STOP COUNTING CALORIES: EAT CLEAN

LJSmith1989

No thanks, I'd rather eat "dirty" and still get results.

I eat white pasta, potatoes, dairy, red meat, and many other things people categorize as "dirty" such as cheese puffs, pop tarts, and ice cream and amazingly enough I still lost weight and am perfectly healthy.

And counting calories is not tedious; it helps me to see my macros ratios accurately which helps me attain my goals faster by eating the right amount of protein for my body weight. (for example)

i like to eat 'dirty' too because it tastes good lol although, it lacks nutrition value so i try to limit these 'dirty' processed food and control my portion sizes. i don't think potatoes, red meat, dairy should be classified as bad food! yeah i agree now, it's definitely worth it at the end since i've seen great results from it when i was a religious MFP user last yr. i just need to make it an everyday habit again.

Poor cows!

dansls1

I lost 60 pounds counting calories and exercising. I put on 15 of those by eating clean, not counting calories and exercising less. It's too hard to underestimate the calories - I put on the 15 by eating more unprocessed meats and nuts.

DatMurse

If women miscount their calories it can be detrimental for their loss.

lets say they miscount 100 calories and they consume 1500 calories a day, that is quite a bit vs a guy who consumes 2500 calories.


Not everything is set in stone to 100% of the exact calories regardless if that is what you want to believe.
fruit, meat(one of the hardest consistencies), veggies, etc.

processed food labels can be quite a bit off, my suggestion is Aim lower, because you are probably intaking more.

Personally I dont counter calories, directly. I just have a general idea

ndj1979

Everyone has their own opinions, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions :-)

Everyone is different, there is no 'one size fits all'. Different strokes for different folks.

If you want to stop counting calories and start eating clean, then that's your choice - go for it! There is no right or wrong, there is only what works for you - find it and do it!

My focus is on becoming healthier and as a 'side benefit' this results in feeling better within myself, being happier and shedding excess kilos!
I'm not into 'diet products' eg: diet coke, slimmers yogurts, lean cuisine, etc. I do my best to eat real foods and whole foods that are as natural as possible with no additives or preservatives.
I would rather feed my body the nutrients it needs to sustain it and therefore I look at the effect that foods [and liquids] have on my body once I've consumed them.
I'm wanting to be healthier and well; happy and have a zest for life.
I don't want to be slim and trim yet be unwell from all the harmful ingredients I've consumed as a result of eating 'un' real food.

Oh, and I don't count' calories - I follow Dr Damian Kristof's "Palm Method" - google it if you want to know more.

i agree it's best to feed and take care of your body by eating whole, unprocessed foods. you feel and look better and also it's harder to gain weight from eating veggies everyday than if u were to eat high gi, processed carbs. i know so many people who have embraced this clean eating diet such as fitness guru Blogilates and they have been so very successful.
thank you for this comment!

you realize vegetables are carbs right....?

Yeah but they are "clean" carbs so they are good....

right, I forgot that clean carbs build muscle, burn fat, and rev up metabolism...as opposed to the dirty carbs which just make you gain weight, shut metabolism down, and lose muscle mass....

ttippie2000

Another boring series of tit for tat tirades between people espousing clean eating vs. IIFYM. Honestly, people, give it a rest and use the extra time to go burn off a few thousand calories. That actually WILL help you live healthier.

I will cite one study (yes, peer reviewed) that sheds light on the subject. The study, conducted by Philip M. Fernbach, Todd Rogers, Craig R. Fox and Steven A. Sloman, cites a psychological phenomenon called "The Illusion of Explanatory Depth" first postulated by Rozenblit & Kell to describe the ill-informed rants people get into over politics. I am going to go out on a limb here and make an inference which is based purely on supposition: that rants between food fanatics adhere to the same psychological phenomenon. I will quote the abstract below, and you can decide for yourself:

"We hypothesized that people typically know less about such policies than they think they do (the illusion of explanatory depth; Rozenblit & Keil, 2002) and that polarized attitudes are enabled by simplistic causal models. We find that asking people to explain policies in detail both undermines the illusion of explanatory depth and leads to more moderate attitudes (Experiments 1 and 2). We also demonstrate that although these effects occur when people are asked to generate a mechanistic explanation, they do not occur when people are instead asked to enumerate reasons for their policy preferences (Experiment 2). Finally, we show that generating mechanistic explanations reduces donations to relevant political advocacy groups (Experiment 3). The evidence suggests that people’s mistaken sense that they understand the causal processes underlying policies contributes to polarization."

soupandcookies

I do agree that everyone is different, but I think if you can get to your goal, and maintain it, without counting calories, it's probably healthier- especially if you are eating a mostly healthy diet. I do count calories, but I also think it's not the most mentally healthy thing, for me,because it can lead to obsession. It's a personal decision, and you have to do what works for you.

evdenapoli

I think you shouldn't write posts if you have no idea what you're talking about....


lol.
I've always wanted to qrite that.

dandelyon

I understand the problem but I think it would make sense to try and get an accurate idea of what your parents are serving as food. If you can't, then I'd just eat very small portions and try to fill up on veggies.

Another poster said she doesn't count calories but she [follows a lot of strict rules that I could never follow] and I can see how her guidelines would lead to weight loss, for someone who is able to adhere to them, but if you are respectfully eating what's put on the table, would that work for you?

In your position I would track what I can, eat small portions and see if it shows up on the scale - if you find yourself gaining then obviously you have to dig a little deeper into your parents' cooking habits

xxTracey

Personally i think its more about making the right choices rather than over thinking calorie consumption. For instance calorie counters sometimes might think like oh this biscuit is only 85 cals whereas this banana is 100 and therefore go for the biscuit because it keeps their calorie count lower. As long as your making a healthy choice is shouldnt be restricted by the amount of calories init but more about the nutritional value. If ur making a choice between 2 cheat meals, maybe go for the lower calorie option then but other than that if its the right choice then calories shoodn't really matter .

Everyones different though but i know i used to be one of those people who would think why waste all those calories on a piece of fruit when i can have a treat for the same amount ha. But after following the Rapid Fitness plans i have a totally diferent outlook on food now and feel much happier and healthier .

dawn_h_d

In for another discussion about eating clean. Anyone have snacks?


Seriously though, OP, if eating clean works for you and makes you happy, then that's great. But it's not the only way to lose weight (I'm down 30 pounds eating all the same stuff I ate before, just less). And as far as the dishes you mentioned, you can use the recipe builder and that will make that part a little easier for you.

Good luck!

IMO - this ^^^ . I am down 30 lbs as well, and I really haven't changed WHAT I eat, but how much of it I eat. I use the recipe builder a lot.

On another note, it would be awesome to learn those recipes for two reasons I can think of:

1. You can actually see what goes in, and if you want to make it healthier down the road, you will know what you can cut out and keep in.

2. Great family time to pass down tradition and keep the recipes in the family.

berrydana7

Eating "clean" isn't going to cause you to lose weight unless it makes it easier for you to eat at a calorie deficit. Counting calories really isn't that difficult, doesn't take that much time once you figure it out, and allows you to know exactly where you are, so that you don't over or under eat. If it doesn't work for you, that is no one's business but your own, but I do wonder why you are on a site built around a calorie counter. You might as well walk into a WW meeting and tell everyone that you don't like the food. It may be true, but it's not a good way to start a conversation.

i didn't mean to offend calorie counters out there... like i said, i was just curious and wanted to seek advice on times i didn't want to record my calorie intake or simply times when im uncertain of calories in a certain dish like the ones my parents make. i know how to count calories and its very effective. this app makes it so much easier which is why i am using it right now. the thread title may have been misleading.. i don't want any calorie counters out there to stop counting calories calories. i am rather just bringing this topic up. i have read many articles against calorie counting and for clean eating. i'm sorry if i made a bad impression. ofc on a calorie counting app like this i would have thought many were devoted calorie counters, i just wanted to see what people thought or what they would do if they stopped counting calories and just started eating clean. sorry again

I'm not offended personally but can't speak for anyone else. I calorie count most of, but not all of, the time. Being incredibly detailed about over time though has allowed me to adjust my perception of what a portion looks like and what it feels like to be truly hungry (vs. bored) or satisfied (vs. stuffed).

The only thing that I will point out is that it is a factual error to say that one must "eat clean" to lose weight or that "eating clean" is "better" than calorie counting. The irrational fear of "chemicals" displayed by so many in the clean eating movement never fails to amaze me. The body needs certain nutrients and we can feed our bodies in a variety of ways. Many of us have been quite successful at body recomposition by eating diets with a good mix of what many would define "clean" along with plenty of "processed" foods, along with a fair amount of added sugar. If you want to look at the reality, you can't overlook this counterexample to the claims in all of those clean eating books that are marketed to the dieting public.

again i apologize for any misunderstandings that may have arisen. i've been a calorie counter before and i am back to calorie counting again. yep, if i count calories, it stops me from eating out of boredom or over eating as there is a calorie goal you would want to achieve.

ah alright! i'm glad you brought that point up honestly i think the fear of 'chemicals' is how clean eating promotes unprocessed food to eat as the body can better break it down? i guess these chemicals are bad, but they can't be that bad otherwise it would not be produced and sold for consumption in the first place. so yeah clean eating has a good philosophy behind it although it doesn't hurt to eat processed food in occasion

ladypitek

Every morning I drink an 8oz glass of water with 1oz of Lemon juice in it within the 10 minutes of waking up.
I NEVER, EVER skip breakfast. In fact, within 1 hour of waking I eat a 3-4 egg white omelet along with 6oz of Chobani Plain Fat-free Greek Yogurt and 1/2 of an orange, every single day..

chobani yogurts were all just recalled. I hope you don't die from eating them after you've worked so hard to lose so much weight and to be so holier-than-thou about telling others how to eat.

Cindyinpg

Every morning I drink an 8oz glass of water with 1oz of Lemon juice in it within the 10 minutes of waking up.
I NEVER, EVER skip breakfast. In fact, within 1 hour of waking I eat a 3-4 egg white omelet along with 6oz of Chobani Plain Fat-free Greek Yogurt and 1/2 of an orange, every single day..

chobani yogurts were all just recalled. I hope you don't die from eating them after you've worked so hard to lose so much weight and to be so holier-than-thou about telling others how to eat.

Nevermind, thought this post was to the OP.

Mr_Knight

do u think i should start eating clean as in eating lean meat, vegetables and fruit on a daily basis rather than relying on counting calories in vegetables because obviously vegetables are good for you since they have a lot more nutrients than you can get out of any junk food. do you think this is a good choice?

No, it is not a good choice, as it is trivially easy to eat too many calories of "clean" food.

sloth3toes

Clean is subjective in nearly any context. What is "clean living"? What is "riding dirty"? Depends.

Had to look this one up... I thought it might be a little 'dirtier' than it is. :bigsmile:

Urban Dictionary

1. Riding dirty


Riding dirty means getting caught by the police with contraband, or in urban slang, gettin caught by da po po, wid some of dat dro dro.
When the sirens went off, all i could do was floor it cuz I was riding dirty like a mother******

magerum

I don't count my calories. Some days I'm under the calorie goal, other days I'm over and i still steadily lose weight.

What works for me is Harcombe and it's not a diet but a lifestyle change. I eat healthy, I don't eat overly processed foods, and soda has been eliminated from my diet. With the exception of Ginger ale for when I've an upset stomache or feel like I might get car sick. Ginger ale is amazing for that for me.

Find what works for you and stick with it!

How do you know if you're under or over a calorie goal if you don't count calories? :huh:

Confuzzled4ever

What does eating clean have to do with counting calories and weight loss? If I eat a 40oz slab of unprocessed beef everyday and follow it with a family sized salad and a triple portion of brown rice i'm going to gain weight even though I'm eating "clean"

Vegetables, fruits, lean meat, unprocessed foods all have calories.

I hate counting calories too and will not go it for the rest of my life. But until I can do it without counting everything gets logged. How else can you really learn about what is proper to eat?

If I make something and it's from scratch I just create a recipe or alter one if I've already got it in there and just switched up a few ingredients.

I eat mostly clean. So i'm not bashing that aspect, but it's naive to think that you can eat without tracking and lose simply because you are eating clean.

berrydana7

What does eating clean have to do with counting calories and weight loss? If I eat a 40oz slab of unprocessed beef everyday and follow it with a family sized salad and a triple portion of brown rice i'm going to gain weight even though I'm eating "clean"

Vegetables, fruits, lean meat, unprocessed foods all have calories.

I hate counting calories too and will not go it for the rest of my life. But until I can do it without counting everything gets logged. How else can you really learn about what is proper to eat?

If I make something and it's from scratch I just create a recipe or alter one if I've already got it in there and just switched up a few ingredients.

I eat mostly clean. So i'm not bashing that aspect, but it's naive to think that you can eat without tracking and lose simply because you are eating clean.

eating clean i would say is better for long-term as it is rather difficult to count calories in every occasion such as going to a friend's place, party etc.. counting calories can be a long term thing also if you make it a daily habit to record calories, and of course, it's so very effective but for main purposes, counting calories is more directed to short-medium term weight loss. it's proven and worked for so many people including me so i am not saying it's bad or anything.

yeah definitely, it's hard to control your your diet/exercise without logging. ohwell we'll get used to it over time and for all that i can say, it's well worth the time

highervibes

in for the derp

nilleah

Every morning I drink an 8oz glass of water with 1oz of Lemon juice in it within the 10 minutes of waking up.
I NEVER, EVER skip breakfast. In fact, within 1 hour of waking I eat a 3-4 egg white omelet along with 6oz of Chobani Plain Fat-free Greek Yogurt and 1/2 of an orange, every single day..

chobani yogurts were all just recalled. I hope you don't die from eating them after you've worked so hard to lose so much weight and to be so holier-than-thou about telling others how to eat.

I'm not being holier than thou to anyone about how to eat. And not ALL Chobani yogurts were recalled, only some with fruit in them.

I was simply saying how I eat and that people know what they should and should not eat in order to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight don't eat doritos and taco bell and drink soda all day long.
Don't put words in my mouth. Thank you. Have a good day now.