Clean Eating Success Stories, I want to hear them!

EDesq

Clean eating will mean different things to different people. But the basics are always the same.

You want to eat small, frequent meals (about every 2-3 hours) and what you eat should be unaltered. Just as nature intended it.

So when you read a label, look at each individual ingredient. If there is one on there that you would not buy as a separate item to cook with in your own kitchen, then it's not clean.

For example, if I buy a jar of spaghetti sauce that has the following ingredients: tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and dextrose.

Yes, I would buy tomatoes separately and cook with them. Same for the basil, onions, and garlic. But nobody goes to the store to pick up a package of dextrose to cook with at home (Well, they do, but it's called splenda or equal and it's NOT clean or good for you in any way). So this particular jar of spaghetti sauce would not be clean. But if all it contained was the first few ingredients, then it would be clean.

Clean eaters generally avoid the white stuff too. White flour and sugar in it's refined forms. Sugars such as maple syrup or honey are considered clean because that's how they come from nature. They are unaltered and far healthier for you than the white stuff (in moderation, of course)

I have a ton of clean eating recipes on my blog. www.TheGraciousPantry.com if you want to try a few out. I totally recommend the strawberry salsa to start with. It's quick, easy, and totally yummy!

Your website is AWESOME! The Oatmeal Project is Wonderful!

RobynC79

I tend to eat 'whole' rather than strictly 'clean'. My overarching philosophy for healthy, whole eating is that anything I make from scratch at home is automatically better than anything I can buy in a box, can, or plastic container. Unfortunately that occasionally translates to 'my home-made cheesecake is better than a bought pre-packed green salad', but generally it works out.

I don't buy low-fat, diet or low-cal versions of anything except milk. If it comes high-fat, high-sugar or calorie-dense, I just eat a little less of it. I eat red meat occasionally with all the fat on it, I eat chicken skin, egg yolks and cook plenty of recipes with cream, olive oil and butter without worry. I avoid processed meats and grains. I make an exception for bacon! Love it too much to give up. I eat fruit and vegetables every day without fail (they're not always on my diary because I don't care enough to log their minimal calories.

My success-story part is that I've been the same healthy-happy weight for the past five years doing this, I have no food sensitivities or allergies, I never feel guilty about eating and I love to cook. So clean eating works great for me.

Improvised

Bump.

squishyjenn

I just started the clean eating diet a week ago and I'm about 80 percent strict. I still purchase things like ketchup and peanut butter but my limit is 3 ingredients unless its like a package of mixed fruit or something. I feel great so far! I lost 2 pounds this week already.

joehempel

I eat pretty clean...chicken, fish, fruits, veggies

I attribute that to my weight loss more than exercise. I've heard it's 80% diet 20% exercise.

But I've lost 22lbs in 2 months.

jodidlyO

I did this last year and lost 12 kilos (around 25lbs) in a couple of months. I wasn't doing it for weightloss at the time, it was for an immune condition so I was super strict - no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no eggs, no gluten or gluten substitutes. I pretty much lived on buckwheat, nuts, beans, organic meats, fruit, and vegetables. Eventually I added soy milk. All home prepared. I used lemon/lime juice and tamari for taste and plenty of oils, mainly flax but olive too. If I didn't make it myself from scratch I didnt eat. I lasted 11 months and felt fantastic!

I did not limit portion size at all as I wasn't really thinking it was a 'diet', and sometimes I ate a LOT. I loved the results though since I've gone back to eating whatever I want I have gained a lot of it back. I blame wine!

bmw4deb

http://eatingcleanworks.com/what-is-eating-clean.html

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

Eliminates refined sugar
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks a lot of water
Eats 5-6 small meals per day
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Always eats breakfast
Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits.

EXCELLANT! THNK YOU

Improvised

Weeellll, I ate almost 100% clean yesterday, and I lost a pound! So I'll try and keep it up!

swanny320

I started eating clean last month. No processed foods, no sugar unless it's honey or fruit (nature's sugar, not chemically engineered from corn). I've lost 9 pounds which is a lot because I wasn't heavy to begin with (128). Eating clean is the way to go. I feel 100% better too!

here_I_go_again

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Thank-You. Is this type of Eating Plan sustainable on 1400-1500 calories per day?
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Absolutely! Pack your lunches, and make sure to eat six small meals instead of three medium meals per day. Aim for having a protein, carb, and fat at each meal. Water, water, water!

LaJauna

I started eating clean last month. No processed foods, no sugar unless it's honey or fruit (nature's sugar, not chemically engineered from corn). I've lost 9 pounds which is a lot because I wasn't heavy to begin with (128). Eating clean is the way to go. I feel 100% better too!

I know that many dieting camps think honey, pure maple syrup, agave and other "natural" sugars are somehow superior to table sugars, but your body can not tell the difference. The bee is nature's best refiner of sugar. The molecules of all sugars (sucrose) are the same. If you boil down honey, maple or agave you still get huge sugar crystals. So if you are trying to go truely clean you will steer clear of all sugar sources.

marji4x

I actually just posted something relevant:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/282950-i-ve-lost-10-lbs-and-i-eat-whatever

margieward82

Eating clean is a great way to live your life! It is not just about losing weight, but about being healthy. We try to eat mainly clean, but admittedly even I am not 100%. My daughter who is 16 months has almost never had anything other than clean food! I can count on 1 hand the numbers of times she's had something that wouldn't be considered clean. And the older she gets, the more we switch the entire family to clean eating. I am hoping that 2012 will be the year that my husband and I trully commit to being 100% clean.
It makes you lose weight, it makes you healthier and just generally makes you feel better! I swear that once you go clean, you'll never go back!

cjnolt

bump - I also try to eat clean most of the time...

here_I_go_again

Eating clean is great for you body. I allow myself a processed meal at lunch for quickness but other than that, I try hard not to eat anything else man-made. I just love the ready made meals for my lunch and haven't been able to give that up. I just started back again so I have a long way to go for discipline but I'm trying!