Eating 'Clean'

GeminiBridget

Eating clean works, but it's not practical. You don't get fat eating chicken and broccoli. But calories in, calories out... you're losing weight. Not necessarily fat. Eating clean, you'll lose fat.

Why is it not practical? Why is eating non-processed foods not practical? All calories are not the same. Eat 1200 calories of crap, and I promise you you won't look or feel the same as you would eating 1200 calories of fruits, lean protein, and veggies.

GeminiBridget

Cutting out foods that came in cans/boxes/frozen was key to my 135 lbs of weight loss. Cooking my own meals from scratch using fresh meats and produce as the base for pretty much _everything_ did more for me than anything else.

Nice! Congrats on such a huge weight loss! This too is what I mean when I say 'eat clean'.

GeminiBridget

I've cut out most food that comes in a box or a pouch and it's helped a lot! I used to eat pretty much just white rice, meat, pasta, and pastries for breakfast. Definitely not balanced enough. Then I started eating more fruits and veggies, whole grains, and more chicken and fish (not just beef all the time).

I've gone from 20% BF to ~13% BF just making sure I hit my macros. That includes ice cream a few times a week, pizza every few weeks, but I'd say 90% of my meals are "clean". I'm still meeting my goals.

Wow! Awesome results on your BF! *high five*

jonnythan

I've gone from 30+% body fat to 10.5% body fat, definitely not eating "clean." I eat fast food and ice cream almost every day.

I didn't get fat because I ate "unclean." I got fat because I ate too much.

GeminiBridget

Those of you who came on this thread to be snarky or argue, KEEP IT PUSHING. If you don't agree, cool, DO YOU. But I refuse to argue with people I don't know.

GeminiBridget

I was eating and feeding my family "clean" for many years before it was so defined. I've always been a scratch cook, avoiding processed and refined foods as much as possible. I love the availability of clean ingredients and organic foods these days. Unfortunately, I did not control my portion sizes so here I am morbidly obese, but chipping away slowly and steadily.

I wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journey!

GeminiBridget

There is a group on here devoted to clean eating. The definition of "eating clean" seems to be less problematic in that group... It's much more pleasant than the regular forum.

I must find that group! lol Unfortunately, there are some that troll the forums looking for reasons to argue and be negative. I usually just ignore them.

GeminiBridget

In this world we are surrounded by so many different foods from so many different places. Unfortunately, not all the providers of our food are motivated by what is the most nutritious and nourishing for our bodies. Many are more motivated by what is the most profitable for them, and what will addict us to eating the foods they provide even if it means giving us diabetes, high blood pressure, and making us obese. Eating "clean" requires us to read nutrition labels and basically make a conscious and informed choice about what we put into our bodies. It is probably safe to assume for the most part that the more processed a food is the more unhealthy it will be to our bodies to ingest it. Natural, unprocessed foods that are fresh and require you to prepare them yourself will always be the best for you. Making a commitment to eating healthy and nutritious foods is an absolute necessity to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The ingredients in fast, prepackaged, convenient foods are guaranteed to make you fat, addicted, and diabetic, with a future likely to end with cancer, a stroke, or a heart attack so you be the judge whether eating "clean" is a waste of time or unrealistic. I have 53 years of eating garbage behind me and almost 9 months of trying to eat healthy and I can assure you that healthy eating coupled with exercise is the "secret" to a longer and healthier life so as for me, I vote yes to eating "clean".

I totally agree!

GeminiBridget

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1018745-getting-lean-my-last-4-months-in-pictures

I make sure to eat at a very moderate deficit- 300-500 cals less than my TDEE per day. I don't work my *kitten* off in the gym. I like doing yoga. And I've gotten to how I look today doing so.

I definitely feel way better when I eat organic. I know there are still some pesticides on organic produce, but IMO, the less hormone disruptors I put in, the easier it's going to be for me to reach my goals.

To all the dudes out there who are down on eating clean- I think it's a little harder for women. Our bodies naturally tend to be a little fatter so we can be ready to create other humans. I think we are a little more sensitive to the effects of pesticide residues on food and so on. Sure, we can work really hard and get awesome physiques too, but why not take the road that makes it a little less difficult?

Anywho, I'm sure someone will rip the above to shreds. Just wanted to share my experience. Have a good Sunday Funday, people :-)

Thank you for your input and your positive energy! Just ignore the negative *kitten*.

rosesauvage

that's funny:-)

Achrya

I've gone from 30+% body fat to 10.5% body fat, definitely not eating "clean." I eat fast food and ice cream almost every day.

I didn't get fat because I ate "unclean." I got fat because I ate too much.

I'm going to agree with this fine fellow. I got fat eating my mom's home cooked meals, very rarely anything but from scratch meals. She bakes her own bread ffs... and then i lose weight in the military on a steady diet of fast food, boxed crap i could stash in my room, and military food cooked by whoknows in whatever manner with whatever ingredients. Gained again, generally eating things i cooked at home, from scratch. Losing now with a mix of clean and dirty, maybe 70/30. Maybe.


The difference is when i gained I ate a bunch. When I lost I was at a deficit. It is that simple.

juliegrey1

To be honest I dont know how clean or not this is.Some time ago our financial situation took a nosedive and although I always liked to cook and bake I now find myself in a situation where we simply cannot afford any type of convenience food,for example my kids lunches are home made popcorn,home made flapjacks and bottles of water for school,lunch is boiled pasta with butter and salt,we have meat twice a week I cook a chicken which has to stretch to 2 days at least,minced meat for either shepherds pie or spaghetti bolognaise which I make fresh sauce for,I make fresh vegetable soup and my own bread,my groceries are mainly raw materials.,we buy fruit on special offer,if we have pizza I make it from the base same with chips I cut my own potatoes!
sweets are a rare treat!This isint a lifestyle choice,its because we dont have a choice,funny we are better for it!

Acg67

Eating clean works, but it's not practical. You don't get fat eating chicken and broccoli. But calories in, calories out... you're losing weight. Not necessarily fat. Eating clean, you'll lose fat.

Why is it not practical? Why is eating non-processed foods not practical? All calories are not the same. Eat 1200 calories of crap, and I promise you you won't look or feel the same as you would eating 1200 calories of fruits, lean protein, and veggies.

Me thinks you don't know what processed actually means and nice of you to exclude the middle there with all crap or all clean foods

GeminiBridget

Thanks to everyone who understood this thread and posted their experience! I wish you all continued success on your weight loss journey and the road to good health!

Andrea8985

I eat clean after a shower

:laugh:

CyberEd312

Eating clean is not a diet or a temporary solution, it's a lifestyle. It's really not hard to find foods that don't have a bunch of junk added to them, you just have to take the time to read labels and be willing to cook. My husband and I started easing into eating clean in January or February and we are both better off for it. I have lost about 15 pounds since then, but I'm the more dedicated of the two of us. He's down a couple but he tends to fall off the clean eating at work and when I'm away and buy junk. Clean eating is a little different to everyone that does it, I still use some cheeses but that's my only concession to dairy. Some people consider raw or organic milk okay. All I know is the difference it makes in my body. Yesterday we were out running errands and did not have time to go home to cook, nor had we thought to bring something better to eat with us and we ate out. Today, I feel a difference in my body from yesterday. I'm more sluggish, I have that ate too much feeling even though I was still within my calorie goals, and I just kinda feel not as up to par as usual. It's funny, I used to feel like this all the time and didn't think anything of it. Now I'm used to eating clean and having more energy, my moods are better, my sleep is better, everything. It's not a temporary diet to me, it's the way I strive to live my life and the way I'm raising my son to eat. At this point my favorite fast foods, and I was a pretty big addict before, aren't even appealing. They don't taste as good as they used to and I don't crave them anymore. I don't cook prepackaged food, I buy real food and I love the change in my body. I absolutely recommend clean eating to people I talk with. It just comes down to eating real food as close to the way nature made it as possible and there's nothing bad for you in that.

Way to go! This is what I'm referring to! So many get hung up on the term, but it's eating healthy. Obesity is rampant in America because most want things fast and think nothing of what it takes to get the food 'fast'. I know that in my parents time people were healthier and that's because they ate fresh produce and there were no GMO's.

I must of lived in a strange place growing up because my Mom and her mom (heck my Grandma too) cooked with a bucket of lard beside the stove. I can't remember many times my mother wasn't frying whatever we was eating for supper... All 3 of them were around 5 ft. tall and none of them weighed more than 130 pounds their whole life... and the only exercise my mom ever did was sitting at the table after taking care of the house and playing solitaire..... but I played sports and was 240 lbs, by the 6th grade eating the same foods.. but I am going to venture out on a limb and say it had more to do with the quantity of food that I was eating as to the quality but that is just my opinion.....

RunningRichelle

I must of lived in a strange place growing up because my Mom and her mom (heck my Grandma too) cooked with a bucket of lard beside the stove. I can't remember many times my mother wasn't frying whatever we was eating for supper... All 3 of them were around 5 ft. tall and none of them weighed more than 130 pounds their whole life... and the only exercise my mom ever did was sitting at the table after taking care of the house and playing solitaire..... but I played sports and was 240 lbs, by the 6th grade eating the same foods.. but I am going to venture out on a limb and say it had more to do with the quantity of food that I was eating as to the quality but that is just my opinion.....

I see this experience a lot, and the same with my grandparents. I really think one of the differences is that the lard your mom and Gma were cooking with came from grass-fed cows, before it became common practice to feed grain to cows to make 'em fatter. Fats from grass-fed cows are higher in omega-3, vs. fats from grain-fed cows being much higher in omega-6. Long story short is the omega-3's are much nicer to the human body.

Just a thought :-)

jonnythan

I must of lived in a strange place growing up because my Mom and her mom (heck my Grandma too) cooked with a bucket of lard beside the stove. I can't remember many times my mother wasn't frying whatever we was eating for supper... All 3 of them were around 5 ft. tall and none of them weighed more than 130 pounds their whole life... and the only exercise my mom ever did was sitting at the table after taking care of the house and playing solitaire..... but I played sports and was 240 lbs, by the 6th grade eating the same foods.. but I am going to venture out on a limb and say it had more to do with the quantity of food that I was eating as to the quality but that is just my opinion.....

I see this experience a lot, and the same with my grandparents. I really think one of the differences is that the lard your mom and Gma were cooking with came from grass-fed cows, before it became common practice to feed grain to cows to make 'em fatter. Fats from grass-fed cows are higher in omega-3, vs. fats from grain-fed cows being much higher in omega-6. Long story short is the omega-3's are much nicer to the human body.

Just a thought :-)

... And what? You think a slightly different omega 3 to omega 6 ratio makes people fat?

Come on.

Wetcoaster

The best way to eat clean is to wash your food.

A question for the "clean eater" though, are supplements dirty? Because protein powders like whey are processed........

RunningRichelle

I must of lived in a strange place growing up because my Mom and her mom (heck my Grandma too) cooked with a bucket of lard beside the stove. I can't remember many times my mother wasn't frying whatever we was eating for supper... All 3 of them were around 5 ft. tall and none of them weighed more than 130 pounds their whole life... and the only exercise my mom ever did was sitting at the table after taking care of the house and playing solitaire..... but I played sports and was 240 lbs, by the 6th grade eating the same foods.. but I am going to venture out on a limb and say it had more to do with the quantity of food that I was eating as to the quality but that is just my opinion.....

I see this experience a lot, and the same with my grandparents. I really think one of the differences is that the lard your mom and Gma were cooking with came from grass-fed cows, before it became common practice to feed grain to cows to make 'em fatter. Fats from grass-fed cows are higher in omega-3, vs. fats from grain-fed cows being much higher in omega-6. Long story short is the omega-3's are much nicer to the human body.

Just a thought :-)

... And what? You think a slightly different omega 3 to omega 6 ratio makes people fat?

Come on.

Fairly sure you don't understand and/or care about the difference between omega-3 and omega-6, and also don't realize that it's more than a slightly different ratio.

Keep being rude, though. It really fosters informed, intelligent discussion.

Looking forward to whatever is posted after this. And by looking forward to, I mean I will most likely giggle and also not care about the post.

Meh!