Clean eating or Calorie Counting, which one is it?

srmchan

I like to say I eat clean most of the time but now I'm wondering if I'm on a different definition than everyone else. I think of clean eating as eating whole foods. For example, I consider eggs, bacon and steaks whole foods. I do not consider ketchup a whole food since it's processed.

How do you define "clean eating"?

maidentl

Simple. You can eat clean and still gain weight. You can't gain weight if you're making sure you're at a calorie deficit.

If weight loss is your goal, calorie counting wins. Hands down.

Absolutely this! And if you feel like you want to eat "clean" for health reasons, go for it! Just make sure that you count the calories of that food. But please never worry if you decide to have a piece of chocolate or something. There's no magic to clean foods for weight loss. It just enables some people to stay in a deficit without counting. Not everyone can manage that, though.

StaciMarie1974

If the guru is selling something (and seems they always are) then take their pitch as it is: a sales pitch. She may have formed that body by working out and eating 'clean' but there is no one way to eat for success. What I mean is: that is not the only way.

Think about what got you to where you are, and add in logic. Eating too much over time (and possibly combined with lack of activity over time) we gain weight. Personally speaking I can look to many areas where I went wrong. It wasn't the processed food, but how much total I was eating compared to how little I was moving.

Think of your checking account. IF you withdraw more than you deposit, you run into trouble. Does it really matter where your deposits come from? (Assuming all legal sources. )

inertiastrength

You can find shredded people who do flexible dieting and you can find shredded people who follow a "clean" diet. Just because one person followed a particular diet and had some success does not mean that's the only diet you can follow if you want to have success. Who cares what some dude's girlfriend did? Worry about what works for you. The best thing you can do is find a sustainable way to create a caloric deficit and exercise frequently.

this.

yardley502

I'm still eating the things I want as long as it is in my calories and do my workouts. I find it actually helps me stay on track rather than just being strict... My body doesn't hate me as much

Azdak

I get so discouraged seeing some of these Fitness Guru's either on Instagram or Youtube saying that they got all their results from eating clean and organic.

But here on Fitness Pal, I've seen a lot of people say you don't have to eat clean to get the results you want.

I go back and forth and get confused sometimes on what I should be doing.

I recently watched a video on youtube of this "fitness guru" giving advice, he said he has his girlfriend eating egg whites every morning (I eat 2 whole eggs every morning with 1 piece of bacon), only eats "from the ground food", and then he went on to show his girlfriend's before and after picture, she now looks like a freakin supermodel, flat abs, skinny legs and he claims she got there but eating NOTHING PROCESSED.

This is where I get confused and a bit frustrated. I don't know how I should be eating half the time...

Any advice would help.

"Eating clean" is more ideology than science.

SlimSharonSlim

BOTH !!!!!! Why would you eat Crap ???

Therealobi1

BOTH !!!!!! Why would you eat Crap ???

but what is crap?

paperpudding

BOTH !!!!!! Why would you eat Crap ???

Putting aside the vague-ness of what you mean by crap - I eat lots of non clean foods because they taste good and I enjoy them.
And sometimes I eat a frozen dinner or a can of soup or takeaway because I am too lazy to cook.

tennisdude2004

You can find shredded people who do flexible dieting and you can find shredded people who follow a "clean" diet. Just because one person followed a particular diet and had some success does not mean that's the only diet you can follow if you want to have success. Who cares what some dude's girlfriend did? Worry about what works for you. The best thing you can do is find a sustainable way to create a caloric deficit and exercise frequently.

^^^^^^ This

icrushit

Way I see it, there's 3 things at play when it comes to health/ fitness/ etc. Those three are body weight/ weight level (ie under/ over/ etc), fitness level (unfit/ moderately fit/ highly fit/ etc), and nutrition/ health (the quality & quantity of nutrients you're putting in you're body). Whatever way you decide to go, you can have one, or all three.

For example, you can achieve an optimal body weight, yet not be fit, and have terrible internal health. Likewise you can have great nutrition and health, yet be unfit or overweight at the same time. There are many possible combinations, where you can have none, all three, or a combination of three.

When people here say you can lose weight without exercise or eating clean, what they are really saying is you can prioritise weight loss, without paying any attention to fitness or nutrition, just the calorie deficit. This is quite true, but I would rather have all three, as what point is it looking good and having an optimal weight, if your internals are a distaster waiting to happen, and you are not fit/ able-bodied in any reasonable way. Equally, I have a hard time buying into anyone espousing health benefits of something like clean eating, while they are clearly unhealthy in other ways, such as being overweight/ unfit.

In any event, those are the three key elements at play here, and it is up to everyone to decide how they choose to go. Myself, its optimal health that appeals to me, so I want to be an optimal weight, fit and as healthy as I can be on the inside from what I choose to put into my body.