Anthony Hopkins is in his early 70′s and proving anyone who ever said, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” completely wrong. Hopkins enlisted the help of his wife, Stella Arroyave, to give his lifestyle a complete fitness-makeover. That was two years and 75 pounds ago.

So, how does he do it?  He leads an active life and eats small amounts of nutritious food. It’s also been speculated that he’s a vegetarian. It may sound simple and old-fashioned but the fact is, it works! Gone are the days of his addiction to fatty foods. He’s no longer hooked on carbs such as cookies and bread and Hopkins religiously goes to the gym six days a week and only consumes 800 calories a day.

Back up for a moment. This nearly 73-year-old man goes to the gym six days a weeks and power walks on top of that? My instinct here is that he sounds too active to be living on only 800 calories a day. A certain amount of calories is necessary to maintain the functionality of your brain and body. Severely low-calorie diets can be dangerous. According to an estimation on My Pyramid, Hopkins should consume closer to 2200 calories a day. It’s worth noting that many studies point to the conclusion that our food pyramid recommends far too many calories. Restricted calorie diets have many perks, but going overboard is simply careless. I suppose it’s all up for debate.
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Calorie restriction diets may not sound fun but these very reduced calorie diets are all the rage right now, particularly as Americans look to the starting line of the New Year to make 2010 the year to finally the lose weight.

Calorie restriction diets, or CR for short, not just promise weight loss, but also recent research has suggested that reducing calories over the long-term may slow the process of aging, reduce risk of certain diseases and cancers and extend lifespan. In fact, the science is so potentially powerful and hopeful that one of largest studies investigating this eating plan, the CALERIE study, just wrapped up a two-year investigation of the prolonged effects of calorie restriction on adult Americans.

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UPDATE: See our interview: hCG Diet Reviewed by FullBar’s Dr. Michael Snyder

You won’t see me promoting quick fixes or fad diets anytime soon. But every once in awhile something comes along that seems so dangerous I have to call it out. That’s why I’m going to help reveal the truth behind the HCG diet.

What it is: HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced during pregnancy by the cells that form the placenta. This hormone is detected in the blood around 11 days after conception; it is detected in the urine around 12-14 days after conception. While it is most commonly associated with pregnancy, it is present in both genders.

What it does in the body: HCG signals the hypothalamus (area of the brain that affects metabolism) to mobilize fat stores. In pregnancy, this helps the body bring nutrients into the placenta, fueling the fetus with the energy to grow.
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Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, ACSM HFS is a Washington, D.C. based dietitian and weight management expert. Together with Bernie Salazar, at-home winner of The Biggest Loser, she co-created “The Nurture Principles” – Five mantras to help people change their lives and find wellness within.

If you’ve ever lost weight by cutting calories then you can understand the allure of restricting further to accelerate weight loss. But just because a little is good – more is not better. An eating plan that is too restrictive is a first-class ticket to sabotage. Find out if your current plan needs loosening up.

You cut out foods you love.

If your diet has you avoiding specific foods, especially ones you love, it is essentially setting you up for failure. There’s no reason that even the most “forbidden” food can’t be included in a healthy eating plan. You deserve to love the foods you eat. Include a small portion of something that satisfies – whether you crave sweet or salty foods.
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Dr. Oz explains to Oprah how a calorie-restricted diet could be key to anti-aging. (via Oprah.com)

Recently on Oprah, medical guru Dr. Oz discussed the benefits of purposefully restricting your daily caloric intake in order to add more years to your life. A calorie-restricted diet also lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and body fat, all of which, when they are high, are linked to a host of diseases. In fact, Dr. Oz says calorie restriction is the number one way doctors say we can extend longevity.

“The data that we have in rodents and some larger animals now indicate you can probably extend your life expectancy by up to 50 percent potentially from doing this,” says Dr. Oz.

So exactly what is calorie restriction? On a calorically-restricted diet you are reducing the amount of your daily calories by 20 to 25 percent, by consuming foods that are nutritious, low in calories and unprocessed. Tons of fruit, vegetables and moderate amounts of protein with small amounts of fat comprise the basic features of the calorie restriction way of eating; while sugar, processed foods, most saturated fats, flours and some grains are avoided.
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