Intro

[John_KY]

Hi,

I'm a 37 year-old guy from Kentucky. I lost 110 lbs in 2000-01 over
the course of about 9 months and have managed to keep it off since. I
used a low-glycemic diet based mostly on the CRON diet and began
regular exercise. My wife lost about 55 lbs at the same time using the
same strategy. I believe it was easier for both of us in that it was a
team effort. We are both pretty happy now with our level of fitness.
I'm here to find conversation about maintenance issues, post-weight
loss health issues, share stories, look for good recipe ideas, etc.

Good to meet you all,

John

 

[alexia2]

What is the CRON diet?

 

[John_KY]

What is the CRON diet?

CRON stands for Caloric Restriction with Optimal Nutrition. It's less of a diet and more of a lifestyle choice for people who want to be as healthy as they can and possibly live a longer life. Not really a weight loss plan at all, although that is a side effect. In general it's a diet where a high emphasis is placed on foods with a low caloric density, but that are very dense in nutrients. People eat about 10-30% less than they would to normally maintain a weight, but eat very high quality foods. For most (us included) it's also a low-glycemic diet. Numerous studies have shown that animals live significantly longer on this kind of regimen.

I had read Dr. Walford's book on CRON when at my heaviest and having health problems. So I decided to commit to it for a time. In doing so we found a way of eating that agreed with us and our goals.

These days we are doing more of the ON (optimal nutrition) and less of the CR (caloric restriction), but still put a big emphasis on low GI and low caloric density and high nutrient density when making food choices. It is working well for us along with moderate regular exercise (hiking and swimming mostly).

I'm quick to point out that while we did practice CR in earnest for several years (and lost our weight in the process), we likely take in more calories than would be best for serious CR now. However our weights remain stable.

If you want to know more about CRON you can go to:



Dr. Walford's book is called "Beyond the 120 Year Diet".
His daughter Lisa also recently published a helpful book called "The Longevity Diet".


I'm very interested in talking to folks about the different ways they've lost large amounts of weight and the strategies and lifestyles they've used to keep it off. Particularly from a mental standpoint. I'd like to know more about the philosophies of other real people who have maintained weight loss.

John