Does anybody else find that eating too clean prevents them from losing weight?

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Replies

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    fbchick51 wrote: »
    Nope. For me, I find the cleaner I eat the better I lose weight (calorie counts staying consistent). 1800 cals of fast food or pre packaged foods for a week would leave me losing between 0-.5lbs. 1800 calories of cooking my own meals using fresh fruits, veggies, herbs and low cal, high protein sources (Eggs, chicken, pork mostly) for a week usually my weight loss bumps up to 1 - 1.5 pounds.

    While I don't think there it's actually the choice of foods causing the higher loss. Rather, I feel better overall when I eat healthier, so I'm more apt to move more. Less sitting around watching TV or goofing on the computer. Probably why I've gotten so many projects around the house done and seem to be enjoying my hobbies more often. Not to mention... all that cooking burns far more calories then sitting in a McDonald's drive thru.

    This is reflective and insightful here. NEAT is an important aspect of weight loss. If one feels lethargic because of any reason, food choices included, and NEAT decreases, your average weekly loss can decrease as well while consuming the same amount of calories. Thank you for pointing this out.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    When I make a very conscious effort to eat "clean" I lose weight. When I eat foods that are not prepackaged or prepared, but fresh fruits, veggies, and protein such as chicken breast I am able to measure my intake more accurately. It is so much easier to be accurate when there are less ingredients and single foods.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
    Seems to me more likely that when you refuse to eat anything you enjoy, you are not satisfied and keep chewing on the dry Ryvitas a bit longer than you realise. A little of what you fancy helps you control yourself...

    Yes, 37 calories worth of 60% cacao chocolate scratches my chocolate itch far better than 250 calories of a putative chocolate candy bar.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    fbchick51 wrote: »
    Nope. For me, I find the cleaner I eat the better I lose weight (calorie counts staying consistent). 1800 cals of fast food or pre packaged foods for a week would leave me losing between 0-.5lbs. 1800 calories of cooking my own meals using fresh fruits, veggies, herbs and low cal, high protein sources (Eggs, chicken, pork mostly) for a week usually my weight loss bumps up to 1 - 1.5 pounds.

    While I don't think there it's actually the choice of foods causing the higher loss. Rather, I feel better overall when I eat healthier, so I'm more apt to move more. Less sitting around watching TV or goofing on the computer. Probably why I've gotten so many projects around the house done and seem to be enjoying my hobbies more often. Not to mention... all that cooking burns far more calories then sitting in a McDonald's drive thru.

    I also feel better and am more active when I eat better.

    I also find these foods more filling so I eat less overall. 400 calories of chicken, potato, and broccoli keeps me full just as long as 800 calories of pizza.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    If I eat too strictly, say just fruit, vegetables, beans/lentils, lean protein, etc, I find that I get really constipated and it stalls weight loss and makes me feel pretty bad overall. I have to be sure to have plenty of fat in there like avocado, ice cream, the occasional spicy curry with noodles or juicy burger...and then I'm regular again and my weight loss (or maintenance as the case may be) is back on track.

    I also agree with the deprivation theory...eating overly strict "healthy" or "clean" leading one to binge or revert to bad habits. Definitely happens.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    zyprexa17 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    zyprexa17 wrote: »
    There is also quite a bit of interesting research regarding calories and how your body responds to them. An interesting one is "The poor, misunderstood calorie" by William Lagakos. A calorie is not simply a calorie. Everybody has a different metabolism and as a result will use up that calorie at a different rate.

    He's talking about stuff like satiety and is a big fan of changes that lead to ad lib calorie reduction. He doesn't mean that you will lose weight on 1200 with one diet and not another. (He also thinks protein is important for muscle preservation.) I've read a lot of his stuff and listened to him interviewed on podcasts.

    He'd also probably assume that unmeasured super clean (whatever that means, but assuming it means the usual) would lead to a lower cal diet. If super clean includes lots of added fat, cheese, bacon, perhaps not, though. I can't think of anything he's said that suggests that liking your food less (if you don't then go eat others things to excess) would magically make your body hold onto weight. I DO think that's a bad idea and to have a sustainable diet you SHOULD eat food you enjoy.

    Anyway, I've done what some would consider a clean diet, and I lost really easily. I've also done less clean and lost equally fine when calories were the same. And I gained weight on "clean" if you include butter and so on, since I convinced myself that so long as I was focusing on cooking from whole foods I'd naturally regulate calories (I did not).

    It's easy for many people to have trouble counting accurately, and that might be more the case with extra home cooking for some, as others suggested. I actually found it easier, but that's because my alternative was including more baked goods that others baked (no labels) and of course more local restaurants with no calories given.

    You may have the ideal metabolism.

    Seems unlikely.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2017
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    fbchick51 wrote: »
    Nope. For me, I find the cleaner I eat the better I lose weight (calorie counts staying consistent). 1800 cals of fast food or pre packaged foods for a week would leave me losing between 0-.5lbs. 1800 calories of cooking my own meals using fresh fruits, veggies, herbs and low cal, high protein sources (Eggs, chicken, pork mostly) for a week usually my weight loss bumps up to 1 - 1.5 pounds.

    While I don't think there it's actually the choice of foods causing the higher loss. Rather, I feel better overall when I eat healthier, so I'm more apt to move more. Less sitting around watching TV or goofing on the computer. Probably why I've gotten so many projects around the house done and seem to be enjoying my hobbies more often. Not to mention... all that cooking burns far more calories then sitting in a McDonald's drive thru.

    I also feel better and am more active when I eat better.

    I'd modify this some. If I eat very poorly, I am likely to feel more tired and lethargic, yes. It's a big reason I recall I dislike not eating well if I have a particularly bad day for some reason. However, so long as I am eating well (what I consider well -- not overeating, eating adequate protein and lots of vegetables and some fruit), I will feel more energetic (all else even, of course there are other things that affect energy and mood). I don't find that getting extra obsessive about eating clean makes one whit of difference to my mood or energy.

    So I'd say I feel better and am more active when I do not eat poorly.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    edited July 2017
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    fbchick51 wrote: »
    Nope. For me, I find the cleaner I eat the better I lose weight (calorie counts staying consistent). 1800 cals of fast food or pre packaged foods for a week would leave me losing between 0-.5lbs. 1800 calories of cooking my own meals using fresh fruits, veggies, herbs and low cal, high protein sources (Eggs, chicken, pork mostly) for a week usually my weight loss bumps up to 1 - 1.5 pounds.

    While I don't think there it's actually the choice of foods causing the higher loss. Rather, I feel better overall when I eat healthier, so I'm more apt to move more. Less sitting around watching TV or goofing on the computer. Probably why I've gotten so many projects around the house done and seem to be enjoying my hobbies more often. Not to mention... all that cooking burns far more calories then sitting in a McDonald's drive thru.

    I also feel better and am more active when I eat better.

    I'd modify this some. If I eat very poorly, I am likely to feel more tired and lethargic, yes. It's a big reason I recall I dislike not eating well if I have a particularly bad day for some reason. However, so long as I am eating well (what I consider well -- not overeating, eating adequate protein and lots of vegetables and some fruit), I will feel more energetic (all else even, of course there are other things that affect energy and mood). I don't find that getting extra obsessive about eating clean makes one whit of difference to my mood or energy.

    So I'd say I feel better and am more active when I do not eat poorly.

    Absolutely. Not eating obsessively "clean" does not mean eating only junk or completely neglecting nutrition. Eating well does have benefits and eating poorly can really make you feel bad.

    But treats make up an important part of your diet. And I'm a great believer that if you feel deprived, in any way, you're more likely to experience portion creep and selective amnesia when logging. My belief is that this is behind most cases of "eat more to lose more".
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    zyprexa17 wrote: »
    For some reason, when I completely eliminate added sugars I have a harder time losing weight even when the calories are the same. In fact, it seems I can eat a little bit more when I consume some sugar and still lose weight. My theory is that my body seems to think I'm in starvation mode when I'm only eating things found in there whole state. Maybe it creates a certain stress in the body. The general rule I've made for myself is that when I eat sweets, they have to be homemade. This might make a difference. If I start eating baked goods from Wal-Mart, forget it - weight loss stalls. Just wondering if anybody else has had a similar experience?

    How long have you seen this effect persist, and at what calorie deficit: Days?Week? While losing a pound a week (before the "clean" eating, at the same calorie level), or what?

    I'm suspicious that differences in average digestive system contents, or water weight, can be playing a role. Switching from lots of sugary, fatty processed foods to fruit, veg, whole grains could mask fat losses for some surprising time, at some calorie deficit levels.
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