Who has lost weight NOT eating clean?

bumblebreezy91

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

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

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

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

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

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

I do eat clean but damn it, if I want ice cream I'm going to eat some. In moderation, of course !

RJay64

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

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

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

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

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

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

...I had a hamburger and fries for supper. My hamburger had bacon, onionrings and cheese on it.

thegilly6

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

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

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

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

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

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.......