[AztecInca]

I am a very fit ad healthy person, but I`m still young and probably wont ever do what you are attempting Whoa, I like the way I live and for the moment I`m not about to change it, maybe one day, but I doubt it, good luck with this Whoa, hopefully it works for you and you are still around a century from now!lol!

[whoa182]

I have been doing calorie restriction for quite a while now so I decided to monitor my self in the early stages of it to make sure that everything is ok and I don't lose weight to fast. Unfortunatly with CR you become skinny and thats exactly what as happend to me, although I am very healthy.

Heres a bit of monitoring I did from late august to sept...

http://img.photobuck...Monitoring1.jpg

Ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL is 3.3 which puts me below very low and this should improve further over the next few months. http://www.exrx.net/...ng/LDL&HDL.html

My systolic blood pressure is usually around mid-high 90's which is equiv of what a 10 year old would get. Average people get around 130/90. My weight is now stabilizing and I've slightly increased caloric intake.

This post has been edited by whoa182: 22 October 2005 - 11:02 PM

[ROGER]

A question Whoa? What is your family average body build and weight. Just curious because as a scientist you know the influence of genetic history.

My Grand Dad was 5'4''--180 lbs. My father was 5'6''210 lbs. I am5'7''---290 lbs. All members of my family are over weight and fight it all the time. Yet me colestol is good. My doctor says I am one of those people whos body metabolizes everything .

[whoa182]

My mother is slightly overweight (26 BMI) and has had 2 heart attacks at the age of 42 and luckily survived.

My father is 50 now and has always been quite thin, his blood pressure is around 115/70 and thats quite good for his age. I dont know any of his blood results hes had done in the past.

Most of my great grandparents and grandparents lived to around 85, even tho they had smoked for about 40-50 years before quitting but eventually all died of lung cancer. My mothers father did die of a heart attack at the age of 50 (he smoked all his life). Ironically, even tho my mother eats complete junk everyday, her cholesterol is average.

I agree that genetic factors do come into play a lot but to what extend can we prevent being overweight or heart attacks, cancer etc... thorugh diet?

From early evidence, CR has shown to be most effective method. There is a guy named david stern and you can view an interview with him here http://www.calorierestriction.org/ . Doctors showed (before starting CR) that he was developing early signs of heart disease, he was on medication for cholesterol and blood pressure.

He mentions that being overweight runs through the family and nearly all his family dies of heart problems.

After starting the calorie restricted diet his health got much better and he didn't need the medication anymore. Calorie Restriction had significantly better results than what the blood pressure and cholesterol medication offered. He was able to lose weight easily with Calorie Restriction.

Watch his interview, it's only 7minutes long

http://calorierestri...n-clip-100k.ram

This post has been edited by whoa182: 05 October 2005 - 04:17 AM

[whoa182]

I've now pretty much stopped losing weight but am finding it difficult to phsycologically adapt to my current weight of 112 lb's. It's been a slow and gradual weight loss which was inevitible by doing calorie restriction. Perceptions from others are not always great but I also like it when people actually ask how come i'm so skinny.

I've been to the doctors for a general checkup again and everything is very good. It used to be quite easy but now seems to be getting harder to do CR. I mean I feel absaloutly great physically and even tho everyone around me is catching all kinds of bugs, colds, viruses or whatever... I remain very healthy and not touched by any infection at all, regardless of whether im around an infected person or not. ! yay... lol

But on the plus side, food tastes better than ever ! I never realized how great taste gets after totally cutting out saturated fat and sugar. Brocolli has to be my fave at the moment! yumm...... but I generally can sometimes have upto 15-20 different vegetables and some fruits per day...

anyway I can't complain about all the benifits CR has done for me so far, lets just hope I reach the 22nd century ! lol.

[whoa182]

How eating less affects the aging process

Researchers at the University of Washington have found a genetic pathway linking nutrient response and the aging process, they report in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal Science. Scientists have long known that dramatically reducing food intake boosts the lifespan of model organisms such as mice, but the new results point to a possible mechanism through which drastic calorie restriction affects aging.

As scientists learn more about the biochemical processes that affect lifespan, they might one day be able to target those processes to reduce the effects of age-related diseases like heart disease or diabetes.

The UW researchers conducted a genome-wide screen of yeast cells to find which genes, and their corresponding proteins, affect lifespan. Two of the proteins, called Tor1 and Sch9, are signaling molecules that are linked to nutrient uptake in many different organisms. Their results suggest that the same proteins, or very similar ones, may be related to both nutrient response and the aging process in humans.

"The idea is to identify pathways in yeast that are involved in aging, and take them to higher organisms like mice and eventually people," explained Brian Kennedy, assistant professor of biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine and one of the study's main authors. He collaborated on the project with Matt Kaeberlein, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Stanley Fields, professor of genome sciences at the UW and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

After finding ten genes that regulate lifespan, the researchers tested two - Tor1 and Sch9 - to confirm their connection to caloric restriction. One test combined caloric restriction with the genetic mutation to Tor1 that reduced signaling on the TOR pathway. They saw lifespan increases in the resulting yeast cells that were about the same as a cell that had just the Tor1 mutation, indicating that the mutation was doing the same thing as caloric restriction.

"The TOR pathway is evolutionarily conserved, meaning it is common to many lifeforms," said Kaeberlein. "We'd like to know if this is the pathway through which caloric restriction affects lifespan. We think this may be why mice live longer with calorie restriction, because of TOR pathway down-regulation."

The two researchers plan to find out that very thing by studying further the TOR pathway in mice. Unlike yeast, though, that gene is essential for mice to live, so they can't delete the gene entirely. But mice have two copies of the TOR gene, which means the researchers can knock out one copy, essentially cutting activity on the TOR pathway in half. They can then study the lifespan of those mice compared to others, and also look at the progression of age-related conditions in the mutants to see if reducing TOR signaling affects those diseases.

The other signaling protein the researchers found in the yeast study, Sch9, is the yeast version of another signaling protein called AKT, which is found in humans and other mammals. AKT is related to the regulation of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) pathways, and has also been found to affect lifespan in other model organisms. "Having this pathway implicated in lifespan is consistent with the theory about insulin/IGF-1 response in animals and humans," explained Kaeberlein. "That theory basically says that high nutrient levels make the organism grow faster and bigger, but also reduce lifespan. This may be one reason why calorie-restricted mice live longer, but are smaller than other mice."

The researchers admit that there might be multiple ways to increase the lifespan of model organisms and humans. However, extreme calorie restriction has been shown to be the one process that affects aging universally. It doesn't just make the organism live longer overall, it also reduces the debilitating effects of aging and age-related diseases. Calorie-restricted mice don't just live longer, they live healthier for longer.

"Caloric restriction is acting at the root level of the aging mechanism," said Kennedy. "If we can understand how that works, then maybe you can target the genes or proteins that regulate those processes, and you can alter aging and its effects without reducing caloric intake."

[whoa182]

I'm at around 110 lb's now since my last post and have just increased my calorie intake slightly to get me back upto about 112 lb's.

This is a CR'd me (below), I'll get a pic from a year ago if I can find one lol. I'll also post some lab results in two weeks time, if anyone interested in seeing the effects of the diet.

http://img.photobuck.../matt_small.jpg
http://img.photobuck...oa182/test1.jpg

This post has been edited by whoa182: 22 November 2005 - 12:10 AM

[whoa182]

I just found out my Choleseterol today... wow it's low!

B]Serum Lipids:[/B]

Total cholesterol - 3.1 mmol/L --------- 120mg/dl
Triglycerides - 0.4 ---------------- 35mg/dl
HDL cholesterol - 1.20 --------------- 46mg/dl
LDL cholesterol - 1.7 ---------------- 65mg/dl
HDL : total cholesterol ratio : 39%
Total cholesterol: HDL Ratio - 2.6:1

Looks like CR is working =/

[Raptor]

Hey, Whoa. Your results look good, and I know you've probably said this many times throughout your posts, but in all honesty it's too much for me to read yet.

I just want to ask, on an average day what exactly would you eat?

Thanks, don't mean to be rude.

[whoa182]

Well I weigh everything I eat and log it all so it adds up nutritional data and calories

Breakfast:

Oats (porridge)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Almonds
Whey Protein powder (on my oats)
Essential Mix (contains vitamins and minerals etc.. 36 in total)
(skim milk sometimes)

100% orange juice

Later on I have:

Dinner

Steamed*

Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Garlic
Green Beans
Carrots or Sweet potato
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Eggwhites? Chicken breast ? Fish?
Herbs

Salad

Raw*

Lettuce
Red Cabbage
Spinach
Garlic
Red Onion
Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Eggwhites? Chicken breast ? Fish?
Salsa
Herbs

Later in the evening

Yogurt
Flax Oil

Red Apples.
Pear?

Sometimes I have dark chocolate, sometimes just baked beans but very low salt and sugar ones (easy to make when busy and low on cal for the day)

My previous life style was more like:

Cornflakes
milk
lots of sugar ontop

chocolate
baked beans
chips
sausages, bacon, eggs?

More chocolate

tea and biscuits?

And for years I lived on junk food

This post has been edited by whoa182: 30 December 2005 - 03:05 AM

[whoa182]

Check out this new article:

http://www.cbsnews.c...in1172297.shtml

And try watch the video on the right

[whoa182]

Caloric restriction appears to prevent primary aging in the heart

http://mednews.wustl...ml?emailID=7755

Jan. 12, 2006 — Eating a very low-calorie yet nutritionally balanced diet is good for your heart. Studying heart function in members of an organization called the Caloric Restriction Society, investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that their hearts functioned like the hearts of much younger people. The researchers report their findings in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Ultrasound examinations showed that the hearts of people on caloric restriction appeared more elastic than those of age- and gender-matched control subjects. Their hearts were able to relax between beats in a way similar to the hearts in younger people.

"This is the first study to demonstrate that long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has cardiac-specific effects that ameliorate age-associated declines in heart function," says principal investigator Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis and an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy.

Research on mice and rats has shown that stringent and consistent caloric restriction increases the animals' maximum lifespan by about 30 percent and protects them against atherosclerosis and cancer, but human study has been difficult because the caloric restriction lifestyle requires a strict diet regimen, both to keep the total number of calories low and to insure that people consume the proper balance of nutrients.

The researchers studied 25 calorie-restricted individuals who had voluntarily been consuming a very low-calorie diet for an average of six years (consuming about 1,400 to 2,000 calories per day). They ranged in age from 41 to 65. The study compared their heart function to 25 age- and gender-matched individuals who ate a typical Western diet (about 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day).

In Western countries, heart attacks and strokes are responsible for about 40 percent of all deaths. Cancer causes about another 30 percent. According to Fontana, deaths in both groups can be attributed to what scientists call secondary aging. That's the term used to characterize health problems that result from conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and other preventable conditions that contribute to premature death. A healthy diet and regular exercise can reduce risks from secondary aging. But this study suggests calorie restriction with optimal nutrition can do even more.

Normal aging causes a decline in cardiac performance. Before it pumps blood to the rest of the body, the heart's left ventricle fills with blood in a two-phase process. The first phase, which fills the ventricle in healthy hearts to about 80 percent capacity, is a passive, suction-mediated mechanism called early ventricular filling. The second phase is more active because the heart's atrium contracts to completely fill the ventricle with blood. As we get older, less blood gathers during the passive, diastolic phase, so the atrium has to work harder to increase the amount of blood it forces into the ventricle.

This decline in diastolic function is a marker of primary aging," Fontana says. "Diastolic function declines in most people as they get older, but in this study we found that diastolic function in calorie-restricted people resembled diastolic function in individuals about 15 years younger."

It may even be possible that eating a very low-calorie, nutrient dense diet reverses declines in diastolic function. People in the study averaged only six years on the diet, but their hearts looked 15 years younger. So Fontana says it's possible that the diet has a rejuvenating effect.

He notes that most study subjects had parents, grandparents or siblings who suffered heart attacks or strokes, making it unlikely that their genetic makeup is a contributor to the unusual healthiness of their hearts. In the case of one subject, both parents and younger brother currently take medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Some subjects actually took medicine for high blood pressure themselves before they started on caloric restriction.

Fontana and colleagues previously have found that people on the very low-calorie diet have low blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, blood pressure scores equivalent to those of much younger individuals, a lower risk of developing diabetes and reduced body fat. These markers indicate less secondary aging.

In this study, Fontana's team found that markers of inflammation indicative of primary aging were much lower in the caloric restriction group. Their serum levels of a pro-inflammatory molecule called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) were significantly lower. They also had less C-reactive protein (CRP).

In addition, they had lower amounts of a substance called transforming growth factor-beta (TGFb), a molecule that both helps reverse inflammation and activates cells called fibroblasts to produce collagen. If, for example, you cut yourself, your body will work to repair the damage by activating fibroblasts to produce collagen and make scar tissue to heal the wound.

Fontana says the low levels of TNFa, CRP and TGFb, combined with evidence of "younger" hearts in people on caloric restriction, has led his research team to hypothesize that inflammation may play a key role in the aging process.

"Our hypothesis is that low-grade, chronic inflammation is mediating primary aging," he says. "It's not the only factor, of course — aging is a complex process. But we found less inflammation in these people — less TNFa, C-reactive protein and TGFb — as well as a more flexible ventricle in their hearts."

Overweight and obese people also tend to have higher levels of inflammation than lean people. In this study, those on caloric restriction had about 7 percent total body fat. The control group had about 25 percent body fat.

"It's very clear from these studies that caloric restriction has a powerful, protective effect against diseases associated with aging," says co-investigator John O. Holloszy, M.D., professor of medicine. "We don't know how long each individual will end up living, but they certainly have a longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. And if, in fact, their hearts are aging more slowly, it's conceivable they'll live for a very long time."

Members of the Caloric Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society try to consume between 10 and 25 percent fewer calories than average Americans while still maintaining proper nutrition. Fontana says that's a very important point. People on this type of diet don't simply consume less food.

"Caloric restriction does not mean eating half a hamburger and half a pack of French fries and drinking half of a sugary beverage," he says. "These people have very good nutrition. They eliminate calories by eating nutrient-dense foods."

He says caloric restriction tends to resemble a traditional Mediterranean diet, which includes a wide variety of vegetables, olive oil, beans, whole grains, fish and fruit. The diet avoids refined and processed foods, soft drinks, desserts, white bread and other sources of so-called "empty" calories.

But Fontana and Holloszy don't believe that caloric restriction is for everyone. Instead, they recommend a moderate reduction in calories, combined with moderate, regular exercise.

"If you change the quality of your diet by increasing the servings of nutrient-dense food and reducing — actually, it would be better to slowly eliminate — all of the servings of 'empty' calorie foods, you improve your chances of living a healthier and longer life," Fontana says.

[Raptor]

whoa182, one of the articles said people who had a daily intake of 1400-2000 calories were healthier than people who had a daily intake of 2000-3000. Well how would a persons rate of metabolism affect that? For example would a person with very high metabolsim who has 3000 cal per day have the same results as a person with low metabolsim who consumes 2000 cal per day?

[Ausaria]

On a personal note whoa182, I'm proud of you for committing and sticking to your diet. I'm pursuing a modeling career so I'm constantly trying to keep weight off while staying healthy, and it's really hard to do (almost impossible).

Most people don't have the will power, it seems.

Another thing though, you are saying you're 110 pounds, not kg? That seems awfully skinny darling. What was your approximate weight before CR?

[whoa182]

Quote

Another thing though, you are saying you're 110 pounds, not kg? That seems awfully skinny darling. What was your approximate weight before CR?

I've always been naturally quite skinny. I don't think I've ever had a BMI over 19. So for me when I started calorie restriction with optimal nutrition I was at a BMI of 18.5 Around 118 lb's

So inevitibly my weight would decrease, there are a few people who been doing CR now for around 10-15 years and they have a BMI of 15.5 (18.5 and over is normal range) So i'm not the skinniest CRONer. I find it very easy to do and right now I get around 1800k/cal per day which is a safe amount. My doctor thinks I'm doing fine also and all my tests are showing some good results.

My motivation to do this is for the life extension benifits, this is what helps me keep doing this lifestyle.

Quote

one of the articles said people who had a daily intake of 1400-2000 calories were healthier than people who had a daily intake of 2000-3000. Well how would a persons rate of metabolism affect that? For example would a person with very high metabolsim who has 3000 cal per day have the same results as a person with low metabolsim who consumes 2000 cal per day?

Well by decreasing calories metabolism slows down and becomes more efficient. A person with a very high metabolism eating 3000k/cal a day would not get the same life extension or even health benifits seen in people restricting calories by say 10-30%. It seems as though the quality of the diet will have a big impact in this aswell, not just simply lower calories being better. Nutrition has to be very good and calories quite low but not too low or bad things happen =/

This post has been edited by whoa182: 23 February 2006 - 05:15 AM