Proper CRON Practice

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

I'm just beginning CRON, and have recently joined this group. I believe I

understand how CRON is properly practiced, but there are details that still

are unclear.

I wish to undertake 30% CR. So, I need to be able to calculate how many

calories daily I should be consuming on 30% CR, after a gradual weight loss

period. Now, my understanding of how to go about doing this is the

following, so please correct me if I'm wrong:

1) Identify " set point " body weight.

2) Calculate (or, ideally, test) basal metabolic rate (also known as basal

energy expenditure, BEE, or BMR) for maintenance of this " set point " body

weight.

3) Multiply the " set point " BMR calorie amount by some " activity level "

coefficient. 1.2 seems to be the agreed coefficient for a completely

sedentary person, with higher coefficient for a higher level of activity.

4) Subtract the desired CR% (in this case, 30%) from the final calorie total

(BMR x activity_coefficient). So, for example, if the calorie total in (3)

was 2000 Kcal, 30% CR would lead to 2000 Kcal - (2000 Kcal x 0.3), or 1400

Kcal.

This leads me to several questions:

How does one go about objectively determining one's " set point " ? I know the

definition, that it's the weight that one gravitates towards, or something

like that. The thing is, I really don't think I can use my past weight as

an example, as it has often fluctuated, rarely staying in one place for very

long. I never used to keep track of my weight, so I can't even really

determine a rough average. IS there a way to objectively determine or

measure one's " set point " ? I do not believe I am significantly different

from the " average " person of my height (76.5 " ) in terms of weight or

metabolism... is there any such thing as an " average set point " calculation

or chart for height / body frame / gender / etc.? What is the relation

between " set point " and the term " ideal body weight " (given by various

equations, one example being the " Hamwi " equation)... and how often, if

ever, are these equivalent? The question of objectively determing " set

point " is important to me. How did they calculate this for rodents of

varying strains? In fact, on a broader note, how do the CR%'s of " 30% " or

" 40% " get calculated exactly for these rodent populations?

Regarding activity level and CR, is it accurate for me to conclude that one

should restrict activity to a minimum necessary to ensure quality of life,

cardiovascular health, and retention of adequate muscle mass, if one intends

to gain the maximum life extension benefits of CRON? As stated by Dr.

Walford, exercise has been shown to improve health and increase average life

span with a more than moderate level of probability, but only CRON has been

shown to improve maximum life span with a high level of probability (at

least in all species tested to date). This leads me to conclude that the

lower the activity level (to a certain reasonable minimum) the better, as

lower activity levels would lead to lower caloric requirements, and hence to

greater CR. What is the typical activity level of the rodents used in CR

studies?

Is there any rough formula, derived from the numerous animal studies, that

would provide an estimate of the percent increase in maximum life span for

adult onset CRON, given the age when CRON is initiated, and the CR%? Or

does this vary too much between species to be possible to estimate for

humans?

Is there a maximum CR% beyond which most organisms simply die? I had read

that this was 50%, but I recently saw a chart on calorierestriction.org that

showed maximum life span increases at as high as 65% CR. Is the healthy

maximum CR% different for adult onset CR than for CR initiated not long

after the time of birth?

In addition to the above practical general questions, my personal situation

is that I am vegan (for ethical reasons), and a diabetic. I consume, for

health reasons, a diet which consists of no more than 25% calories from fat

(and no less than my minimum requirements), no more than 16% calories from

carbohydrates (the less the better), with the bulk of calories derived from

protein. In addition, I follow an aggressive vitamin and mineral

supplementation program, and consume daily low-calorie nutrient-dense shakes

consisting of isolated soy or whey protein, a " greens " powder composed of

the powdered extracts of various fruits, vegetables and other whole foods,

and the addition of additional soluable fiber. I drink plenty of alkaline

(9.5 pH) water daily, in addition to consuming whole foods and tea, to

maintain healthy pH levels given the (most probably) increased acidity

resulting from my primarily protein diet. I'm dedicated to following a CRON

plan to increase my health, well-being, and maximum life span, and hopefully

live to see technologies that can make aging and involuntary death things of

the past. Are there any guidelines for CRON for diabetics (or, generally,

individuals who must maintain extremely low carbohydrate diets), and,

specifically, for diabetics wishing to maintain vegan diets?

Thanks,

MvL