"Clean" eating vs. Moderation- what works for you?

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Replies

  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Eat the right carbs, proteins and fats. Watch the quantity. Move! There's the key to healthy living and an outcome in your later years that has you with your memory and the ability to move around with ease. If you are just eating for your weight, wise up. It's taken me most of my life to figure that out.
    Someone said, sugar is nothing unless you have a medical condition. So wrong! Read, read, read. What all this stuff is doing to your brain, is more important than what it is doing to your butt.
    Of course, eat an occasional bad but if you start eating correctly, you don't have that desire anymore.

    Your brain actually functions on glucose.

    Or ketones

    And Lactate - In fact the brain thrives on lactate.!
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    edited February 2015
    Truth be told, I don't even like Twinkies that much. I live in the great land of Tastykake, and why eat a Twinkie when you can have a Krimpet?

    Or even oreos, or ice cream, or biscoff....
    The list goes on and on!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Why are we rehashing this again, seriously people stop, just stop. No one is going to change thier opinion about this on an internet forum.

    If someone is dead set on labeling the way they eat as "clean," then more power to them.

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

    but super foods...!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Yep, they read some article about certain foods causing inflammation and BAM, they're bloated after eating said food. And omg they feel soooo much better since cutting it out. Clearly that particular food is the root of all evil.

    I also have to wonder about the magical food that doesn't bother them when it's organic, even though the store-bought, commercial version will "tear up" their insides. Come on, people. It's an egg or an apple or a cut of beef. A "yard egg" (as we call them around here) will taste and digest the same way as an egg from the grocery store or from Walmart. I've had both on my counter and in my food at the same time and cannot tell the difference except for color and firmness of the white as it comes out of the shell.

    It's self validation for some people, and I suppose it can be comforting to the uninformed.
    Agree with both of you!!
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Why are we rehashing this again, seriously people stop, just stop. No one is going to change thier opinion about this on an internet forum.

    If someone is dead set on labeling the way they eat as "clean," then more power to them.

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

    but super foods...!

    Dat magic.
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    I believe the point was that you COULD do it and lose weight, but no one was actually recommending it...

    lets summarize:
    1. someone says that you can lose weight on a twinkie diet
    2. someone replies that eating healthy and losing weight are 2 different matters
    3. you accuse the latter to use a strawman (twinkie diet)
    4. someone shows that the twinkie diet was actually mentioned before
    5. you replies that it was just about the point of losing weight...

    I have to tell you that you are arguing with yourself

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    I believe the point was that you COULD do it and lose weight, but no one was actually recommending it...

    lets summarize:
    1. someone says that you can lose weight on a twinkie diet
    2. someone replies that eating healthy and losing weight are 2 different matters
    3. you accuse the latter to use a strawman (twinkie diet)
    4. someone shows that the twinkie diet was actually mentioned before
    5. you replies that it was just about the point of losing weight...

    I have to tell you that you are arguing with yourself
    avvgromano wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    I believe the point was that you COULD do it and lose weight, but no one was actually recommending it...

    lets summarize:
    1. someone says that you can lose weight on a twinkie diet
    2. someone replies that eating healthy and losing weight are 2 different matters
    3. you accuse the latter to use a strawman (twinkie diet)
    4. someone shows that the twinkie diet was actually mentioned before
    5. you replies that it was just about the point of losing weight...

    I have to tell you that you are arguing with yourself

    you are taking several different postings and trying to combine them into one to prove your point.

    I replied to the poster saying that a diet of all twinkies would be bad for someone, and pointed out that is a straw man argument because no one is advocating that.

    but way to take everything being said out of context.

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    I believe the point was that you COULD do it and lose weight, but no one was actually recommending it...

    lets summarize:
    1. someone says that you can lose weight on a twinkie diet
    2. someone replies that eating healthy and losing weight are 2 different matters
    3. you accuse the latter to use a strawman (twinkie diet)
    4. someone shows that the twinkie diet was actually mentioned before
    5. you replies that it was just about the point of losing weight...

    I have to tell you that you are arguing with yourself

    That sequence of events is not at all how this thread transpired.

    Yes, you can lose weight eating nothing but twinkies. Yes, losing weight will vastly improve health for an obese individual, even if the individual ate nothing but twinkies to get there. However, you can't be healthy eating nothing but twinkies forever, and no one suggested this. They merely used the link as a demonstration that CICO works for weight loss. An all-twinkie diet would not be sustainable long-term because you need other macronutrients and micronutrients in your diet. The scientist who did the twinkie diet did it to demonstrate that weight loss is all about CICO; macros matter for long-term health.

    You can still eat twinkies and be healthy, but no one here eats a diet that is 100% twinkies.
  • Mapes84
    Mapes84 Posts: 60 Member
    Thank you! ☺️ Not meaning to beat a dead horse. I am new to the forums, so forgive me if this topic has been done to death. Reading a wealth of opinions and experiences is giving me a lot of peace surrounding the decision to let go of unrealistic standards I have been setting for myself. So, thanks to all.
    [quote="KombuchaCat;31422159

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    Thank you! ☺️ Not meaning to beat a dead horse. I am new to the forums, so forgive me if this topic has been done to death. Reading a wealth of opinions and experiences is giving me a lot of peace surrounding the decision to let go of unrealistic standards I have been setting for myself. So, thanks to all.
    [quote="KombuchaCat;31422159

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

    No worries OP. I'm glad the voice of reason came through for you in this thread!

  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.
    I meant to quote this sooner but got sidetracked----you're my hero. My mom and I always say this. Why not eat this way? No one seems to understand that you can eat broccoli and still have cake. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    Thank you! ☺️ Not meaning to beat a dead horse. I am new to the forums, so forgive me if this topic has been done to death. Reading a wealth of opinions and experiences is giving me a lot of peace surrounding the decision to let go of unrealistic standards I have been setting for myself. So, thanks to all.
    [quote="KombuchaCat;31422159

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

    The flip side of that is that someone else can choose, of their own free will, to not drink alcohol or eat pizza or have chocolate once a day, and it's not a personal accusation against anyone who does. The hostile reception the very words "clean eating" get around here is disproportionate. You should not feel required to defend yourself to someone who eats something you don't, just because they take it personally.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    But why aren't there any more Denzel gifs?

    *stamps feet*
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited February 2015
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    Thank you! ☺️ Not meaning to beat a dead horse. I am new to the forums, so forgive me if this topic has been done to death. Reading a wealth of opinions and experiences is giving me a lot of peace surrounding the decision to let go of unrealistic standards I have been setting for myself. So, thanks to all.
    [quote="KombuchaCat;31422159

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

    The flip side of that is that someone else can choose, of their own free will, to not drink alcohol or eat pizza or have chocolate once a day, and it's not a personal accusation against anyone who does. The hostile reception the very words "clean eating" get around here is disproportionate. You should not feel required to defend yourself to someone who eats something you don't, just because they take it personally.

    No one here cares of someone chooses to eat that way. What gets so much flack is when people come on here and tout that their low-carb clean eating lifestyle that works personally for THEM, is what is going to work for everyone else. Or that their diet is superior to everyone else's diet. And that you can never eat fast food and be healthy. Or brownies. Or whatever "junk" food one may find to be evil. If eating clean/low-carb/vegan/whatever works for you, great. But it's not going to work for everyone, and that's okay.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    PearlAng wrote: »
    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.
    I meant to quote this sooner but got sidetracked----you're my hero. My mom and I always say this. Why not eat this way? No one seems to understand that you can eat broccoli and still have cake. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

    It's what makes life worth living!

    IsZF8pX.gif
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    you are taking several different postings and trying to combine them into one to prove your point.

    n.2 didn't quote n.1 but was posted just 4 minutes after, and there was only 1 post between the 2.
    You didn't notice,and that's ok, but please stop accusing other usesr to use strawman when already proven to be wrong.
    Plus: THERE IS NOTHING TO ARGUE ON

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    que the strawman about eating only twinkies ....that train is never late...

    strawman? just some messages above yours someone wrote:
    "It's all about calorie deficit. Even if all you eat is cake - Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds: edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/ "

    Have you ever read that article? I know it's linked a lot but most people never seem to read it. Even the Twinkie diet professor didn't eat just Twinkies.

  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    edited February 2015
    PearlAng wrote: »
    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.
    I meant to quote this sooner but got sidetracked----you're my hero. My mom and I always say this. Why not eat this way? No one seems to understand that you can eat broccoli and still have cake. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

    It's what makes life worth living!

    IsZF8pX.gif
    Indeed it is
    9pv2lifwajkb.jpg

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    you are taking several different postings and trying to combine them into one to prove your point.

    n.2 didn't quote n.1 but was posted just 4 minutes after, and there was only 1 post between the 2.
    You didn't notice,and that's ok, but please stop accusing other usesr to use strawman when already proven to be wrong.
    Plus: THERE IS NOTHING TO ARGUE ON

    yet, you continue to argue..

    please stop taking several different postings and trying to attribute them to me.

    The poster clearly made a strawman argument about eating twinkies all day, and someone else had commented about the twinkie diet.

  • jvt63
    jvt63 Posts: 89 Member
    People who like to label themselves as "clean" eaters are essentially the same as the IIFYMers. However, the label makes them feel so much better about themselves and a lot of times is used to make themselves feel superior to others.

    This is such absolute *kitten*.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    jvt63 wrote: »
    People who like to label themselves as "clean" eaters are essentially the same as the IIFYMers. However, the label makes them feel so much better about themselves and a lot of times is used to make themselves feel superior to others.

    This is such absolute *kitten*.

    How, exactly?

    A lot of the "clean" eaters I know feel somehow morally superior to the "dirty" eaters in their lives. It's nauseating.
  • jvt63
    jvt63 Posts: 89 Member
    Oh yes...people who like to eat whole foods just think they are SO MUCH BETTER than other people.

    It's a CHOICE. Choose to eat what YOU want to eat. I'll choose what I want to eat. And we can all lose weight TOGETHER, EACH EATING WHAT WE LIKE TO EAT.
  • Mapes84
    Mapes84 Posts: 60 Member
    Thanks to everyone for sharing so much awesome insight! I am re-evaluating the way I have been looking at things. I have basically reached a point where I can barely enjoy any of the foods I love because I feel so much guilt surrounding the few times I have allowed myself to indulge. There are very few foods in my pantry that I inherently enjoy. Everything I buy is based on nutrition/macros/ingredients. And as I said before, it's getting me nowhere in terms of my goals. I think some readjusting of my philosophy is in order.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    jvt63 wrote: »
    Oh yes...people who like to eat whole foods just think they are SO MUCH BETTER than other people.

    It's a CHOICE. Choose to eat what YOU want to eat. I'll choose what I want to eat. And we can all lose weight TOGETHER, EACH EATING WHAT WE LIKE TO EAT.

    why are you yelling?
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    jvt63 wrote: »
    Oh yes...people who like to eat whole foods just think they are SO MUCH BETTER than other people.

    It's a CHOICE. Choose to eat what YOU want to eat. I'll choose what I want to eat. And we can all lose weight TOGETHER, EACH EATING WHAT WE LIKE TO EAT.

    *Fingers in ears* Why are you yelling?
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    I eat clean most of the time, but in the beginning I had to do it ALL the time until my body learned how to deal with not eating processed overly sweet/savory/salty foods. I am down 40 pounds and I only recently have learned to start adding small treats back into my day. I don't usually have a lot of calories left over, but if I do from some awesome exercise then I will eat ONE piece of quality dark chocolate and/or some red wine. I just feel like clean foods help me stay full longer and offer me more nutrition. When you only have so many calories to work with, that beats out eating less-clean foods. The more processed it is the ickier and more bloated I feel if I have too much so there is another reason to stay in small amounts (if not away completely). However if I can't have a homemade gingerbread cookie every once and a while - that is sad.
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    Thanks to everyone for sharing so much awesome insight! I am re-evaluating the way I have been looking at things. I have basically reached a point where I can barely enjoy any of the foods I love because I feel so much guilt surrounding the few times I have allowed myself to indulge. There are very few foods in my pantry that I inherently enjoy. Everything I buy is based on nutrition/macros/ingredients. And as I said before, it's getting me nowhere in terms of my goals. I think some readjusting of my philosophy is in order.
    I'm glad to hear that you will re-evaluate and possibly adjust you philosopy. Open mindedness is a cool thing :) Good luck!

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    jvt63 wrote: »
    Oh yes...people who like to eat whole foods just think they are SO MUCH BETTER than other people.

    It's a CHOICE. Choose to eat what YOU want to eat. I'll choose what I want to eat. And we can all lose weight TOGETHER, EACH EATING WHAT WE LIKE TO EAT.

    why are you yelling?

    6624e37c93855e11f50fd741d19293df1a4545cd99ba6668091735fde358c6fe.jpg
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    Thanks to everyone for sharing so much awesome insight! I am re-evaluating the way I have been looking at things. I have basically reached a point where I can barely enjoy any of the foods I love because I feel so much guilt surrounding the few times I have allowed myself to indulge. There are very few foods in my pantry that I inherently enjoy. Everything I buy is based on nutrition/macros/ingredients. And as I said before, it's getting me nowhere in terms of my goals. I think some readjusting of my philosophy is in order.

    well, you should still be able to fit some ice cream, cookies etc into your daily micro/macro goal...I know I do ...

    I guess this would also dependent what your daily calorie allotment is...

    my diary is open, feel free to browse it for ideas...
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Trying to think of the most non-offensive way to put this so pre-apologies if I offend, truly not meaning to do so.

    From my time on MFP I have personally noticed:
    Those who solely preach just the moderation aspect, like the "I eat fast food 3 times a week but under my caloric yada yada..." seem to be in reasonably ok shape. They are usually healthy, good head on their shoulders and so on. It seems a good mix of people who were once overweight and fought their way back and some that have just been actively maintaining for years and so on. Good people, great advice, great support for people actively trying to lose weight but body type is usually 'meh.

    I just haven't met many in this camp with the body type or competition accomplishments that really impress or inspire me.

    I have found the people that I do really look up to and reach out for advice and instruction both preach moderation but put most of their emphasis on clean eating. Not so much that they have to get organic everything but more in terms of packing as much nutritional value as possible into every single calorie they digest. Like, they make their pizza at home instead of buying papa john's. They don't eat fast food except on very rare occasions and so on. They plain out do not eat food designed to have an extended shelf life. It is either fresh or they do not consume it (with the exception of workout supplements.)

    So, yeah, in short, it's the clean eaters (people who do not consume designer food is my definition) that have always impressed me and have the results I want. I am striving to be more like them and find that I overall feel better when I do.

    Just my 2 cents, doesn't mean much but there it is.
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