans increases lifespan. It is proven that CR increases lifespan in some strain of mice rats and that it maybe increases lifespan in rhesus monkeys (with a little debate). Extrapolation may suggest that in some people, not in everyone, CR may be beneficial longevity-wise and  health-wise.

Anyhow, your first decisional step would be your present bodyweight and BMI. If you are thin to start out with, you are going to get thinner. Is this acceptable or desirable to you by a cosmetic POV? If not, then you can renounce the idea.

If you are not concerned with the thinnes, then you may have some benefits but you'll have to be very cautious tracking your food nutrients intake, taking targeted supplements, checking your blood regularly and exercising. It becomes a pretty busy schedule. The details are all within this forum. Final BMI should probably not go below 18-19, barred few exceptions.

If you are normoweight, you'll get thinner and the same applies as above but less rigidly.

If you are overweight, then CR will probably be very advantageous for you, until you reach the desired bodyweight/BMI, which may take years.

My reasoned opinion is that a limited amount of CR, that is 5% to 10% may be very advantageous but that calories burned by exercise must be replaced by food and that exercise must be regular but not very strenuos nor very prolonged. In such a way you'll have minimum adiposity, not excessive but functional muscle mass, not frail bones. Probably -5% weight wise may constitute an optimum. Or conversely, a BMI of 20-21 with low adiposity and good muscularity.

Many other parameters govern the optimization, which is highly individual. 

[Ron Put]

On 8/26/2020 at 11:08 AM, Lucius said:

What I don't understand is how do you keep restricting calories forever without starving yourself to death in the process. Wouldn't continuous restricting lead to you losing more and more weight?

You restrict calories from a baseline, usually established from a normal (not overweight) state of free feeding.  Then the restriction becomes your new baseline.

If your description of your diet is correct, you are doing better than the vast majority.  If you restrict within reason, your chances of a prolonged healthspan may increase, barring bad luck, genetic predisposition, or a runaway bus.