Calorie Restriction Diet Diary

By:
Jessica Branch

Eri Gentry
Age: 21
Occupation: Student at Yale
Home: New Haven, Connecticut

Can severely cutting calories from your diet add a few decades to your life? In animals, that answer is yes. Studies on rats have shown that a 30 to 40 percent decrease in food intake significantly altered their aging process. Scientists are so intrigued with what's referred to as calorie restriction (CR) diets that they have now begun studies in humans. Meanwhile, this diet for longevity has caught with a small but devoted following.

Enter Eri Gentry, an Ivy League student captivated by the idea of eating less to live longer. Eri began consciously cutting her calories in May 2002, but as she learned more about nutrition and calorie restriction for longevity, she adjusted what she ate. "Undernutrition without malnutrition," the diet challenges followers to choose only the most nutrient-rich foods. She's been on a stable and nutritious CR diet for about a year and a half.

What is the CR diet all about?
Most importantly, CR is about listening to your body. CR is not starvation, and I know I must eat. In fact, I eat a lot more than people think I can fit in me! CR has given me an increased awareness of what I do. I recognize when I am truly hungry, as opposed to craving food because of emotional disturbances or from the urge that arises whem smelling something pleasant. So, when I get hungry, I ask myself what my body wants. My way of eating is half scientific, half guided by feeling. I may feel like I want apples all day long, and I can satisfy that want by having some, but I know I can't survive on fruit alone, and that I must eat adequate protein and fat as well.

My current caloric intake is anywhere from 1,300 to 1,500 per day. It tends to average just less than 1,400, but on more active days I might go over 1,500. I never go under 1,200, but again, that is for right now. At 1,200, I feel too hungry and too weak, so I eat more. I've experimented with lower and higher calories, and I think this is my sweet spot ‑- I feel very energetic and happy and am not losing any muscle mass.

Aside from staying in my calorie range and eating nutritiously, I do not rigorously follow a diet where I must eat this much of this or that. And if I go a calorie over my ideal daily intake, I'm not going to freak out. It averages out. My body has different needs at different times. When I've just come in from the blustering cold I am not going to want iced tea; I'll want hot tea. In the same way, I stick to things that are healthy for me, with variations.

How did you decide to start CR?
When I started out, I actually was trying to lose weight. I was unaware of how much calorie restriction with optimal nutrition could do for me at that time. I started trying to keep track of calories in my head, but I didn't have the best nutrition. Over time, I've added calories as I've learned more about good nutrition, and then tried to gradually lower my calories again.

Today, so many foods are processed for our convenience. I didn't think it was a big deal before, but then I learned what I was doing to myself by eating them. I feel a little sad knowing I caused myself some damage growing up. I could've changed it all if only I'd known better, but I didn't.

For anyone trying to learn more, I'd recommend going to CalorieRestriction.org. It offers tons of great info for newbies; I've used it a lot myself. Join the community email list and ask any questions you have. I was intimidated at first, but meeting these people makes me realize there's no reason to be. They're great people who just love to interact and share experiences with open-minded individuals.

 

Have people criticized your diet?
Some people close to me were worried about the weight loss. And I have heard, "You're too skinny. I like a woman with a little bit of meat on her bones," and, "Yeah, right, CR doesn't work. It's not scientific. My great-grandpa ate a gallon of ice cream every day for 40 years and he lived to be 100."

But I'm grateful for having understanding friends ‑- I know not everyone does ‑- and have gotten pretty significant interest when I describe CR and its benefits to them. Most people, I've found, are interested in being healthier, but don't know what to do about it. If I can offer my experience of going from unhealthy to feeling great, then it can serve as inspiration.

Has the diet changed the way you feel?
I was so amazed when I saw that everyone around me was getting sick, but I wasn't! I used to always be the first to get sick, and it would last for the longest time, too. A lot of what people think of as normal suffering (poor digestion, tiredness, frequent colds) disappeared. Now that I'm feeling great, I know I'll never go back.

What can't you eat? Do you ever feel deprived?
I can technically eat everything. What I choose not to eat is a different story: no white sugar or flour, no white potatoes. I take the standard advice: no processed foods, no red meat, not too much caffeine, a lot of fresh foods and a minimum of animal fat. Take the advice yo' mama gave you and run with it.

The amazing thing is that I don't feel deprived on CR. But even more amazing is how doing CR has made me aware of how I feel and what I really want. It's this awareness that allows me to satisfy myself. It takes a lot of learning about your own biology and how foods interact within you to realize what's going on. CR makes you think about it, and that's important. Before CR, I might have felt guilty over eating, say, a candy bar, because I knew it was "bad for you," but I never really knew why. So not knowing what it was doing to my body made it okay for me to eat it as a treat or an "I deserve it" thing. Becoming healthier and doing CR has helped me see how that candy bar is bad and what it's really doing to me. It only took that knowledge to push me toward changing, and I will be forever grateful for that.

 

How do you manage eating with other people in your life who don't follow CR?
Sometimes, when I'm around a new group of people, there are difficulties, but my friends, thankfully, are all really accommodating.

What about eating in restaurants?
Many places are really gracious and will substitute for me if I ask.

Have your shopping habits changed?
Shopping is so much easier, especially for a cheapskate like me! I used to spend so much time poring through various sales ads to find the best deals. Being on CR, all I have to do is scan the outside of the flyers for the produce deals. Then there's the "shop the outer perimeter of the store" advice that I've implemented ‑- most fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats and natural foods are located on the outer aisles. It makes things really easy.

The other specialty stuff, like brewer's yeast, green supplements, protein powder and raw nuts, I buy in bulk, so I can just order more when I'm short. Before CR, I was afraid of calorie-dense, high-fat foods like nuts until I realized that they supply good fats and nutrients that make them worth eating. They're really easy, really quick and really satisfying.

A lot of people make drastic changes when they start CR. I've heard of people throwing away everything in their cupboards and starting over. It wasn't so hard for me, since I started in college. I just stuck to the salad bar. Now that I have my own place, I stock the fridge with fresh veggies, fruit and organic yogurt, milk and eggs. I have salmon and sardines in a can and supplements on the shelf, and lots of spices, too. I can get so creative with CR. I'm not a superchef, but I am an experimenter, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Do you plan on following this diet for the rest of your life?
Yes. Until scientific evidence shows that something else will provide me with better health, I will continue CR, as it is proven to be the lifestyle that best prevents illness and poor health.

What's the number one reason you stick with it?
I feel great, never better. What a change!

What's your advice for women thinking of trying this diet?
Educate yourself! Look at CalorieRestriction.org. If you're starting from a very unhealthy point, please talk to your physician and some practitioners of CR before you begin. Make gradual changes and focus on nutrition first. I don't feel there's much benefit to cutting calories if you don't get proper nutrition. Yes, you will lose weight just by cutting calories, but the distinction between CR and "dieting" is that CR is not for weight loss; it is for health and life.

If your only goal is to look better in the mirror, CR may not be for you. And do not go too low on calories. I'm young, but even before I started CR I had tried weight loss diets that cut calories to 1,000 or below. I lost weight, sure, but I felt awful. It just wasn't a sustainable amount of calories. When you start CR, it's better to err on the side of too many calories in order to get adequate vitamins and minerals. Don't be in a hurry. Tailor your tastes, eat a nutritious diet and educate yourself. Be attentive to how you feel, and do what makes you feel the best.

A day on the diet
My diet is always subject to change; I love that part about it! You can say it's rigid because it restricts calories, but there's no limit to what or how I can eat. Right now, it's winter, so I'm eating nuts and seeds every day. I do this more in the cold weather; I've found out they satisfy me and keep me warmer for longer than summertime fare like fresh fruit and veggies.

Yogurt: Almost every day I have yogurt.

Protein: Every few days I have fish ‑- salmon or sardines, just by preference ‑- or eggs. For the yogurt and eggs I only eat organic. I've had such a great experience with organic that I really don't want to go back.

Produce: Every day, I have vegetables. Ideally, I'd eat them from a variety of families, but too often this poor and busy college kid can't make it to the store or doesn't have enough money for the full variety she wants. To make up for lack of variety, I also take a powdered "green" supplement, a blend of fruits, veggies, algae and whatnot. Most every day I have fruit, too, but veggies come first.

I also have brewer's yeast every day, and most days I take some protein powder.

I'm a big fan of coffee, but I only drink decaf.