CRON - Caloric Restriction

*Hassan Adly* · March 12th, 2008, 06:59 PM

Hi,

CRON - Caloric Restriction, Optimized Nutrition - I've been on this regimen for a few weeks now, and so far I'm liking it a lot. My original intention was to lose a bit of weight, however as I learn more about CR I'm getting tempted to stick with this for good (and not just because I am in fact getting thinner).

The premise is as simple as the title - Restricting Caloric intake while optimising the nutritional value of food that you eat.

Doing this involves noting every morsel of food or drink that passes your lips, and using charts and/or software to keep track of Calories consumed, as well as making sure that all nutritional targets are met (vitamins, minerals, etc). Consider it dieting for nerds, if you will.

Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life.

One refreshing aspect of this system is that all the information necessary to follow it is open-source. I've included some links in this post to help anyone interested in further information.

What I've done to get going is download and print the following chart:
Calorie Chart - Foods Sorted Alphabetically
The chart sits on top of my fridge, and whenever I prepare a meal, every item I consume, along with its energy value in Calories, is written in a diary I keep affixed to the fridge door.

In addition I use free software called CRON-O-Meter , into which I enter everything again to double-check my Calorie estimates and also to analyse the other nutritional factors in my food such as vitamins, minerals, lipids, etc.

This might all seem to be a time-consuming hassle, however I can attest to the fact that I have very quickly memorised the caloric values of food servings I regularly eat, and so writing it down and keeping track of the Calories takes no time. Generally I refer to the chart only when preparing something new. Entering it all into CRON-o-meter and viewing the results takes all of five minutes. So let's say I spend a total of 15 minutes of extra time per day in the administrative aspect of things. If you find it hard to find 15 minutes a day, then you probably need to make some major changes in your lifestyle in any case

.

In order to make CRON do what you want it to do, you have to have a good idea of your body's caloric needs, accounting for your personal BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate), as well as your level of activity. This can be calculated using the formulas in this very educational article:
How to Determine Your Body's Daily Calorie Needs

I am currently running on a weight-loss schedule of about 1000 Calories below my maintenance level, which I thought at first would be too extreme to stick with. I have however found it suprisingly easy to follow. I suspect the reason is that I am not only reducing calories - I am actually being very efficient with nutrition by accounting for vitamins, minerals, and so on. Hence energy levels are high. By avoiding very high-calorie foods except as small snacks (like a few nuts or a piece of chocolate with coffee) I am also staying away from high glycemic loads which means no sugar spikes with their associated hunger pangs and irritability. In short - I feel good, great in fact, and I am steadily losing 1/2 KG - 1 KG (1-2 pounds) per week. As I come close to my target weight, the plan is to ease off the restrictions until I can settle comfortably into a maintenance level. Am I hungry? Of course I am - all the time. But not any more hungry than I was all the time before

Now I really enjoy my meals, and feel good afterwards.

I would be very interested to hear other peoples experiences with CRON!

Some useful links:

The Calorie restriction society
CRON-O-Meter
How to Determine Your Body's Daily Calorie Needs
Calorie Chart - Foods Sorted Alphabetically

Best Regards,
Hassan

Marijn · March 12th, 2008, 08:34 PM

Interesting.

As i'm in need of some diet changes (moved to a desk-job, which means 10/11hour a day sitting on my arse).

Hassan,

You haven't noticed any physical problems such as weakness during dives?
And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy)

lizardland · March 13th, 2008, 12:44 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Hassan Adly)

The premise is as simple as the title - Restricting Caloric intake while optimising the nutritional value of food that you eat... Consider it dieting for nerds, if you will.

Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life.

I like the dieting for nerds quote

I've been doing a similar but bit more basic exercise... as bizarre as it sounds, following the Greek Orthodox calendar. Traditional diets are naturally "calorie optimised", the Orthodox calendar is quite prescriptive in what you can/cannot eat and when, Orthodox monks have extremely low incidences of "lifestyle" disease, I've found my energy levels stay pretty even throughout the day and since removing pretty much all prepackaged/processed foods I feel a hell of a lot better. I've lost most of the post-Christmas stone I put on in a month. And red wine is allowed for most of the calendar so I'm quite happy

One of my favourite Billy Connolly quotes, "if you don't want to be fat, eat less and move around more, it's not difficult"

Quote:

And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy)

All my diving is at the weekend, luckily most of these are feast days in the calendar!

*Hassan Adly* · March 13th, 2008, 02:22 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Marijn)

You haven't noticed any physical problems such as weakness during dives?
And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy)

I haven't had any hard excercise for a couple of weeks, partly because I wanted to get the ball rolling with CR. I am teaching a fundamentals course this week in Latvia which is always a lot of physical activity, followed by some tech diving in the Baltic. Both should both put this system to the test quite well. I will report back here with my findings.

To avoid weakness, exhaustion, and whatnot, all you have to do is factor in your activity level to calculate your maintenance-level caloric requirements, and then adjust your intake from there, again making sure that you are getting all the nutrients you need. More than 1000 Calories less than the maintenance level, and your body won't be able to burn fat fast enough to make energy available.

Regards,
Hassan

digital_steve · March 13th, 2008, 04:40 AM

Great post
I'm going to give this a go following what you did
If it was YD, i'd give you a green!

Thanks!

GLOC · March 13th, 2008, 09:48 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by digital_steve)

Great post
I'm going to give this a go following what you did
If it was YD, i'd give you a green!

Thanks!

You can give a shiny through the little green button bottom left.

graham_hk · March 13th, 2008, 10:59 AM

[quote=Hassan Adly;56723I would be very interested to hear other peoples experiences with CRON!
[/quote]

Looks crazy - personally I wouldn't waste my time with it. The zone is much easier to follow and I lost nearly 17kg last year. I find exercise the key to weight loss for me and not eating crap - thereby controlling sugar levels. I don't need to count calories - if it comes out of a packet its bad

In summary: balance, moderation and exercise - put the extra 15min that you spent calculating calories into a run or gym session

Graham

TobyFish · March 13th, 2008, 02:33 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Hassan Adly)

Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life.

Following people who extrapolate that wildly has a poor track-record of success. My friend has an amazing sex life and one one occasion gave $30 to someone as a gift. Send me $30 and watch your sex-life improve

Please be aware of the downsides of long-term calorie restriction

Loss of muscle mass
Anemia
Memory loss
Dizziness
Depression

And also bear in mind that benefifcial effects in humans ascribed to this are mostly seen in the obese. It has proved hard to show any benefit of the caloric restriction that cannot be explained by the less fatty/sugary diet involved (which you can achieve without reducing calories), or the loss in weight.

Be very careful about using CR and not exercising. CR-induced weight-loss is associated with reduced bone density in the hip and spine (which exercise-induced weight-loss is not). Articles in JAMA suggest that CR can cause "anemia, muscle wasting, weakness, dizziness, lethargy, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, gallstones, irritability and depression"... do you want to be in the back of a cave with THAT guy?

I assume that no one visits a diving forum for definitive health advice, but please research carefully and widely before embarking on deliberate malnutrion.

HTH

Phil O · March 13th, 2008, 03:25 PM

So far this year I've lost 13Kg - 2 stone - by following the GI Diet. I exercise hard and eat well with the diet.

In fact it was a post on here that put me onto the diet

Good Calories - Bad Calories

graham_hk · March 13th, 2008, 04:07 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Phil O)

So far this year I've lost 13Kg - 2 stone - by following the GI Diet. I exercise hard and eat well with the diet.

In fact it was a post on here that put me onto the diet

Good Calories - Bad Calories

Strike two for Mobbs!

March 12th, 2008, 06:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Hassan Adly(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Red Sea Posts: 287	CRON - Caloric Restriction Hi, CRON - Caloric Restriction, Optimized Nutrition - I've been on this regimen for a few weeks now, and so far I'm liking it a lot. My original intention was to lose a bit of weight, however as I learn more about CR I'm getting tempted to stick with this for good (and not just because I am in fact getting thinner). The premise is as simple as the title - Restricting Caloric intake while optimising the nutritional value of food that you eat. Doing this involves noting every morsel of food or drink that passes your lips, and using charts and/or software to keep track of Calories consumed, as well as making sure that all nutritional targets are met (vitamins, minerals, etc). Consider it dieting for nerds, if you will. Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life. One refreshing aspect of this system is that all the information necessary to follow it is open-source. I've included some links in this post to help anyone interested in further information. What I've done to get going is download and print the following chart: Calorie Chart - Foods Sorted Alphabetically The chart sits on top of my fridge, and whenever I prepare a meal, every item I consume, along with its energy value in Calories, is written in a diary I keep affixed to the fridge door. In addition I use free software called CRON-O-Meter , into which I enter everything again to double-check my Calorie estimates and also to analyse the other nutritional factors in my food such as vitamins, minerals, lipids, etc. This might all seem to be a time-consuming hassle, however I can attest to the fact that I have very quickly memorised the caloric values of food servings I regularly eat, and so writing it down and keeping track of the Calories takes no time. Generally I refer to the chart only when preparing something new. Entering it all into CRON-o-meter and viewing the results takes all of five minutes. So let's say I spend a total of 15 minutes of extra time per day in the administrative aspect of things. If you find it hard to find 15 minutes a day, then you probably need to make some major changes in your lifestyle in any case . In order to make CRON do what you want it to do, you have to have a good idea of your body's caloric needs, accounting for your personal BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate), as well as your level of activity. This can be calculated using the formulas in this very educational article: How to Determine Your Body's Daily Calorie Needs I am currently running on a weight-loss schedule of about 1000 Calories below my maintenance level, which I thought at first would be too extreme to stick with. I have however found it suprisingly easy to follow. I suspect the reason is that I am not only reducing calories - I am actually being very efficient with nutrition by accounting for vitamins, minerals, and so on. Hence energy levels are high. By avoiding very high-calorie foods except as small snacks (like a few nuts or a piece of chocolate with coffee) I am also staying away from high glycemic loads which means no sugar spikes with their associated hunger pangs and irritability. In short - I feel good, great in fact, and I am steadily losing 1/2 KG - 1 KG (1-2 pounds) per week. As I come close to my target weight, the plan is to ease off the restrictions until I can settle comfortably into a maintenance level. Am I hungry? Of course I am - all the time. But not any more hungry than I was all the time before Now I really enjoy my meals, and feel good afterwards. I would be very interested to hear other peoples experiences with CRON! Some useful links: The Calorie restriction society CRON-O-Meter How to Determine Your Body's Daily Calorie Needs Calorie Chart - Foods Sorted Alphabetically Best Regards, Hassan __________________ Hassan Adly Red Sea Discovery "Today I will finally see the sea again, which will smell of salt, wind, sand - and the cold of winter. Finally I will not only travel on it but dive in it, again I will become water, a bird - and I will remember the feeling of gliding above the abyss" Elena Sundukova, tragically lost at sea, January 2007

March 12th, 2008, 08:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Marijn(Offline) Smurf #1 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Papendrecht, The Netherlands Posts: 380	Interesting. As i'm in need of some diet changes (moved to a desk-job, which means 10/11hour a day sitting on my arse). Hassan, You haven't noticed any physical problems such as weakness during dives? And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy) __________________ Its a fact that the humans can't go without water for more than 3 days

March 13th, 2008, 12:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
lizardland(Offline) LCS Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Evidently Chickentown Posts: 593	Quote: (Originally Posted by Hassan Adly) The premise is as simple as the title - Restricting Caloric intake while optimising the nutritional value of food that you eat... Consider it dieting for nerds, if you will. Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life. I like the dieting for nerds quote I've been doing a similar but bit more basic exercise... as bizarre as it sounds, following the Greek Orthodox calendar. Traditional diets are naturally "calorie optimised", the Orthodox calendar is quite prescriptive in what you can/cannot eat and when, Orthodox monks have extremely low incidences of "lifestyle" disease, I've found my energy levels stay pretty even throughout the day and since removing pretty much all prepackaged/processed foods I feel a hell of a lot better. I've lost most of the post-Christmas stone I put on in a month. And red wine is allowed for most of the calendar so I'm quite happy One of my favourite Billy Connolly quotes, "if you don't want to be fat, eat less and move around more, it's not difficult" Quote: And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy) All my diving is at the weekend, luckily most of these are feast days in the calendar! __________________ Can you imagine drifting along in the sea with your mouth open and a load of f***ing plankton going in? You'd like it, would you? www.westons-cider.co.uk The Lot isn't the only place to dive: http://www.lulu.com/content/613554

March 13th, 2008, 02:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
Hassan Adly(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Red Sea Posts: 287	Quote: (Originally Posted by Marijn) You haven't noticed any physical problems such as weakness during dives? And how do you account for dives in your diet (being that diving does ask a bit of energy) I haven't had any hard excercise for a couple of weeks, partly because I wanted to get the ball rolling with CR. I am teaching a fundamentals course this week in Latvia which is always a lot of physical activity, followed by some tech diving in the Baltic. Both should both put this system to the test quite well. I will report back here with my findings. To avoid weakness, exhaustion, and whatnot, all you have to do is factor in your activity level to calculate your maintenance-level caloric requirements, and then adjust your intake from there, again making sure that you are getting all the nutrients you need. More than 1000 Calories less than the maintenance level, and your body won't be able to burn fat fast enough to make energy available. Regards, Hassan __________________ Hassan Adly Red Sea Discovery "Today I will finally see the sea again, which will smell of salt, wind, sand - and the cold of winter. Finally I will not only travel on it but dive in it, again I will become water, a bird - and I will remember the feeling of gliding above the abyss" Elena Sundukova, tragically lost at sea, January 2007

March 13th, 2008, 09:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
GLOC (Online) Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fleet, Hants Posts: 1,963	Quote: (Originally Posted by digital_steve) Great post I'm going to give this a go following what you did If it was YD, i'd give you a green! Thanks! You can give a shiny through the little green button bottom left. __________________ Gareth Images of Life Photography DIR Team Foxturd Travels Underwater and Further Afar If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it? - Stephen King

March 13th, 2008, 04:40 AM	#5 (permalink)
digital_steve(Offline) New Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 128	Great post I'm going to give this a go following what you did If it was YD, i'd give you a green! Thanks!

March 13th, 2008, 10:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
graham_hk(Offline) Pinoy ako pinoy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: here, there and everywhere Posts: 779	[quote=Hassan Adly;56723I would be very interested to hear other peoples experiences with CRON! [/quote] Looks crazy - personally I wouldn't waste my time with it. The zone is much easier to follow and I lost nearly 17kg last year. I find exercise the key to weight loss for me and not eating crap - thereby controlling sugar levels. I don't need to count calories - if it comes out of a packet its bad In summary: balance, moderation and exercise - put the extra 15min that you spent calculating calories into a run or gym session Graham __________________ DIN caps and plugs with free world wide postage: www.dustcap.halcyon-hk.com

March 13th, 2008, 02:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
TobyFish(Offline) Fine Upstanding Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Telford, UK Posts: 795	Quote: (Originally Posted by Hassan Adly) Supposedly, laboratory mice subjected to CRON diets lived 50% longer than mice on a normal diet, and moreover remained vigorous and energetic for much longer, relatively. which is why hard core CRON afficiandos aspire to reach a ripe age of 120, whilst enjoying better quality of life. Following people who extrapolate that wildly has a poor track-record of success. My friend has an amazing sex life and one one occasion gave $30 to someone as a gift. Send me $30 and watch your sex-life improve Please be aware of the downsides of long-term calorie restriction Loss of muscle mass Anemia Memory loss Dizziness Depression And also bear in mind that benefifcial effects in humans ascribed to this are mostly seen in the obese. It has proved hard to show any benefit of the caloric restriction that cannot be explained by the less fatty/sugary diet involved (which you can achieve without reducing calories), or the loss in weight. Be very careful about using CR and not exercising. CR-induced weight-loss is associated with reduced bone density in the hip and spine (which exercise-induced weight-loss is not). Articles in JAMA suggest that CR can cause "anemia, muscle wasting, weakness, dizziness, lethargy, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, gallstones, irritability and depression"... do you want to be in the back of a cave with THAT guy? I assume that no one visits a diving forum for definitive health advice, but please research carefully and widely before embarking on deliberate malnutrion. HTH __________________ Rude-boy Volvo "Gangsta Rollin' in me nine-six-oh"

March 13th, 2008, 03:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
Phil O(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Milton Keynes Posts: 340	So far this year I've lost 13Kg - 2 stone - by following the GI Diet. I exercise hard and eat well with the diet. In fact it was a post on here that put me onto the diet Good Calories - Bad Calories __________________ Phil

March 13th, 2008, 04:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
graham_hk(Offline) Pinoy ako pinoy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: here, there and everywhere Posts: 779	Quote: (Originally Posted by Phil O) So far this year I've lost 13Kg - 2 stone - by following the GI Diet. I exercise hard and eat well with the diet. In fact it was a post on here that put me onto the diet Good Calories - Bad Calories Strike two for Mobbs! __________________ DIN caps and plugs with free world wide postage: www.dustcap.halcyon-hk.com