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The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

bbc.com

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Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#41

Post by stevewillows »

About five years ago I switched to one large meal per day (dinner) with a snack or two. Prior to this I lost nearly 40lbs by shifting my diet toward dominant protein and smaller portions. I also added in a good 30+ minutes of walking per day. Nothing fancy.

I also dropped almost all of my sugar intake. I drink about 3L of water per day and have one cup of coffee in the morning.

I've been able to maintain a healthy weight (6'4" tall, ~185lbs) and I rarely feel truly hungry. On the days where I have more than one large meal, I tend to feel tired and foggy.

Its completely anecdotal, but this pattern has worked out well for me.

The main issue with articles like this is that they propose lame diets that strip out enjoyment. If you want to eat eggs basted in butter, do it -- but balance that out with exercise or somewhere else in your diet. No use suffering so you can live a few extra years at the tail end of your life.

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#42

Post by chiefalchemist »

A few thoughts.

It seems that "calorie restriction" is a misleading term. If these funds are correct, CR should be considered the norm/ideal. That means the majority, currently, over-consume.

That aside. I wonder if it's also related to modern food, and the production there of. If inflammation is the root of most disease, and CR, I presume, reduces inflammation, then what is it about our foods that trigger so much inflammation?

Finally, when all said and done, I predict this will be found to connect with gut bacteria in some way. That is, CR effects the gut, and that effect is ultimately a positive for the whole body.

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#43

Post by [deleted] »

stevewillows wrote: post #41

About five years ago I switched to one large meal per day (dinner) with a snack or two. Prior to this I lost nearly 40lbs by shifting my diet toward dominant protein and smaller portions. I also added in a good 30+ minutes of walking per day. Nothing fancy. I also dropped almost all of my sugar intake. I drink about 3L of water per day and have one cup of coffee in the morning. I've been able to maintain a healthy we…

[deleted]

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#44

Post by [deleted] »

louprado wrote: post #25
Vitaly wrote: post #18

I can't find the study right now, but from what I understand it is only really beneficial to animals the size of a mice, as soon as you move to bigger animals the effect is sharply reduced, and experiments with monkeys (or was it even primates? I don't remember) didn't find any real life prolonging effect. So you might be subjecting yourself to not enjoying food for no real benefit after all.

I recall watching a video of an engineer practicing CR. He looked miserable and older than his years. He was constantly cold and had chronic sore feet because the soles of his feet were too thin. When I don't eat enough, I don't get hungry, and I don't loose much weight, but I do have trouble sleeping which results in daytime fatigue and depression. For me the happiness/sleep threshold is sharp, so I eat just above t…

[deleted]

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#45

Post by nightski »

caub wrote: post #8

if people could also consume less, stop having useless pets, stop smoking, etc.. that would help increasing the life expectancy on this planet too

Hmm. It seems like countries that are more well off and have a much higher amount of excess consumption also have better life expectancy. This sounds like a personal ramble instead of being based on actual data.

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#46

Post by orangecat »

caub wrote: post #8

if people could also consume less, stop having useless pets, stop smoking, etc.. that would help increasing the life expectancy on this planet too

Pet ownership is generally believed to increase life expectancy, for example http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/live-longer-with-a-pet...

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#47

Post by rubicon33 »

justboxing wrote: post #28
rubicon33 wrote: post #24

Most articles on eating tend to focus on weight, drawing the conclusion that weight (fat) is the problem, not eating. This article provides a refreshing perspective: > But the latest results suggested that significant health benefits can be garnered in an already healthy body – a person who isn’t underweight or obese. The take away here is that the problem with excessive eating isn't just the weight gain. There's som…

> Restricting calories is good for you even if you're already within a healthy BMI. How much of this study, and your statement, applies to highly active individuals, and atheletes? I box and train 5 - 7 times a week, and spar (high intensity with protective gear) twice a month. I tried restricting calories to lose fat and "lean out" but I find that I am constantly hungry (even after consuming proteins) and like someo…

If you're highly active you will definitely need to eat more to support the repair of muscle and bone. Assuming you're already within healthy BMI (don't need to lose fat) then I doubt anyone would suggest you restrict calories while physically active. You need food to support the repair of muscle and bone - there's no getting away from that.

What is up for consideration is how MUCH food do you really need? The general takeaway from the article which can be broadly applied, is that less food is probably better for you. So if you have a large need for nutrient restoration (from high intensity sports) then try to eat nutrient dense, quality food.

Re: The secret to a long and healthy life? Eat less

#48

Post by skewart »

Vitaly wrote: post #18

I can't find the study right now, but from what I understand it is only really beneficial to animals the size of a mice, as soon as you move to bigger animals the effect is sharply reduced, and experiments with monkeys (or was it even primates? I don't remember) didn't find any real life prolonging effect. So you might be subjecting yourself to not enjoying food for no real benefit after all.

Did you read the article? It specifically mentions studies with rhesus monkeys.
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