Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I would post a brief introduction. My name is Katrina, I

am 35 years old, and I have been on a mild CRON diet for about 6 weeks

now. I read about the effects of calorie restriction on aging about a

decade ago, but at the time I was not ready or able to undertake such a

plan. I was constantly hungry, ate all the time, and needed food for

emotional comfort. About 2 years ago, I figured out that I had coeliac

disease (which certainly explains my constant hunger), and I went and got

tested and confirmed my hypothesis. I also suffer from hypothyroidism

which is an unfortunate side effect of coeliac disease over time, and I

take medication for it (weight loss is very difficult when one has

hypothyroidism, even when treated). Anyway, I started a gluten free diet

straight away, and my research quickly lead me to the Paleo Diet as being

the optimal way for me to eat and live. After 2 years of being gluten free

(apart from accidental ingestion), my digestive system seems to be settling

down and I tend to absorb most of what I eat, although fruit still causes

me problems and I avoid it. During those two years I had also been

questioning and investigating my emotions as frankly as possible with

friends to understand why I needed to eat so much. After figuring this out

about two months ago, my need to eat has rapidly decreased and I now feel

in a position to start a CRON diet. After eating Paleo for two years, I do

not find the CRON food lists very much different from what I had been

eating, I just need to make sure I get enough variety to fulfill my

nutritional requirements. I've also been reading that one should introduce

a CRON diet very gradually and not shock the body too much. One that note,

I have been trying to eat approximately 1800 calories per day. Some days I

eat about 1500 and others I eat 2000, but I am always in the ballpark. I

started two months ago at 197lbs and 33% body fat (I have large bones and a

fair amount of muscle from years of gym). I am now down to 188lbs and 27%

body fat, which means I am losing about a pound per week. My weight seems

to gravitate to about 170-174 as my set point. I feel reasonably

comfortable at this weight, and my body fat is usually about 22%, which is

the recommended average for non-CRON females I believe. Fat has always

mostly accumulated in my abdomen area, which I know is a bad sign when it

comes to mortality and general health. I do not yet think I have managed

to fulfill 100% RDA of all categories every day, but I get close on most of

them I suspect (except maybe Vitamin D). I hope to be able to afford Dr.

Walford's diet planner when I get paid next month, and I think this will

help me plan my meals more carefully. I also ordered some kitchen scales

accurate to 1 gram, as he recommended in his book. When it comes to

supplements, I take a Freeda multi-vitamin, 100mg of CO-Q10, 200mg of ALA,

three Chlorella tablets, 5mg of DHEA, and 6 small fish oil capsules every

day. I also take natural progesterone to balance my hormones and help

prevent osteoporosis. My bones density was measured 6 months ago and is 112%.

As an aside, does anyone know the effect of being coeliac on maximum life

span? Would the malabsorption result in similar benefits to a CRON diet

(without the optimal nutrition part, of course)? Also, will taking thyroid

medication affect my life span (I know thyroid levels decrease on a CRON

diet), and should I try and reduce what I take? I know no-one here is a

doctor, I was just looking for opinions that might lead me to research I

can study. Up until two years ago, my basal temperature was always 96-97

and I was barely able to even lift my hands up on to the keyboard some

days. Now I make it to 97-98, and I feel much better and get to the gym 2

or 3 times per week.

I read once that 95% of all people do not stick to diets long-term. I

hope, and intend, to be in the other 5%, and my consistency with Paleo

leads me to believe that I have the strength and will power if the end goal

is objective, real, and important to me.

If anyone has some great gluten-free quick meals for a single person who

works way too many hours, I would love to read them. :-) Thanks. I've

read the ones on www.calorierestriction.org, but there aren't many that

don't have gluten or fruit. Most of the time, I just throw a random

selection of un-weighed veggies in the wok and combine that with herbs,

spices, garlic, a little oil, and a portion of meat, fish, and/or eggs and

yoghurt.

Anyway, I am blabbing on. Nice to meet you all, and I very much enjoy

reading your posts on this forum and on the crsociety forum.

Katrina.