Clean eating.
YellowBird0722
Posts: 9 Member
Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
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Replies
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Yes - drop the "clean eating" idea and instead eat what you want within a calorie deficit! Done!0
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Right. It's not about "what" you eat, it's about "how much" you eat.
However, I do practice clean eating about 99% of the time and my body just feels better as a result.
How exactly do you suck at it and what are you hoping to achieve by doing it?
I could most likely give you some ideas but would like to know your goals first
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I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.0
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The label "clean eating" causes some issues here. If you're trying to eat "better", or "healthier", then incorporate more vegetables as a start. Try to eat a nutrient dense, varied diet of mostly whole foods and incorporate some treats. Read labels. Eat less. Move more.0
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Alatariel75 wrote: »I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.
55Lbs? Well done!0 -
YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
eat the foods you like.
make sure you are getting foods from nutrient dense sources
eat in a calorie deficit
hit micros/macros
yes, you can eat ice cream, cookies, etc.
clean eating is hogwash….0 -
If you don't normally eat those type of foods don't start now. Take what you were eating before and just eat less of it. Sure it is best to start making better food choices that are more nutritious but radically changing up your diet is something that you'll eventually stop doing and then you'll gain the weight back. Just eat what you were eating before with smaller portions in mind so you can stay within your calorie goal. You will still lose the weight.0
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If you are aiming to lose weight, just eat fewer calories than you burn.
However, while you are doing that, you may discover that things like steamed vegetables are a good choice because they are both low cal and filling. And things like a big bag of potato chips has a lot of calories and just isn't worth it.0 -
You probably suck at it because there is no clear definition of what "clean" eating means. How can you be good (or bad, for that matter) at something when the criteria for being good/bad is arbitrary? Some people think they are eating "clean" when they are sticking to organic or "all-natural" products (organic canned soup, organic chips, etc), while some others think those products are not "clean" because they're processed.YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?0 -
If you are aiming to lose weight, just eat fewer calories than you burn.
However, while you are doing that, you may discover that things like steamed vegetables are a good choice because they are both low cal and filling. And things like a big bag of potato chips has a lot of calories and just isn't worth it.
Exactly! Also, a small handful of those same potato chips will not kill you or make you regain all of your weight back.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.
55Lbs? Well done!
Thank you! Still have about 40 to go, but I'm finally doing it for life and not just until I can "get skinny and get back to normal"
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Alatariel75 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.
55Lbs? Well done!
Thank you! Still have about 40 to go, but I'm finally doing it for life and not just until I can "get skinny and get back to normal"
EXCELLENT!!!
ps: love the avatar.0 -
My tip, perhaps not a helpful hint, would be to avoid labeling food as good/bad, clean/unclean and just eat mostly nutritionally dense food and fit in the cake, ice cream, Snickers, and the rest from time to time.
I lost 112 pounds and didn't skip the peach cobbler and homemade ice cream. I just had less of them.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »My tip, perhaps not a helpful hint, would be to avoid labeling food as good/bad, clean/unclean and just eat mostly nutritionally dense food and fit in the cake, ice cream, Snickers, and the rest from time to time.
I lost 112 pounds and didn't skip the peach cobbler and homemade ice cream. I just had less of them.
Exactly what I did to lose the 113 lb. (so far). Had smaller pieces and ate the treats less often. No peach cobbler, though, since I don't like peaches. Chocolate cake on the other hand . . .
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.
55Lbs? Well done!
Thank you! Still have about 40 to go, but I'm finally doing it for life and not just until I can "get skinny and get back to normal"
EXCELLENT!!!
ps: love the avatar.
Taco kitties aren't 'clean' food, but they're cute!0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »I eat what people might consider 'clean' about 80% of the time and 20% is stuff that I love that others might consider 'processed' or even 'junk'. 55lbs gone, brilliant blood pressure and bloods tells me I'm doing well.
55Lbs? Well done!
Thank you! Still have about 40 to go, but I'm finally doing it for life and not just until I can "get skinny and get back to normal"
EXCELLENT!!!
ps: love the avatar.
Taco kitties aren't 'clean' food, but they're cute!
Totally!!!
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Muscleflex79 wrote: »Yes - drop the "clean eating" idea and instead eat what you want within a calorie deficit! Done!
This.0 -
Personally i don't like the term clean eating but i guess its useful since we all have a basic idea of what it means. The principle for me is eating mostly whole foods, rather than processed foods. To do this well, you have to be willing to cook most of your meals. You need to be organised. And also note this. This sort of foods tastes better and is easier to eat when you severely limit the amount of processed foods you eat. Processed is more strongly flavoured than most home cooked food. Its got a lot of salt, and sugar and fats in it. It messes up your palate. When you avoid these types of foods most of the time, its easier to reorient your palate to healthier foods.
But cooking is hard when you have a busy life. That's why you have to be very organised. A lot of food does not take that much time to prepare. Salads don't take much time. But if you don't have much of a clue how to make a salad delicious it can be easy to go for something else. Try looking for a cookbook about salads and or vegetables and work your way through it. This will teach you a lot. The europeans and asians are very good with vegetables.0 -
my best advice is to shop around the outside of the grocery store. but it is not necessary to eat "clean" to lose weight.
perhaps if you give us what your clean eating goals are, we might be able to better assist you than "forget clean eating"0 -
Patttience wrote: »Personally i don't like the term clean eating but i guess its useful since we all have a basic idea of what it means. The principle for me is eating mostly whole foods, rather than processed foods.
I still have no idea what exactly, or even a "good idea" of what "Clean eating" is. Most every food is processed in some way, unless you're eating raw meat from the carcass, and digging up tubers to eat with the berries/nuts you just plucked.
And what are "whole foods"? Like, eating a whole lamb? Eating a whole potato plant? PS Don't try that with Rhubarb, the leaves will kill ya.0 -
"Clean eating" doesn't have a consensus meaning and is really great at creating food shame. I focus on eating whole foods and cooking things for myself. Lots of vegetables, good quality meats and carbs. The key to sticking with anything for me is to eat a variety of things. So I will go to the store and buy things that I haven't had before and plan a meal around that.0
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YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
Try and eat a bit more fruit and vegetables within your calorie goal than you were before.
Relax.
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YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
For me it was baby steps over a long time period. Soda was the biggest waste of calories - zero nutritional value, so it got replaced with water. Next was the sugar in my coffee, changed from sugar and half n half to no sugar and cream. And on from there. Over time the goal is to infuse your go to food choices with a variety that match your long term nutritional goals.
I define my version of clean based on the genetic risks I face from the diseases that are common in my family, yours may be different.
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People sometimes wig out over the word "clean" and don't want you to use it. "Healthy" seems to be less reviled.
Try taking steps, maybe, instead of doing it all at once. Nook at it as adding things in instead of taking anything away. First week, drink your water. They say about eight 8oz glasses...but just add water to your diet. The next week, add a couple servings of fruits every day. The following week, add a couple servings of veggies. Then add whole grains.
You don't have to take anything out while you add these things. But the more healthy stuff you add, the less you're going to want to eat other things - because you'll be full.
That seems to work for a lot of peeps.
I did a cold turkey, flip-a-switch kind of diet change and it was hell. I think adding bitty bits is easier.
Food for thought, anyway.
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YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
@YellowBird0722 I agree with others you will have to discover what works best for your body over time. In my case it seems like my body has a problem processing carbohydrates that started when I was around 20 years old. After 40 years of painful arthritis last Oct (2014) I stopped eating things like grain or food containing natural or added sugar.
Within 30 days my pain level dropped from a subjective 7-8 pain level to 2-3 on a 1-to 10 scale. I do wake up after sleeping 8-9 hours (amount of sleep best if wanting to lose weight I read) but I eat all I want all day. Now if I eat at bed time I will not lose or gain weight per the scales. To lose more weight I have to stop eating at 5 PM but I am not really hungry at 10-11 PM.
Not sure what will work for you but leaving off the carbohydrates (eating under 50 grams of carbs daily) is working for this old man. I wish I would have put in practice at age 23 what I did at age 63 in my personal case.
Again when we are young we can get away not eating well and get away with it for years. There are a lot of Youtube info from medical conventions that I have found helpful. Best of luck.
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you have to want to change. you have to believe that the benefit outweighs the hassle. you have to believe you're a better parent/spouse/citizen when you're doing it. it's like recycling.
Doritos, Little Debbies, Pepsi... these kinds of things are engineered by scientists and marketers for you to LOVE them, for the packaging to appeal to you, for you to identify with the lifestyle they're connecting the products to.
Carrots from the local farmer don't necessarily have a glossy ad campaign or banner ads on the internet. Eating at a sensible caloric deficit doesn't have spokesmodels on popular magazines touting their success with it.
For me it was seeing my uncle die in his 40s that helped me (in my 20s at the time) decide that the path I was on was a painful, awkward adulthood and an early grave. Change your path, one step at a time.0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
@YellowBird0722 I agree with others you will have to discover what works best for your body over time. In my case it seems like my body has a problem processing carbohydrates that started when I was around 20 years old. After 40 years of painful arthritis last Oct (2014) I stopped eating things like grain or food containing natural or added sugar.
Within 30 days my pain level dropped from a subjective 7-8 pain level to 2-3 on a 1-to 10 scale. I do wake up after sleeping 8-9 hours (amount of sleep best if wanting to lose weight I read) but I eat all I want all day. Now if I eat at bed time I will not lose or gain weight per the scales. To lose more weight I have to stop eating at 5 PM but I am not really hungry at 10-11 PM.
Not sure what will work for you but leaving off the carbohydrates (eating under 50 grams of carbs daily) is working for this old man. I wish I would have put in practice at age 23 what I did at age 63 in my personal case.
Again when we are young we can get away not eating well and get away with it for years. There are a lot of Youtube info from medical conventions that I have found helpful. Best of luck.
OP indicated no medical condition so this advice is basically useless...0 -
you have to want to change. you have to believe that the benefit outweighs the hassle. you have to believe you're a better parent/spouse/citizen when you're doing it. it's like recycling.
Doritos, Little Debbies, Pepsi... these kinds of things are engineered by scientists and marketers for you to LOVE them, for the packaging to appeal to you, for you to identify with the lifestyle they're connecting the products to.
Carrots from the local farmer don't necessarily have a glossy ad campaign or banner ads on the internet. Eating at a sensible caloric deficit doesn't have spokesmodels on popular magazines touting their success with it.
For me it was seeing my uncle die in his 40s that helped me (in my 20s at the time) decide that the path I was on was a painful, awkward adulthood and an early grave. Change your path, one step at a time.
so clean eating now equals saving the world, really?
what would be the difference between bagged carrots from publix and a carrots from a local farmer?
you can eat dorios, little debbies, and pepsi, hit your calorie/micro/macros targets, and still be healthy.0 -
you have to want to change. you have to believe that the benefit outweighs the hassle. you have to believe you're a better parent/spouse/citizen when you're doing it. it's like recycling.
Doritos, Little Debbies, Pepsi... these kinds of things are engineered by scientists and marketers for you to LOVE them, for the packaging to appeal to you, for you to identify with the lifestyle they're connecting the products to.
Carrots from the local farmer don't necessarily have a glossy ad campaign or banner ads on the internet. Eating at a sensible caloric deficit doesn't have spokesmodels on popular magazines touting their success with it.
For me it was seeing my uncle die in his 40s that helped me (in my 20s at the time) decide that the path I was on was a painful, awkward adulthood and an early grave. Change your path, one step at a time.
so clean eating now equals saving the world, really?
what would be the difference between bagged carrots from publix and a carrots from a local farmer?
you can eat dorios, little debbies, and pepsi, hit your calorie/micro/macros targets, and still be healthy.
You're putting words in my mouth. Much like deciding to recycle, you have to decide to eat a certain way because Marketers would rather you eat their foods. I'm not advocating one way or another. The OP finds it "hard" to "eat clean" (whatever that means). I gave my perspective about why they find it "hard."
Hope you have a good day.
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