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My Calorie Restriction


Reindeer

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Hi everybody,

 

I am 30 y o female, practicing calorie restriction lifestyle for several years without intention, from 2010 with real understanding and intention, and from September 2011 with counting calories and liquids, checking body temperature and pulse. In spring 2011 made blood tests - all was normal. I feel great and never sick!

 

My everyday calories here: http://calorierestriction.webs.com/

 

Is there somebody who is doing the same???

 

reindeer

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Guest Bob Cavanaugh

That is very meticulous documentation. I've been practicing CR for over 10 years now and do not keep records any longer. Initially, I too was precise. Now, I weigh myself regularly, check blood sugar, and approximate my calories and nutrients. I drink as I get thirsty.

 

With such low calorie numbers on a consistent basis, I wonder of you track your vitamins and minerals, protein and fats, etc. I would guess that you must supplement with a multi vitamin daily.

 

My question to you is how much lower in weight do you intend to go? You are rather light weight now, though you did not mention your height.

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Simply put, 729 kcals per day is crazy for a 5' 3.5" woman with a BMI of 17.8. I don't see any evidence that you're tracking your nutrients. My wife tracks her nutrients with software and is only 5' 0" tall and eats 1000 - 1100 kcals per day and is healthy. If you're not getting all your vitamins and minerals, your diet is called "anorexia". Good luck getting a healthier diet in the near future.

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That is very meticulous documentation. I've been practicing CR for over 10 years now and do not keep records any longer. Initially, I too was precise. Now, I weigh myself regularly, check blood sugar, and approximate my calories and nutrients. I drink as I get thirsty.

 

With such low calorie numbers on a consistent basis, I wonder of you track your vitamins and minerals, protein and fats, etc. I would guess that you must supplement with a multi vitamin daily.

 

My question to you is how much lower in weight do you intend to go? You are rather light weight now, though you did not mention your height.

 

Hi! No I don't track vitamins and minerals, I try to listen to my body what is it's need and to eat what I feel it's need. I eat nuts and seeds and honey and sometimes fruits and vegetables, sometimes cheese. Actually I was losing weight recently and now I like it and don't really want to lose it more for now. It's 44.0 kg (96.8lbs). This is what I want to keep! ( I am 5.1 height- 156 sm).

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My wife tracks her nutrients with software and is only 5' 0" tall and eats 1000 - 1100 kcals per day and is healthy.

 

But this is all question of metabolism, isn't it. Everybody is different! Can be small person with high metabolism and such person would eat a lot, or can be somebody big and tall but with low metabolism and he would eat very small calories. I do want to make my metabolism low...but yes if I will feel I need more calories, I will eat more.

 

If I would have anorexia, I would feel week and exhausted. But I do feel active and great!

 

There is a question btw that I want to ask: people who get anorexia, do they start to sleep more than before? or less than before. I think I became to sleep less.

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I've been practicing CR for over 10 years now and do not keep records any longer. Initially, I too was precise.

 

Wow 10 years! And how many calories do you eat now?))

 

Yes I like to be precise! sometimes it can feel bad...like couple last days I ate more than 800! and I was thinking "Oh NO it's too much!" and it made me upset...May be it's better not to count at all. But I want to count for to see my progress in making my metabolism lower and lower (my dream)...And making my calories less and less as less as possible (LOL only I am afraid that reality will be that with losing weight, the need of my body in calories will grow...but it's ok, I can be patient) I think I was eating more last year, but I didn't count calories and now I feel pity that I can't analyse and compare my last year and this year. (Sorry for my English)

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But this is all question of metabolism, isn't it. Everybody is different! Can be small person with high metabolism and such person would eat a lot, or can be somebody big and tall but with low metabolism and he would eat very small calories. I do want to make my metabolism low...but yes if I will feel I need more calories, I will eat more.

 

If I would have anorexia, I would feel week and exhausted. But I do feel active and great!

 

There is a question btw that I want to ask: people who get anorexia, do they start to sleep more than before? or less than before. I think I became to sleep less.

 

Reindeer, One reason why I believe this is unhealthy in the long run is that it is very difficult to get all of your vitamins and minerals into a diet that is less than say 900 calories while still getting adequate amounts of fats and proteins. It can be done in the 729 calories average that you currently are getting out of your diet, but you just can't do it by guessing and eating healthy foods or by luck; you must do it by using a computer program to balance the intake of foods. If you continue your current diet without adjusting your foods to get adequate nutrition, you're likely to experience poor health eventually due to malnutrition in one or more vitamins or minerals. It's better to eat more and get good nutrition than it is to eat fewer calories at the cost having poor nutrition. Daily Reference Intake (DRI) is thought to be good enough nutrition for 95% of the population. Do you think you fall in the 5%? Here are the numbers you should be getting in your diet every day. DRI Tables I know you're not from USA, but these dietary guidelines are a good basis for anyone, not just Americans. Don't just take a multi-vitamin pill - it's best to get the vitamins from your foods naturally.

 

Perhaps I was wrong to use the anorexia label. You don't sound like you hate your body image. Really, try to modify your diet to meet the DRI levels and your health will be stable for a long time. After you do that, then start to reduce the calories slowly to your preferred level.

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keithsct, thank you! I will read about DRI. I am from US, but I am Russian. I was practicing my food limitation without knowing any info from CR Society. May be my asking Bob Cavanaugh of his calories was outside of CR society etiquette - then I apologize!

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keithsct, thank you! I will read about DRI. I am from US, but I am Russian. I was practicing my food limitation without knowing any info from CR Society. May be my asking Bob Cavanaugh of his calories was outside of CR society etiquette - then I apologize!

 

There's no real CR Society etiquette - just keep being polite is the only rule.

This link may help:

http://www.crsociety...getting_started

 

It has several books and some advice you should read.

 

Also check out my advice to another user in this post:

http://www.crsociety.org/index.php?/topic/24-new-here/page__p__45__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=45

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Reindeer,

I am personally urging you to make sure you're meeting requirements for essential nutrients. Relying on how you feel isn't good enough when it comes to avoiding malnutrition. Your size is not necessarily a good indicator of a need for fewer nutrients. Please understand that your decision to intentionally restrict calories could magnify any nutritional deficiencies you might have had on a regular non-CR diet to begin with.

 

I'm glad that you feel good; It's true that feeling good and having more energy is often reported by people on CR, but those effects alone should not be the only measurement of your health. Drugs also make people feel good and energetic; they do not make you healthier.

 

If your goal with CR is to live a healthier (and longer) life, then putting yourself into a malnourished state will not help. You run the risk of making yourself *LESS* healthy than the people around you who aren't on CR.

 

This website may be useful: http://cronometer.com/

If you don't have a digital scale, then you can at least use volume measurements (cup, spoons).

 

Please be careful. Please track nutrients.

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Hi Reindeer,

 

I was wondering what your goal is? What is the purpose for your wanting a slower metabolism? What is your overall goal? You look, by your photo, to be very slim, so your goal cannot be to slim down. Research shows that severe calorie restriction without receiving the nutrients that you need actually shortens life rather than lengthening it.

 

Also, I was wondering where you got your information about anorexia? I used to be anorexic, and I can tell you that I did not feel tired or have a lack of energy. I actually felt like it gave me a "high". I exercised like crazy and ate very little, and I was very manic. I felt like I could go forever. I also slept only about 5 or 6 hours a night. Anorexia is about being obsessed with food, counting calories and control....controlling calorie intake becomes a huge part of an anorexics day.

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controlling calorie intake becomes a huge part of an anorexics day.

Sounds like me! LOL

Hi KKat!

And what happened with you after that? Did you lost control and started to eat everything?

 

I had experience with real anorexia (physical depletion) and with big lost of weight when I was 16. I remember I felt very weak and not energetic at all. I wanted to eat but I forced myself not to eat and I was just laying in bed and hating myself for wanting to eat. And finally I lost my periods for 6 months and my mom brought me to doctor and doctor told me to start eating. I didn't want to start eating but eventually I just lost control and started to eat everything and gain even more weight than before this diet.

'KKat' are you sure that what you had was anorexia?

 

Now everything is totally different for me. I don't force myself not to eat, I just don't want to eat much. I don't think I have anorexia.

 

This is from Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_nervosa

Signs and symptoms

 

A person with anorexia nervosa may exhibit a number of signs and symptoms, some of which are listed below. The type and severity vary in each case and may be present but not readily apparent. Anorexia nervosa and the associated malnutrition that results from self-imposed starvation, can cause severe complications in every major organ system in the body.[16][17][18]

 

obvious, rapid, dramatic weight loss DO I HAVE IT? NO!

 

lanugo: soft, fine hair grows on face and body[19] LOL DO I HAVE IT? NO!

 

- obsession with calories and fat content WELL THIS I HAVE BUT IT'S NOT OBSESSISON, AND I ONLY STARTED DO IT RECENTLY

 

preoccupation with food, recipes, or cooking; may cook elaborate dinners for others but not eat themselves NO

 

dieting despite being thin or dangerously underweight NO

 

fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight NO

 

rituals: cuts food into tiny pieces; refuses to eat around others; hides or discards food NO

 

purging: uses laxatives, diet pills, ipecac syrup, or water pills; may engage in self-induced vomiting; may run to the bathroom after eating in order to vomit and quickly get rid of the calories[21][22] (see also bulimia nervosa). NO NO NO

 

may engage in frequent, strenuous exercise[23] NO

 

perception: perceives self to be overweight despite being told by others they are too thin NO

 

becomes intolerant to cold: frequently complains of being cold due to loss of insulating body fat or poor circulation due to extremely low blood pressure; body temperature lowers (hypothermia) in effort to conserve energy[24] NO

 

depression: may frequently be in a sad, lethargic state[25] NEVER

 

solitude: may avoid friends and family; becomes withdrawn and secretive NEVER

 

clothing: some may wear baggy, loose-fitting clothes to cover weight loss if they have been confronted about their health and wish to hide it, while others will wear baggy clothing to hide what they see as an unattractive and overweight body. NO

 

cheeks may become swollen due to enlargement of the salivary glands caused by excessive vomiting[26] NO LOL

 

swollen joints[citation needed] NO

 

abdominal distension[citation needed] NO

 

bad breath[citation needed] NO

 

hair loss or thinning[citation needed] NO

 

Missing three of the menstruation cycle[27] NO

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Guest_KKat_*, Taurus, keithsct - thank you so much for wanting to help and for your advices! I will track nutrients and I will be careful. Actually what I do now is much more healthy and good than my practice before, when I didn't eat for several days at all and then I ate non healthy food like ice-cream or fried potatoes. My goal was to become a breatharian like Jasmuheen! I just got into habit of this food limitation (my normal weight on "trying to become breatharian" got into 45 kg with my periods OK every month) and I already can not go back to "normal" eating, with "normal" eating I feel bad, I can get even sick. This summer I finally accepted that I have physical NEED FOR FOOD and IT'S OK and I tried raw foodism and ate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and I noticed I started to gain weight and I didn't like it. So in September when I started my CR practice I was more than my normal weight and now I am just 1 kg less than my previous normal weight and I want to keep my weight as it is now - 44 kg. I will increase my calories if it will go down.

 

I am so happy that I am practicing more healthy way now, now I EAT EVERY DAY) and as I normally feel indifferent to food in general, now I started to understand the pleasure of eating very small amounts of food like nuts, seeds, dried fruis - they are very delicious! I even not sure I want to become a breatharian any more)))

 

I count my calories now to understand what is my physical need for food? how many calories are my physical need for food now after all my experiments with diets and fastings ( I had pure water fastings up to 21 days in the past) and becoming breatharian. I just want to understand my body.

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Today I even ate soybeans - they are good source of proteins! I never ate them before. And I ate dates! I am doing good! much better than just drinking tea during whole week and then eating ice-cream and сereals in big amounts.

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Hi again, Reindeer,

 

Let me start by saying that I was in no way attempting to diagnose you or imply that you are anorexic. Anorexia is an illness, and I am not a therapist. It is also not a state of physical depletion, although if a person is in a state of starvation I'm sure they will get physically depleted....a result of the problem-not the root of the problem. I was mainly trying to point out that saying "I'm not anorexic, because I'm not depleted of energy" is not really a valid statement. Only you can decide if you have a healthy relationship with your body or not....to know whether you are taking care of yourself or nto. Also, Anorexic can refer to an appetite suppressant, but I assume that you meant Anorexia Nervosa. Yep, I'm sure I was anorexic, as I saw a Psychiatrist for it for years. I can't believe how much time I wasted in my life being completely wrapped up in it. It started out to be empowering and energizing, but eventually it interfered with my social life and my job. So I went to counseling to establish a healthy relationship to nutrition. Here is what I figured out: I was given this body as a gift...ever hear that your body is a temple? Well, it is the only one I have. So I am supposed to care for it. I started to see food as what it will do for me instead of how many calories it has. If I eat a piece of chicken I think of the protein that will feed my muscles and feed my hair and skin. Vegetables will make my skin glow and make my hair shine. What really sealed it for me is when I got pregnant (after no periods for years). Now I was responsible for making both my child AND myself healthy (he is now 18 and VERY healthy).

 

Ok, so why am I here? I actually just found this website looking for recipes. LOL! I am getting older and my BMI was above 25 and my blood pressure was increasing. A clear sign that I was getting unhealthy! So I was looking for healthy, low calorie meals that will allow me to lose some weight. I was mostly eating proteins, because they make me less hungry, but I know that is not the best thing to do. Short term it is probably ok, but long term I think that eating strictly proteins will have negative consequences. I need to find some better alternatives. I did get my blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked before I started, and so far they are still fine. My goal is a bmi of about 19, so that if I increase it a little I'll still be healthy.

 

If you are interested in what your physical need for food is, maybe you can look at research into what happens to people when they are deprived of nutrients instead of being a test subject yourself. There is plenty of information around. For example, if you dont' get enough vitamin C you get scurvy....etc. There are some TV programs, like Channel4.com Food Hospital and You are What you Eat. If you can't view them on the channel 4 website maybe you can watch episodes on youtube. The only reason I mention them is that they show people that have not been getting the right nutrients, and they show how they change over time when they are eating healthy.

 

I'm glad that you are eating healthy foods. You are a beautiful woman, and you deserve to be healthy. You never said why it was you wanted your metabolism to go down? You said you wanted to lower it?

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Thanks Taurus for posting the links and keithsct as well. I was currently using a tool that only tracked calorie content, using a database of foods and calorie content. I will try to use http://cronometer.com/ when it is back up. For some reason it is not working presently. I have looked at http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html and I have ordered some books at the library from your society so I can widen my choices (I have been sticking to a limited selection of foods and having them every day, which is not so healthy). When I reach my goal I may decide to try CR as a lifestyle, but I'm not sure whether I want to be burdened by weighing food and thinking about calories forever. It is a lot of work and might not be a good thing for me to get hooked on, considering my tendencies. I imagine that you get to know what the calorie content of foods are after awhile and don't have to weigh anything anymore, correct?

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This summer I finally accepted that I have physical NEED FOR FOOD and IT'S OK

 

I'm glad to hear it. :)

 

I will increase my calories if it will go down.

 

Your height (159cm) and desired weight (44kg) would give you a Body Mass Index of 17.4 http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmi-m.htm

Please be aware that this would classify you as underweight.

 

I am so happy that I am practicing more healthy way now, now I EAT EVERY DAY) and as I normally feel indifferent to food in general, now I started to understand the pleasure of eating very small amounts of food like nuts, seeds, dried fruis - they are very delicious! I even not sure I want to become a breatharian any more

 

Enjoying good, healthy foods every single day is definitely the way to go. As you said, you need food to survive. Breatharianism = starvation, and starvation = death.

 

I count my calories now to understand what is my physical need for food? how many calories are my physical need for food now after all my experiments with diets and fastings ( I had pure water fastings up to 21 days in the past) and becoming breatharian. I just want to understand my body.

 

You have done the right thing by giving up pure water fasts.

Luckily, it's easy to get a general idea of your calorie needs. This US government calculator is a reliable guide- http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/interactiveDRI/ (check all boxes)

 

As you can see, your estimated calorie needs are over twice what you've apparently been consuming.

It is certainly true that your personal history might make your needs lower than the estimate. However, even if you choose to remain on an average of ~850 calories/day, I think it would be difficult for you to get all essential nutrients at that level. Once you track your intake for a day, you will see just how malnourished you might actually be.

 

I strongly encourage you to eat more.

Also, nuts, fruits, and seeds will not be good enough; you need to eat vegetables as well as adequate protein.

Please take a look at these links for some basic guidance-

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/downloads/MyPlate/DG2010Brochure.pdf

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=256&topic_id=1342&level3_id=5140

 

I believe that a CR lifestyle can lead to a long, healthy life, but you have to be careful; malnutrition will shorten your life, not lengthen it.

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One more thing:

 

Today I even ate soybeans - they are good source of proteins! I never ate them before. And I ate dates! I am doing good! much better than just drinking tea during whole week and then eating ice-cream and сereals in big amounts.

 

One of the great things about Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition is that you can enjoy large servings of healthy foods! Many of the most nutritious and healthy foods are low in calories, so you can feel full and satisfied eating big amounts. Whole foods such as vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fruits typically have fewer calories per gram than ice-cream and boxed cereals; you *can* enjoy more of these foods without feeling guilty or hungry.

 

By choosing the right types of foods, you can enjoy big amounts every single day.

 

I want to encourage you to continue trying more nutritious and delicious foods! :)

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I'm glad that you are eating healthy foods. You are a beautiful woman, and you deserve to be healthy. You never said why it was you wanted your metabolism to go down? You said you wanted to lower it?

 

Thank you, Kat!

Yes I think low metabolism makes our body to need less food! Person with low metabolism eats less but doesn't lose weight, has lower body temperature, lower heart and breath rate and therefore is more healthy...and looks younger)...ah and also they sleep less and therefore they can do more in their life.

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Taurus , no actually my BMI is about 18. My height is 156 cm and weight is between 44.0 and 44.9.

 

These days I started to check my hormonal levels on ovulation because I want to stay normal healthy woman who able to give a birth.

So I noticed that my body increasing and decreasing my calorie needs depending on that. So I am not going to stay every day

straight 44.0... And I m increasing my calories for hormones. I am very careful. And I was eating plenty of proteins lately and vegetables . Thanks, Taurus, I will check your links!

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I think there has been a small amount of research that suggests (not proves) that a low metabolic rate in certain animals (no research suggests anything about humans) can extend your lifespan. However, if you google Symptoms of Low Metabolic Energy or something like it, you'll see that the long term results of a low metabolic rate in humans definitely causes the following (just from the short list I looked at):

 

Low body temperature. Coldness. Low Energy or Fatigue. Slow healing

Depression. Anxiety. Poor memory, focus, or concentration. Sleep disorders.

Frequent infections (skin, sinus, bladder, bowel, yeast problems, etc.). Allergies. Auto-immune disease.

Musculoskeletal Fatigue. Fibromyalgia (muscle or joint pains). Generalized aches/pains. Repetitive use injury and carpal tunnel syndrome. Weak connective tissues (ligaments, bones, etc). Headaches.

Loss of Libido and function. Menstrual disorders. Infertility.

Low blood pressure. High blood pressure. Raynaud’s disease.

Constipation. Gas or bloating. Digestive disorders, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Numbness of hands and/or feet (usually symmetrical). Dulling or loss of senses such as vision, taste or smell.

Dry. Acne. Pallor in light skin, darkening or dark patches in dark skin.

Hair loss, brittle, coarse, dry or oily.

# * Low body temperature / coldness

# * Brain fog / poor memory, focus and concentration

# * Low energy / fatigue

# * Depression / anxiety

# * Immune dysfunction / allergies / recurrent infections

# * Fibromyalgia and arthritic pain

# * Poor connective tissue quality / poor healing

# * Inability to hold chiropractic / osteopathic adjustments

 

It is your body and your life, but none of that seems very desirable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is president of CR society tells about slowing metabolism on CR as good thing prolonging life span and health span:

http://am.blogs.cnn....trict-calories/

For me this is very inspiring! I ordered his book and can't wait to read!!!

I just wanted to note that slow metabolism itself doesn't always prolong life span or create good health. If A causes B, and A causes C, you can't say that C makes B happen. In this case CR causes slow metabolism, and CR causes prolonged life/health span, but you can't say that therefore slow metabolism causes prolonged life/health span. However, if you do CR in the good way as explained in the books and links, you will experience a slower metabolism and have good health.

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I am having new "passion" from yesterday, I started green smoothies))) Wow this is so great! I read Victoria Boutenko book "Green for life" and now I tried it and I loved green smoothies! It gives me freshness and energy. I do green smoothies with celery, spinach and parsley, and half of banana. One glass of green smoothie with banana is about 70 calories, and without banana (I tried with carrot) 25 calories) - very CR! and after smoothie I feel like I ate a cow LOL.

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