Does clean eating pay off?

Derpes

Few things compare to the rush of dopamine that accompanies eating a Snickers bar.

StrawberryJam40

BTW I hate pop tarts, they're too dry, rather have a donut.

Me too. I just shake my head when my sister buys them. I'm like why don't you just lick a block of sugar? (19g in one little square) They are on the very top of my do not eat list. One is 200 calories...why would I waste calories on it. Yeah, that's 400 a package. WOW! How many people that you have met that eat pop tarts eat only one when they open the package?

riffraff2112

For me I lost 45 lbs regardless of 'what' I ate. All that mattered was the calories.

BUT....I did notice when I ate junk food, I just didn't feel as well. I would get bloated, stomach would act up, and felt dehydrated. Simple as that.

I think with any type of question regarding specific food choices, it will come down to a personal choice. If you absolutely need to eat ice cream...eat it if it fits.

If eating one cheat meal sets off a string of cravings...stay away from them,

You can do some amazing things with simple calorie deficit but if you want to shape your body and develop competition winning definition, you will need to fine tune things and eat a much 'cleaner' diet.

Keep in mind eating 'clean' means something different for many people. Have fun

Freddiekaz

Eating clean always pays off in the long run! Lowering your overall calories to lose weight is temporary cuz once you start eating again you will gain weight 2x faster. So don't starve to death, instead you can always enjoy a good tasty meal by doing some small alterations like substituting whole milk for skim milk, eating grilled chicken instead of fried ones, snacking on fruits instead of sugary stuff and etc etc... Cheers ✌️

hookilau

no pop tarts for me...been a bad girl =/

RET68

I have literally been on a diet all my life. Back and forth, up and down. Slowly, slowly getting to maximum weight 250. I started eating "clean" because my liver was dying and I was real sick of the hospital. Come to find out I have a genetic condition, and my liver, my daughter's allergies and autism spectrum disorder, and my son's lifelong sinusitis/bronchitis/pneumonia, and my last terrible pregnancy were all very related. Now we avoid, folic acid, B6, cruciferous, sulfur foods, gluten, "white foods", dairy (tho this is still hard), we make kombucha, we cook from scratch, all organic, supplement optimal B's, and boom I'm losing weight. It makes me feel so good, oh and that's the biggy. No mood swings, no depression. Still can't sleep, but perhaps one day:ohwell: I'll never eat crap again. If you cook from scratch the calories are so very low, even for like steak and potatoes. It's no wonder we are all plumping up. I don't feel jealous of the people losing faster cause I've been there, they are just destroying their metabolism and muscle tissue, it'll bite them in the butt. I feel sorry for them. :flowerforyou:

kstar0327

i clean eat i avoid all junk foods which i cut out almost 2 months ago and honestly don't miss it. i don't drink any sort of soda and once in awhile if i'm feeling lazy do i reach for a lean cuisine etc other wise i eat 2 veggies a protein for my lunch and dinner. Since I work from home currently I eat my big meal at lunch and have something small for dinner hope this helps. I consume about 1000 - 1200 calories a day burn about 1500 calories a day but i have over 100lbs to loose so i'm going slow and steady on this.

lemurcat12

I understand that the number of calories consumed is a number regardless of what it is, as long as you eat within your deficit you will lose weight. So what impact does clean eating have? Will you lose weight faster, is it better in the long run? I feel better when I eat clean and feel like I am actually changing my nutritional lifestyle and eat about 1600 cals a day and get frustrated when I see people losing weight faster than me that eat less calories and their calories are from junk or packaged or diet foods. Does anyone else share this frustration? Does anyone have insight on the benefits of clean eating with weight loss or is it really just the number.

I can't tell what you mean by eating clean here. As I understand it, "clean" eating does not just mean trying to eat a basically nutritious diet, but cutting out certain foods, often a broad and rather vague group such as processed foods or white foods or the like. IMO, that does not have positive effects and for many would make things more difficult, although people vary. For me, I need to understand and believe in what I'm doing, and I see no point in cutting things out.

However, if what you are referring to is not "clean" eating, but just trying to eat healthy, I think it has lots of positive effects--I feel better, enjoy what I'm eating, have lots of energy, and find keeping my deficit quite easy.

I don't pay attention to how fast others are losing other than to congratulate them or what they are eating unless they ask for comments. What works for them and their goals might be different than for me and mine and I'm happy to do my thing.

Edit: having read the thread now I see that lots of self proclaimed "clean" eaters mention foods that seem to me to fall obviously on the "processed," "unclean" side as part of their diets. Once again I am forced to conclude that eating clean means nothing. If you just mean you try to eat basically healthy like many of the rest of us, why not say that instead of pretending everyone else eats pop tarts 24/7.

RET68

Few things compare to the rush of dopamine that accompanies eating a Snickers bar.

Reminds me of a mental health alert.
There was this woman in Texas killed her kids, had like 5 kids in 5 years and nobody noticed she'd gone wacko.
Her husband is on this documentary and says "I go see her all the time (and mind you they didn't put him away for not noticing she'd gone wacko) and I always bring her the Snickers and Dr Pepper."
My dh starts rolling on the floor because of course this used to be my drug of choice, and he had been sent out late many times to procure it.
http://www.simplysweethome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Dr-Pepper-Snickers.jpg:laugh:

chrisdavey

I_need_moar_musclez

In for psychosomatic feel goods and rainbows.

Honestly, for sustainability. I don't define foods by these terms. Nutrient density is how I judge my foods to meet my nutrient needs...then I eat cake.

Pretty much this!

ana3067

Eating clean helped me lose 50lbs in 5-6 months. It also helped me develop a pretty unhealthy relationship to food, wherein I'd be likely to binge in high volume on calorie-dense foods and then feel horrible about myself. I would also worry if something like a damn rice cake was "clean."

Like dude, a rice cake? I love rice cakes now.

Also, clean eating for me was not at all sustainable, then I gained weight. I am losing weight now eating all the foods I want in moderation and by weighing what I eat. Boom bam, happy camper right here.

Oh also, clean eating made me skinny fat. I'm very glad I stumbled upon IIFYM mentality. While I probably had better poops eating clean, I would rather have better peace of mind.

ana3067

You can do some amazing things with simple calorie deficit but if you want to shape your body and develop competition winning definition, you will need to fine tune things and eat a much 'cleaner' diet.

False, you just need to be eating an appropriate amount of protein for your body, not have a ridiculous calorie deficit, and for a few days (or weeks? I've never competed, people on my facebook have though) avoid carbs (and water? idk man) to help reduce any remaining water weight. Oh, and you of course need to be lifting, ideally strength training but if hypertrophy works for you in a cut then whatever man, cool.

TL;DR girl on my Facebook competed and looked damn good while posting about poptarts and homemade protein baked goods. Obviously you don't solely eat poptarts, you monitor your macros.

unsuspectingfish

I understand that the number of calories consumed is a number regardless of what it is, as long as you eat within your deficit you will lose weight. So what impact does clean eating have? Will you lose weight faster, is it better in the long run? I feel better when I eat clean and feel like I am actually changing my nutritional lifestyle and eat about 1600 cals a day and get frustrated when I see people losing weight faster than me that eat less calories and their calories are from junk or packaged or diet foods. Does anyone else share this frustration? Does anyone have insight on the benefits of clean eating with weight loss or is it really just the number.

Just worry about your calories.
"clean" has a different meaning to everyone....

So eat a balanced diet of whole foods, veggies fruit....
Maybe some "junk" food even....
Stay where you need to be with your calories (deficit if you are trying to lose weight) and you will be fine.

Basically. If "clean" eating makes you feel better, then do it. Otherwise, don't sweat it, but definitely aim for a balanced diet.

TiberiusClaudis

I've been eating "ultra clean" since Nov of last year...I went from about 22%BF to 5.5%BF. Next week I enter my first BB comp.

Does it pay off...yes and no.

I have a six pack..after many many many years of trying
I actually have calves...again after years of trying
I have close to 19 inche arms.
I have a 30 inch waist.
I can't say I'm at the strongest of my life, but I'd give anyone in my wieght group a run for their money. Did 355 on bench today 5 times easy..at 170 lbs.
I get more interest from both sexes than ever in my life. And I'm an old geezer at 48.
All good right..

On the other hand

I am always cold (it's winter here in New Zealand) and with my bf being so low...I'm miserable
I'm always hungry
I get cramps all the time
I don't enjoy my food, it's a necessity. Eatting egg whites every morning is torture.
I don't socialze much as I canf drink and all my friends like to eat pizza and pasta and ribs...which I cant
My sex drive is zero. Buddies heads turn when a hotty walks by and I don't even notice or care
Have to pee all the time because I have to drink so much water like over 2 gallons a day
Don't sleep for more than an hr at a time as I have to get up to pee

Is it worth it???...for a while, I'm giving myself 2 years to live ultra clean. Then I'm going back to being healthy but somewhat normal.

cincysweetheart

Well, I'm not sure what you mean by "clean" since everyone has a different opinion on what it is. But as you mentioned… calorie deficit is all that is needed for weight loss. But "clean" or healthy eating can definitely have an impact on your health and how you feel.

That being said… IMO… the important thing to remember is… IS IT SUSTAINABLE? Whether you choose to do the so-called "Twinkie diet" or whether you eat "clean"… whether you go low-carb or low-fat…. Whether you go vegetarian or whether you choose the Paleo diet. Any of them will allow you to lose weight (if you're in a deficit), but if you can't keep it up… the weight is likely to come back on. It's all going to boil down to finding the diet (eating plan) that works for you… that fits with your lifestyle, the foods you like, and yes, even your own morals. Find the eating plan that you can stick with… essentially for the rest of your life.

dieselbyte

I've been eating "ultra clean" since Nov of last year...I went from about 22%BF to 5.5%BF. Next week I enter my first BB comp.

Does it pay off...yes and no.

I have a six pack..after many many many years of trying
I actually have calves...again after years of trying
I have close to 19 inche arms.
I have a 30 inch waist.
I can't say I'm at the strongest of my life, but I'd give anyone in my wieght group a run for their money. Did 355 on bench today 5 times easy..at 170 lbs.
I get more interest from both sexes than ever in my life. And I'm an old geezer at 48.
All good right..

On the other hand

I am always cold (it's winter here in New Zealand) and with my bf being so low...I'm miserable
I'm always hungry
I get cramps all the time
I don't enjoy my food, it's a necessity. Eatting egg whites every morning is torture.
I don't socialze much as I canf drink and all my friends like to eat pizza and pasta and ribs...which I cant
My sex drive is zero. Buddies heads turn when a hotty walks by and I don't even notice or care
Have to pee all the time because I have to drink so much water like over 2 gallons a day
Don't sleep for more than an hr at a time as I have to get up to pee

Is it worth it???...for a while, I'm giving myself 2 years to live ultra clean. Then I'm going back to being healthy but somewhat normal.

First off, congrats on achieving the goals that you set out to hit. You are a testament to the fact that no matter one's age, if you set your mind on a goal it can be achieved.

However, eating "ultra clean" isn't a necessity to hit low bf%. As many have said, CICO is the only thing that matters for weight loss, and hitting macros will determine body composition. Now, depending on your caloric intake, it might be hard to fit a lot of "dirty" or "junk" foods in your diet, but eating a snickers bar, pizza, ice cream etc. will have zero effect on body comp, as long as it fits your macros.

The pervasive debate here on MFP seems to be whether or not you need to only eat "clean" to achieve any sort of goal, vs can you eat only "dirty" foods and still hit your goals. The problem however, is the label of foods and what tends to be considered healthy, as well a huge misunderstanding of "diets". No one I know that has a right mind would advocate only eating pop tarts and twinkies to lose weight. And no one is able to define what eating "clean" really is. Those in the know understand micronutrient density, and the importance of eating a "balanced" diet. Yes, I eat ice cream, almost every night. But if you look at my diary, you'll see a majority of "clean" foods. I have macro and micro goals to hit, and I know I can't hit them by only eating micronutrient sparse foods. But I also realize that once I hit my micros, I can fit the "junk" foods in, without health, performance or body image fears.

Health is more than what is put into your mouth. Lifestyle, morale choices, fitness levels all play a part. I choose to live a healthy lifestlye, but I know I can have my cake and eat it too.

p.s. - I'd check with a doctor ASAP. Depending on how long you've been in a deficit, your dietary fat intake and other things, you could have done damage, maybe irreversible, to your test and hormone levels.

snowflake930

It certainly depends on what you mean by clean eating, but if you are saying avoiding processed foods, it is probably better for your body not getting as much of the chemicals and additives, extra sodium and sugar.
It is your choice, totally up to each one of us.