Clean Eating Club ~ Dec. 22-31
shar140
Posts: 1,158 Member
(Cheryl - I went ahead and posted for this week thru the end of the year!)
What is clean eating?
The 80 Percent Principle
In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods. These include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (SAD). These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated and trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, artificial sweeteners, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember whether a food is clean is: If man made it, don’t eat it. (Try buying as many foods as possible that contain only one ingredient.)
According to physique experts (fitness models and body builders), the body is a product of 10 percent genetics, 10 percent exercise, and 80 percent nutrition. That means that in order to improve the way we look and feel, the most important thing that we can do is focus on nutrition!
Anyone who wants to eat cleaner can develop some or all of the following habits:
* Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day
* Eating every 2 to 3 hours
* Combining lean proteins with complex carbohydrates at every meal
* Never skipping a meal, especially breakfast
* Eating whole foods
* Eating healthy fats
* Drinking lots of water
* Eliminating refined sugar and processed foods
* Eliminating alcoholic beverages (another kind of sugar)
* Carrying a supply of healthy foods when away from home
* Making healthy choices when dining out
* Sticking to reasonable portion sizes at all times
* And exercising for both fat loss (cardio) and muscle gain (strength training).
(Adapted from http://www.eatingcleanworks.com and the Eat-Clean Diet books by Tosca Reno)
Join the club! Ask questions. Tell us what you're eating. Our goal is to support each other in becoming both leaner and healthier!
What is clean eating?
The 80 Percent Principle
In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods. These include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (SAD). These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated and trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, artificial sweeteners, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember whether a food is clean is: If man made it, don’t eat it. (Try buying as many foods as possible that contain only one ingredient.)
According to physique experts (fitness models and body builders), the body is a product of 10 percent genetics, 10 percent exercise, and 80 percent nutrition. That means that in order to improve the way we look and feel, the most important thing that we can do is focus on nutrition!
Anyone who wants to eat cleaner can develop some or all of the following habits:
* Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day
* Eating every 2 to 3 hours
* Combining lean proteins with complex carbohydrates at every meal
* Never skipping a meal, especially breakfast
* Eating whole foods
* Eating healthy fats
* Drinking lots of water
* Eliminating refined sugar and processed foods
* Eliminating alcoholic beverages (another kind of sugar)
* Carrying a supply of healthy foods when away from home
* Making healthy choices when dining out
* Sticking to reasonable portion sizes at all times
* And exercising for both fat loss (cardio) and muscle gain (strength training).
(Adapted from http://www.eatingcleanworks.com and the Eat-Clean Diet books by Tosca Reno)
Join the club! Ask questions. Tell us what you're eating. Our goal is to support each other in becoming both leaner and healthier!
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Replies
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(Cheryl - I went ahead and posted for this week thru the end of the year!)
What is clean eating?
The 80 Percent Principle
In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods. These include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (SAD). These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated and trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, artificial sweeteners, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember whether a food is clean is: If man made it, don’t eat it. (Try buying as many foods as possible that contain only one ingredient.)
According to physique experts (fitness models and body builders), the body is a product of 10 percent genetics, 10 percent exercise, and 80 percent nutrition. That means that in order to improve the way we look and feel, the most important thing that we can do is focus on nutrition!
Anyone who wants to eat cleaner can develop some or all of the following habits:
* Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day
* Eating every 2 to 3 hours
* Combining lean proteins with complex carbohydrates at every meal
* Never skipping a meal, especially breakfast
* Eating whole foods
* Eating healthy fats
* Drinking lots of water
* Eliminating refined sugar and processed foods
* Eliminating alcoholic beverages (another kind of sugar)
* Carrying a supply of healthy foods when away from home
* Making healthy choices when dining out
* Sticking to reasonable portion sizes at all times
* And exercising for both fat loss (cardio) and muscle gain (strength training).
(Adapted from http://www.eatingcleanworks.com and the Eat-Clean Diet books by Tosca Reno)
Join the club! Ask questions. Tell us what you're eating. Our goal is to support each other in becoming both leaner and healthier!0 -
Today's breakfast:
2 turkey sausage patties - Jimmy Dean
2 slices of rye toast - Aunt Millie's Hearth
1 T. Smart Balance Light
My breakfasts always tend to be a bit high in fat, but I balance it out the rest of the day. I can't really just have cereal - I need more protein to feel full longer, plus milk gives me issues (and I haven't found any alternatives that I like!).0 -
:laugh: Every time I see this thread my mind first reads it as the "Clean Plate Club" of which I'm a card carrying member-- LOL-- I always have to do a double take--
Sorry-- just had to interject that-- ahem
Carry on with the serious stuff--
Have a great day.0 -
:laugh: Every time I see this thread my mind first reads it as the "Clean Plate Club" of which I'm a card carrying member-- LOL-- I always have to do a double take--
Sorry-- just had to interject that-- ahem
Carry on with the serious stuff--
Have a great day.
LOL, Marla! That's right -- this IS the Clean (Your) Plate Club -- and we clean our plates five to six times per day -- because we've piled them with healthy foods and controlled your portions! :bigsmile: :laugh: I see your signature says "No Sweets Until Christmas." You're in the right place for that goal! :happy:
Thanks for starting the thread, Shar!
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This is week five for me with clean eating. (I think yesterday I may have said week six?) I feel like I'm stalled. I've been doing so well with it and I am feeling a little leaner, but I would like to lose five pounds of flab. The scale is stuck, and I can't eat any less, so I'm really going to try to eat more. I just bumped my calories to 1330. Why does it make me so nervous to do so? :grumble: :laugh:
Meal #1:
1/2 c dry oatmeal, cooked
1 sliced apple
1/4 c egg whites
1/4 c skim milk
1 Tbs flax
1/8 c raisins
(No stevia -- I'm trying to get used to the naturally sweet flavors of food)
Calories: 367
My workout today was 50 mins of cardio on the ellipticals.
Jess, I finally found NM Peanut Butter in the grocery store! It was in the natural foods section, rather than with the regular PB. I was looking in the wrong place all along! When I looked at the ingredients, though, I saw it has added sugar, so I didn't buy it. I'll stick with just plain peanut butter and get my flax in elsewhere.0 -
Thanks Cher! your meal plans are helping me! ihave been ngoing over my calories too often!
Thanks!0 -
You're welcome, jawaria!
Meal #2:
1/4 c lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 c lowfat yogurt
1/8 c cashews
1/8 c grape nuts
Stevia
1 c skim milk
1/4 c egg whites
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
Stevia
(OK, I don't want to give up my Stevia! :laugh: )
Calories: 327
I'll be out of the house for the rest of the day, so my next two or three meals will come from my cooler.0 -
Went out for lunch today - didn't do so bad with choosing "clean" foods, but still more calories that I should have had!
Chips & salsa (the corn tortilla chips are whole grain, right?
)
And a steak fajita quesadilla - the tortilla wasn't whole grain, but I subbed beans for the rice!0 -
I'm here!!
Crazy day, my dh's truck was dead so he had to take my van in to work!! Had plans today, so my running buddy picked me up and we did our grocery shopping together and met our other 2 running buddies for lunch!!
Breakfast:
My usual oatmeal
1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 c. whole cranberries
1/2 scoop choc. protein powder
1 T. NM PB, 1 T. flax, 1 T. wheat germ
1/2 c. cottage cheese
Lunch: FlatTop Grill (stir fry)
Loaded w/ veggies- spinach, mushrooms, green peppers, water chesnuts, snow peas, broccoli, edamame, carrots, etc and had a little brown rice and for protein had chicken & tofu. YUMMY!!
Dessert: Cold Stone Creamery (*gasp* I know!), a treat from one of my friends
Sinless fat free (made w/ splenda) ice cream w/ triple berries & almonds (a pretty good choice and I hardly EVER splurge w/ ice cream!)
Dinner:
Making pork chops
Baked sweet potatoes
It's my dd's 10th bday but I won't be eating any cake (had my ice cream to celebrate already!! :laugh: )0 -
Jess, I finally found NM Peanut Butter in the grocery store! It was in the natural foods section, rather than with the regular PB. I was looking in the wrong place all along! When I looked at the ingredients, though, I saw it has added sugar, so I didn't buy it. I'll stick with just plain peanut butter and get my flax in elsewhere.
It does have a little cane sugar & honey it, but at 2g of sugar for 2 T of it and 5g less fat than regular PB (that has 1g of sugar in it anyway with just peanuts), I'm ok with that! 0 -
I wasn't hungry this afternoon due to the large lunch, so no snack this afternoon.
Dinner:
pork (loin) & sauerkraut
green beans
boiled potatoes
Yum!
I stayed within my calories today, but due to lunch I was over on fat, and under on carbs & protein for today. I still have 100 calories left for today, so I will probably have a small snack tonight.0 -
Eating clean (or as close as I can get as a newb) has really helped me today. I still have calories left over and I am not hungry.
I appreciated reading the posts in last week's thread and look forward to getting more ideas this week.
Also, I finally ordered a HRM to keep better track of the calories I burn.
Thank you to all of the club members and their suggestions.0 -
*delete*
Sorry, I caught myself whining there! :laugh: :sad: Why am I not getting leaner? As much as I love, love, love clean eating, the mirror isn't showing me what I want to be seeing.
Off to get mad and get even. :mad: Upper body weights today. 0 -
*delete*
Sorry, I caught myself whining there! :laugh: :sad: Why am I not getting leaner? As much as I love, love, love clean eating, the mirror isn't showing me what I want to be seeing.
Off to get mad and get even. :mad: Upper body weights today.
We all have those days!! Remember it just takes time. My days are usually when I'm PMS'ing!! :explode: Just remember how much healthier you are and how your body is being fueled properly. Enjoy those UB weights!
Jess0 -
Eating clean (or as close as I can get as a newb) has really helped me today. I still have calories left over and I am not hungry.
I appreciated reading the posts in last week's thread and look forward to getting more ideas this week.
Also, I finally ordered a HRM to keep better track of the calories I burn.
Thank you to all of the club members and their suggestions.
Good for you!! I don't have a HRM but I know people love theirs!
Jess0 -
*delete*
Sorry, I caught myself whining there! :laugh: :sad: Why am I not getting leaner? As much as I love, love, love clean eating, the mirror isn't showing me what I want to be seeing.
Off to get mad and get even. :mad: Upper body weights today.
Hmm...how are you measuring whether or not you are getting leaner? Other than the mirror? In the past, my experience is that my weight can stay the same for 2, 3, even 4 weeks at a time, but I'll be losing fat/inches - based on how my clothes fit.0 -
Last night I did some exercise, so I had enough extra calories to have a banana & cup of milk as a snack after dinner.
Breakfast today was rye toast, a turkey sausage patty, & 2 eggs.
Upcoming snack, a banana and a few mixed nuts.0 -
Hello Clean Eaters!
My day... 4 mile run at the Y and then 600 yd swim.
Breakfast:
1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 c. whole cranberries
1/2 scoop choc. protein powder
1 T. NM PB, 2 T. flax
1/2 c. cottage cheese
Clementine
Baking cupcakes for my dd's bday snack at Girl Scouts tonight! Also resisted my dh's homemade caramel rolls (his Mom's recipe) that he took in to work today!! It smells good in my house! :laugh:0 -
i didn't eat healthy today....had chicken biryani..only if i jknow how many calories it really had...had guests over so hubby got a take out from a rest...when we cook at home we reduce the amount of oil and sometimes we even use brown basmati rice instead of regular basmati rice....oh welll i enjoyed every bit of it:devil:
i also had 2 pieces of chocolate and ramenn noodles...so a yucky day today!
i am getting better with excercising though...did 20 mins but better than nothing! i have to keep reminding mysaelf that0 -
We all have those days!! Remember it just takes time. My days are usually when I'm PMS'ing!! :explode: Just remember how much healthier you are and how your body is being fueled properly. Enjoy those UB weights!
Jess
I went clothes shopping last night and I didn't look as good in the mirror as I did the last time I went clothes shopping. After five weeks of eating clean (the majority of the time), you'd think I'd see some improvement? :huh: It causes me to wonder about the logic of eating several times a day. I recently heard another nutrition expert (JJ Virgin) say that if you feed your body so often, it doesn't feel any need to burn its own fat because it's getting a constant supply of calories.
But you are right, I'm eating healthier than I've ever eaten before as far as nutrition goes, and I love being able to eat whenever I feel hungry. I have no desire to give that up and go back to eating just three times a day! I'm on a much more even keel now emotionally than I was when I would get to the point of starving between meals. I have to look at that aspect of it, too. I'm doing this for more reasons than just what my body looks like.0 -
Hmm...how are you measuring whether or not you are getting leaner? Other than the mirror? In the past, my experience is that my weight can stay the same for 2, 3, even 4 weeks at a time, but I'll be losing fat/inches - based on how my clothes fit.
My clothes are tighter than they used to be. :frown: I don't use a tape measure because I don't trust the accuracy. I've been thinking I might get myself a set of calipers for my birthday. But mostly I use clothing to measure how I'm doing, which is why I was so disappointed when I went shopping last night.0 -
i didn't eat healthy today....had chicken biryani..only if i jknow how many calories it really had...had guests over so hubby got a take out from a rest...when we cook at home we reduce the amount of oil and sometimes we even use brown basmati rice instead of regular basmati rice....oh welll i enjoyed every bit of it:devil:
i also had 2 pieces of chocolate and ramenn noodles...so a yucky day today!
i am getting better with excercising though...did 20 mins but better than nothing! i have to keep reminding mysaelf that
I haven't been eating the greatest food over the last two days, either! I've been busy with Christmas preparations, so I've been eating a lot out of my cooler, eating Clif Bars (which make me feel awful, I've discovered), and not getting enough fresh food or variety. It has been clean, but still lacking. Blah. :sick: I'm looking forward to the holidays being over so that I can get back to my normal schedule!
I've made a new discovery, though! I don't think my IBS has been triggered by coffee all these years! I started to have problems with IBS back in college over 15 years ago, and I noticed early on that chocolate and coffee caused me pain. What do chocolate and coffee have in common? Sugar! At least the way I used to make my coffee. I've had a few cups of coffee over the last couple of days, sweetened with maple syrup instead of white sugar, and they didn't bother me at all! (They still might, if I keep drinking it. Time will tell.) Wouldn't that be funny if I've denied myself coffee all these years, when it was never the culprit! :laugh:0 -
Add me to the not eating so great this week club!!
Busy busy!!
I didn't eat my breakfast til late from going to the Y and that threw my schedule all off!! :huh:
Late lunch:
Whole grain tortilla w/ 1 T. NM PB
Banana
Snack:
1/2 c. NF yogurt + 1 T. NM PB + 1/4 c. Nature's Path PB granola cereal (I'm on a PB kick today!)
small snack bag of TJ's Pirate's Booty (70 cals)
Dinner:
Low-fat Turkey sausage w/ sauerkraut
1 c. brown rice
Snack:
18 All Bran Multi Grain crackers + 1 T. NM PB
SF hot cocoa0 -
I haven't been eating the greatest food over the last two days, either! I've been busy with Christmas preparations, so I've been eating a lot out of my cooler, eating Clif Bars (which make me feel awful, I've discovered), and not getting enough fresh food or variety. It has been clean, but still lacking. Blah. :sick: I'm looking forward to the holidays being over so that I can get back to my normal schedule!
I've made a new discovery, though! I don't think my IBS has been triggered by coffee all these years! I started to have problems with IBS back in college over 15 years ago, and I noticed early on that chocolate and coffee caused me pain. What do chocolate and coffee have in common? Sugar! At least the way I used to make my coffee. I've had a few cups of coffee over the last couple of days, sweetened with maple syrup instead of white sugar, and they didn't bother me at all! (They still might, if I keep drinking it. Time will tell.) Wouldn't that be funny if I've denied myself coffee all these years, when it was never the culprit! :laugh:
Coffee actually helps keep my IBS under control. As long as I have my cup of coffee first thing in the AM, things stay *regular* if you get my drift! :laugh: Although I've always been a black coffee drinker, I don't like cream or sugar in my coffee! I find that I can't eat a lot of bars either. I do like them in a pinch when I'm out running errands or something, but find they don't satisfy me for long!
Hope you start seeing some good changes in the mirror soon! I absolutely hate clothes shopping, there's nothing worse than seeing yourself in the 3-way mirror!! :noway:
Jess0 -
Count me in - I've not been eating too well either! :grumble:
Cheryl, the only other thing I can think of is could you have gained some muscle?
I don't know if I believe that eating the same calories spread out over the day would cause your body to not want to burn fat....a calorie is a calorie, right? If you are eating the same calories, does it matter when they are eaten? But I am not a doctor, etc.0 -
Eating clean (or as close as I can get as a newb) has really helped me today. I still have calories left over and I am not hungry.
I appreciated reading the posts in last week's thread and look forward to getting more ideas this week.
Also, I finally ordered a HRM to keep better track of the calories I burn.
Thank you to all of the club members and their suggestions.
Isn't it amazing how well clean eating regulates your appetite? What a concept that food can actually be satisfying!!! (This coming from a former vegetarian who never worried much about protein, and now I'm eating real meat and other sources of protein and feeling full after eating for the first time in years!)
HRM -- hmmm, another birthday present to get for myself? :bigsmile: Anyone know a good place to order body fat calipers and HRMs?0 -
Jess, I'm curious whether you have a preference for cardio or strength training. I've been keeping my focus pretty balanced for the last couple of years, perhaps even favoring cardio just a little bit. I'm wondering whether I should try doing slightly less cardio and instead concentrate more on strength training. The rational, of course, is that cardio burns calories while you're doing it, but strength training increases your burn around the clock, which is when the body burns the bulk of its daily calories. If I remember correctly, the beach body workouts concentrate mostly on building muscle, right?
The latest news on STS at Cathe's blog is that it should be out sometime between 12/27 and 1/7. About time, and yay, another birthday present for me! :bigsmile:0 -
Coffee actually helps keep my IBS under control. As long as I have my cup of coffee first thing in the AM, things stay *regular* if you get my drift! :laugh: Although I've always been a black coffee drinker, I don't like cream or sugar in my coffee! I find that I can't eat a lot of bars either. I do like them in a pinch when I'm out running errands or something, but find they don't satisfy me for long!
Hope you start seeing some good changes in the mirror soon! I absolutely hate clothes shopping, there's nothing worse than seeing yourself in the 3-way mirror!! :noway:
Jess
I think I've always liked the cream and sugar more than the coffee. :laugh: I've always sweetened it, but I never questioned that it was the coffee itself causing me problems. It's amazing to me now how little we question sugar in this culture! :noway: We think it's just something sweet and harmless, which at worst might make you gain weight if you eat too much. In truth, it's making addicts of us :smokin: and even killing a large percentage of us! :sick: I consider myself lucky that my body refuses to tolerate it, on a level severe enough that I'm getting the message before it's too late.
IBS is a gift. :laugh: In fact, I'm going to start using it as my excuse for not eating sugar when people offer it. They will be much more tolerant of a health issue than a moral one, and hopefully they'll drop it. I might get some pity :laugh: , which will be annoying in another way. Then people will tend to think it's ONLY a health issue, and they won't even recognize my moral reasons for not eating it. :ohwell:
I can drink tea black, but I've never liked coffee that way. However, as I eat less and less sugar, "plain" foods taste better and better. I am going to try my next cup black. :happy:
And then I want to try a homemade protein bar recipe, too.0 -
I changed up my workout and did both cardio and strength today. Normally, I would do one or the other, but I decided to try 35 minutes of cardio bursts on the elliptical (increased concentration on intervals) and then I did a lower body workout on the machines. Let's see if I can ramp up my metabolism!
My food is more normal today, so I will post my meals. I'm so happy to be home to eat! :happy:
Meal #1
Coffee (I can't believe I'm drinking it after nearly 20 years. Do I really need to become a caffeine addict again? :drinker: :laugh: )
2 Tbs half and half
1/2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 c dry oatmeal
1/4 c skim milk
1/4 c egg whites
1 sliced apple
1 Tbs flax
Calories: 373
Meal #2 (after-workout snack)
1 slice whole grain bread
1 Tbs almond peanut butter
Calories: 218
Meal #3
1 c whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 c sauce with vegetables
1/4 c lowfat cottage cheese
Calories: 275
I hope everyone's enjoying their holiday so far! :flowerforyou:0 -
Jess' Christmas Eve...
Did ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit #2
Breakfast:
1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 c. whole cranberries
1/2 scoop choc. protein powder
1 T. NM PB, 1 T. wheat germ
1/4 c. cottage cheese
Banana
No snack, busy baking but not eating any of the goodies!! :laugh:
Lunch:
1/2 c. NF yogurt + 1/4 c. cottage cheese + 1/4 c. Nature's Path PB granola
1 slice WW bread w/ 1 T. NM PB
Have a wonderful holiday!!!
Jess0
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