Who has lost weight NOT eating clean?

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Replies

  • kimmianne89
    kimmianne89 Posts: 428 Member
    At first, just being in a calorie deficit is enough. But personally, now i'm 6- 10lbs from my goal, it doesn't work like that anymore.

    So I think, to lose weight and just be in the healthy range, nice and normal.. Just being in a deficit works.
    But if you want to make the most of what you got, eating clean will make you healthier and look healthier. You're not going to get abs even if you workout a lot if you are eating *kitten* food everyday. IMO

    Context is important. You can eat some less nutritious foods here and there in the day and still get abs and still be healthy - the diet as a whole matters, not the individual foods. My ice cream is not clean but I can assure you, it is not ****.

    Thats what I was getting at, you can eat not so healthy foods, but if every meal is rubbish, you wouldn't get very far. I don't exactly eat clean by any means but I try to eat healthier more nutritious foods, and get better results than if I just stayed within my calorie allowance eating bad food.

    edit: I am not meaning having ice cream/chocolate once a day, or a take away every so often etc, I am meaning, very low protein intake because every single meal is processed foods with very little nutritional content. But saying this, I take back my original comment on the most part because I was talking from personal experience and then I remembered I have PCOS where sugary or processed foods affect weight quite drastically. A normal healthy person is most likely different.
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  • riveroflight
    riveroflight Posts: 34
    I highly recommend eating fruits and veggies, for huge differences in overall well-being and actually *feeling* better as opposed to just looking better. That said, no it is not strictly necessary for losing weight.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    I've lost 43 lbs so far, eating whatever I want, in moderation, and less calories than I am burning. I try to make better choices, and I'm definitely eating much healthier overall than I used to, but I certainly don't eat clean by any means. I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet, and eating clean would definitely feel that way to me.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    I've lost 34 lbs in the last 8 months, about a pound a week (more on average, because I stopped tracking and went on a 2-week vacation in September and put on a few pounds). I've never eaten clean. In fact, one of those months I lived in a hotel waiting for my apartment to be remodeled for 3 weeks, and I ate fast food and candy EVERY DAY, and still lost nearly 7 lbs that month.

    There are, in fact, days I feel like eating nothing but donuts... still lose weight every week. Eat candy and drink soda at least a few times a week... still lose weight every week. Why? Because I budget it into my calories every day.

    No effect on my allergies, well-being, energy, etc. either. In fact, my bloodwork has improved and so has my insomnia.
  • Allup2Me78
    Allup2Me78 Posts: 589 Member
    I am so happy to come across this post. I just had a rant today on my page about this because I have sooooo many people telling me that I eat too many carbs or I eat too much processed food or I need to back up on this or that and I am like..I thought it was mainly about calories. Now, I do watch sodium only because I have high blood pressure & trying to keep up with the processed this and that & the carb this and that is just sooo stressful! I do eat as healthy as I can when I can but sometimes I am short on $$$ and I have to eat what I can.
  • Allup2Me78
    Allup2Me78 Posts: 589 Member
    same here
    i dont eat "clean", but im eating "cleaner" than before.
  • Allup2Me78
    Allup2Me78 Posts: 589 Member
    if any of you have a problem where your macros go in red on carbs or fats, do you just ignore it? I have that problem ALOT In carbs!
  • losinglbs1654
    losinglbs1654 Posts: 12
    Back in 2011 (between October and December) I dropped 25 pounds just by eating less. I was still eating whatever the hell I wanted, including Mcdonalds up to twice a week! I was walking a few times a week for 40 minutes. That's literally all I did and the weight seemed to fly off. I've gained some of it back because I got lazy but yeah I certainly wasn't eating clean.
  • lisa35120
    lisa35120 Posts: 230 Member
    I have lost weight, and still eat fast food, pizza, doughnuts, and soda pretty often.. it's all about eating smaller portions and staying at your calorie limit! Right now I'm really just focusing on getting into an exercise routine and adjusting to smaller portion sizes, and then I'll work on eating cleaner later on.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    Me! I'm eating 'cleaner' than I have in my life, but my friend and former trainer is like the poster girl for clean eating and I am nothing like that and I wouldn't be happy living like that, but it works for her and that's great! I had McDonald's on Sunday, she'd be mortified if she knew ("processed crap, Bree, what the hell!!"). I knew what I wanted before my boyfriend and I left the apartment, logged it, stuck to it, and I've lost weight this week. I'm a stickler for being within my calorie limit and I tend to think of everything else as 'secondary' to calories and deficits.
  • KnickersInATwist
    KnickersInATwist Posts: 237 Member
    Losing weight is a numbers game. Eat at a deficit you'll lose, ultimately it's up to you whether you chose to go for nutritionally beneficial foods or if you go for less healthy options but if you remain within macros and calories the weight should drop off regardless.
  • RosaliaBee
    RosaliaBee Posts: 146 Member
    I eat a whole-foods in the main and have done for donkeys years. I'm not sure, but it seems like 'clean' is the new word for whole-foods? I've yet to find out what the difference is. It's an odd phrase, not very descriptive, rather makes me think of scrubbing potatoes.

    As for whole-foods, being unprocessed (or less processed), I think they're *generally* less fat laden, less sugar laden, more fibrous and thus less calorific overall than highly processed foods, so arguably it's easier to fill up on them, though some may also find them less satiating and of course boring which may in turn provoke impulse eating!

    Each to their own. I would probably encourage anyone who relied soly on a highly processed diet to try eating more whole foods overall for health, but not necessarily specifically for weight loss as every one's different where keeping on track is concerned. Lots of people need their wee treats to keep motivated and content.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    I rarely have even one meal that's "clean". But I've lost 50-some pounds this year, mostly fat, not lost my nails or much of my hair, and my blood tests show great improvement; so I guess I'm doing OK.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    I'm a fast food junky. I am losing weight and not eating all that clean. I dropped sodas when I go to the drive though and switched my whole fat milk for light almond milk. Those are really the only changes I made besides portion control and exercise. The only reason I changed those two things was so I would be able to eat more when I wanted to. If it fits in with my calories, I eat it, don't care if it's "clean" or not!
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I don't eat clean and I've lost almost 50 pounds in not quite 6 months. I do try to choose healthful foods and at least come close to meeting my nutritional goals, though.
  • biggirlnomore92
    biggirlnomore92 Posts: 6
    I do eat clean but damn it, if I want ice cream I'm going to eat some. In moderation, of course !
  • RJay64
    RJay64 Posts: 135
    Yep, ignore.

    I only pay attention to calories, sodium, and fiber: under/under/at or over. I am losing an average of 4-5 pounds per month.
  • RJay64
    RJay64 Posts: 135
    if any of you have a problem where your macros go in red on carbs or fats, do you just ignore it? I have that problem ALOT In carbs!

    Yep, ignore.

    I only pay attention to calories, sodium, and fiber: under/under/at or over. I am losing an average of 4-5 pounds per month.
  • kfelton1226
    kfelton1226 Posts: 13 Member
    if any of you have a problem where your macros go in red on carbs or fats, do you just ignore it? I have that problem ALOT In carbs!

    I look at it (only the sodium really), but as long as the calorie one is green I'm happy. I eat fast food and frozen lunches almost every day, and I'm still doing well.
  • RosaliaBee
    RosaliaBee Posts: 146 Member
    if any of you have a problem where your macros go in red on carbs or fats, do you just ignore it? I have that problem ALOT In carbs!

    YES! My carbs have been lots over, my fat (as I'm on a no added fats mainly vegan whole food diet) plenty under. Fibre is loads more, I don't know why they even have max bar for that?
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    I don't even know what "eating clean" is supposed to mean, but our bodies evolved to eat almost anything, so I figure I don't need to baby my GI tract. Not only did I skip "eating clean", but I also skipped exercise, and I lost weight without a stall or plateau. I just counted calories. That's all, nothing else. :drinker:
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    I don't even know what "eating clean" is supposed to mean, but our bodies evolved to eat almost anything, so I figure I don't need to baby my GI tract. Not only did I skip "eating clean", but I also skipped exercise, and I lost weight without a stall or plateau. I just counted calories. That's all, nothing else. :drinker:

    My sentiments exactly. No-one has explained to me what "clean" is and why it is apparently so beneficial.
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
    ...I had a hamburger and fries for supper. My hamburger had bacon, onionrings and cheese on it.
  • thegilly6
    thegilly6 Posts: 137 Member
    Let's see...I had the Lumberjack Slam for breakfast (over 1000 calories) and just ate 2 slices of pizza for lunch.

    I'm a dirty boy.
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
    I had m&m's, grilled cheese sandwich, fries and cheesecake today. And i have not even had evening snacks and dinner yet. I do not eat this way everyday, but i do not eat "clean" , or at least purposefully never! I have consistently(for the first time) lost around 27 pounds doing this.
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
    Me - I don't eat clean & I'm losing. Would I lose more at a faster rate if I ate clean, measured my portions, etc.? I would certainly assume so, but I'm happy with the success I'm having by lessening the amount & slowly making changes to better foods. Because the changes are done over the course of time & I'm not completely eliminating anything I'm having much more success than ever before because I don't feel like I'll never have something I like again. The key is to stay on task, use certain things as rewards/treats & try as best you can to plan ahead for the days you know you are not going to be good (for example, this Friday night the entire family is taking a trip to a Brazilian restaurant for my 50th & I am going to eat whatever strikes my fancy - the key is that I will have a little of everything I want instead of a lot of everything I want). Bottom line is if you lessen what you take in & increase your movement you will lose weight. If you're not happy with the rate at which it happens then you need to look into the other steps to speed up the process. To me it's a marathon, not a sprint & since I didn't put all this weight on in 1 month I'm not looking to lose it all in 1 month........
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
    I eat pizza, burgers, fries, ice cream, etc (not all the time...but I do eat 'em). I've run a few half marathons this year (keep hitting just above the two hour mark...shooting to get it below). Bench is back up above 300lbs. Squatting regularly in the high 400lb area. Feelin' good...not hating anyone who wants to eat clean or not.

    Much love to the MFP world :drinker:
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    Just remember you don't "gotta do" anything. Eating clean means different things to different people, but mostly it means less processed foods and more calories in their natural form. For instance: organic butter would be considered "clean" but highly processed whole wheat bread is not.

    Eat what you like, try to add in new and fresh foods to expand your options and cut back on obvious junk foods. Keep tweaking your plan until you have achieved perfect health (so basically, just keep tweaking your plan).
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
    if any of you have a problem where your macros go in red on carbs or fats, do you just ignore it? I have that problem ALOT In carbs!

    It happens once in awhile, so I ignore. If I find it's happening regularly I keep a little closer eye on what I'm eating, just being a little more aware, but I by no means worry about it. I don't really even look at the carb or fat #'s on my diary, sodium is the one I watch the most & even then I don't sweat going over here & there.......

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