Just Starting

[Guest Katt]

Greetings All

 

Just like Hannah I've started CR,mainly as a result of seeing the BBC TV programme although I hd been aware of this beforehand. I'm middle aged over weight woman 5ft 4inchs and currently weighting in at 85.4kg, I've sent off for the recommended books meanwhile I've been eating around 1000cals and 3oocals every other day to great effect. I'm concerned that when the book arrives I will be "blinded" by the science as just reading Hannahs post left me behind a bit. I have found that allthough I'm on low calories every other day, I,m enjoying the slight feeling of hunger and not uncomfortable at all, what I want to know is there a "CR Living for Dummies" publication available. Once I'm down to my correct weight (49.7kg to 67.7kg or there abouts) I intend to cut out the fast days.

 

Regards

 

Katt

[Michael R]

I'm concerned that when the book arrives I will be "blinded" by the science as just reading Hannahs post left me behind a bit. ... I want to know is there a "CR Living for Dummies" publication available.

 

There is not, because CR is not a diet for dummies ;) . CR *isn't* a specific "diet": as you've read, it works because of the intersection of substantially lowering Calorie intake while keeping up excellent intake of essential nutrients and how individuals work that out varies wildly. We have folks doing things that look like everything from Ornish to unusually healthy versions of Atkins, and no one else's solution set is likely to work for you or constitute a good transition. You will have to evaluate a range of evidence and opinions presented in books and in the CR discussion forums and in your own research, and make all of your decisions -- what mix of macronutrients, what exercise to undertake, how many Calories, what weight limits, etc -- yourself.

 

That said, the new edition of The Longevity Diet is probably the best intro available.

 

Broadly speaking, you want to focus on a diet composed of more high-nutrient, low-Calorie foods: vegetables, lean protein (turkey, chicken breast, Quorn, most fish, low-fat soy, eggwhites, fillet mignon, low-fat dairy, etc), legumes, fruits, and good fats (avocadoes, nuts, olive oil, flax oil, etc)). More specifically, try to include raw vegetables; leafy greens; Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, cabbage, etc); Allium vegetables (onions and garlic); carrots; green vegetables; raw and fresh citrus; cooked tomatoes; nuts; green tea; moderate (3-10 oz/d) wine, taken with a meal; and high-quality, high-polyphenol olive oil . Then plug what you get into COM and see where the holes are. If you do this on top of MegaMuffins, you're likely to be pretty happy with the results.

 

You can also adapt some recipes from low-fat (if you add fat and cut the grains) and low-carb (if you cut the saturated fat and, now, the protein) diet books; a few I recommend are Zone Meals in Minutes (NOT Zone Meals in Seconds!), Low-Carb Meals in Minutes, and Eating Stella Style (tho' to be honest I haven't used the latter 2 -- just looked at their recipes).

 

One thing that I doubt was covered in the TV show and that is absolutely critical to CR is the use of nutrition software (such as CRON-O-Meter) to track your Calorie intake and your intake of essential nutrients. You must use these tools.

[Guest Katt]

Thank you Micheal, now how do I find a CRON-NO-METER?

[Guest Katt]

I would like to say that the results of following CR after two weeks have left me feeling fit and healthy which is more than can be said when I tried Atkins, I feel that this regimen is one that I could follow for the rest of my life without any problems.

[Guest Katt]

Found, on line a CRON-O-Meter and put in my intake for yeaterday 86% of my requirements not too bad for a newbie. But I do need to get a new scale.

[Guest Sammy]

Hello,

 

I am just starting to learn about CR and find it very interesting. I have been reading through the site and forums and saw you had mentioned its important to track caloric intake. I have been using a tool called OnTarget Nutrition, Diet Tracker - Calorie Counter and it has been working great for me so far. It also tracks all my macro-nutrients, including fat, protein, carbs, and sugar, fiber, and many more. Is there a specific calorie/nutrition tracker to use with CR? Thanks.