Clean eating and getting your minimum calories? Help Please

momofGD

I have just started deciding to eat clean instead of counting calories. I have been writing everything down but not counting their calories. So if there is a week in which I don't loose I can look back and see what I have eaten and where things may have gone awry. Problem being I think I am eating too little but I am still feeling full. I am drinking a gallon of water a day, eating more fruits and veggies than I ever thought I would. And protein with every meal/snack. I eat until I am satisfied but not stuffed full. I know the minimum calories you should eat is 1200. So my question is how do I know if I am eating that minimum? Should I just not worry about it since I am not feeling hungry?

LolBroScience

Your body doesnt care if the calories are "clean" or not. You can still end up gaining weight if you are over your TDEE. With that being said, can you still make progress without tracking? Yes.

However, it's more of a shot in the dark. You won't know what caloric intake you're eating at unless you're tracking, simple as that. It's like trying to stay within a budget without knowing the balance.

Cranquistador

Your body doesnt care if the calories are "clean" or not. You can still end up gaining weight if you are over your TDEE. With that being said, can you still make progress without tracking? Yes.

However, it's more of a shot in the dark. You won't know what caloric intake you're eating eat unless you're tracking, simple as that. It's like trying to stay within a budget without knowing the balance.

^this

Ainar

What's the point of writing stuff down if you don't count cals in them? Do you just do it for fun?

Anyhow, you can still gain fat eating clean. Is it more healthy to ate clean foods? Yes. But other than that your body does not care, all it cares are calories when it comes to weight loss.

If you are going to use this technique then you can not rely of paper. You will need to experiment and listen to your body - learn it. See how much energy you got, maybe increase food if it's too little or if you are losing weight too fast, etc. It's kinda like trying to find a way in a dark without a map. You have to learn your body through trial and error if you are going to do this.

jonnythan

"Clean" doesn't mean "low fat" or "low calorie."

randomtai

"Clean" doesn't mean "low fat" or "low calorie."

This.

roflysst2

If you're losing weight, feeling full and have more energy then don't worry about it.

If you stop losing weight or start feeling weak or low on energy then check the calories and see where it went wrong.

jonnythan

Hunger has little relation to whether you're consuming enough food. Anorexics often report that their hunger has completely faded away. I can eat 3000 calories and still be starving sometimes.

BernadetteChurch

If you take the trouble to write down what you eat why don't you just take it that tiny step further and use your MFP food diary? Then you'll know for sure whether you're getting enough calories or not.

bcattoes

I know the minimum calories you should eat is 1200. So my question is how do I know if I am eating that minimum?

The obvious answer seems to be counting calories, don't you think? It's the same as if I wanted to know how many tomatoes were on a plant. I'd count them.

What do you consider "eating clean"?

rybo

You have 2 options. Count the calories and know for sure, or just let your body tell you if you aren't eating enough and hope it's correct.

misssiri

It's not necessary to drink a gallon of water daily. That could be messing with your hunger signals. Drink when you are thirsty only.