Struggling to maintain clean diet :(
bassi1978
Posts: 27 Member
I do really well for a week then go back to eating rubbish again. Why is it so difficult to maintian a diet 
4
Replies
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I have the same problem. Do you enjoy the foods you eat while eating clean? I find that when I am not enjoying the foods I eat I tend to eat very poorly after a while.2
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Eat a pizza/drink a beer... the world won't end....
you wont get fat from 1 meal, just like one plate of chicken and broccoli won't make you thin!30 -
Maybe that type of eating isn't practical for you. It takes a lot of work and prep to only eat clean (whatever that means as everyone has a different definition). Eat the foods you like at a calorie deficit without the extreme restrictions that don't work with your lifestyle.14
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I do enjoy clean eating. I just seem to let it slip back to rubbish food, i keep blaming it on the odd hours i work but think i am sometimes just using that as an excuse lol4
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Why? How about do 80% whole food and 20% "rubbish" while sticking with your calorie deficit and macros? Or even 60%/40% might still give you enough nutrients. If you are getting everything you need to be healthy why does it matter if you get some extra "rubbish" as long as you stay under your calorie goals and the rubbish doesn't create negative health effects?11
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That's why I don't eat a "clean" diet. It is too hard to sustain. I just eat foods that I like that fit my calorie goal.9
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Aside from what a majority of the people said in regards to clean eating and assuming you're food diary is at least 80% accurate...maybe you're bigger problem with sticking to your diet is how little you are eating?8
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What do you consider rubbish food? Are you being unnecessarily restrictive?
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Are you really only eating 1200 calories or less most days!? That's not clean eating, that's madness. No wonder you want to eat the world at the weekend.13
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Maybe the clean eating aspect of your diet is not something you are going to be able to do for ever. The most successful diet is one which you can continue indefinitely. I make smarter choices, include more fruits and vegetables, but eat the things i did before. I've been successful so far and it works for me.4
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What is your definition of "clean eating"?3
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Because food that is bad for you is horribly addictive! Just as long as you keep trying it's better to do one week of good stuff and fall off the wagon then to never be on the wagon
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Then what you're doing to lose weight is incorrect. If you can't sustain, "clean" eating all the time, then you shouldn't be attempting to eat that way to lose weight.
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danigirl1011 wrote: »Because food that is bad for you is horribly addictive! Just as long as you keep trying it's better to do one week of good stuff and fall off the wagon then to never be on the wagon
Totally disagree.
Far better to consistently eat a healthy balanced diet with enough protein to maintain muscle, healthy fats, lots and lots of vegetables, some fruit, generally higher fiber carbs, and also some chips or chocolate or ice cream or a dessert of delicious artisan cheese or whatever floats your boat, including perhaps a planned for meal of pizza or McD's if that's your thing, AND to happily maintain a calorie deficit and feel satisfied, than to decide you MUST eat 100% "good stuff" and fall off the wagon and go nuts (because the day is already ruined, after all) and have no deficit and have to start over and be beating yourself up and thinking there must be something wrong with you (or that the food made you do it).
Also, from what I've seen at MFP, thinking you should eat only "good stuff" often results in a less healthful diet than many who eat a variety of foods but try to eat healthfully, since avoiding whatever you have decided is bad doesn't necessarily mean that you are eating good amounts of foods that you need in your diet, like vegetables (a variety, ideally) and protein and healthy fats, for example.
As others have said, OP's issue may well be trying to be too extreme, especially with calories.15 -
Thank you all for your comments. Some good some bad but good to have some insights
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Your diary shows that you had 731 calories yesterday and 905 last Thursday and closer to 1000-1200 throughout the rest of the week. The bare minimum considered safe for a man is 1500. If your diary is accurate, it's not surprising that your body wants you to eat some calorie dense foods on the weekend. I would guess that it has little to do with those being "rubbish" and everything to do with your body starving for nutrition.20
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diannethegeek wrote: »Your diary shows that you had 731 calories yesterday and 905 last Thursday and closer to 1000-1200 throughout the rest of the week. The bare minimum considered safe for a man is 1500. If your diary is accurate, it's not surprising that your body wants you to eat some calorie dense foods on the weekend. I would guess that it has little to do with those being "rubbish" and everything to do with your body starving for nutrition.
Op are these numbers correct? If so this is your problem, not what kinds of foods you're eating.5 -
They are about right, i do put everything in my diary i eat. Need to have a good look at my eating habits and start looking at eating more food. Since starting to put things into my diary it as shown me how poor i am actually doing eating wise.0
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I eat unlimited junk and sweets once a week. It's a must for me and it's crucial to stick with my diet. I can't speak for all but it's the best way in the long run for me1
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danigirl1011 wrote: »Because food that is bad for you is horribly addictive! Just as long as you keep trying it's better to do one week of good stuff and fall off the wagon then to never be on the wagon
you do know there isn't actually a wagon... its just life....10 -
Food is food. It's not clean or dirty, it's not good or bad.
Drop these labels, set calorie and macro targets that will move you towards your goals. If there is a food that you crave or enjoy then ensure that you fit this into you diary every now and then.9 -
Eat what you desire, see how it fits in calories, how it affects macro's. Adjust a bit if needed.
No food restrictions.
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Having a one cheat day a week helps me stay on track. I stuff myself unlimited junk and sweets on Saturday.4
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Don't "eat clean." Make better choices and eat better portions of what you regularly eat.
If you cannot maintain a diet for a lifetime, its not going to work. Figure out what works for you, gets you the nutrients you need AND the pleasure in eating that you need but still keeps you at a calorie level to maintain the weight you want.4 -
Small changes...
and if you fail one week, try a little harder next week. Don´t be so hard on yourself and try to always find ways of be better1 -
Because it's a big pain in the *kitten* and deep down you know it's not that important.7
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If I tell myself I can't have a particular food guess what food I'm binging on come Saturday?5
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