a week of clean eating

maryelgin1988

I have been doing well dieting. Day 40 as of today. I've had 2 slip ups within those 40 days.
I always stay within my calories if not a bit under. But lately my diary has been full of crap food...still within my range but just not good for me in general.
I'd like to try out a week of clean eating.
Need recipe suggestions and a list of foods that are dos and don'ts.
Can anyone help???

abatonfan

What is "clean"? It's so objective (I define it as any food that falls within the five second rule if I happen to drop it) and has NOTHING to do with weight loss. Someone could very well gain weight eating "clean" while someone else could lose eating "dirty" if those "dirty" foods fit within his/her calorie goals.

diannethegeek

Look, clean eating is a contraversial subject around here. Not only is there no clear definition, but the definitions that do exist tend to contradict each other. If you're set on doing this then you need to do your research and decide for yourself which version you're following. Because by some definitions Fritos are a clean food. By others, pistachios, eggs, and yogurt are not.

maryelgin1988

Alright. I guess I meant like non processed foods and junk foods? Anyways never mind this post.

ndj1979

why just a week?

Do's = eat the foods that you enjoy and make sure you stay within your calorie/macro/micro targets.
don'ts = restrict foods because you think they are "bad"..

Food = food it is not clean, unclean, bad, evil, etc. It is just there to provide you with energy and nutrients.

FYI - if you eat clean and are in a surplus you will not lose weight; if you eat clean and are in a deficit you will lose weight; but guess what, if you eat "unclean" and are in a deficit you will lose the same amount of weight. So why even bother with something that is not necessary?

yopeeps025

Clean eating. What does that mean?

maryelgin1988

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

ndj1979

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/33307268#Comment_33307268 < OP go read this thread I posted about the whole good/bad food myth..hopefully, it will help you out.

ndj1979

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

how are you defining processed?

every food is processed to some degree.

sofaking6

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

brianpperkins

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

maryelgin1988

sofaking6 wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

brianpperkins wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

ndj1979

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

brianpperkins wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

no one is crucifying you. We are trying to provide you with some knowledge on the topic at hand.

You do realize that when you cook something you are "processing" it, right?

Is lean cuisine bad, because pre packaged?? If you cook something and add a bunch of salt, spcies, and marinade to it and it blows out the calories, would that be better because homemade than the lean cusine, which might actually fit into your day better?

there is nothing wrong with wanting to prepare your own meals; however, eating prepared one does not make it "unclean" "crap" or whatever....

ValerieMartini2Olives

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

brianpperkins wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

You need to calm down. No one is crucifying you. They are answering your questions.

diannethegeek

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

brianpperkins wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

That's too bad, because there's a lot of great information and helpful people to be found on these boards. There are people here devoting their time and energy trying to make weight loss as painless as possible based on their own mistakes.

There are also a handful of subjects that come up time and again that become a big debate. You happened upon one of them. Had you searched for the topic or lurked any of the constant discussions on this subject, you might have noticed that. But instead you decide to claim that we're all "crucifying" you (cause that's not inflammatory at all) rather than, you know, answering your question and flounce from the boards. That's your choice, of course. Have fun with your clean eating. :flowerforyou:

Kexessa

Clean eating to me means:

No food found lying on the side of the road.

No food taken from a garbage can. This is subjective. If it's a candy bar, and it's laying on top still completely sealed it may be seen as 'clean' food.

No food from a dumpster. Not even sealed.

No food my dog licked. This is also subjective. If it's an ice cream cone, we can share.

The 5 second rule for the kitchen floor can be extended by as much as 25 seconds if I just cleaned the floor.

Chocolate covered crickets are not food. I don't care how clean they were processed.

Other than that, if it's edible and I'm around and hungry, it's in danger.

brianpperkins

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

brianpperkins wrote: »

maryelgin1988 wrote: »

A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
THAT is why.
And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

I'm completely calm ... perhaps you should follow your own advice when it comes to settling.

I noticed you didn't name a single food that doesn't undergo at least one process before consumption. Cultivation, fertilization, cooking, canning, freezing, butchering ... all processes.

Your phrasing has already changed several times in this thread. You've gone from "clean" to "non processed" on to not "prepackaged".

jonnyman41

gosh people are not really helping you with your original request! I know when I tried it (as defined by me) for a week I really did notice a difference and that spurred me on to research more about a health issue I have and how I could help it with diet. for the original week I only ate fresh veg, berries and meat/fish/eggs. Now, to me fresh veg, meat/fish with no extra flavour, eggs and plain nuts all fall into clean eating. To that I now also add some dairy that won't be seen as clean to some but I use cream and butter plus coconut milk quite a lot. Lots of stir fries with spices and lemon juice for flavour and olive or coconut oil for cooking in. I also have plain and greek yogurt too so not totally clean but no ready meals or anything that can/or does go in the microwave. It is paying off for me health wise but does not necessarily lead to any more weight loss.

Have to be honest though, the above is what I try for, the reality is that I do have other stuff some days too including an ice cream bar today lol

jaqcan

There's too many variances to what "clean eating" means. Especially on these boards.
To answer your question, this website has great recipes. They all take some work (cause real food takes time to prepare at home from scratch) but they are what I think you're looking for.
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
Please don't jump down my throat about the phrase "real food" I didn't come up with it. I'm just trying to answer this girls question. Although I sometimes wish we could eat holographic food and get the enjoyment without the calories.

ndj1979

jonnyman41 wrote: »

gosh people are not really helping you with your original request! I know when I tried it (as defined by me) for a week I really did notice a difference and that spurred me on to research more about a health issue I have and how I could help it with diet. for the original week I only ate fresh veg, berries and meat/fish/eggs. Now, to me fresh veg, meat/fish with no extra flavour, eggs and plain nuts all fall into clean eating. To that I now also add some dairy that won't be seen as clean to some but I use cream and butter plus coconut milk quite a lot. Lots of stir fries with spices and lemon juice for flavour and olive or coconut oil for cooking in. I also have plain and greek yogurt too so not totally clean but no ready meals or anything that can/or does go in the microwave. It is paying off for me health wise but does not necessarily lead to any more weight loss.

Have to be honest though, the above is what I try for, the reality is that I do have other stuff some days too including an ice cream bar today lol

how is telling the OP that clean eating is not necessary and that she can eat the foods that she likes as long as she stays in here calorie/macro/micro targets, not helpful???

processed foods (however you define them) can be a part of a healthy diet.

accidentalpancake

OP, you might want to check out the clean eating group.