CLEAN EATING? JOIN ME

paleojoe

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis...which is directly caused by environmental food choices...

More like "hypothesized to be partly caused by environmental food choices." There are apparently a number of other factors and the food choices thing is not proven.

It has not been proven to cause harm nor has it been proven not to cause harm. So at the end of the day just trust your gut (no pun intended) and make the best choice for yourself.

wolverine66

I'm fat and I eat clean. You can eat too much of a good thing

Eating clean has never been about losing weight for me...it's about avoiding all the unnecessary things that they put in food. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis...which is directly caused by environmental food choices...I try to put things that are as unprocessed as possible into my stomach now...as a means to control my sickness...

And no, I don't think eating clean is unstainable...It's definitely more challenging than eating processed, but it's a lifestyle choice...you just make most things yourself instead of picking up it in the deli.

Just for clarification, I don't think Ulcerative Colitis is caused by environmental food choices, but triggered by environmental food choice. That is to say, you will not get it because of what you eat, but if you have it (and I don't think a cause for it is known), what you eat can cause it to flare up.

Just wanted to make that distinction because of the topic.

foolsforsarah

i want to try clean eating. i can only do it until thanksigving but then well, i have to skip thanksigivng and get back on eating clean after that until xmas LOL. cant miss my aunts yummy meal! but i think this would really help me lose a few extra over the next few weeks

clean eating will not help you lose weight faster..

Eating in a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss.

So if you want to lose weight, create a 500 cal per day deficit and maintain it over the long term...and you can still have you thanksgiving and xmas blow out...

True that you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if you are only clean eating you tend to get fuller off less calories than usual. People get confused when others say its all about calories, because they suddenly think processed **** is great because it has 90calories. But a granola bar at 90 calories wont fill you up any more than a serving of baby carrots at 30 calories, so in a sense.....eating clean alone will cause you to lose weight.

faradaysdream

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis...which is directly caused by environmental food choices...

More like "hypothesized to be partly caused by environmental food choices." There are apparently a number of other factors and the food choices thing is not proven.

It has not been proven to cause harm nor has it been proven not to cause harm. So at the end of the day just trust your gut (no pun intended) and make the best choice for yourself.

Controlling flare ups is difficult through food alone because it can take up to a month for a food reaction to occur

But my GI specialist believes that there is only a 0.5% increase in your chance of having UC through genetics (unlike Crohns, which genetics plays a huge role)...and that it is mostly an environmental disease.

I think everyone does need to do what feel right for them....eating clean isn't something that should be mocked. We should be trying to uplift and support people that are making better choices... eating clean is going to help some people lose weight because they'll not be eating McDs or Pizza Hut as a primary food source.

LoggingForLife

I prefer to think of it in terms of nutrition. Is the food I'm eating providing vitamins, minerals, fiber etc.? Is it full of empty calories? Has it been processed to the point it can sit on a store shelf for years? Are there chemicals in it?

Don't be discourage by the negative people. Good luck.

foolsforsarah

I prefer to think of it in terms of nutrition. Is the food I'm eating providing vitamins, minerals, fiber etc.? Is it full of empty calories? Has it been processed to the point it can sit on a store shelf for years? Are there chemicals in it?

Don't be discourage by the negative people. Good luck.

Exactly!

jonnythan

i want to try clean eating. i can only do it until thanksigving but then well, i have to skip thanksigivng and get back on eating clean after that until xmas LOL. cant miss my aunts yummy meal! but i think this would really help me lose a few extra over the next few weeks

clean eating will not help you lose weight faster..

Eating in a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss.

So if you want to lose weight, create a 500 cal per day deficit and maintain it over the long term...and you can still have you thanksgiving and xmas blow out...

True that you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if you are only clean eating you tend to get fuller off less calories than usual. People get confused when others say its all about calories, because they suddenly think processed **** is great because it has 90calories. But a granola bar at 90 calories wont fill you up any more than a serving of baby carrots at 30 calories, so in a sense.....eating clean alone will cause you to lose weight.

There are multiple problems with this.

First, eating clean alone will not cause you to lose weight. It is entirely possible to eat clean and gain weight.

Second, satiety is certainly a factor in food choices but it's not the only factor. 90 calories of carrots may fill me up more than a 90 calorie granola bar, but I f'in hate carrots and carrots won't give me that sweet, after-lunch-dessert snack satisfaction the 90 calorie granola bar will.

Third, it implies that eating everything clean is inherently just better. Yes, foods commonly thought of as "clean" like lean meats and veggies will generally fill you up the most per calorie. It's fine and good to base your diet around these foods. I often recommend just that. But the danger is that if you're in the "clean eating!" mentality, then everything needs to be clean and the "not clean" foods are bad. This leads to guilt for eating them, and avoidance of them for no good reason.

0somuchbetter0

i want to try clean eating. i can only do it until thanksigving but then well, i have to skip thanksigivng and get back on eating clean after that until xmas LOL. cant miss my aunts yummy meal! but i think this would really help me lose a few extra over the next few weeks

What is it about your aunt's Thanksgiving dinner that isn't "clean?" Just curious, because if you ate at my house it would be pretty sparkling "clean." I can't think of one thing I'm serving that's not "clean," but I guess it depends on the definition.

Just thinking back to my family's Thanksgiving dinners.... candied yams made with sugar, marshmallows, canned cranberry sauce, pies made with sugar, mac&cheese made with regular pasta and evaporated milk with preservatives, etc etc.

Well, that's not how I cook. I do brown rice with toasted almonds, roasted sweet potatoes with butter, fresh green beans sauteed in olive oil, homemade cranberry sauce, though that does contain sugar and booze. So any sort of sugar is considered "dirty?" My amazing apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies are made from fresh ingredients but have lots of sugar. hmm...guess I'm "dirty" after all.

Laura_Ivy

I prefer to think of it in terms of nutrition. Is the food I'm eating providing vitamins, minerals, fiber etc.? Is it full of empty calories? Has it been processed to the point it can sit on a store shelf for years? Are there chemicals in it?

Don't be discourage by the negative people. Good luck.

This is exactly my way of thinking. I try to eat whole foods and primarily plant based. But I have moments where I chow down on junk but thr majority of my diet is based off nutritional foods full of fiber and lean proteins! Feel free to add me if we seem like a match.

paleojoe

i want to try clean eating. i can only do it until thanksigving but then well, i have to skip thanksigivng and get back on eating clean after that until xmas LOL. cant miss my aunts yummy meal! but i think this would really help me lose a few extra over the next few weeks

clean eating will not help you lose weight faster..

Eating in a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss.

So if you want to lose weight, create a 500 cal per day deficit and maintain it over the long term...and you can still have you thanksgiving and xmas blow out...

True that you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if you are only clean eating you tend to get fuller off less calories than usual. People get confused when others say its all about calories, because they suddenly think processed **** is great because it has 90calories. But a granola bar at 90 calories wont fill you up any more than a serving of baby carrots at 30 calories, so in a sense.....eating clean alone will cause you to lose weight.

There are multiple problems with this.

First, eating clean alone will not cause you to lose weight. It is entirely possible to eat clean and gain weight.

Second, satiety is certainly a factor in food choices but it's not the only factor. 90 calories of carrots may fill me up more than a 90 calorie granola bar, but I f'in hate carrots and carrots won't give me that sweet, after-lunch-dessert snack satisfaction the 90 calorie granola bar will.

Third, it implies that eating everything clean is inherently just better. Yes, foods commonly thought of as "clean" like lean meats and veggies will generally fill you up the most per calorie. It's fine and good to base your diet around these foods. I often recommend just that. But the danger is that if you're in the "clean eating!" mentality, then everything needs to be clean and the "not clean" foods are bad. This leads to guilt for eating them, and avoidance of them for no good reason.

This is where, IMO, intermittent fasting acts as a valuable tool in energy balance. Sure, what you eat is very important, that said, how you eat is as important, if not more so. It is not a diet but more of an eating pattern that takes the "good" and "bad" out of food selection. There really is not a lot of room for guilt with that lifestyle.

Food selection should be a personal choice based on what makes you look, feel and perform at your best.

faradaysdream

First, eating clean alone will not cause you to lose weight. It is entirely possible to eat clean and gain weight.

Second, satiety is certainly a factor in food choices but it's not the only factor. 90 calories of carrots may fill me up more than a 90 calorie granola bar, but I f'in hate carrots and carrots won't give me that sweet, after-lunch-dessert snack satisfaction the 90 calorie granola bar will.

Third, it implies that eating everything clean is inherently just better. Yes, foods commonly thought of as "clean" like lean meats and veggies will generally fill you up the most per calorie. It's fine and good to base your diet around these foods. I often recommend just that. But the danger is that if you're in the "clean eating!" mentality, then everything needs to be clean and the "not clean" foods are bad. This leads to guilt for eating them, and avoidance of them for no good reason.

I think we're having misunderstandings because we don't know each other I'm new. I'm Stef. Hi

Earlier in this thread, I said "I'm fat and I eat clean." It's totally a calories in, calories out thing. I totally agree with you.

In other threads, I've talked about not feeling bad for eating food. I think we should try to do the best we can...and really enjoy those special times when we eat cake, have wine, make nachos (whatever floats your boat). I don't think that we should label foods either...but lets face it...A whopper isn't great...and someone starting out on a fat loss journey may need those distinctions.

jonnythan

i want to try clean eating. i can only do it until thanksigving but then well, i have to skip thanksigivng and get back on eating clean after that until xmas LOL. cant miss my aunts yummy meal! but i think this would really help me lose a few extra over the next few weeks

What is it about your aunt's Thanksgiving dinner that isn't "clean?" Just curious, because if you ate at my house it would be pretty sparkling "clean." I can't think of one thing I'm serving that's not "clean," but I guess it depends on the definition.

Just thinking back to my family's Thanksgiving dinners.... candied yams made with sugar, marshmallows, canned cranberry sauce, pies made with sugar, mac&cheese made with regular pasta and evaporated milk with preservatives, etc etc.

Well, that's not how I cook. I do brown rice with toasted almonds, roasted sweet potatoes with butter, fresh green beans sauteed in olive oil, homemade cranberry sauce, though that does contain sugar and booze. So any sort of sugar is considered "dirty?" My amazing apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies are made from fresh ingredients but have lots of sugar. hmm...guess I'm "dirty" after all.

I believe that by most standards, refined sugar is not a "clean" food. So yes any of those foods you make with sugar, such as apple pie, are "unclean."

jonnythan

First, eating clean alone will not cause you to lose weight. It is entirely possible to eat clean and gain weight.

Second, satiety is certainly a factor in food choices but it's not the only factor. 90 calories of carrots may fill me up more than a 90 calorie granola bar, but I f'in hate carrots and carrots won't give me that sweet, after-lunch-dessert snack satisfaction the 90 calorie granola bar will.

Third, it implies that eating everything clean is inherently just better. Yes, foods commonly thought of as "clean" like lean meats and veggies will generally fill you up the most per calorie. It's fine and good to base your diet around these foods. I often recommend just that. But the danger is that if you're in the "clean eating!" mentality, then everything needs to be clean and the "not clean" foods are bad. This leads to guilt for eating them, and avoidance of them for no good reason.

I think we're having misunderstandings because we don't know each other I'm new. I'm Stef. Hi

Earlier in this thread, I said "I'm fat and I eat clean." It's totally a calories in, calories out thing. I totally agree with you.

In other threads, I've talked about not feeling bad for eating food. I think we should try to do the best we can...and really enjoy those special times when we eat cake, have wine, make nachos (whatever floats your boat). I don't think that we should label foods either...but lets face it...A whopper isn't great...and someone starting out on a fat loss journey may need those distinctions.

The post you quoted was in response to someone else, not to you.

Incidentally, I think Whoppers are pretty great. Not as good as Five Guys, but I love me a Whopper. And honestly the thought of going through the 20 lb weight loss that I did this year without eating a Whopper or Burrito Supreme sounds like hell. I love those things, and going without them for six months for no reason other than "NOT CLEAN" is depressing.

elisannebeauchamp1

I want try!!

I try once and my bad habits came back if I have someone
who does the same thing with me I think its going to be more easier

Sabine_Stroehm

I prefer to think of it in terms of nutrition. Is the food I'm eating providing vitamins, minerals, fiber etc.? Is it full of empty calories? Has it been processed to the point it can sit on a store shelf for years? Are there chemicals in it?

Don't be discourage by the negative people. Good luck.

This. And it IS sustainable. Many of us on here have been doing it for years (I've been doing it for over a decade).
If you decide you want to eat healthier foods while on this journey DO IT. There is no downside to it.

Solomino

Sorry, I don't know how to do quotes but you said you were diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis...which is directly caused by environmental food choices. I don't know where you came up with that because I too have Pan U.C and I have been in remission for almost 8 years now. Up until last month I lived on McDonald's and junk and it never effected my UC....they don't know what causes Colitis., In my case, it has nothing to do with foods, it has to do with stress!

jonnythan

This. And it IS sustainable. Many of us on here have been doing it for years (I've been doing it for over a decade).
If you decide you want to eat healthier foods while on this journey DO IT. There is no downside to it.

There is a downside to it. Compliance is an issue for many people. If compliance suffers, feelings of guilt and failure follow. It also makes it more difficult to eat in social situations.

Don't pretend there are "no downsides."

Cindyinpg

I just can't do the whole clean eating thing. Number one, I've never met two people with the same definition of it, and number two, I don't understand why anyone would want to deprive themselves unnecessarily. Why on earth would a person who likes ice cream, pizza and apple pie (or whatever) decide to ELIMINATE those delicious things when those things, indeed ALL foods, can be incorporated moderately into a healthy weight loss plan. Why eat clean for a few weeks, then drop it for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and so on? Why not have a flexible plan that you can sustain EVERY day of your life?


Edited: for spelling. Up too early here. :ohwell:

seliinac

OP, you can add me.

I'd never heard of clean eating before coming to MFP however I am trying to avoid overly processed foods, and geting 'back to basics', meaning using whole foods as much as possible to make my meals.

I believe it is sustainable. My step-mother has been eating that way for as long as I remember.

Laura_Ivy

This. And it IS sustainable. Many of us on here have been doing it for years (I've been doing it for over a decade).
If you decide you want to eat healthier foods while on this journey DO IT. There is no downside to it.

There is a downside to it. Compliance is an issue for many people. If compliance suffers, feelings of guilt and failure follow. It also makes it more difficult to eat in social situations.

Don't pretend there are "no downsides."

I guess I could understand the downsides to 'clean eating' -and if you are a bit obsessive compulsive- it could lead to disordered eating patterns. But I feel like this can happen even just calorie counting if that is the type of personality you have.I mean calories can be demonized just as well as food don't you think?