Re: Student CRONies? Alcohol?

[Guest guest]

Hannah:

Here is my advice FWIW:

A 10 to 15 pound loss in one month is too much. And 900 cal a day is too little. You should not go under 1000 cal a day.

One can eat simple meals without breaking the bank (see our recipe links).

Enjoy your 4 years at school and eat ad lib (since you seem to be doing that half the time anyway). Then you have the rest of your life to do CRON, slow and easy. If you can eat somewhat healthily during your 4 years, then try to do that. Keep your drinking under control or you can develop a habit that will haunt you. Also college age drinking can be dangerous.

Good luck.

on 6/22/2006 1:06 AM, gospel_yeh_yeh at hannah.franklin@... wrote:

Hey, I'm a 19 year-old college student who's new to CR, and I was wondering if there were

any other CRONies out there who have experience with attempting CRON in school.

Because I'm really struggling to find nutrient-dense foods in the cafeteria. I mostly eat

salad with garbanzo beans, lots of veggies, and balsamic vinegar for dinner and have an

energy bar or Naked smoothie during the day, which gets pricey. My arsenal of culinary

utensils consists of a microwave, a water heater, and a communal refrigerator. I've read

Walford's book, but his food section seems geared towards upper-middle class

professionals with plenty of money to blow at Whole Foods. So any tips from other broke

students or helpful CRONies in general would be awesome.

Also, some other concerns: I drink at least two nights a week. But I also realize it's very

foolish to not eat anything during the day just so I can binge on intensely caloric beer or

boxed wine at night. On the other hand, if I eat my caloric allotment for the day before I

start drinking, that's an extra five hundred calories I definitely don't need. I understand

that alcohol doesn't promote longevity, but I figure I can afford four years of weekend

partying as long as it doesn't become a lifelong trend. Also, my college is in a dry-ish

county, which means there isn't any (less caloric) liquor at parties unless people with cars

get really ambitious. Are there any other beer drinkers out there who have found a decent

way to reconcile CRON with drinking?

Finally, I'm not sure if I'm losing weight too fast. I've been eating around 900 calories a

day (except on the weekends, when I eat around 1500) for a month, and I've lost 10-15

pounds so far while maintaining a sedentary activity level. My BMI is 24 right now, so it's

not like I look gaunt or anything, but is this rate of weight loss normal?

Am I too young to be doing this? I think Dr. Walford wrote that no one under 20 should

do it, but I'm practically there.

Thanks in advance for your help, and I'm really glad I found this community!

[Guest guest]

Hi Hannah:

Well since you are asking for advice, here is mine.

First, while at school, and after you leave school also, make sure

your BMI ***NEVER*** gets above 25 again. In other words, use that

as a benchmark which provokes you to call an immediate halt (if it

turns out to be necessary) to over eating.

Second, you have a lifetime to get to your desired weight. Half a

pound a week weight loss is plenty fast enough, imo.

Third, start a habit to go out once every three months to an all-you-

can-eat restaurant - preferably chinese because of the huge selection

of healthy vegetable dishes - and go eat AS MUCH AS YOU COMFORTABLY

CAN. If you ever find it is difficult to persuade yourself to make

this trip, or to eat until you are full once you get there, take it

seriously as a possible warning that you may be moving in the

direction of an eating disorder. (During the following week eat less

to make up for the previous indulgence).

Fourth, vegetables (which of course are highly desirable) are the

least expensive foods. So eat lots of them, but don't go overboard

with the more calorically dense varieties.

ALCOHOL: CRON reduces the rate of aging and thereby extends MAXIMUM

lifespan. Nothing else has yet been scientifically shown to do

this. But many many things have been shown to increase the odds of

reaching your potential maximum lifespan. One of these is wine. My

suggestion in this regard is as follows: Avoid both liquor and

beer. Liquor, beyond a very small amount, is clearly harmful. Beer

appears to make little difference to health. Wine, on the other

hand, has been shown in serious epidemiological studies to

dramatically reduce mortality among those who drink it. But you talk

of 500 calories in an evening? That is almost a full bottle of dry

table wine which, imo, is excessive. Half a bottle, either red or

white, should be plenty. That is just 300 calories. And consumed

with some food over a number of hours should not impair your judgment

(driving etc.) much if at all.

I do not think you are too young to start CRON. But approach it

slowly. Yer have another 100 years to look forward to : ^ )))

Rodney.

>

> Hey, I'm a 19 year-old college student who's new to CR, and I was

wondering

> if there were

> any other CRONies out there who have experience with attempting

CRON in

> school.

> Because I'm really struggling to find nutrient-dense foods in the

cafeteria.

> I mostly eat

> salad with garbanzo beans, lots of veggies, and balsamic vinegar

for dinner

> and have an

> energy bar or Naked smoothie during the day, which gets pricey. My

arsenal

> of culinary

> utensils consists of a microwave, a water heater, and a communal

> refrigerator. I've read

> Walford's book, but his food section seems geared towards upper-

middle class

> professionals with plenty of money to blow at Whole Foods. So any

tips from

> other broke

> students or helpful CRONies in general would be awesome.

>

> Also, some other concerns: I drink at least two nights a week. But

I also

> realize it's very

> foolish to not eat anything during the day just so I can binge on

intensely

> caloric beer or

> boxed wine at night. On the other hand, if I eat my caloric

allotment for

> the day before I

> start drinking, that's an extra five hundred calories I definitely

don't

> need. I understand

> that alcohol doesn't promote longevity, but I figure I can afford

four years

> of weekend

> partying as long as it doesn't become a lifelong trend. Also, my

college is

> in a dry-ish

> county, which means there isn't any (less caloric) liquor at

parties unless

> people with cars

> get really ambitious. Are there any other beer drinkers out there

who have

> found a decent

> way to reconcile CRON with drinking?

>

> Finally, I'm not sure if I'm losing weight too fast. I've been

eating

> around 900 calories a

> day (except on the weekends, when I eat around 1500) for a month,

and I've

> lost 10-15

> pounds so far while maintaining a sedentary activity level. My BMI

is 24

> right now, so it's

> not like I look gaunt or anything, but is this rate of weight loss

normal?

>

> Am I too young to be doing this? I think Dr. Walford wrote that no

one

> under 20 should

> do it, but I'm practically there.

>

> Thanks in advance for your help, and I'm really glad I found this

community!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>