Flexible dieting vs clean eating
Replies
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I have found that I can’t eat in a restrictive plan. It doesn’t fit for my lifestyle. I have learned I do better on a lower carb diet, but no doing Keto at all. Just balancing my carbs, eating more protein.
Find what works for you3 -
News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.33
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cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.
Yea, I don't understand why people think that flexible dieting means eating just junk food. I don't doubt some people do eat like that, but that makes up a small percentage.8 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.
Yep wolfman.....
If I ate all my calories from "junk", I would be hungry all the kitten time. Most people would. There are some people who can ignore the biological drive to eat. They are the minority IMHO. Time for my sweet potatoes, veg , and lean meat! Lol2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.Yea, I don't understand why people think that flexible dieting means eating just junk food. I don't doubt some people do eat like that, but that makes up a small percentage.
I guess some people may be able to get away with it. I'd be hungry all the time if I constantly indulged in calorie-dense "treat" type foods. I can make room in my calorie and nutrition goals to fit them in moderation, but wouldn't have lasted a week if they comprised the majority of my diet.
I certainly don't eat "clean" by any definition of the term, but I do eat a reasonably balanced, nutritious diet which provides me maximal satiety.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.Yea, I don't understand why people think that flexible dieting means eating just junk food. I don't doubt some people do eat like that, but that makes up a small percentage.
I guess some people may be able to get away with it. I'd be hungry all the time if I constantly indulged in calorie-dense "treat" type foods. I can make room in my calorie and nutrition goals to fit them in moderation, but wouldn't have lasted a week if they comprised the majority of my diet.
I certainly don't eat "clean" by any definition of the term, but I do eat a reasonably balanced, nutritious diet which provides me maximal satiety.
I often eat too many sweets and fruits. A few days ago I had 1000 calories of fruit in one day (and ~2500 is a big day for me; most are less). Protein tends to come from skinless chicken breasts on those days, which is not awful because I like them. What happens to me sometimes is I get in the kind of bind I am in now - barely have enough calories to get through the day and have dinner. After lunch (chicken spaghetti), I had a honey mango and sliced up a fresh pineapple intending to have a couple of slices but it was so good; before I knew it I ate a pound. Oh, and there were some oreos. Dinner will be chicken breast and brussel sprouts (because I like brussel sprouts). Off to the pool I go for a couple of hours of swimming so I can have some heavily processed chocolate low fat frozen yogurt for dessert tonight.
BTW - BMI is around 24 right now, maintaining 60+ pound loss (currently 65) since the beginning of March.5 -
justinkimcentral wrote: »So i know that clean is preferred but how does flexible dieting work. Is it just calories in vs calories out? I heard that Calorie in calorie out isnt all that simple though. So if i were to have noodles but still be under my maintainence, will i burn the same amount of fat as if i were clean eating under my maintainence
My eating is absolutely horrible. When ive gone to parties, instead of eating less at the party i want to enjoy myself at i dont eat anything before. So thats all my calories in pure *kitten*. I didnt notice any diffrence at all in the rate of loss compared to when i lost with LCHF and super clean eating, only diffrence is i stuck it out with ease this time. I lost 21 kg without any major problems.8 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.
Exactly!!! It's so much easier to make flexible into "normal" for long term results too. No stressing out over social events and food options or having a glass of wine at a party.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »News flash...most people doing "flexible dieting" are getting most of their calories from highly nutritious sources...we just don't freak out because we had a *kitten* cookie for desert after our grilled chicken mixed green and veggie salad.
Exactly!!! It's so much easier to make flexible into "normal" for long term results too. No stressing out over social events and food options or having a glass of wine at a party.
It's basically the diet with the least amount of restriction which is why I love it.3 -
CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening46
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CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
Here's an equally eye opening read which exposes Fung's pseudoscience for the garbage it is: https://www.myoleanfitness.com/evidence-caloric-restriction/
And an actual scientific read on insulin and what it really does, with plenty of studies linked: https://weightology.net/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation/
And a good discussion of a recent meta-analysis here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10676492/meta-analysis-low-carb-aint-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/p119 -
CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
nope. its really not complex at all.10 -
What is so complex about eating less calories than you burn...I swear some people seem to like to make things more complicated than they are.18
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Why do people starting out seem to always want to make this more difficult than it actually is.
For people, without existing health issues, all foods in moderation and burning more calories than you consume is what most of us need to do for reaching ourweight loss goals. For some of us, this will make the transition into maintenance easier by not having to eliminate foods we love. It truly is that simple. It may not always be easy, but consuming less calories than you burn is the way to lose weight.8 -
CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
nope. CICO is an energy balance and no matter which way you eat you are doing CICO whether you are losing weight,gaining or maintaining. as for insulin and hormones you will have insulin spikes even in a healthy person as its a normal body response. those who are diabetic or have insulin resistance then spikes can be an issue. some people produce too much insulin, some produce too little. weight loss still comes down to CICO even with those who have health issues like myself. some may have to do low carb,some can do moderate carbs. still comes down to a calorie deficit to lose weight.6 -
I agree with so many of the posts above. I've lost almost 25 lbs in less than three months by only walking every day and cutting calories. Some weeks I cut to a pound a week, others 1.5 and others two. I choose according to how empowered I feel that week. I've been eating almost the same things at the same times of day though. It helps me to keep from having to make a hard choice or go hungry. Actually, I am eating yogurt with HFCS, lunchables with candy, boiled eggs with fatty yolks, and steak and pork and bread. All those things could be forbidden in a certain diet, but I eat them because they are convenient.8
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Freedom comes from being aware of what truly makes you happy and taking full responsibility for this. There's imaginary food freedom with rigid rules and regulations. Compartmentalized eating. A corresponding rule for every situation while you're out on the town or over at grandma's house. If you should come across a donut, take two bites and quickly throw the rest in the trash. It's sooo not worth it to throw giant month hunks of that rigid eating protocol down the drain with a donut. If you should eat more than 12 potato chips that will require a food reset and more rigid dialed down eating to compensate, get yourself back in line.
That is a food prison. I'm not going out like that. I refuse to define food through the bias of someone's else's disordered thoughts about food. Calling it freedom when it's a food prison is another disconnect for the brain. Rephrasing old dieting terms with new words = still a diet. That's just slick marketing.11 -
justinkimcentral wrote: »
Did you happen to read any of this that @AnvilHead posted?
Here's an equally eye opening read which exposes Fung's pseudoscience for the garbage it is: https://www.myoleanfitness.com/evidence-caloric-restriction/
And an actual scientific read on insulin and what it really does, with plenty of studies linked: https://weightology.net/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation/
And a good discussion of a recent meta-analysis here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10676492/meta-analysis-low-carb-aint-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/p1[/quote]
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It’s always interesting to me how there can be countless people posting on a thread about how simple (again not easy, but simple) the concept of CICO is and how flexible dieting or IIFYM or all things in Moderation DOESN’T mean eat nothing but Twinkie’s - and many of these people have had great success with their weight loss, health and fitness goals - but one person has read some Fung and therefore that testament to how insulin, hormones and carbs make losing weight so impossible negates everything that every other poster in the thread has said.
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WinoGelato wrote: »It’s always interesting to me how there can be countless people posting on a thread about how simple (again not easy, but simple) the concept of CICO is and how flexible dieting or IIFYM or all things in Moderation DOESN’T mean eat nothing but Twinkie’s - and many of these people have had great success with their weight loss, health and fitness goals - but one person has read some Fung and therefore that testament to how insulin, hormones and carbs make losing weight so impossible negates everything that every other poster in the thread has said.
People hear what they want to hear. Confirmation of their own beliefs is more important than truth sometimes.12 -
Freedom comes from being aware of what truly makes you happy and taking full responsibility for this. There's imaginary food freedom with rigid rules and regulations. Compartmentalized eating. A corresponding rule for every situation while you're out on the town or over at grandma's house. If you should come across a donut, take two bites and quickly throw the rest in the trash. It's sooo not worth it to throw giant month hunks of that rigid eating protocol down the drain with a donut. If you should eat more than 12 potato chips that will require a food reset and more rigid dialed down eating to compensate, get yourself back in line.
That is a food prison. I'm not going out like that. I refuse to define food through the bias of someone's else's disordered thoughts about food. Calling it freedom when it's a food prison is another disconnect for the brain. Rephrasing old dieting terms with new words = still a diet. That's just slick marketing.
Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol8 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Freedom comes from being aware of what truly makes you happy and taking full responsibility for this. There's imaginary food freedom with rigid rules and regulations. Compartmentalized eating. A corresponding rule for every situation while you're out on the town or over at grandma's house. If you should come across a donut, take two bites and quickly throw the rest in the trash. It's sooo not worth it to throw giant month hunks of that rigid eating protocol down the drain with a donut. If you should eat more than 12 potato chips that will require a food reset and more rigid dialed down eating to compensate, get yourself back in line.
That is a food prison. I'm not going out like that. I refuse to define food through the bias of someone's else's disordered thoughts about food. Calling it freedom when it's a food prison is another disconnect for the brain. Rephrasing old dieting terms with new words = still a diet. That's just slick marketing.
Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol
Same here. Actually I'll probably take two cause I'm awesome like that.8 -
"Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol" I have some nutty cousins. They eat only the centers out of pork chops and the bacon bacon, cutting off all of the crispy fat and throwing it away. It used to really upset my father when they did this over at our house. He used to say, You kids really need to use your heads besides something to part your ears with.
I don't eat twinkies and cannot remember ever eating one. Twinkies died in 2013, I don't know if they ever came back. My dieting career began when I was an adult, after I'd left the comfort of home.0 -
CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
Here’s my question: have you ever actually set a 500 calorie a day deficit, weighed and logged ALL your food intake, increased your activity, ate back about 1/2 of your excercise calories and done it consistently for 4 weeks? Notice I didn’t say perfectly, I said consistently. If the answer is no, then you have no way of knowing if it works. If the answer is yes, then you are an special case that needs medical intervention. But my guess is the former, not the latter.11 -
"Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol" I have some nutty cousins. They eat only the centers out of pork chops and the bacon bacon, cutting off all of the crispy fat and throwing it away. It used to really upset my father when they did this over at our house. He used to say, You kids really need to use your heads besides something to part your ears with.
I don't eat twinkies and cannot remember ever eating one. Twinkies died in 2013, I don't know if they ever came back. My dieting career began when I was an adult, after I'd left the comfort of home.
I am NOT a twinkie fan at all. never was not even as a kid.I have one donut every 6 months or less though. I havent had bacon in over a year lol but thats because due to health issues I have to watch fat,cholesterol and greasy foods.3 -
"Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol" I have some nutty cousins. They eat only the centers out of pork chops and the bacon bacon, cutting off all of the crispy fat and throwing it away. It used to really upset my father when they did this over at our house. He used to say, You kids really need to use your heads besides something to part your ears with.
I don't eat twinkies and cannot remember ever eating one. Twinkies died in 2013, I don't know if they ever came back. My dieting career began when I was an adult, after I'd left the comfort of home.
I'm an adult and I still eat the occasional Twinkie.6 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »"Im going to eat the whole donut and go on with life. but thats me lol" I have some nutty cousins. They eat only the centers out of pork chops and the bacon bacon, cutting off all of the crispy fat and throwing it away. It used to really upset my father when they did this over at our house. He used to say, You kids really need to use your heads besides something to part your ears with.
I don't eat twinkies and cannot remember ever eating one. Twinkies died in 2013, I don't know if they ever came back. My dieting career began when I was an adult, after I'd left the comfort of home.
I am NOT a twinkie fan at all. never was not even as a kid.I have one donut every 6 months or less though. I havent had bacon in over a year lol but thats because due to health issues I have to watch fat,cholesterol and greasy foods.
Maple Bacon donuts. Hnnngggg.
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CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
Here’s my question: have you ever actually set a 500 calorie a day deficit, weighed and logged ALL your food intake, increased your activity, ate back about 1/2 of your excercise calories and done it consistently for 4 weeks? Notice I didn’t say perfectly, I said consistently. If the answer is no, then you have no way of knowing if it works. If the answer is yes, then you are an special case that needs medical intervention. But my guess is the former, not the latter.
I will reply and say I have done that.and yeah I am a special case(in more ways than one lol). I have a metabolic disorder as well as other health issues and I can have a 1000 calorie deficit and it can take me a month or more to lose half a lb. my thyroid is normal.my hormone levels are normal, everything comes back normal blood work wise. just for me its really slow.I had 70 lbs to lose. I lost 17 the first 3 months, after that it took me a few years to lose 45 lbs. I still cant lose the rest.
I have tried even eating 1200 calories which is really low for me and my activity level. I weigh everything and use correct entries. there are some days I do go over but still should be in a deficit(for the week). But I still lost weight eating in a deficit,just for me it comes off when it wants.hard to tell what the cause is. I just decided to not try and lose and just maintain and do a recomp. its going to be slow but so is my weight loss so I figure what the heck. for me I am seeing better results in how my body looks. Im losing fat so thats fine with me.just the scale isnt budging6 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »CICO is NOT that simple. it is way more complex than that. I've learned so much recently about insulin levels and how weight gain/loss is governed quite a bit hormonally. I would suggest reading the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Eye opening
Here’s my question: have you ever actually set a 500 calorie a day deficit, weighed and logged ALL your food intake, increased your activity, ate back about 1/2 of your excercise calories and done it consistently for 4 weeks? Notice I didn’t say perfectly, I said consistently. If the answer is no, then you have no way of knowing if it works. If the answer is yes, then you are an special case that needs medical intervention. But my guess is the former, not the latter.
I will reply and say I have done that.and yeah I am a special case(in more ways than one lol). I have a metabolic disorder as well as other health issues and I can have a 1000 calorie deficit and it can take me a month or more to lose half a lb. my thyroid is normal.my hormone levels are normal, everything comes back normal blood work wise. just for me its really slow.I had 70 lbs to lose. I lost 17 the first 3 months, after that it took me a few years to lose 45 lbs. I still cant lose the rest.
I have tried even eating 1200 calories which is really low for me and my activity level. I weigh everything and use correct entries. there are some days I do go over but still should be in a deficit(for the week). But I still lost weight eating in a deficit,just for me it comes off when it wants.hard to tell what the cause is. I just decided to not try and lose and just maintain and do a recomp. its going to be slow but so is my weight loss so I figure what the heck. for me I am seeing better results in how my body looks. Im losing fat so thats fine with me.just the scale isnt budging
I totally get that from reading some of your other posts and it’s great that you are staying with it and figuring out what works for you.
I was addressing the blanket statement that CICO doesn’t work from someone who seemed to want to totally negate it based on junk science.3
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