The Calorie Restriction Diet: A Healthy Lifestyle, or an Eating Disorder?

by Michael LoPresti

It wasn't until recently that I stumbled upon Julian Dibbell's article from New York magazine about the Calorie Restriction diet (a lifestyle that Dibbell describes as "a lifetime lived as close to the brink of starvation as your body can stand"). I came away from the article more than a little agitated about this practice and its proponents. In the course of doing some research, I didn't have to stray too far to find Katherine Stevens's Rudd Sound Bites blog entry on this topic from October of last year. In it, Stevens touches on most of the issues that stuck out to me as well. Beneath Stevens's post, in the comments section, was a lengthy, stern, yet exceedingly polite refutation of many of Stevens's points by someone identifying herself as April Smith, one of the "CR" adherents who was profiled in the New York article. Smith took Stevens's post apart point by point, extracting phrases and rebutting them with the precision and detail of one well-heeled in defending her lifestyle. And so it is with some trepidation that I set out now to offer my own reflection on one particular point in the Calorie Restriction philosophy.

Dibbell's description of a CR practitioner who eats exactly 1913 calories per day was the detail of the article that leaped out at me, grabbed hold, and wouldn't let go. That the number was so specific struck me as absurd, and almost comical. That the number was apparently an inflexible standard struck me as unhealthy.

I wondered, How precisely had this individual arrived at that number? Was it an exact calculation of the lowest possible number of calories that would be required to sustain his vital bodily functions at an optimal level? Was it even possible to make such a calculation? Can you accurately calculate the caloric value of food down to a single calorie? The logistics of the whole thing intrigued me. But the question that nagged me was this one: What was psychology behind such a strict adherence to a nutritional standard?

My own (avowedly unscientific) diagnosis was that Calorie Restriction is a medically justifiable eating disorder. People who practice CR seem to display some of the same behaviors as anorexics (the ritualization of meals, the perfectionism), yet have at their disposal a host of scientific evidence to prove that their bodies are as healthy as they could possibly be. What psychological, behavioral, or sociological sacrifices do CR people have to make to attain a physical ideal?

April Smith defends herself from the Stevens's accusation of having a "hyper-obsession with control" by saying that she and others who practice CR are merely trying to slow down their biological aging process. That sounds precisely like an obsession with control to me. In her comment, Smith compares CR people with bakers who are meticulous about measuring the ingredients they put into their baked goods, saying that no one calls a cook pathological when she demands accuracy in her recipes. At this point, the discussion becomes about ideals. Maybe there is an ideal of a cake, a cookie, and even a human body. But is the desire to create a "perfect" baked good (and the thought processes that underly it) equivalent to the desire to attain a "perfect" body? This casual observer would say no.

Comments

[Mara]

"I find that my food budget is actually less now than it was before I started CR..."

(To quote April from the blog response she gave).

Yeah. I bet that's a bit of an understatement, even.

I read the New York article with interest. What really struck me is that her boyfriend's hands are orange due to his CR diet. He also looks unhealthy in the accompanying photos. Very frail, even as he insisted that he is the very picture of health.

Of course, it could be that CR is, in fact, the very thing to prolong life and increase health. There are reasons why I doubt this.

The ability for Humans to endure famines is hard-wired into our genes, from what I have read (and causes alot of the problems with obesity now).

This ability might suggest that re-creating famine like conditions (in terms of an extremely restricted diet via CR) would be a good thing.

However, just because our bodies can do this does not mean it is healthy for them to undergo such extreme conditions.

I think that CR is one end of the another very unhealthy extreme: bingeing. I think that bingers have alot in common with CRs (not in terms of diet, obviously) but in terms of food obsession and preoccupation.

I think that the extreme focus CRs bring to their diets creates the same sort of addictive mentality that any binger would be familiar with.

I can't prove this because the CRs can deny an addictive approach to diet as easily as any other person with an eating disorder.

It is not difficult to believe that we do best with a moderate approach to eating: not rampant bingeing Or extreme restriction.

I do admire April in some respects: she's obviously very bright and skilled to be able to create the daily diets (with constant aid of the computer; this is one reason why this diet is Not for poor people) - that she does. Plus, the food photographed for the magazine that she cooked Did look healthy and even tasty. It's the amount that I would question.

Her boyfriend licked his plate when he finished his meal (but will not eat even a tiny lettuce leaf more than he is allotted).

Something tells me, that beyond April's skill as a cook (and the pure fun of licking one's plate) - that more is going on here.

I think her boyfriend licked his plate because his body (in a continual state of starvation) creates in him a drive to get every tiny bit of nutrition that he can allow into it.

Just the stress of this constant fight between the body's desires and his own imposed diet is going to be unhealthy and unproductive. Think of the energy that could be diverted in more positive ways if he did not have to constantly monitor every bit of food that goes into his mouth.

Another couple mentioned in the article came to the dinner April hosted and actually did not eat a thing, as they had already eaten that day.

They were euphoric in their glee (all courtesy of the CR diet they insisted), toasting the meal with water and allowing no food to pass their lips.

Frankly, they seemed high in a very negative way, similar to an anorexic who can "triumph" over his or her desperate need for food.

I came away from the article thinking that even if this makes one live longer, it's absolutely not worth it.

I do not think average, healthy people live this way and I doubt they would want to.

If you have to use a pillow to cradle your jutting sit-bones, if you are turning orange and spouting fur and cannot stop thinking about food, you have a problem that is as severe as any fat person who cannot fit into an ambulance.

You are essentially anorexicin terms of your bodily condition no matter how different you insist your motivations are from traditional anorexics.

[A. Meeks]

"My own (avowedly unscientific) diagnosis was that Calorie Restriction is a medically justifiable eating disorder."

So, basically, your diagnosis is not credible in any way? Thanks for wasting our time.

[Emi]

Okay, I speak from a bit of experience with both an eating disorder (I'm ED-NOS) and a bit of practicing CR. If you've spent time around people who do CR versus people who have an ED, you'll notice big differences. CRONies, as they like to be called, are into living long and well, and are making sacrificies to do that. They seem about as precise as people who train for athletic competitions: carefully planned schedule, delight in success, camraderie, and discipline. Words like obsessive and compulsive are thrown around the media and by the uniformed with very different meanings from what psychiatrists and other mental health professionals mean when they use them. AN and BN are anxiety disorders that have to do with a lot more than just food, and people with these disorders do not enjoy their meals, do not enjoy their lives, and only after a long period will they admit or talk about it. They panic at the sight of food, an unplanned meal, or anything else majorly stressful in life. And they are sickly in so many ways. Maybe CR will eventually be classified as an ED, but not likely, a psychiatrist I've talked to a lot about this told me. It's not destructive, does not cause impairment in social, vocational, or interpersonal functioning, and so can't qualify. If a person spends a lot of time pricing collectible toys or books, he might be a little eccentric, but that's all. So a person who spends time counting calories and being very disciplined about food to live long and well might be eccentric, but does not have an ED.

[Noah]

Mr. Lo Presti, maybe the person you mention, April Smith's partner, sticks to an arbitrary number for the challenge. Calorie counting, done right, is a chore. Can you grasp how someone might stick a number just because?

Also, you conflate pursuit of ideal appearance with pursuit of ideal health. CRON maybe psychologically unhealthy, but if so, it is for different reasons than undereating to achieve a unreasonable body image. That is how most people define anorexia.

My concern with calorie counting is that people who do it tend to continue to eat foods that tempt them to eat beyond a healthy level of nutritional subsistence. It is why people who add up numbers on junk food containers every day, at each meal, are risking dietary failure in the long-term. However, that is not the CRON approach, at least not as the person you mention (Michael) practices it.

Katherine Steven's post established a history here of addressing the issue of CRON. Personal critiques of April Smith and her partner were made. April Smith's response was extensive, persuasive, and continued on her blog (mprize.org/blogs/).

You are naively reopening the same issue with essentially the same personal statements about April Smith's partner. Not CRON. If you want to tackle CRON as an eating method, do the research yourself. Post your thoughts on the psychological impact of CRON practice. Consider what psychological problem defines people who want to live forever.

If you don't think that calorie counting, as practiced by April Smith and her partner, accurately represent CRON practice, then say so.

I do not practice CRON, but I think April Smith and her partner personally need defending. If you do the research, and can write statements about something like "methusaleh obsession", then I will read and reply with great interest. Otherwise, your writing is little more than a redundant personal attack on two people.

It is true that to actually eat 1913 calories a day, your meal planning and preparing have to be perfect. But do you really wonder whether a person can actually eat exactly that many calories?

[TK]

I first learned about CR from the NYTimes article and it sparked my interest. I did a fair amount of online research on the subject and ultimately decided it was not a lifestyle for me.

I must say that the comparison to anorexia is erroneous. People who practice CR properly go to great lengths to ensure that they receive adequate nutrition each day while minimizing their caloric intake. Thus the computer programs and scales. They also visit their doctor regularly to monitor their health. This is not the case for anorexic people.

CR is a lifestyle choice, albeit a bizarre one to most people. Just because it is not a choice that you would make doesn't make it an eating disorder.

You can visit the Calorie Restriction Society Web page here: http://www.calorierestriction.org/ to read the scientific evidence for yourself. Perhaps in the future you will make a more informed avowedly unscientific diagnosis.

[Deborah]

Check out CNN's Sanjay Gupta and his Special Report on Chasing Life as well as his Larry King appearance. The specials are airing this coming weekend. He had dinner with April & Michael and has studied CR. The website address is:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/chasing.life/

[Sarah]

Emily Yoffe, who writes the "Human Guinea Pig" column for Slate, wrote an interesting piece about her experience trying a CR diet. You can read it here: http://www.slate.com/id/2158975/

[Robin]

Yet another hopelessly uninformed attack on CR. Why, oh why, won't you go to the trouble of actually educating yourself about this topic before mounting a personal attack on two people you know nothing about?

Look, some people spend their time watching hours and hours of mindless drivel on television while stuffing their faces with complete gak. Others spend a fraction of their time actually *thinking* about the foods they put into their bodies, ensuring they pack as much nutrition as possible into a relatively low number of calories, with the goal of living as long as they possibly can. I fail to understand why the former is considered normal and the latter is considered a disorder.

And while we're on the subject, can we *please* stop trying to turn *everything* into a disorder? Yes, trying to maintain such a specific calorie target can come across as quirky. Quirky does not a disorder make.

Explain to me what exactly the pathology of this "disorder" is? Michael is *not* sickly and he has the blood test results to prove it. I'll wager he's physically healthier than you are. And if he chooses to spend his free time ensuring that he eats a very precise number of calories, so what? If he's physically healthy and happy with his life, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

At a time when most Americans are overweight or obese, Michael and April are the last people on earth you should be worried about.

[Nicole]

Maybe it's just me, but Michael's impressions of CR seem totally on target. I agree with Mara, too. They note that the CR lifestyle necessitates an obsessive- bordering on maniacal- attention to calories and portion control. That's not the same thing as "turning everything into an eating disorder". And from studying eating disorders, particularly anorexia, I know that a large number of anorexics feel a "high" and a sense of achievement for eating little. Getting by on small portions and few calories gives them a superiority, as though they have more self-control and are more competent than those who eat more. This seems to be the same dynamic we see at the dinner hosted by April, in which the guests reveal a feeling of superiority for having greater self-control and for eating less than other people.

[matt]

Anorexia carried on for prolonged periods typically ledas to death, it does not lengthen the lifespan of even lab animals that we take our data from. When you induce starvation on an animal or human some physiological changes are the same but not all, the anorectic will die, the CR'd (with optimal nutrition) animal will live a long and vital life. This is just *one* of the big differences which dissasociate CRON from the pathological nature of anorexia.

Everyone tries to put people in a box and give them some sort of label. You understand very little about Michael and April, and haven't met any of them. You have no good backround information to justify your less than thoughtful opinions. CRON is a lifestyle which people follow for reasons other than body image, they follow it to increase their lifespan and as we've only got one shot at doing this, we better get it right while alive. Michael is at a low weight, so should he not be careful and try maintain his weight but with fewest calories possible without inducing more weight loss?

As others have said here, a growing percentage of the population is becoming obese and overweight with many others on their way or very close to becoming overweight. Should you not put your concerns to them? Its where voices are needed because that is a true eating disorder with pathological consequences. Michael has followed CR for almost 10 year now? his health probably remarkable... and if there were any signs that this is some sort of destructive behaviour them would have probably shown already.

Also no qualified doctor would diagnose April or Michael as having an eating disorder, it won't happen because they fail to meet several other important criteria. CRON is clearly not pathological (see studies below). Most CRONies are happy people, they love life and want more of it.

For myself, I weight everything I eat, only takes up around a total of 5 minutes a day. Nothing to moan about...

Please learn more about CR and the people following it before trying to make another diagnoses.

CR is not an eating disorder.

matt

Calorie restriction may prevent primary aging in the heart
http://record.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/6447.html

Calorie restriction appears better than exercise at slowing primary aging
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/wuso-cra053106.php

Calorie restriction reduces risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes
http://record.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/3330.html

[Brooke]

As a former high-performance athlete and current CR practitioner, I have to say that the routines and so-called obsessions involved in CRON are far less intense than what is required of any serious sportsman. In addition, there is much peer-reviewed, conventionally published scientific evidence showing that CR in animals extends life span and greatly improves the health of human subjects. And in my experience, most CR practitioners do not feel "superior" to the people who eat more, but rather saddened that more people do not make the effort to improve their own health when so much good advice is readily available.

[Arturo]

I'm glad to have found the Calorie Restriction Society. My search was for something to help me lose a few extra pounds so that I could do more advanced poses in yoga. I lost the pounds, but found out that CRON was not about weight loss - the weight loss is an effect of practicing caloric restriction, not the goal. I learned a lot about nutritious foods and cut out bad foods from my diet. And I learned that I would stave off a lot of diseases related to obesity - heart blood pressure, glaucoma, diabetes, vascular dementia, and others. All of these diseases are or have been present in my brother, sisters, in-laws, parents, and grandparents. We're not talking about the problems of obesity in America - we're talking about the problems of obesity in my immediate family. Some of my relatives are dying from diseases brought by being overweight. April and Michael Rae are not out to convert people to their way of thinking. They share about their life and we're lucky that they do. I tend to eat a similar diet week to week. I record it on software. The software tells me how my eating affects the basic biomarkers of blood pressure and body temperature. It does not take a lot of time to enter the data.

[Mara]

Michael and April (the couple profiled in the New York magazine article) are not being attacked here or in New York Magazine. There are many justifiable and reasonable questions and concerns people have about CR. They (Michael and April) have opened up about their eating lifestyle in that article, therefore it is more than valid to strongly question them. It stands to reason that many will be concered about such a drastic way of eating (and not eating) food, especially as the practitioners of CR posit that just about everyone can benefit from following their path.
The comparison to Anorexia is not absolute. That does not invalidate the fact that there are enough common factors between the two (CR and Anorexia) to make viable comparisons.
My intuition as well as what I have read on CR (including from the official website)leads me to conclude that CR is Not a healthy eating and life style to maintain.

Here is a quote from a man who believes in CR and has been practicing it for some time:

"Now, however, it's very hard to see the appeal of going back to that testosterone-driven way of life. I don't miss my libido one bit."

(fromhttp://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-20040706-000002&page=2)

In the New York article Michael and April made a point (as did another CR couple) to brag about how sexual they are, yet it's clear that many people lose their libido on this diet.

I think it's really valid to ask yourself if Michael and April were not throwing in alot of positive spin regarding their diet. They hardly mentioned any detriments or down side to their diet, yet if you read other people's views (even those who believe in and practice this diet) you get a whole other view of CR that is not so rosy.
Many diets have come along that promise prolonged life (and all the moral high-ground that goes along with chosing to eat in such a superior way). CR very much appears to fit into the mode of yet another one of these "miracle" diets.

[Robin]

Nicole:
You haven't answered my question at all. Once again, please explain to me what exactly the pathology of this "eating disorder" is.

Michael isn't sickly, he's in a stable, loving relationship with a gorgeous woman, he does work he finds fulfilling - in short, he's a happy, healthy man with a rich, meaningful life. April is a beautiful woman with a very active life. She's so busy with her work trying to help nurses she doesn't even have time to defend herself from yet another ridiculous attack by people who haven't even gone to the trouble of properly researching CRON. She has a job she loves, friends she enjoys spending time with, a stable relationship with a man she adores and a beautiful home.

April and Michael spend a *tiny fraction* of their time measuring their foods to ensure they get optimal nutrition in a low number of calories. They do *not* spend *all* of their time on this. I'd say they spend far less time "obsessing" about counting calories than so-called "normal" people spend obsessing about stupid television shows.

If you're going to say CRON is a disorder, you're going to have to defend that by telling me where the harm is in this lifestyle. If CRONies are mentally happy and physically healthy, where's the downside? I would assume that a "disorder" would have some sort of negative impact on one's life. You have yet to show one.

The only flimsy evidence you can point to is what you consider a sense of moral superiority among CRONies as some sort of proof that they have an eating disorder. Unlike you, I've actually met Michael and April, and I can tell you they do *not* feel morally superior because of what they eat or don't eat. Moreover, if feeling smug is a sign of a disorder, may I suggest that you and people of your ilk are the ones with a disorder? Never having met Michael or April, you judge them based on one journalist's fleeting impressions of them and smugly dismiss them as eating disordered simply because they don't fit the mould of the average American (who, by the way, is overweight or obese and has all sorts of health problems). For some reason, you apparently feel the need to pathologize that which is different. Why don't we call this a "labelling disorder"?

Again, you know nothing about CRON, Michael, April or any of the other CRONies. Until you sit down and educate yourself on the subject, perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to diagnose people with some dreamed-up disorder.

[Robin]

Mara:

Questioning is one thing. Implying that two perfectly normal people are somehow mentally unhinged is another. Saying that Michael and April having an eating disorder is most definitely a very personal and hurtful attack. You, Nicole and Michael LoPresti can dress it up in all the paternalistic garb you like - the fact is you're attacking Michael and April. And you don't really know the first thing about them.

No one is *promising* the public anything here about life extension. Michael has repeatedly stated that CRON is, at best, a crude tool for potentially extending life. He's very clear that although the animal studies are promising, we simply don't know whether CRON will work for life extension in humans. He believes it's worth trying, and many others (including scientists) agree with him. He and April are well aware of the costs of this lifestyle, including relentless judgment from ill-informed people who constantly wish to pathologize those who refuse to conform to the toxic eating patterns of our culture.

For the record, the CR Society has an extensive list of problems CRONies might face in following this lifestyle:
http://www.calorierestriction.org/Risks

A few other points:
1) No one person could possibly represent the entire CRON community. Michael is hard-core - he very precisely measures every bite of food he eats for every meal of every day. Personally, I don't feel the need to be that precise, but then my goals are different from his. April measures her food when possible but sometimes eats out, so not every morsel of her food is measured. I'm more like April. I measure most things when I'm at home but I eat out once or twice a week and therefore don't measure all the time. I also don't measure when I'm on vacation. Some CRONies don't measure at all. My point is you shouldn't judge all CRONies based on the characterization of one person in a magazine article. (And frankly, I don't think you should be judging any of these people at all given how little you actually know about them).
2) There are a variety of reasons for practicing CRON. A few are listed here:
http://crskinny.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-cron.html
3) Just because the NY magazine article didn't quote Michael and April talking about the detriments of CRON doesn't mean they didn't discuss it. It would be incredibly naive to think that the reporter included all their comments in his story. Remember, a magazine article tells the story the reporter and his editor want to tell. That may or may not include everything Michael and April actually said or wanted to say.
4) In the case of Michael and April, decreased libido due to CRON is not a problem. For others, it is. The reporter asked them and they were honest about their own experiences. Again, they aren't claiming to represent the entire CRON community. The point is that the physiological effects of CRON on the body can vary from person to person.
5) Michael and April have never claimed any sort of moral high ground for eating the way they do. Stop accusing them of things they don't do.

[Mara]

Even if CR works to some degree, it doesn't mean most people can make it work for themselves. Here is a quote from an article that gives support to the *possibility* of CR having some health benefits:

Even if a diet of 30-percent fewer calories proved to extend healthy human lifespan, however, it's unlikely that most people could be able to stick with it. (A group of individuals following such a diet, called the Calorie Restriction Society, seem to have some health benefits. See "Human Study Shows Benefits of Caloric Restriction".)

Researchers studying caloric restriction in animals, including Colman, say that, in general, such a diet is "not a long-term possibility in humans." Rather, the primary goal of their study, Colman and Weindruch agree, is to learn about aging and to understand how caloric restriction changes metabolism and gene expression.

(From:
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=specialsections&sc=living&id=17572)

[Mara]

Robin,
In your understandable need to defend your friends (I'm sure I'd feel the same way), your words to me and others who disagree with CR are hostile and judging in the same way you accuse of us.

I've nothing personally against either Michael or April and I do not personally know them.

I have even expressed some admiration for April from what I could glean from the article.

I feel that your making this an into attack is your way of obscuring the real issues of disagreement by acting as if valid criticism of CR (and those profiled in the New York article) is somehow wrong.

[Robin]

Mara,

No one is arguing that CRON as Michael and April practice it would be widely applicable. However, certain principles of CRON - cutting out junk food, eating high-volume, nutrient-dense, low calorie foods and ensuring that you get 100% of your RDA's from real food - could certainly be applied to the general population and would probably help many people. Read The Longevity Diet by Lisa Walford and Brian Delaney if you're interested in learning more.

[Robin]

Saying that someone has a disorder implies that there is something pathologically wrong with him or her. I fail to understand how I can see your characterization of CRONies as anything other than an attack. And since you apply the "eating disorder" label to two individuals - Michael and April - that seems personal. Therefore, I conclude you are personally attacking them. If someone said that *you* specifically had a mental health problem wouldn't you consider that personal? And wouldn't that feel like an attack?

If someone called you "obsessive," "very frail," "unhealthy," "addictive," "anorexicin" and "maniacal," would you not reasonably conclude that this person was attacking you? These are not kind words. They are attacking words. Throwing in a few nice statements about April amidst an overall condemnation of her life choices does not change the fact that you and your friends have said some very unkind things about her and Michael.

I must say the only thing more infuriating about your unprovoked attack on these two people is your refusal to admit that you're attacking them.

I'm not trying to obscure anything. If I sound hostile, it's because I'm sick of armchair psychologists diagnosing two healthy, happy people as having a mental health disorder based on a magazine article.

CRON doesn't float your boat? Fine, don't do it. No one is trying to convert you. But if you're going to accuse CRONies of having some sort of eating disorder, you should expect them to defend themselves. I'm doing it for April because I know she's too busy going out there trying to save the world to deal with this.

[Mara]

Some of the very "problems" cited on the CR website (that Robin has provided) show that practitioners of CR can experience extremely similar if not the same issues as Anorexia sufferers such as bone loss, greatly increased sensitivity to cold, appearance changes that produce alarm in people such as jutting bones (as well as the discomfort that such a body suffers) and so forth.
I've also read that many CRs can have the same fine body hair that is produced in people with Anorexia. Even if the initial motivations are different, it's worth questioning whether or not a diet similar in the effects it produces as Anorexia might not also produce the same mind-set. After all, Anorexics do not just show physiological changes, they also show changes in mentality. The psychology of starvation (produced by the famished body) takes over.

[Mara]

"But if you're going to accuse CRONies of having some sort of eating disorder, you should expect them to defend themselves."

Well, they are lucky to have you. I wish I had someone to defend me - but I don't.

Oh well.

[Robin]

The same site very clearly defines the differences between anorexia and CR:
http://www.calorierestriction.org/CR_vs_Anorexia
Another important distinction: anorexia often leads to ill health and death. CRON, properly practiced under the supervision of one's doctor, leads to health. Read Roy Walford's books if you actually want to learn something about the benefits of CRON.

Also, I'd just like to point out that you don't have to be incredibly rich to do this. To be responsible, you *do* need to track your nutrients but it's easy to do so with freely-available software readily accessible on the web:
http://spaz.ca/cronometer/

So yes, you need a computer. Not everyone can afford one, but a lot of people can. Also, I find a food scale helpful. It costs about $25 at Target.

[Mara]

"Saying that someone has a disorder implies that there is something pathologically wrong with him or her."

I don't see it that way. It's saying that someone may have a psychological disorder.

"Therefore, I conclude you are personally attacking them."

That's your interpretation but I do not agree. I think you can call into question whether or not someone with CR has anorexia w/o meaning it as an attack (although it Does strongly imply that CR, itself, is very misguided).

"These are not kind words."

Reality is not always kind; having an Eating Disorder is not a kind way to live or treat your body. Kindness is not the same as denial.

" must say the only thing more infuriating about your unprovoked attack on these two people is your refusal to admit that you're attacking them."

I am trying to be less hostile but it is not easy, as you can see for yourself, given your own hostility.

"If I sound hostile, it's because I'm sick of armchair psychologists diagnosing two healthy, happy people as having a mental health disorder based on a magazine article."

People have a right to believe that your friends could have an eating disorder based on what they have read of them.

"CRON doesn't float your boat? Fine, don't do it. No one is trying to convert you."

And this is also not personally just about me, although I do write with my own perspective on this. I hope you are not saying that only those who wish to practice CR can comment on it.

"I'm doing it for April because I know she's too busy going out there trying to save the world to deal with this."

That's noble! I'm just sitting in front of my TV eating "gak". To each their own, but if your friend publicizes her way of life anyone and everyone, no matter how base and un-noble has the right to give an opinion. That you consider it uninformed is probably based on your own bias and contempt.

[Mara]

CR reminds me of a book I've read. The author can be found here:

http://www.orthorexia.com/

Here is a quote from this website by Dr. Steven Bratman:

For Professionals:

"The defining feature of orthorexia is obsession with eating healthy food and avoiding unhealthy food. The definition of healthy and unhealthy food varies widely depending on which dietary beliefs the patients has adopted. The usual immediate source of orthorexia is a health food theory, such as rawfoodism, macrobiotics, non-dairy vegetarianism, Ornish-style very-low-fat diet, or food allergies. Note that, in most cases, the underlying diet is itself reasonably healthy (if unreasonably specific). ***It's in the obsessive approach to diet taken by an orthorexic that the disorder lies."***(emphasis added)

I've added stars to point out the one sentence that I feel gets at the heart of CR more than simple comparisons to Anorexia.

Here is another quote:

"Orthorexia is usually more of a source of psychological distress than real physical danger. However, in some cases, weight loss becomes a significant feature, and all the risks of anorexia apply."

I feel that Dr. Bratman is describing CR in many crucial ways even though the above quotes do not specifically mention CR.

[Rebecca]

Calorie Restriction saved my life.

Technically, I am EDNOS, but I have struggled with so many different patterns over the course of my life; it's ridiculous. I started with severely restricting my calories in high school. Then I became an elite runner and demonstrated more anorexia athletica patterns. Then I flipped out in college and started binge-eating but using obsessive exercising to control my weight. I reached the point of complete physical exhaution which left me with just binge-eating and no exercise. I gained 75 pounds in a year and continued to gain an average of 15 more per year.

Nearing the weight of 300 lbs on a 5'8 frame, and approaching the age of 35, I knew it was time to make a change or I was going to die. I've tried every kind of therapy and treatment for all of these eating disorders and nothing worked. Nothing.

In the midst of beginning to starve myself again (because there is no such thing as "eating normally" or "everything in moderation" in my world), I learned of CR. Imagine, a healthy way of life that will accommodate my obsessive habits related to food. I've read about orthorexia and wondered if I've just moved on to another eating disorder. But after 25 years of abusing my body with food and exercise, something that redirects my obsessive energies toward NOURISHING myself and eating only the best things for my body is HEALTHY. Instead of obsessing about getting the food to my mouth and out of my body or never putting it in my mouth to begin with, CR has taught me to appreciate the value of the foods I put in my mouth and find a wonderful balance between slim and health.

I have lost the weight (I'm 150 pounds on 5'8 frame - hardly emaciated), I have learned to limit my exercise to 1.5 hours per day, lowered my cholesterol from 274 to 198, and improved all my other blood work (no more "on the verge" of diabetes!). I have replaced obsessing about food and self hatred with a passion for reading books about health and nutrition and using food as a way to cure illness and promote health. I actually feel *good* about myself.

So, have I just traded a pattern of eating disorders for another? I really don't care. CR, when done right, is incredibly healthy and redirects one's energies away from unhealthy habits to focus them on healthy habits.

CR is not for everyone. Nor is "eating normally" something that everyone can achieve. There is no one lifestyle or diet that is uniformly perfect for all human beings. Everyone needs to find their own balance to achieve health. Whether it is CR or something else, why does it really matter?

I admit I'm not into CR to lengthen my life. I'm in it to improve my health. It works. I think it might just be wise to research using CR as a treatment for eating disorders in others.