Does anyone HAVE to eat clean to lose the weight?
Replies
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Weighing food may come with a learning curve, but personally I don't find it stressful or complicated. I have a small dry erase board in my kitchen, attached to the side of the fridge by magnets. I make notes as I'm cooking sometimes, such as the weight of food that goes on my plate. Or the weights of items that go into a recipe. I tend to prelog, so this way I can go back later and adjust the actual weights.
If you've been at this 18 days, it could be a matter of you are losing weight but water weight is masking the results. Such as you could now be retaining water due to TOM/hormones/ovulation. It won't hurt to improve accuracy, and get comfortable with a food scale, but tracking for a few more weeks might give a better picture of what is happening.
Well I already weigh all my cheese and most of my meat. So it won't be that bad, just a hassle. I felt like I could trust my eyeballing but clearly not the case.
I'm just feeling very emotional about the whole thing because I really feel like I have been trying. I am always surrounded by junk food and yummy stuff... and I have turned down so much of it. I am trying to stay active. I am drinking water. I really felt like I was working so hard and it is just such a sad sad bummer when you come to the realization you aren't working hard enough. Even if this is what worked for me the first time.
Like we say in the business world, "work smarter not harder". Use the proper tools like a food scale and fitness tracker, set a
realistic deficit based on how much you have to lose, don't label food good or bad, eat what you enjoy in quantities that fit your calorie goal and learn to enjoy the process.3 -
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been there... feel like sometimes i get to a certain weight and i'll be stuck there for a week and then that one day i lose a half a pound and rejoice (maybe too much) and then boom, i'm back up 2 lbs. the next day, and pretty much do that dance for like, ever. this usually happens to me when i'm cutting carbs or something and trying to "eat clean" and not really keep track of calories. i think your body prefers being at a certain weight, and you just gotta keep pushing through.
investing in a scale might sound obsessive and overwhelming, but they're nice to have around if you really want to be certain of what is going into your body. what you thought 4 oz of meat looked like might turn out to be 6 oz, and that could mean a huge difference in calories, as others have touched on.
maybe eating clean will help you out if you want to get health as well as weight loss out of your plan, just keep proper measurements. i personally feel i have the best progress losing weight doing strictly CICO and sticking to foods that are easily tracked, i.e. not the healthiest of choices, but i still see results, and still get to indulge in my guilty pleasures.0 -
court_alacarte wrote: »been there... feel like sometimes i get to a certain weight and i'll be stuck there for a week and then that one day i lose a half a pound and rejoice (maybe too much) and then boom, i'm back up 2 lbs. the next day, and pretty much do that dance for like, ever. this usually happens to me when i'm cutting carbs or something and trying to "eat clean" and not really keep track of calories. i think your body prefers being at a certain weight, and you just gotta keep pushing through.
investing in a scale might sound obsessive and overwhelming, but they're nice to have around if you really want to be certain of what is going into your body. what you thought 4 oz of meat looked like might turn out to be 6 oz, and that could mean a huge difference in calories, as others have touched on.
maybe eating clean will help you out if you want to get health as well as weight loss out of your plan. i personally feel i have the best progress losing weight doing strictly CICO and sticking to foods that are easily tracked, i.e. not the healthiest of choices, but i still see results, and still get to indulge in my guilty pleasures.
You can eat a balanced diet that promotes good health without adopting the arbitrary (and sometimes contradictory) rules of "clean eating."5 -
It definitely does matter what you eat. If you only want to lose weight you could eat toilet paper and do that. If you want to be healthy, then your salt and fat and carbs and protein and fiber all need to be balanced. It is really hard to do that with processed and convenience foods.
You will also notice over time your body responds better when you eat clean and your systems function more efficiently than before. Fiber and protein fill you up, and vitamins and minerals grease the wheels and make your body function how it should. Less hunger, less cravings. Salt, refined sugar and fat are essential, but not in the proportions that convenience foods offer usually.
You are more likely to see the results you are after, and it becomes easier to make food decisions if you stick to a cleaner, simplified, "closest to nature" diet. The closer something is to how it is found in nature, the better it is for your body and less thought needs to be put into ingredients and additives.
no it doesnt matter what you eat for weight loss. a calorie is a calorie, what you eat matters for health but not weight loss.there is no proof that your system works better on whole foods or more natural foods.for some it may,for others it may not.many have eaten nothing but processed foods but lost weight and improved health markers due to the weight loss.
some people cant eat certain processed foods,others cant eat certain fats or maybe even a lot of protein. everyone is different.fiber and protein will fill some people up while for others its fat or carbs.3 -
One thing about "eating clean," depending on how you define it, is that it can eliminate some easy sources of error. If I go out to eat, who knows how much that was. If I eat a friend's homemade coffee cake, same.
If you are feeling really exhausted and frustrated, one thing to try, if it interests you, is making it super simple and easy to log for a month and eliminating those kinds of things in part to try and figure out what your TDEE is.1 -
I was always of the impression that it was all math, calories in calories out. That's how I went from 240 to 160... just eating within my calories.
I'm almost 3 weeks into counting again and I haven't dropped a single lb. I'm starting to think that I need to eat clean to see progress, which really sucks because honestly I enjoy dark chocolate and junk within my calories.
Has anyone else been in this position?
Anyone who has lost weight has been in your position. Biological systems like status quo, but will be able to tolerate small changes rather easily. This is largely why drastic changes to diet ultimately fail. Fat is nothing more than an energy reserve, so the closer you get to lean, the more your body will maintain a reserve. This means you'll have to log with greater care and accuracy and ensure you are at maintenance/deficit.
I cringe when someone brings up "clean" as this is such a dirty term. There is no evidence supporting that fresh>processed food. Your body is a chemical processing plant and by the time you digest your food, it does not care if your chicken roamed free on pesticide free pillow grass fertilized with unicorn farts or if it was from a bucket of KFC. What you may find is that the choice of food has an impact on your satiety. Everyone has that food that makes them feel full to help them maintain their daily budget. You just need to find out what this is for you.6 -
One of the biggest problems I've seen with people that adopt a "clean" (or what they think is clean) diet is that they were not eating that way before, and don't intend to eat that way permanently. So once the diet is done they gain all the weight back, sometimes very very quickly. I think it's better to eat the way you want to eat the rest of your life, in moderation of course, and learn to incorporate ways to burn the extra calories which you can sustain long term. I started out working out in some form 7 days a week, then dropped to six days a week, and after I hit maintenance I dropped to five days a week. I'm currently going to keep up that schedule until likely the spring next year, then drop to 4 days a week and stay there for as long as my body will handle it (hopefully til retirement and beyond). Each time I drop a day of exercise off my schedule I adjust my calories and macros to sustain my weight. Each time it's a new learning curve but it's the only way I figure I'll be successful long term.
I tried Kale about 20 different ways (I was peeking at the OP's diary), and I'll be honest, if I had to eat Kale, I'd rather be fat. I love most veggies, and incorporate them whenever I can, but I don't try to eat "clean" I simply watch my calories and macros and eat normally if I can.1 -
Absolutely not! I have lost 50 pounds eating the same thing I always did: just less of it. Yes I focus a bit more on veggies and fruits and lean meats and portion control the crap out of things because I like the healthier options but not the weight I was. It literally is a matter of consuming less than the body uses, getting the nutrition you need and watching the fat disappear.4
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If I don't log I don't lose, regardless of what I eat- but when I log food I find that what I thought might not be too bad calorie-wise is TERRIBLE and sometimes I get the serving size wrong (what seems like it could only be one is actually three...)
I lost 10 pounds easily by logging, went to Paris, eat a lot, got lazy with logging, gained it all back. Now losing again just by being diligent about the logging...which does make me eat cleaner as a result.
Pizza is my favorite - but I tend to make it myself most days using stuff I can log. And not every day, though I'd love to eat it every day. :-D1 -
Weighing may seem like a hassle but it really is easy. You have to put your food on a plate or in a bowl, correct? Why not put it on the plate or bowl that is sitting on the scale? Put the plate on the scale and hit "start". Spoon your rice on it, note the weight, hit "tare". Spoon the stew on it, note the weight, and eat.2
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I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!1 -
I eat anything I want and or crave in moderation ( using a food scale) and only watch my sodium intake to prevent high blood pressure. I've lost 18lbs so far since I started my weight loss journey Jan 2 this year. I also walk daily, counting steps. That's all I have been doing.0
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I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!
The best advice I was given when I first started out was: "You are NOT making a major change in your life, you are making a series of small changes". That really helped me to realize that each small change added up to where my live was totally different.4 -
"HAVE to eat clean to lose the weight?"
Hell no... I didn't when I was losing and I don't now that I'm in maintenance.
Severely reduced sodium due to BP issues which is a separate thing entirely.1 -
Weighing may seem like a hassle but it really is easy. You have to put your food on a plate or in a bowl, correct? Why not put it on the plate or bowl that is sitting on the scale? Put the plate on the scale and hit "start". Spoon your rice on it, note the weight, hit "tare". Spoon the stew on it, note the weight, and eat.
You don't have to...0 -
I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!
first of all congrats,but if you lost that much weight on whole 30 its because you had a big deficit of calories(and 15lbs a month is too aggressive even for someone obese,which Im not saying you are/were).their portion sizes for most are less than they should be. when you cut out higher calorie foods like breads,grains and so on then your calories will be lower of course. any way of eating is a lifestyle change1 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!
first of all congrats,but if you lost that much weight on whole 30 its because you had a big deficit of calories(and 15lbs a month is too aggressive even for someone obese,which Im not saying you are/were).their portion sizes for most are less than they should be. when you cut out higher calorie foods like breads,grains and so on then your calories will be lower of course. any way of eating is a lifestyle change
Good points. Though I have to wonder how much of that was water weight. When I switched to clean eating the scale dropped almost instantly from 230s down to 220s (like within a couple weeks 12 pounds were gone -- I am 6'1). Then I started losing closer to 2-3 pounds per week. Size-able dinner portions and a lot of exercise...
Possible I am still not getting enough daily calories?
Edit: I'm currently weighing it at 190lbs (6'1)
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!
first of all congrats,but if you lost that much weight on whole 30 its because you had a big deficit of calories(and 15lbs a month is too aggressive even for someone obese,which Im not saying you are/were).their portion sizes for most are less than they should be. when you cut out higher calorie foods like breads,grains and so on then your calories will be lower of course. any way of eating is a lifestyle change
Good points. Though I have to wonder how much of that was water weight. When I switched to clean eating the scale dropped almost instantly from 230s down to 220s (like within a couple weeks 12 pounds were gone -- I am 6'1). Then I started losing closer to 2-3 pounds per week. Size-able dinner portions and a lot of exercise...
Possible I am still not getting enough daily calories?
Edit: I'm currently weighing it at 190lbs (6'1)
its possible you need more calories. how much more weight do you need to lose? if you went from higher calorie foods to eating lower calorie foods then that would in most cases create a deficit as well. when you exercise are you eating some of your calories burned back?0 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Weighing food may come with a learning curve, but personally I don't find it stressful or complicated. I have a small dry erase board in my kitchen, attached to the side of the fridge by magnets. I make notes as I'm cooking sometimes, such as the weight of food that goes on my plate. Or the weights of items that go into a recipe. I tend to prelog, so this way I can go back later and adjust the actual weights.
If you've been at this 18 days, it could be a matter of you are losing weight but water weight is masking the results. Such as you could now be retaining water due to TOM/hormones/ovulation. It won't hurt to improve accuracy, and get comfortable with a food scale, but tracking for a few more weeks might give a better picture of what is happening.
Well I already weigh all my cheese and most of my meat. So it won't be that bad, just a hassle. I felt like I could trust my eyeballing but clearly not the case.
I'm just feeling very emotional about the whole thing because I really feel like I have been trying. I am always surrounded by junk food and yummy stuff... and I have turned down so much of it. I am trying to stay active. I am drinking water. I really felt like I was working so hard and it is just such a sad sad bummer when you come to the realization you aren't working hard enough. Even if this is what worked for me the first time.
Like we say in the business world, "work smarter not harder". Use the proper tools like a food scale and fitness tracker, set a
realistic deficit based on how much you have to lose, don't label food good or bad, eat what you enjoy in quantities that fit your calorie goal and learn to enjoy the process.
The bolded is very important. I find logging to be easier with a food scale than measuring cups. As an example last night I had chicken nachos, put plate on scale turn scale on add chips zero scale, beans and zero scale, chicken and zero scale, and cheese sauce and zero scale, add lettuce and zero scale. If I had to use measuring cups it would have taken longer and I have would have had less control of portion. It's easier for me to add food to my plate weigh it, zero it, and write it down than it is to decide what size cup might be enough and it's fewer dishes.0 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I'm a big proponent of "clean" eating during the work week. So I make lunches, make dinners, eat breakfast every day and keep it pretty close to a Whole30 diet (with some limited dairy and complex grains thrown in).
This works very well for me. I lost thirty pounds in 2 months clean eating at Whole30 recommended portion sizes.
But it's a huge lifestyle change. My wife and I dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen -- but it's not grueling or difficult because we both love to cook. Many people don't.
Then we allow ourselves an eat-out on weekends for things like Indian Food, wine & beer, ribs, etc. -- the fun stuff.
That's worked for us!
first of all congrats,but if you lost that much weight on whole 30 its because you had a big deficit of calories(and 15lbs a month is too aggressive even for someone obese,which Im not saying you are/were).their portion sizes for most are less than they should be. when you cut out higher calorie foods like breads,grains and so on then your calories will be lower of course. any way of eating is a lifestyle change
Good points. Though I have to wonder how much of that was water weight. When I switched to clean eating the scale dropped almost instantly from 230s down to 220s (like within a couple weeks 12 pounds were gone -- I am 6'1). Then I started losing closer to 2-3 pounds per week. Size-able dinner portions and a lot of exercise...
Possible I am still not getting enough daily calories?
Edit: I'm currently weighing it at 190lbs (6'1)
its possible you need more calories. how much more weight do you need to lose? if you went from higher calorie foods to eating lower calorie foods then that would in most cases create a deficit as well. when you exercise are you eating some of your calories burned back?
So I do track my food pretty carefully (but not using MFP as much anymore). I keep a spreadsheet. Moderately-sized portions:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a1z2gneedglzhgy/Screen Shot 2017-05-12 at 3.57.26 PM.png?dl=0[
Diet for the last couple months especially has been about this. High-protein breakfast, chicken cucumber salad for lunch, and varied dinners, occasional big weekend dinner.
My goal weight is 180lbs and I'm at 194.
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Rebecca0224 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Weighing food may come with a learning curve, but personally I don't find it stressful or complicated. I have a small dry erase board in my kitchen, attached to the side of the fridge by magnets. I make notes as I'm cooking sometimes, such as the weight of food that goes on my plate. Or the weights of items that go into a recipe. I tend to prelog, so this way I can go back later and adjust the actual weights.
If you've been at this 18 days, it could be a matter of you are losing weight but water weight is masking the results. Such as you could now be retaining water due to TOM/hormones/ovulation. It won't hurt to improve accuracy, and get comfortable with a food scale, but tracking for a few more weeks might give a better picture of what is happening.
Well I already weigh all my cheese and most of my meat. So it won't be that bad, just a hassle. I felt like I could trust my eyeballing but clearly not the case.
I'm just feeling very emotional about the whole thing because I really feel like I have been trying. I am always surrounded by junk food and yummy stuff... and I have turned down so much of it. I am trying to stay active. I am drinking water. I really felt like I was working so hard and it is just such a sad sad bummer when you come to the realization you aren't working hard enough. Even if this is what worked for me the first time.
Like we say in the business world, "work smarter not harder". Use the proper tools like a food scale and fitness tracker, set a
realistic deficit based on how much you have to lose, don't label food good or bad, eat what you enjoy in quantities that fit your calorie goal and learn to enjoy the process.
The bolded is very important. I find logging to be easier with a food scale than measuring cups. As an example last night I had chicken nachos, put plate on scale turn scale on add chips zero scale, beans and zero scale, chicken and zero scale, and cheese sauce and zero scale, add lettuce and zero scale. If I had to use measuring cups it would have taken longer and I have would have had less control of portion. It's easier for me to add food to my plate weigh it, zero it, and write it down than it is to decide what size cup might be enough and it's fewer dishes.
This is my favorite part2 -
clicketykeys wrote: »Weighing may seem like a hassle but it really is easy. You have to put your food on a plate or in a bowl, correct? Why not put it on the plate or bowl that is sitting on the scale? Put the plate on the scale and hit "start". Spoon your rice on it, note the weight, hit "tare". Spoon the stew on it, note the weight, and eat.
You don't have to...
Well, if you're eating straight out of the container... weigh it, eat what you want, weigh it again and subtract the difference!
OP, it sounds like you just need to tighten up your logging for both the calories in and calories out side of things. Your tracker could easily be overestimating your burns too and even though you're not consciously eating back those calories, if you're being less than accurate in what you're logging you may also be subconsciously allowing yourself to eat slightly more because you worked out and therefore "deserve" it.
You know that the math works, you've already seen it in action. I think you just need to be a little more thorough for these last few pounds. Good luck!
P.S. I want chicken that was raised on grass fertilised with unicorn farts now. Just to see if it tastes any different. Y'know, for science.
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clicketykeys wrote: »Weighing may seem like a hassle but it really is easy. You have to put your food on a plate or in a bowl, correct? Why not put it on the plate or bowl that is sitting on the scale? Put the plate on the scale and hit "start". Spoon your rice on it, note the weight, hit "tare". Spoon the stew on it, note the weight, and eat.
You don't have to...
Well, if you're eating straight out of the container... weigh it, eat what you want, weigh it again and subtract the difference!
OP, it sounds like you just need to tighten up your logging for both the calories in and calories out side of things. Your tracker could easily be overestimating your burns too and even though you're not consciously eating back those calories, if you're being less than accurate in what you're logging you may also be subconsciously allowing yourself to eat slightly more because you worked out and therefore "deserve" it.
You know that the math works, you've already seen it in action. I think you just need to be a little more thorough for these last few pounds. Good luck!
P.S. I want chicken that was raised on grass fertilised with unicorn farts now. Just to see if it tastes any different. Y'know, for science.
I want a t-rex steak, they need to get on top of the dinosaur cloning thing. I bet that chicken would taste like chicken.1
This discussion has been closed.
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