I read this book and was somewhat impressed. Certainly most Americans would do well to eat less and to make every calorie a nutritious one. However, like so many good ideas, I think the proponents of caloric restriction take the implementation of their concepts to extremes, as Dr. Walford may have. Dr. Walford's daughter, Lisa, who also wrote a book on CR, evidently has a BMI of 15. I don't know how tall she is but for me, at 5'4", to have a BMI of 15, I'd have to weigh 88#! At 112#, I'm already told frequently how thin I am, don't think I'd look, feel or be healthy at 24 lbs. lighter. Also, the fact that Dr. Walford recommends the consumption of animal flesh, despite all the research showing how harmful its consumption is, gave me pause. I'd recommend you read Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. instead.

I read the book from cover to cover and began to embrace the philosophy and lifestyle it promotes.The book is a good read, sounds plausible, is well written but is not something to put your faith in. I had a question so I went on-line in search of Roy Walford, lo and behold the good Doc did not live to be 80. Dr. Roy Lee Walford, M. D. (June 29, 1924 San Diego, California - April 27, 2004) was a pioneer in the field of life extension. He died at age 79 of respiratory failure as a complication of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Hmm... not quite what I was hoping to find. Calorie restriction may extend the life of a rat in a climate controlled lab but we humans live in a polluted world. Calorie restriction to increase longevity sounds so noble, so self-sacrificing that one would expect a big payoff, one of a long healthy life. Sorry to say however this just isn't the case. Walford's research was negated by his own demise at the age of 79, sounds average at best in terms of years. Damage to DNA cannot be repaired by calorie restriction and optimal nutrition there remains a missing piece to the complex issue of longevity and health. My Great-Grandmother ate pork, drank like a fish, and smoked. She took no meds at all and passed away at the age of 105. Hmmm. Makes you wonder.

Well I read this book in detail and was happy with the different types of evidence he carefully described. Having an engineering background myself I found most animal and primate studies convincing.

When I read it I came away with the question, can this be done?

Read a lot since then also "Eat to Live" by Fuhrman.

Conclusion; now I know how It can be done practically;
Eat 2 Lbs of raw and cooked green veggies a day, eat any fruit, some beans and some (1 oz) of nuts. Leave out everthing and I mean everything else.

You will feel full, healthy, no cravings for fat, sugar, etc,
You will eat only when hungry in your throat,
And hey... you went from 2600 kCal aday to 1200-1400...
statistically you shift the chance distribution (yes you can still die of a heart attack or cancer tomorrow but much much much less likely)

I thought I include some of this to make it practical for readers to act upon.
enjoy.