Caloric Restriction

I've been asked several times why it is that I chose a 1000 calorie diet for this experiment.  Generally, the choice came first because I sought a diet that would challenge me enough to require a significant personal change.  Further, however, I sought something that was less about gimmick and more related to something that made simple sense.  You can't get much simpler than the truths of caloric balance.  To boot, I was also able to take some of the consequences to their logical conclusions in order to evaluate how one might balance the potential negatives of such a diet with the clear gains.  However, there are more gains associated with caloric restriction than I have mentioned and that, more than any other reason, is why I chose the 1000 calorie diet.  There is a direct link between caloric restriction and general longevity; a strict diet can, according to the research, help us to live longer.  Extending life... an amazing dream and something I hope to see come to fruition.  So, without further ado, let me present Dr. Aubrey de Gray and his reasoning for the future of humanity.

So what does that have to do with Caloric Restriction?  A lot actually.  Not only is there a lot of verifiable, data backed research suggesting Caloric Restriction may lengthen your life, there's some common sense to it, too.  As Aubrey mentioned, most of what accounts for aging is a part of the metabolic process.  Things build up, add to, are taken from, etc. over and over again in your body as part of making your body function.  What if you cut that process in half?  Or even reduced it by 25%?  Then you'd have less of those negative events occurring (and of course, less of the positive events too).  This will trigger hunger responses, but as I've mentioned before, it will also trigger basic homeostasis response: adaptation.  You live longer because your metabolism slows and you take in less free radicals, etc., and in effect take longer to reach the same destination.  All it takes, or so it would seem, is a bit of self control.  We're in the business of mind over matter, folks!