The RDA method

It seems to be possible to export Cron-o-meter, COM , recipes as XML files, and to reimport them. I had thoughts about creating a COM version of as many as possible of the recipes which are collecting at RDAmethod, so that people could log in and download the exported file.
It would give some idea of the calories, Omega-3 and Omega-6 balance, minerals and vitamins in a particular recipe; it wouldn't remove the need to weigh the raw food items. If you think that having these recipes in COM format would be useful, would you please add a comment to this post ?

Most people who attempt CR report that the biggest difficulty is not hunger, or even attempting to pack enough nutrients into a lower calorie budget. It's social struggles -- dealing with the reactions of others to changed eating habits, navigating restaurant eating and work or family events where food is the main focus, etc. Social struggles are one of the most popular topics on the CR Society email list and blogs.

Anyone who attempts healthier eating is likely to face difficulty with social situations. Eating suboptimal foods is such a huge part of our culture that it's almost impossible to avoid confrontation with this issue. Is anyone interested in discussing social struggles they've faced since starting to eat better?

USDA Nutrient Data
Online search for nutrients in food, or for food by nutrient (where to find which foods contain zinc, for example)

Safe Upper levels for Vitamins and Minerals, May 2003.
UK Government expert group publication.

Download Cron-o-Meter
Software application for tracking what you eat - free, open source, cross platform. Enter the kind and quantity of what you eat, see the analysis by nutritional content.

Micronutrient information from the Linus Pauling Institute

Here are the blood tests which you may want to have performed

* Basic Metabolic Panel, including Sodium; Potassium; Calcium; Chloride; Carbon dioxide; Glucose; Blood urea nitrogen (BUN); Creatinine.
* Hepatic Function Panel including ALT, AST, Albumin, AP, Bilirubin, and Total Protein.
* Lipid Panel including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides).
* Blood pressure
* Complete Blood Cell count (CBC) including white blood cell with differential and red blood cell
* HbA1c

Also recommended are:

* Thyroid panel (TSH, T3; T4 and rT3 if possible)
* Fasting insulin

1. Getting started .. you need a bathroom scale. Weigh yourself at the same time each day, wearing the same clothes or nothing, most likely first thing in the morning or last thing before you go to bed.
Write down the result, every day, in a diary or on a wall calender.
Expect that the numbers will vary, in a range of about one or two lbs (or 1Kg). You should start to get a feel for how you ate and how much exercise you had the day before affects the weight numbers. Women should expect wider fluctuations around the time of menstruation.

Cut out unnecessary carbs.  If you make only a few changes at
the outset, let them be these:

Target weight depends on height, age, bone structure, level of activity, climate, as well as on more cultural and social factors. Here are some suggestions, edited somewhat from April's blog entry on 26 April 2007.

If you are trying to lose weight , you shouldn't lose more than 1 pound a month if you're starting lean, no more than 2 pounds a week if you're starting overweight.

It is almost impossible to estimate the calories in restaurant food due to hidden fat and sugar, so if you eat out, make an estimate, then add 500 calories onto every meal. If you carefully track your weight and your measured calories when eating at home, you will notice how your weight fluctuates upward after a restaurant meal. Weight is not a perfect proxy for calories, but in the early phases it works well enough. If you want to lose weight, you will find the process much easier if you cut back on eating out until you’ve reached your target.