Want to Eat Clean...Not Sure If I can though...
Options
tlatrice13
Posts: 162 Member
I've been wanting to try to make this switch for the longest. However, I know that if I just say "I'm going to eat clean EVERY MEAL EVERY DAY FROM HERE ON OUT!" I am setting myself up for failure.
So, I'd like to know how you guys did it? How you made the transition? DId you make a transition? Or did you really just go at it all out from the beginning?
Thanks in advance!
So, I'd like to know how you guys did it? How you made the transition? DId you make a transition? Or did you really just go at it all out from the beginning?
Thanks in advance!
0
Replies
-
You've gotta be patient with yourself. Don't be too hard if you stray now and again, we're all human. For me, it was really important to have those healthy food around. I try to do my best to buy clean foods to keep around the house... the other stuff is just way too tempting. My brain is instantly hooked onto the thought of eating the junk in the house. I personally went all in, you have to see this as a life style change that you want to live with and not a diet, or you're very likely to fail.0
-
Slow and steady. I didn't start out cold turkey. I slowly started making better choices. I started eating breakfast. Then I started making healthier breakfast choices. Then I started making better choices at lunch. Etc. I've been doing this for 2 years now and I still eat junk I shouldn't, but I make A LOT of healthy choices. It's a work in progress.0
-
For me preparation is key. I have to have healthy food around the house or I fail miserably. Pre planning is the only way. I keep the kids treats out of my sight and make sure I have yummy food around for when they are eating treats. Also don't be too hard on yourself if you do eat something not so great, don't let it spiral into well I have blown it I may as well have XYZ. I can be guilty of this I am working on this issue.0
-
Thank you all so much for the encouragement. I know this is the best thing not only for weight loss but for my health.0
-
I've been looking into going the clean eating route also. It will be a learning experience for both of us.0
-
When you start eating clean some of us need baby steps. Don't look at it as an all or nothing attitude. I shoot for doing 80-90% . Get the processed foods out of the house or at least out of your sight. Unfortunately when you are busy, working being a mom and wife , clean eating makes it hard, for the most part you need to prepare and plan your food but it can be done.0
-
I think slow and steady is the way to go. How I have defined "clean eating" for me and my family has changed over the years, and I feel is a process that will continue to evolve. I think you need to define it how it fits for you. For me I tried to eat minimally processed foods with small numbers of ingredients (I try to read everything and if I don't know what it is I don't buy it), as much organic as possible, tons of fresh fruits, veggies and lean meats. I like to shoot for to eat this way about 80-90% a day, but if I don't do that I don't beat myself up about it (I made ghirardelli brownies the other day, I know gasp right!?).
Life is just too short if I let food define how I live it, but I do feel that making more healthy choices can help define my quality of life. You have to find balance. I had a friend that told me about a challenge she does with her family if she finds they are slipping a little in the way they would like to eat. She makes a chart of fruits, veggies, lean meats (or whatever foods they eat) and the kids and her compete against each other to see who can get the most of these things in a day/week/month. I have never tried it but it sound like a great idea to help to either start eating towards clean, or to help you recheck after you begin to slide out of cleaner eating. Good luck in your process.0 -
As everyone has said, start small! My journey to where I an now started over apples about 8 years or so ago. I read (just rather accidentally) about the process by which they now appear in the grocery store, and though how yuck and unnecessary that was, so switched to organic or farmers market/ farm gate apples. As I read more about the industrial food supply, other items changed. When I'd finish up an item we normally use, I'd do research about how to replace it with homemade or something less processed. It's a slow, but worthwhile and for me at least really rather interesting journey. And don't beat yourself up about not doing it all at once!
0 -
All of these replies are right on! Don't be hard on yourself, focus on one meal at a time. Believe it or not, the more clean you eat, the more you crave foods that are good for you, rather than the sugary or salty snacks that you may have relied on in the past. Also, if you made a bad choice, it's not the end of the world; make peace with it and move on- try to make a better choice next time. I think if you make little goals for yourself, like eating a clean lunch....feel good about that! When you build yourself up and feel proud of yourself, you will tend to be more successful. Wishing you the best of luck!0
-
Just take it one decision at a time. I started by changing my snacking habits. I started bringing fruit and vegetables to work as snacks, replacing my chips or my granola bar. I also started making my own trail mix to snack on at work. For me dinner was the easiest meal to "clean up". Now (6 months after starting to clean up my diet), I am exploring cleaner breakfast and lunch ideas. I have lapses all the time and sometimes it is just not possible with my life. I figure 50% clean is better than 100% processed. So just take it baby steps and work towards a cleaner diet and you will be successful. It gets easier as you go along because you learn the tricks to prepping ahead and you find more satisfaction in what you are eating because it is fresh and oh so delicious!0
-
These responses have all been wonderful. Especially for someone who tends to be all or nothing with things. Again, thanks to all!0
-
Hi, Start out with less things that are processed foods and more things that are whole foods.
Instead of fried chicken, have grilled, broiled or pan-sauteed chicken. Instead of fish sticks or fried fish, have grilled, broiled or pan-sauteed fish. Instead of fatty cuts of beef and pork, have extra lean cuts of beef and pork, such as ground beef that is at least 90% lean, sirloin steak, pork loin and tenderloin. Eat less processed meats like sausage, bacon, etc.
Maximize fresh fruit and veggies. Try to eat about 5 1/2 servings each day of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw is a serving of veggies) as well as a couple servings of fruit (1 large Delicious apple is 2 servings, so is one large banana).
Maximize whole grains while minimizing processed grains. Rather than eating white bread and white pasta, try healthy, whole grain products. Have old fashioned oatmeal or steel cut oats for breakfast with fresh or frozen (unsweetened) fruit. Have brown rice, barley, sweet potatoes and quinoa as sides instead of white rice, tater tots and fries. If you like bread and pasta, swap white bread/white pasta for 100% whole grain bread and pasta.
I like to make my own quiches, muffins and breakfast bars so I can just have one serving each morning. Make your own "baked oatmeal bars" for a quick, easy breakfast or snack, instead of doughnuts, coffee cake, cinnamon buns. Instead of corn chips and potato chips, have 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts, or 1/2 cup of pistachios in the shell.
Try having one or two vegetarian meals each week. Beans have a ton of protein, so your meal can be as simple as black beans with onions, brown rice and fresh sauteed spinach. You can make baked rice by cooking brown rice in vegetable broth and onions. I love to make a zucchini-herb casserole with fresh zucchini, tomatoes and cheese. I use low-sodium canned, diced tomatoes when fresh aren't in season.
You don't have to be perfect. If you need to go to a fast food restaurant, just make good choices. The chili, baked potatoes and salads at Wendy's are preferable to burgers and fries. The grilled chicken salads at McDonald's are preferable to the fried fish sandwich. The Cantina Bowl at Taco Bell is preferable to the loaded nachos. At other restaurants, order the grilled fish, grilled chicken and lean meats. Substitute vegetables for fries. Just try to eat more home-cooked meals than these types of meals.
Just try to maximize nutritious foods while minimizing foods that have no nutritional value and that will be a good start. I used to do this 100% for several years, starting back in 1985 when there was no such term as "clean eating." I did it the opposite of most people by tossing away all the food in my house and going cold turkey. My kids were raised on all whole, healthy foods. Now that I'm older, disabled and unable to do as much, I just try to eat more healthy foods and less unhealthy foods instead of trying to do it perfectly. Instead of drinking only herb tea, like I used to, I drink coffee with French vanilla creamer, which isn't "clean food." I just feel like I want that little luxury when I start my day. I like going to a restaurant once a week when I have the money. I just try to order the healthiest choices. On the weekend, if I want a sandwich, I make a sandwich. A regular old sandwich. The bread is whole grain, but it's still a regular old sandwich.
So, just try to make better choices when you can, and try to avoid foods with no nutritional value.0 -
Instead of buying junk food and having it around....I buy a lot of healthy food. That way when you go to snack on something all you have to choose from is healthy items. Another idea would be if your going to buy junk food, get baked chips or the healthier version of the product your looking for.0
-
Instead of buying junk food and having it around....I buy a lot of healthy food. That way when you go to snack on something all you have to choose from is healthy items. Another idea would be if your going to buy junk food, get baked chips or the healthier version of the product your looking for.
Or you can bake you own "chips". I have made my own versions of potato, sweet potato, zucchini, and kale chips. So delicious!0 -
Hello. My name is Betty, 59 years old. Want to lose weight and eat healthy. Is there a list for clean foods or are we talking about just fruits and veggies. Thank you for letting me join.0
-
There seems to be a lot of variance in what people who consider themselves clean eaters eat. The most basic, is avoiding additives, like msg, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial coloring. Then some people go as far as to only eat organic, or not eating any processed foods, even if they are organic, or don't have additives. Most of us fall in the middle somewhere and make adjustments as we go.
I avoid most processed foods, but I do eat out with my family every couple of weeks and I haven't kicked my betty crocker brownie mix habit yet. I don't let that keep me from mostly eating whole foods, like fresh produce, whole grains/ dry beans, and wild caught sea food.
A good place to start is to add more produce without additives, and to start reading the labels of things you buy.0 -
I know I am human and this has been a work in progress for years. Even though I ate the same and was exercising I gained a lot of fats around my middle section. The best things I did was to cut out those bad carbs. It stopped the glucose spikes and within a week I didn't even crave them. Refraining has actually given me more energy steadily throughout the day. I use the slogan " If you fall off the horse, get back on and ride"0
-
My easy to remember rule for eating (which I follow about 95% of the time, the other 5 or so percent being eating out or eating socially with friends) is: if my great-grandmother wouldn't recognise it as food, I don't eat it. It doesn't mean I have to make every thing from scratch that I eat, but I need to be able to at least reproduce that item in my kitchen using basic ingredients. In practice i shop from the perimeter of a grocery store, or utilise the local markets and butchers, and buy the ingredients to make food rather than buying food made in a factory. If that makes any sense 0
-
I have the same problem. Processed foods and refined carbs are so addictive. Earlier today I found this You Tube video you might find useful. She gives a lot of the same advice given above: Phase in whole foods and phase out processed foods. Take it one meal at a time. Start out by just trying to have one clean meal a day. Hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikcpd75h1Eo
(Sorry I don't know how to make it a link on this forum, so you'll have to copy and paste.)0 -
Slow and steady. I didn't start out cold turkey. I slowly started making better choices. I started eating breakfast. Then I started making healthier breakfast choices. Then I started making better choices at lunch. Etc. I've been doing this for 2 years now and I still eat junk I shouldn't, but I make A LOT of healthy choices. It's a work in progress.
i totally agree with how you went about it...If I went all in at once I would have hit a brick wall eventually that since it wasn't what i wanted to eat then I'd just not eat at home and sneak fast food! It a learning process and like my dad tells me we didn't get unhealthy overnight so we're not going to get healthy overnight0
