Please teach me, how you became a clean and healthy eater...
activefatgirl
Posts: 107 Member
Questions for all of you who have made it over the hump to living a clean and healthy lifestyle. How did you do it? Really, how did you go from Fat and unhealthy to Fit and healthy. Regardless if you lost 100 pounds , 50 pounds or 30 pounds you realized you needed to change your current situation, your current eating habits and you did it!!! Congratulations!!!! Now teach me HOW?? Teach me your success...
How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
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Replies
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So that's a really, really tough question, but I totally understand why you're asking. For me.... and those are very important words as it's different for everyone.... but for me it all boiled down to never telling myself that I couldn't have a particular food. That kind of restriction just felt too much like a diet. I still ate (and eat) pizza, the occasional burger, etc but when I do I make sure it's within my daily, or sometimes weekly, calorie allowance. When I approach it that way, I know that I CAN have pizza on a Friday night with my family if I want to. I'll just eat 2 slices instead of 5. But the fact that I've given myself the OK to eat those foods in a reasonable manner has made all the difference. It also sometimes prompts me to not eat foods like that when I really am not dying for them - because I know I can but I CHOOSE not to. It's a very important distinction for me.....0
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You don't need to cut anything out of your diet to lose weight, all you need is a calorie deficit. If you ask five people what eating "clean" means to them you'll get five different answers. Eat what you want and add treats in moderation so you aren't tempted to fall off the wagon.0
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activefatgirl wrote: »Questions for all of you who have made it over the hump to living a clean and healthy lifestyle. How did you do it? Really, how did you go from Fat and unhealthy to Fit and healthy. Regardless if you lost 100 pounds , 50 pounds or 30 pounds you realized you needed to change your current situation, your current eating habits and you did it!!! Congratulations!!!! Now teach me HOW?? Teach me your success...
How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
We didn't stop.
We learned what moderation is, how much is an actual serving, logging the calories, and managing to find room in our caloric intake for the foods we love.0 -
Clean eating is eating nutrient dense foods. How did I change my habits. Eating the fruits, veggies, and protein that I like.0
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I still eat what you wrote as "unhealthy", I haven't stopped. I make my own burgers and fries, Chinese food, fried foods, go out for pizza, etc... I just eat less of it to make these foods fit into my daily calories.0
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activefatgirl wrote: »How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
I don't pretend to be mean but whole wheat pasta is not a healthy choice, not any whole grain, regardless of what the mainstream media says.
Anyway, we are all humans, and any person that you can see selling you a diet or a program has to be honest with you, there is not perfection in this and there are setbacks.
You have two option, that will depend of how heavy-metal-hardcore you are, if you think that you have enough willpower to cut everything out and start from the scratch, go ahead.
If you are more like the average person, take it slowly, the most offensive groups off food that make people struggle are refined carbs, dairy and grains. Start eliminating once thing at a time, give one month to every group of food and then move towards another one.
Do not kill yourself if one day you make a mistake, it happens to all of us, just relax and say, ok, today I couldn't control eating that pizza, that is all. When you go from, let's say 2 pizzas a week to 2 pizzas a month that is a huge improvement. At some point you will manage to not eat any pizza at all or eating a healthier version of a pizza.activefatgirl wrote: »How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
You usually said that is enough when your health is compromised somehow, but you cant go crazy unless you are in serious risk.
The beginning is the hardest thing, that is why I say take once thing at a time.
I changed this way, and you don't need to be fat to be unhealthy, skinny is almost as bad as fat.
The key things here are to have a proper mindset, which means allow yourself to fail, and then research, but please do not use any mainstream to make decisions, the relevant things take time. Finding a proper diet that fits your needs might take years.
Start eliminating the offending foods and make your way towards better eating. The 80/20 rule can help too.
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I eat everything I always have, only in moderation. Caloric deficit = weight loss.0
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I always think of it this way. I'm not cutting out the foods I love, I'm adding in new foods and learning how to prepare them in a way that I love, too. So, now I can choose from everything. Somedays, all I want is grilled chicken and a spinach salad. Other days, I want pizza. The beauty of IIFYM is that I can have both if I plan accordingly.0
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First off explore the world of healthy food. Try new fruits that you've never tried before. Buy your produce ripe, luscious and in season. Go to a farmers market; not only will the food taste better, but you'll be more connected with it and excited to eat that produce. Try roasting your veggies (just 400 degrees with salt, pepper, and olive oil). Experiment with new recipes for chicken breast or tofu. Spice up that oatmeal with toasted almonds, fresh sliced pears, dried cranberries, cinnamon, peanut butter, bananas...the sky's the limit! Soon you will learn that healthy food does not have to be boring. You will begin to crave these foods and they will naturally make up the bulk of your diet.
Let the bulk of your diet be made up of nutritious foods and fill in the gaps with a few treats. Life is short and deprivation leads to falling off the wagon. It's not like you can never have a cupcake or a burger again. Just be sure these treats fall within your daily or weekly calorie allowance goals and that the bulk of your diet is still made up of nutritious foods. It's about learning moderation and beginning to see these things as every once in a while treats rather than every day staples. And once you fall in love with healthy food, fresh juicy berries and toasted coconut over vanilla greek yogurt may start to sound just as appealing or more appealing than the cupcake. Stick with it and you'll surprise yourself.0 -
I find that a restrictive mentality does not work for me, so I will work something I want into my day. I also spend more time cooking, and finding alternatives. I love a good hamburger, but there's ways to make it at home so it's "better" than what I was eating before.
For me it's been about finding the balance of what works. I stay in my goals, and I'm learning what things are worth spending calories on and what aren't. Little steps at a time.0 -
Scarecrowsama wrote: »activefatgirl wrote: »How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
I don't pretend to be mean but whole wheat pasta is not a healthy choice, not any whole grain, regardless of what the mainstream media says.
Anyway, we are all humans, and any person that you can see selling you a diet or a program has to be honest with you, there is not perfection in this and there are setbacks.
You have two option, that will depend of how heavy-metal-hardcore you are, if you think that you have enough willpower to cut everything out and start from the scratch, go ahead.
If you are more like the average person, take it slowly, the most offensive groups off food that make people struggle are refined carbs, dairy and grains. Start eliminating once thing at a time, give one month to every group of food and then move towards another one.
Do not kill yourself if one day you make a mistake, it happens to all of us, just relax and say, ok, today I couldn't control eating that pizza, that is all. When you go from, let's say 2 pizzas a week to 2 pizzas a month that is a huge improvement. At some point you will manage to not eat any pizza at all or eating a healthier version of a pizza.activefatgirl wrote: »How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
You usually said that is enough when your health is compromised somehow, but you cant go crazy unless you are in serious risk.
The beginning is the hardest thing, that is why I say take once thing at a time.
I changed this way, and you don't need to be fat to be unhealthy, skinny is almost as bad as fat.
The key things here are to have a proper mindset, which means allow yourself to fail, and then research, but please do not use any mainstream to make decisions, the relevant things take time. Finding a proper diet that fits your needs might take years.
Start eliminating the offending foods and make your way towards better eating. The 80/20 rule can help too.
Whole wheat or grains are not bad for everyone expect if you are gluten intolerant/ have celiac disease. You don't need to cut out any food group to eat clean! Moderation is the key. As you yourself said 80/20. Eat healthy nutitritious food for 80% of times and you can eat 20% of other crap(as long as the cals in in deficit)
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Wash your produce before you eat it, don't eat food after it's fallen on the floor.0
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I_Will_End_You wrote: »Wash your produce before you eat it, don't eat food after it's fallen on the floor.
Sarcasm? LOL!0 -
The thing about whole grains is that they do not really make much of a difference in blood sugar spikes and amount of carbs, we can talk about gluten, various proteins, anti-nutrients and a lot of "bad things" that grains have, but my whole point was about the amount of sugar that you will consume and how it will affect your blood levels, insulin response, therefore fat gain.
Moderation is key for some things, but not for everything, whenever your insulin is high you don't burn fat, insulin levels need about 4 hours to go back to normal, therefore eating any amount of quick carbs before that will just keep you in a high insulin state and fat.
I don't like the 80/20 for food, I try to go 90/10 most of the times, but that 10/20 of "bad" food is tricky, is not the same to eat a coconut flour cupcake that you make than a cupcake bought at any supermarket, you know what I mean.0 -
Scarecrowsama wrote: »The thing about whole grains is that they do not really make much of a difference in blood sugar spikes and amount of carbs, we can talk about gluten, various proteins, anti-nutrients and a lot of "bad things" that grains have, but my whole point was about the amount of sugar that you will consume and how it will affect your blood levels, insulin response, therefore fat gain.
Moderation is key for some things, but not for everything, whenever your insulin is high you don't burn fat, insulin levels need about 4 hours to go back to normal, therefore eating any amount of quick carbs before that will just keep you in a high insulin state and fat.
I don't like the 80/20 for food, I try to go 90/10 most of the times, but that 10/20 of "bad" food is tricky, is not the same to eat a coconut flour cupcake that you make than a cupcake bought at any supermarket, you know what I mean.
I think your logic is wrong. Whole grains wont cause you any trouble unless you are diabetic/ pre-diabetic/have celiac disease . I think assuming that OP has no such problems she can eat 'clean' without having to cut out grains or carbs
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OP, I'm not going to be much help, as I still eat all of those things, including grains.0
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I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.0 -
Scarecrowsama wrote: »I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.
I've lost 40 lbs. Been eating grains the entire time. Please explain how this is possible.
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Scarecrowsama wrote: »I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.
Do you have any peer-reviewed studies to let us see these facts?0 -
Scarecrowsama wrote: »I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.
Which is what?
All the Blue Zones eat grains and have the most centenarians.0 -
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Scarecrowsama wrote: »I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.
I am definitely not at normal weight! I need to lose about 100lbs. I am eating whole grains as a part of a wholesome diet. And as of 5 weeks I am down by 2.5 kgs. So I don't think whole grains are the devil here
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I have lost 50.5 lbs. I'm having pizza for dinner tonight. Today I'm getting 93 grams of protein. So... why do I have to eat "clean?"0
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bcomingfitmom wrote: »I am definitely not at normal weight! I need to lose about 100lbs. I am eating whole grains as a part of a wholesome diet. And as of 5 weeks I am down by 2.5 kgs. So I don't think whole grains are the devil here
Give yourself a chance, cut them and see the results, you can't loose anything but weight
For the people who talk about how is possible.. I am not going to waste my time with you, I recommend cutting them, but I am not saying that it is not possible to loose, it all depends on how much you eat, and we are discussing healthier or not.
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I_Will_End_You wrote: »don't eat food after it's fallen on the floor.
Except for the 5 second rule!!!!!!
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When I first joined MFP I bought a food scale and I hightly recommend it. That was eye opening! Portion control is HUGE. I was eating SO much food at one sitting, that once I started to weigh and measure what I should be eating the pounds came off.
I LOVE food. All kinds of food. There is no "bad" food. There are good choices, and not so good choices. I still eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my daily/weekly calorie goal, and that works for me because what I want to eat has changed drastically. Now that I choose to eat the non-greasy, non-high-fat-content foods, I feel better. Now the creamy sauces and greasy hamburgers and fried french fries make me feel sluggish and sick. And, I do mean physically sick... I eat it, and 30 minutes later my stomach rumbles and I hate life for the next couple of hours.
Eventually, you may want the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the greasy cheeseburger. But, always eat the cupcake, as long as it fits into your calorie goal.
Start slow. And, I recommend you start weighing and measuring your food. Good luck.
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Scarecrowsama wrote: »I do not use any logic there, I just mention facts, she is talking about weight loss, and whole grains do not help for that matter, because we talk about amounts of sugar and insulin response.
If you are healthy and have a normal weight it is your business whether or not to consume whole grains, they are often processed as well and they have more discussion but is less dangerous compared to a person who wants to loose weight.
The fact is, irregardless of weight, unless you have a medical condition, it's calories in vs out.
I started out in the obese BF%. I ate whole grains, sugar, fast food, etc. Lost 53 lbs and reduced my BF%, increased my fitness level.
Eating "clean" is subjective. It's all about context. For health, absolutely pay attention to your nutrient intake. For weight loss, calories. Getting a good balance of macros is body comp but the ultimate factor to weight loss will always be calories deficit.
You don't need to eliminate foods from your diet to lose weight or fat. You just need to learn balance
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Scarecrowsama wrote: »bcomingfitmom wrote: »I am definitely not at normal weight! I need to lose about 100lbs. I am eating whole grains as a part of a wholesome diet. And as of 5 weeks I am down by 2.5 kgs. So I don't think whole grains are the devil here
Give yourself a chance, cut them and see the results, you can't loose anything but weight
For the people who talk about how is possible.. I am not going to waste my time with you, I recommend cutting them, but I am not saying that it is not possible to loose, it all depends on how much you eat, and we are discussing healthier or not.
You just said eating whole grains does not help with weight loss. Then you said it is less dangerous for thinner people to eat whole grains than heavier people. If you're going to make claims, and say that those claims are based in fact, you should be able to provide support for your statements.0 -
Scarecrowsama wrote: »bcomingfitmom wrote: »I am definitely not at normal weight! I need to lose about 100lbs. I am eating whole grains as a part of a wholesome diet. And as of 5 weeks I am down by 2.5 kgs. So I don't think whole grains are the devil here
Give yourself a chance, cut them and see the results, you can't loose anything but weight
For the people who talk about how is possible.. I am not going to waste my time with you, I recommend cutting them, but I am not saying that it is not possible to loose, it all depends on how much you eat, and we are discussing healthier or not.
I am happy eating all food groups in moderation than restricting myself. And if I am losing at a healthy pace while doing so it means I am doing it right. If you want to cut carbs you are free to do so. But that does not make you healthier than me.
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activefatgirl wrote: »Questions for all of you who have made it over the hump to living a clean and healthy lifestyle. How did you do it? Really, how did you go from Fat and unhealthy to Fit and healthy. Regardless if you lost 100 pounds , 50 pounds or 30 pounds you realized you needed to change your current situation, your current eating habits and you did it!!! Congratulations!!!! Now teach me HOW?? Teach me your success...
How does one go from eating unhealthy foods like burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, creamy salad dressings, deep fried crap to eating clean foods like chicken breast, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice every day (I want to be one of these people).
1. How did you finally say.. Enough is Enough!
2. How did you change all your unhealthy eating habits to your current healthy eating?
3. How did you stay on course in the beginning of your journey to make sure you wouldn't fall off course?
4. What helped you the most in the beginning of journey?
Teach me please!!! I'm here to learn from your success…
Thanks Dianna
First, I believe in all things in moderation. I have lost 65 pounds, but I still eat pizza, drink beer and wine, and enjoy chocolate. Yes, overall I eat healthier than I did, but I don't deprive myself either. Now onto your questions.
1. I had a health scare in high school. I wanted to participate in track and field, but I needed to have a physical (signed by my doctor) first. I went for the physical, but she refused to sign it because she didn't think I was healthy enough. She made a deal with me: if I would get some bloodwork done (high cholesteral, diabetic, thyroid function), she would sign off on it. I felt ill to my stomach since I was only 16 and being told I had to be tested for several diseases that could be caused by my body weight. I decided then and there that I didn't want to live the next 60-70 years of my life with weight related issues, if I was lucky enough to get 60-70 more years.
2. I didn't change them all. Like I said, i still have pizza, beer, wine, chocolate, burgers, ice cream. I just eat less of those now, and when I do I eat the right portion. When I have ice cream, I don't eat a whole pint (usually). I usually only eat one or two 1/2 cup servings, but I log it so I know where i end up for the day. As for my meals now, I meal-prep on the weekends. If I didn't meal prep, I would eat out a lot. It would hurt both my pocketbook and my waistline in the long run. Yes, you can lose weight eating out everyday, but I know that I personally can't do it. It's easier for me to take away the temptation and just meal-prep my lunches.
3. Being able to see the weight going down helped. Also knowing that I would be better off (health-wise) if I got to a "normal" weight helped. Other than that, I was just tired of being obese. I had wanted to be fit and healthy my whole life, and I finally had the drive I needed to succeed.
4. I quit drinking sodas. I went from drinking 2 liters of root beer a day to none. I still enjoy a soda here and there now-a-days, but I don't drink them regulary. Also, measuring out my food. I learned what a true serving size, not what I grew up believing was a serving size. It was a sad day when I realized 3 helpings of Mom's homemade lasagna was not a serving.
But everyone is different. What worked for me may not work for you. I like to think of weight loss/maintenance as a science experiment you perform on yourself. You have to try different things out on yourself and see what results you get. Once you see the results desired, you can keep going with what worked until it no longer works. At the time, you change it up again and start all over to try to get more of the results you're after.0
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