Calorie restriction, fitness and longevity.

Mellouk89
Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
edited March 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
So according to this article, calorie restriction is good for longevity, leads to less inflammation and a better immune system. But can you restrict calorie for a long period of time while still maintaining a healthy physique, meaning a decent amount of muscles and reasonable body fat? How can you eat under maintenance chronically and not eventually become too skinny/underweight, does your body adapt?

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/calorie-restriction.amp.html
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Replies

  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    edited March 2020
    I am all about it. The name of the game is caloric restriction for life, with optimal nutrition. Eventually you stabilize, but on a much smaller body frame, and in bonus, superb blood pressure like 110/70, a low BPM of 55 at rest, not forgetting a low total cholesterol if you keep your proteins at 15-20%. Even when aging. It is important to get active.

    The downside of doing so is that if you get an infectious disease, you are likely to die quicker. Although the article says otherwise for the covid-19. It is possible that they mean that you are less likely to get the infection, at the first place.

    At the same time, some studies suggest that proteins restrictions bring the same kind of improvements in health markers. I can see some people grimacing here. ;)
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    Ok and also my question was can still maintain a decent amount of muscle mass while calorie restricting chronically?
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Ok and also my question was can still maintain a decent amount of muscle mass while calorie restricting chronically?

    You mean the muscle mass in the rats they studied?
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    No I mean in humans.
  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Ok and also my question was can still maintain a decent amount of muscle mass while calorie restricting chronically?

    If chronically means no more than -30%, in my experience, yes. As long you exercise with intensity, strenght-style. You'll have less muscles because you'll need less, with a smaller body frame. By no mean to the point of being weak, to the contrary. About all studies point to the fact that the subjects become more youthful, nimble, agile and vigourous.

    If you want to be a body-builder, it is probably another story, I don't know.



  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    edited March 2020
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    So basically everything that typically comes with losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.

    Just maintaining an healthy weight according to the recommended ranges won't do that. You have to be more aggressive than that and aim for closer to the lower limit.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Ok and also my question was can still maintain a decent amount of muscle mass while calorie restricting chronically?

    Depends what you mean by "a decent amount."
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    So your body will adapt that's what I wanted to know, I think 20% is reasonable but I wouldn't go further than that. I don't think it would make me miserable I feel satieted most of the time.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    So your body will adapt that's what I wanted to know, I think 20% is reasonable but I wouldn't go further than that. I don't think it would make me miserable I feel satieted most of the time.

    20% may be something to adapt to, or something you don't adapt to and continue to lose on. You have no way of knowing ahead of time. You will certainly NOT "adapt" to it, if it continues to be a 20% off of whatever your then current maintenance is, so you may want to view it as a 10% or what have you below your CURRENT maintenance. Assuming you're not already at the low end of normal weight.

    he chances of you ending up malnourished are actually quite high. The chances that slower cellular repair will lead to problems before it leads to longevity is also not zero. Feeling cold continuously (and extremely cold hands and feet to the point of seeing color changes) are also a good chance as your core temperature drops a bit as part of the adaptation. Feeling tired and listless possible too! Hair loss. A lot depends on starting weight of course. Where on the weight continuum you're currently located.
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    Ok I made this thread in part because my calorie intake is quite low and I maintain my current weight that way. I think it's because I eat energy dense foods with not a lot of fiber and moderate protein. It may be that I don't burn as much energy digesting these foods thus I can sustain myself with lower calories?
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Ok I made this thread in part because my calorie intake is quite low and I maintain my current weight that way. I think it's because I eat energy dense foods with not a lot of fiber and moderate protein. It may be that I don't burn as much energy digesting these foods thus I can sustain myself with lower calories?

    How active are you currently? How long have you been maintaining? How much lower is your intake than a TDEE estimate for your stats?
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Ok I made this thread in part because my calorie intake is quite low and I maintain my current weight that way. I think it's because I eat energy dense foods with not a lot of fiber and moderate protein. It may be that I don't burn as much energy digesting these foods thus I can sustain myself with lower calories?

    How active are you currently? How long have you been maintaining? How much lower is your intake than a TDEE estimate for your stats?

    I think my activity level is moderate but I could be wrong, I work full time as a custodian and I walk 45 mins to 1 hour a day since I don't have a car. Other than that I don't workout. I've been maintaining for 2-3 months right now, based on my activity level and body weight I should be eating 2500 calories but instead i'm maintaining eating 2100 calories at the most. It's why I thought maybe I can eat less because my diet consists of processed foods that doesn't take a lot of effort to digest.