[cbloom]

I'm not sure what you're trying to prove in OP, but showing someone lose a lot of weight doesn't prove a damn thing about anything. It doesn't mean that they're now healthy or that the diet was a particularly good one. And yes, most people will get the greatest benefit in appearance from dieting, especially if they're starting out overweight.

I don't think anyone has any problem with paleo. (there is no good science behind the idea that paleo is somehow better than any other well-balanced nutritionally sound diet, but whatever, paleo's cool)

Calorie restriction (which is basically the same as IF) does indeed seem to extend life, but good luck adding muscle under calorie restriction. Those pictures took people who already had plenty of mass and cut them down. I've seen several people who have chosen long-term calorie restriction and they look totally unhealthy. There's a reason why most of the researchers who tested calorie restriction and IF don't actually practice it.

BTW I've mentioned this before but the high G-flux of bodybuilders almost certainly shortens life and increases the chances of organ failures. I think most of them are fine with that.

I mean who really cares if your life expectancy is 75 or 77 years?