Clean eating vs. Paleo vs. Low Carb? Help picking for a jumpstart to weight loss?
thcguy123
Posts: 55
So my wife and I have decided we both want to make big changes in our life. She wants to be healthier and get her tiny 105 pound beach body back she had before we met (I am a bad influence). I want to lose the 100 pounds that I am overweight and try to shed about 40 of that this year (3-4 pounds per month).
We are using EMEALS to provide us with weekly recipes but are trying to decide between their plans: CLEAN EATING PLAN vs. LOW CARB PLAN vs. PALEO. What are your thoughts on what would be the easiest to stick with AND help us lose the most weight?
We plan to start with just eating better - not overdo it. We want to start off strong with some nice weight loss to get motivated and keep losing each week. But mostly we want to learn to eat better in our day to day life. We want to cut back on some of the bad things like sugar, bad hats, high calorie items, etc and get more towards good proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, and less processed foods. We do want a plan that will allow us a little leeway - we both wake up and walk out the door about 5 minutes later so we'd like to sub a store bought breakfast shake or v8 or something in there. But the rest of the day we want to focus on meals made at home. Something we have never ever done!
Next month we plan to add some exercise - we both just joined a small local gym. But we don't want to push it and overwhelm ourselves to fast. Eating right comes first.
We are using EMEALS to provide us with weekly recipes but are trying to decide between their plans: CLEAN EATING PLAN vs. LOW CARB PLAN vs. PALEO. What are your thoughts on what would be the easiest to stick with AND help us lose the most weight?
We plan to start with just eating better - not overdo it. We want to start off strong with some nice weight loss to get motivated and keep losing each week. But mostly we want to learn to eat better in our day to day life. We want to cut back on some of the bad things like sugar, bad hats, high calorie items, etc and get more towards good proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, and less processed foods. We do want a plan that will allow us a little leeway - we both wake up and walk out the door about 5 minutes later so we'd like to sub a store bought breakfast shake or v8 or something in there. But the rest of the day we want to focus on meals made at home. Something we have never ever done!
Next month we plan to add some exercise - we both just joined a small local gym. But we don't want to push it and overwhelm ourselves to fast. Eating right comes first.
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Big_Bob_Lob wrote: »Whichever helps you create a sustainable, moderate calorie deficit and fuels you throughout the day, especially once you start adding in exercise. More important that the pluses and minuses of each, is to find one you'll stick with. Otherwise, it won't matter much.
^This. The best thing for weight loss isa calorie deficit. The second is something you can stick to.0 -
Yeah - I know that.
I am leaning towards CLEAN EATING because it's already a low carb type of plan. I heard Paleo is more restrictive. Thanks for feedback.0 -
Big_Bob_Lob wrote: »Whichever helps you create a sustainable, moderate calorie deficit and fuels you throughout the day, especially once you start adding in exercise. More important that the pluses and minuses of each, is to find one you'll stick with. Otherwise, it won't matter much.
This is really the only answer that anyone can give. How you get into a calorie difference is going to be all about personal preference. Some people feel better doing low carb, some feel better with something like paleo, etc, etc. There's no way for any of us to know which one would be right for you.
It sounds like you have the basics figured out. Start with one and see how it goes!
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In my opinion, this answer is different for everyone. I have been eating clean(ish) and have never felt better. Some may say it is all in my head, but whenever I slip up I feel sluggish and tired. I started eating clean about 4 months ago and it has been a positive change for all in my family. I just recently started focusing on weight loss. I was a nursing mom so I didn't want to have a calorie deficit. But starting this last Monday I am working on losing weight and am happy that many of my already established habits are supporting this.
I totally understand the on the go breakfast. I have to get 3 kids out of the house in the morning and dropped off at 2 different locations. I am still working that one out.0 -
Big_Bob_Lob wrote: »Whichever helps you create a sustainable, moderate calorie deficit and fuels you throughout the day, especially once you start adding in exercise. More important that the pluses and minuses of each, is to find one you'll stick with. Otherwise, it won't matter much.
This. Pick a diet that meshes well with the life you currently have, not the life you have in an ideal world, and keep a calorie deficit.0 -
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We are using EMEALS to provide us with weekly recipes but are trying to decide between their plans: CLEAN EATING PLAN vs. LOW CARB PLAN vs. PALEO. What are your thoughts on what would be the easiest to stick with AND help us lose the most weight?
As others have said, the crucial thing is a calorie deficit and achieving it in a way that you find sustainable (in other words, that you are eating foods you enjoy, not missing stuff you don't eat, and aren't hungry). I recall that it was important to you to have some structure in starting out, so this seems a decent plan. Do they tell you what the foods are that will be involved or the macro breakdown or anything? If so, I'd say go with what seems most enjoyable for you. You can always expand it somewhat once you get the whole thing down.0 -
Key word: sustainable. Make changes you can live with for the rest of your life. Start small, build new habits. From reading this and other threads of yours, it sounds like you've been living on fast food for awhile. Don't try to go from a junk food junkie to "clean eating" or Paleo or low carb overnight. Otherwise you'll lose a few lbs, find it too hard, and go back to your old ways and re-gain the weight. You seem to want all the answers right now. It doesn't work that way...be patient.0
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From all of your post it seems that you are making this entire weight loss journey more difficult than it has to be. You are over analyzing it. Back up and slow down a bit. Figure out what foods both you and your wife like and what you don't like. If you can go without pasta, rice, potatoes and bread than try low carb. If you love that food and have to have it then stick with what you normally eat and just eat less of it.
Whatever way helps you to maintain a caloric deficit is all that matters.
.....they all do that.
Oh and low carb is not the same as "clean" eating. Eating clean, eating low carb, or eating paleo will not matter if you are not in a deficit.
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Well anything I do is going to be a calorie deficit. I am going from eating fast food (combo meals + an added hamburger) for three meals a day and nothing but cookies and chips for snacks. So I can do anything at all and be at a calorie deficit from what I was eating. I will be able trying to stay under 2000 calories a day. Most calculators say to eat between 2000-2350 for weight loss so that is where I will be.
I don't just want to lose weight which is why I am trying to pick a good type of eating - I can do that eating all weight loss processed foods and just staying at a deficit. I want to feel better, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and have more natural energy. I also want to really jumpstart my weight loss in the first two weeks.0 -
This will happen with just the weight loss alone. I mean come on now. You know that you can easily cut the 3 times a day down to 1 time a day or a few times a week. It is laziness if you ask me. Get in the kitchen. You can eat all of that in moderation along with whole foods. Instead of totally changing the way that you are eating, I would suggest just cooking more meals at home then ordering out or picking up fast food.Well anything I do is going to be a calorie deficit. I am going from eating fast food (combo meals + an added hamburger) for three meals a day and nothing but cookies and chips for snacks. So I can do anything at all and be at a calorie deficit from what I was eating. I will be able trying to stay under 2000 calories a day. Most calculators say to eat between 2000-2350 for weight loss so that is where I will be.
I don't just want to lose weight which is why I am trying to pick a good type of eating - I can do that eating all weight loss processed foods and just staying at a deficit. I want to feel better, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and have more natural energy. I also want to really jumpstart my weight loss in the first two weeks.
I eat fast food, chips, cookies, pizza, cake, ice cream, cheesesteaks, chicken wings and I do not have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Other than my gastric issues I am healthy.
There is a balance you must find.
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Step 1.
Determine Maintenance.
Step 2.
Wack- 2-500 calories off maintenance
Step 3
Consume that calculated number of calories daily until weight loss plateaus.
Step 4
Re-evaluate maintenance
Step 5
Repeat process in a manner that is sustainable and doesn't make you crazy.
I.E. if you can maintain at 2500.
and you can magically survive on 2000 calories of twinkies- and it doesn't make you crazy- then go forth- eat 2000 calories every day and lose weight.
If you can survive on 2000 calories of meat and veggies and no bread- then do that.
If you can survive on a percentage of macros that makes you not crazy- do that.
Most people find a moderate deficit + a macro split with flexibility reasonable and sustainable.
I eat "low-ish" carb. I aim for under 20% because usually I can eat what I need in that amount and not be hungry- but sometimes a girls' gotta eat a bagel.
So I eat a bagel and forgo my afternoon snack.
easy peasey lemon squeeyz.0 -
I've tried them all.. I have had the most success follow If It Fits Your Macros. Meet your macros and calorie goals, eat the foods you like within your goals and you will be amazed. I am one of those freaks who actually enjoys the taste of a fast food burger now and then so I don't want to feel like I'm being horrible by having one...so if it "fits", I'm having it that day. The rest of my diet and lifting helps balance it all out. www.iifym.com for more info if you are interested.
But like many have said...neither is better or worst...do whatever is sustainable. Or don't even follow one... just make the changes one thing at a time. You said you ate a lot of fast food and snack foods...replace majority of those meals with good protein filled meals. Drink more water, eat more fiber, eat less sweets. These are all little changes you can start with and add in things as you go that will make huge differences on the scale. Once you are more adapted to eating less of the junk, then you will have an easier time fine tuning it to eating more "clean", if you so choose to.
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Dammit I just edited and changed my wordage around!Big_Bob_Lob wrote: »
This will happen with just the weight loss alone. You do not have to change your diet. I eat fast food, chips, cookies, pizza, cake, ice cream, cheesesteaks, chicken wings and I do not have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Other than my gastric issues I am healthy.Well anything I do is going to be a calorie deficit. I am going from eating fast food (combo meals + an added hamburger) for three meals a day and nothing but cookies and chips for snacks. So I can do anything at all and be at a calorie deficit from what I was eating. I will be able trying to stay under 2000 calories a day. Most calculators say to eat between 2000-2350 for weight loss so that is where I will be.
I don't just want to lose weight which is why I am trying to pick a good type of eating - I can do that eating all weight loss processed foods and just staying at a deficit. I want to feel better, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and have more natural energy. I also want to really jumpstart my weight loss in the first two weeks.
You can eat all of that in moderation along with whole foods. Instead of totally changing the way that you are eating, I would suggest just cooking more meals at home then ordering out or picking up fast food.
There is a balance you must find.
If you want to do the diet change, feel free, but as she said, most of what you're wanting will happen with the weight loss alone. Especially once you add strength training and cardio (which is great for blood pressure, general cardiovascular health and endurance).
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Good luck with this, I think it is much easier when both the husband and wife are committed to the diet change.
I can only say that what has worked best for me and my body (have metabolic syndrome and started off with 228 pounds to lose.), is the Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program, which after losing 80+ pounds on, I then added a daily calorie limit to help with portion control. I've lost 197+ pounds to date, taking it slowly, it will be 4 years end of April 2015, and I will be at goal by then.
CALP has allowed me to bake, to make family recipes, to eat out, all with changes of course to what I would normally do i.e. my Thankgiving day is no longer carbs upon carbs, but any recipe I really love around this time of year, I will make a small amt. of or a mini-version that week.
I highly recommend this plan, it isn't that complicated to follow.
Best wishes to you.0 -
From all of your post it seems that you are making this entire weight loss journey more difficult than it has to be. You are over analyzing it. Back up and slow down a bit. Figure out what foods both you and your wife like and what you don't like. If you can go without pasta, rice, potatoes and bread than try low carb. If you love that food and have to have it then stick with what you normally eat and just eat less of it.
Whatever way helps you to maintain a caloric deficit is all that matters.
.....they all do that.
Oh and low carb is not the same as "clean" eating. Eating clean, eating low carb, or eating paleo will not matter if you are not in a deficit.
I agree with this comment. You are trying to create this plan and making it more complex than it needs to be. You can eat paleo AND low carb if you prefer. You can eat clean and low carb. To me, paleo and clean eating are pretty close to the same thing. It doesn't have to be just one thing, it can be components of lots of ways of eating. Also, the actual definitions of these are different to everyone. Do you like dairy and cheese? Then paleo may not be right for you.
You may want to eat more nutrious foods but you don't have to put a name on it. If you have difficult feeling full with a traditional ratio of macros, then you might want to eat higher fat, moderate protein, and low carb. If you want to reduce the amount of processed foods you eat, then do it.
Also, there is no "jumpstart". Just do it and stick to it. Once you start seeing results it may encourage you to stick to it.
I can't speak for everybody, but some people here stick to an 80/20 rule. 80% of what they eat is nutrious (probably what you define as clean). That other percentage allows for them to eat ice cream, candy, twinkies, etc. Allows them to eat nutrious, have a calorie deficit, and have treats.
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Yeah - I know that.
I am leaning towards CLEAN EATING because it's already a low carb type of plan. I heard Paleo is more restrictive. Thanks for feedback.
what do you mean by clean eating? Try and pick a more descriptive term because clean eating means different things to everyone0 -
If weight-loss is your main goal, then the advice around here is fairly sound. If you're looking for various "benefits", then I'd suggest trying them all for maybe 2 months at a time and figuring out which one gives you the better results in terms of how you feel.
I did an "all things in moderation" diet for a while, and I was super strict about counting calories - and I definitely lost the weight. But I couldn't sustain it, because I was hungry a lot of the time, I would eschew protein/fat for super carby things because I could "work it into my calories, so it's cool", and I would just be starving when I went to bed. I crashed hard, and I still struggled with insomnia due to uncontrolled acid reflux. No bueno.
I've gone down a few different roads and have settled on keto (super low carb), and my chronic acid reflux, and the insomnia it was causing, are gone. This is the first time a dietary change has impacted my life so dramatically.
I'm still losing weight, easily maintaining a deficit (while counting carbs instead of calories), and getting MUCH better sleep. Plus I haven't had to buy any tums or Rolaids in months. It sounds really restrictive to a lot of people (oh noes! no breads or pastas? your life must SUCK!), but it's given me a new lease on life, tons of energy, and has rid me of a health problem I'd been putting up with for over a decade. Acid reflux runs in my family, and my grandfather died of esophageal cancer - I'd rather not put myself at risk anymore.
So, my advice is to try them all, keep your deficit, and figure out which one makes you feel fantastic along with helping you lose weight!0 -
Still don't really understand what clean eating is.0
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So I can do anything at all and be at a calorie deficit from what I was eating.
OMG.
You're so ***ed.
Before picking a plan, you need to understand just how absolutely wrong your statement is. It is extremely easy to overeat on "paleo" and "clean" and "low carb" and etc.
If you don't reset your understanding, you've failed before you've even started.
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JazzFischer1989 wrote: »Still don't really understand what clean eating is.
No one does. It's a made up term to make money0 -
Big_Bob_Lob wrote: »Whichever helps you create a sustainable, moderate calorie deficit and fuels you throughout the day, especially once you start adding in exercise. More important that the pluses and minuses of each, is to find one you'll stick with. Otherwise, it won't matter much.
great response!!!
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You again...
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look at all meal plans and pick the one that looks the most satisfying according to your tastes.
There's no magic diet that works better for everyone than every other one. You might feel better on paleo, someone else might feel better on low carb, idfk what "clean eating" is but maybe someone feels good doing that too.
Do what you like and can stick to, for now. Everything else is secondary.0 -
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Well anything I do is going to be a calorie deficit. I am going from eating fast food (combo meals + an added hamburger) for three meals a day and nothing but cookies and chips for snacks. So I can do anything at all and be at a calorie deficit from what I was eating. I will be able trying to stay under 2000 calories a day. Most calculators say to eat between 2000-2350 for weight loss so that is where I will be.
I don't just want to lose weight which is why I am trying to pick a good type of eating - I can do that eating all weight loss processed foods and just staying at a deficit. I want to feel better, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and have more natural energy. I also want to really jumpstart my weight loss in the first two weeks.
So much wrong with this kind of thinking. There is probably thousands of posts on here of people that can figure out why they can get results even though they are "eating clean" , "low carb", or whatever fad they want to follow.
You might want to change your way of thinking on this or I dont see a positive outcome for all your effort.0
This discussion has been closed.
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