What is extreme CR?

[Guest guest]

People often refer to " extremism " on this list, and " extreme CR "

or " extreme CRON " is typically condemned. Still, I'm not sure what

this means.

Is getting a very low level of calories " extreme CR " ? If so, where's

the cutoff point? Would it be 1,500 for men? 1,000 for women?

Wouldn't it have to depend on your height and weight, along with the

rate at which you typically lose weight?

Is eliminating a whole food group " extreme CR " ? If so, then are all

vegans and vegetarians on this list doing " extreme CR " ? Do we really

want to label vegetarians " extremists " ? I wouldn't. (Note that I

myself will eat almost anything, with the exception of things I

simply can't stomach or products containing trans-fats or too much

saturated fat. The quantity of " borderline " items I consume depends

on my assessment of how detrimental they could be to my health.)

Besides, CR (or CRON, if you prefer) is not, in my understanding of

it, a prescriptive diet. You create your own diet on the basis of

principles of optimal or at least adequate nutrition, and you lower

your calorie intake by an amount you determine. Naturally, it's best

not to give your body a shock by cutting your calories by 50 percent

overnight.

Is having a very low BMI an automatic determiner of " extreme CR " ?

Well, I can think of one individual--who shall remain unnamed--who

has, at times, been used on this list as an example of extremism and

who does indeed have a very low BMI. But what is someone who begins

CR with a low BMI to do, especially if that person truly believes

that CR will lead to greater health and longevity? Just give up on

the idea entirely, because CR will lead to an even lower BMI? That

doesn't seem a reasonable recommendation.

Is pushing CR to the point of doing damage to one's health what you

would call " extreme CR " ? That sounds more reasonable, but one

plausible explanation is that anyone who does so has simply

practiced CR badly and may since have recognized the error of his or

her ways. It's a tricky thing, after all. Why else would there be so

much debate about the benefits of fish, grains, and ALA, just to

cite a few examples, if " optimal nutrition " were a clear-cut issue?

It is not. The general outlines are more or less clear, but much

remains to be learned, as we all know. Therefore, it is absolutely

understandable that one may do damage to one's health in the process

of doing CR--even without intending to push things to extremes. I am

aware of a number of instances of this, and it's something that all

CR novices should be aware of.

I suppose I might consider the last point to be an example of

extreme CR if an individual pushed things to the point of serious

health damage and stubbornly refused to change. Still, it might be

more accurate to refer to such practices as " eating disorders " or,

as the case may be, " anorexia. "

So what do you think? Personally, I wonder whether my own CR would

be considered " extreme " by some on your list--not that I would feel

insulted, mind you.

I'll be interested to read people's responses to this topic.