The only way to be skinny?

KenosFeoh

Not really on subject, but I feel compelled to say that I hate the idea of being skinny. It's such a negative term to me and implies skin stretched over skeleton, which is not a good look for anybody.

ToughTulip

I have a flat belly and don't eat clean. I just train hard and watch my macros

darrensurrey

I've been wondering this for a few weeks, & really haven't come up with a good answer so I'll as you all.

Once upon a time, it was calories in, calories out. Clean eating wasn't a thing, & now everyone says the only way to lose weight is to eat clean. I don't understand if this is a new fad or what.

People have always said that you have to eat healthily to lose weight so it isn't a fad. They may not have called it "clean" (only people in fitness call it "clean" as I've never heard of anyone calling it "clean" before). You never hear your granny saying, "You gotta eat clean, dear." She might say, "You gotta eat more healthily, dear." or "You'll be next to get married, dear, don't you worry!" but that's another matter.

Anyway, whilst it's best to eat clean, you don't really have to. But what does 7lbs actually mean? Can you visualise 7lbs? What if you weighed 17lbs more but looked leaner? Would you be devastated?

lacurandera1

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Doesn't eat clean. But DOES eat bad things in moderation. Except for yesterday when I nommed a 5th of a red velvet cake. Totally worth it. Also, when I say I don't eat clean, I mean I eat pizza and bacon. Not McDonalds for every other meal. I guess we could argue semantics.

Most prepackaged processed fast food crap is just that. Crap. You can eat things like pizza and french fries made at home for a much smaller calorie expenditure if you make it at home. Pretty much anything you could make at home from whole foods (which is pretty well anything you can imagine) is not going to derail your diet if you partake moderately.

Indeed, most of the very fit people I have met on this site eat.. well...whatever they want in terms of selection (not necessarily quantity.)

sinistras

Have you read "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman?

I am applying it to my life and already seeing dramatic changes in just a week. 2 pounds and inches lost already and I am not struggling or starving, ever. I almost just want to record my weight on here vs all the food I eat because I am eating SO MUCH. *AND* Losing weight without the cravings. Seriously, I had to force myself to eat a slice of the super sweet pear and cashew tart I made for my husband yesterday for Valentine's!

It's a lot more than calories in, calories out--it's ultimately where those calories come from. Rather than focus on counting calories, I'm putting the focus on how I can eat to prevent and avoid getting various cancers/heart disease/dementia as I age (as so many of my grandparents and older extended family members are suffering from now, due to decades of eating the Standard American Diet of CRAP!!

Eat to LIVE, baby! It's where weight loss is an easy bi product of enjoying tons of veggies/fruits/beans/nuts/seeds as nature intended!

JossFit

I think it all boils down to what works for you. I saw your post on 3FC as well, and really no matter how many people you ask you'll get as many different answers.

sinistras

Look at it as an investment in your health. Fresh fruits and veggies now mean a lot less $$$ on pharmaceuticals later (when who knows what our health care system will look like).

eric_sg61

It's where weight loss is an easy bi product of enjoying tons of veggies/fruits/beans/nuts/seeds as nature intended!

Go over your calorie limit with those things and I will guarntee you will get fat.

kachapin

Yes, the word you want is FIT, not skinny. You can be overweight and healthy inside...you can also be thin on the outside and very, very sick.
Avoiding processed food, corn-fed beef, Round-Up-ready vegetables, high-fructose corn syrup and other food that's produced in unnatural ways, is not only good for YOU. It's good for the earth, the rivers, sustainable farming, and the local economy. Admittedly, it's slightly more expensive than the alternative, and that's a value judgment. I'd rather eat whatever's on sale at my natural food co-op than save a couple dollars by purchasing greasy beef gleaned from sick cows -- and supporting mass-production agricultural practices with my food dollars.
If you think about your health, about the earth's health, and about people who make a living while protecting the environment, it's worth it to support "clean" food. It's not only a diet. It's a philosophy. So enjoy the pizza...then go out and buy some free-range chicken. (Taste it -- you'll never go back.) And pick up some organic Heinz ketchup. It's delicious, and if you don't buy it, they'll stop making it.
True -- the only way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you eat. But eating "clean" means most of those calories are making you healthier, inside and out.

alanlmarshall

Eating clean makes it easier to eat fewer calories. Lots of high volume, low calorie foods. Eating less processed foods and more whole foods and fresh foods makes it easier to maintain fat loss, so it that sense it is better for weight loss.

sinistras

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sinistras

It's where weight loss is an easy bi product of enjoying tons of veggies/fruits/beans/nuts/seeds as nature intended!

Go over your calorie limit with those things and I will guarntee you will get fat.

It is difficult to go over your calorie limit when you eat clean foods by the POUNDS in a day. Clean eating is naturally nutrient-dense and low calorie.

Here, have some more KALE!!! :-D

schaskes

I believe in moderation and accepting my own limitations. I have lost 38 pounds by exercising, counting calories, and drinking A LOT of water. I have always eaten a lot of fruit, veggies, and chicken. I always cooked 75% of my meals, now it's more like 90%. I am moving toward fewer packaged foods and paying attention to sodium. However, I am a working mom with a VERY busy schedule of driving kids around, so when I need to buy pre-made food, I do. And I eat some light/fat free foods like ice cream and cheese. I think you need to realize that some people put more emphasis on the very specific foods they eat...others put more emphasis on the very specific exercise that they do, and others (like me) have to limit the time/energy we can spend on ourselves, so we just do the best we can.

ToughTulip

It's where weight loss is an easy bi product of enjoying tons of veggies/fruits/beans/nuts/seeds as nature intended!

Go over your calorie limit with those things and I will guarntee you will get fat.

It is difficult to go over your calorie limit when you eat clean foods by the POUNDS in a day. Clean eating is naturally nutrient-dense and low calorie.

Here, have some more KALE!!! :-D

Not really.

High cal clean foods:
Nuts
Nut butters
avocados
olive oil
seeds

many many dishes can be high cal and clean at the same time

sinistras

It's where weight loss is an easy bi product of enjoying tons of veggies/fruits/beans/nuts/seeds as nature intended!

Go over your calorie limit with those things and I will guarntee you will get fat.

It is difficult to go over your calorie limit when you eat clean foods by the POUNDS in a day. Clean eating is naturally nutrient-dense and low calorie.

Here, have some more KALE!!! :-D

Not really.

High cal clean foods:
Nuts
Nut butters
avocados
olive oil
seeds

many many dishes can be high cal and clean at the same time

Eating nutrient-dense in the order originally listed: veggies, fruits, beans, nuts/seeds--the body is satisfied naturally as it gets micronutrients from eating in that balance. Of course nut butters are high calorie! Nor are they the central focus (greens).

Unknown

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alanlmarshall

[/quote]

Not really.

High cal clean foods:
Nuts
Nut butters
avocados
olive oil
seeds

many many dishes can be high cal and clean at the same time
[/quote]

"Many many" equals five, apparently

mistesh

We have returned to eating the way we did when we were young and had time to cook. It was inexpensive and fresh. In the busy years between then and now, it wasn't fully so. There were occasional prepackaged dinners that got heated up in the microwave oven. Pizza and Chinese takeouts happened too often. Bags of precut vegetables, not to mentioned the frozen kind. Any bread was ok as long as it wasn't Wonder Bread. Didn't really think much about too much pasta or too many potatoes. We were fine because we went to Burger King just once a month and never had much candy or any donuts.

Cutting corners though doesn't make for clean living. No, processed food such as Lean Cuisine is not clean eating. Yes, you must eat real food and exercise in order to lose weight. If you eat poorly and exercise, you may gain weight due to insulin resistance. Even if you eat well, you might run into food intolerance. And you must eat enough not to stall your metabolism, which by nature decreases 5% per decade after the peak age of 25 years, and so you need to eat less. The dilemma is that if you boost your metabolism too much, you'll age faster and die sooner. Growth and decay.

Doctorpurple

I never heard that "eating clean" replaced "calories in calories out". Eating clean only applies if you are not counting calories.
However, I don't believe that eating healthy is expensive. I think its a common myth. You say you eat Lean cuisine everyday. Assuming you eat 3 of them a day for all your meals. Lean cuisine usually cost 2.50-4 dollars depending where you buy them. Assuming you bought them for $2.99 each. At the end of the day, you have spend $10 for just lean cuisine, still not including snack, fruits, beverages, etc. I could definitely eat healthier with the same amount of money. Theres plenty of healthy foods that are not so costly. Obviously don't be shopping at whole foods. Try trader joes or just regular grocery. When you buy meat, cut it with little pieces and include lots of vegetables. I'm curious if you have tried cooking everyday and shopping healthy groceries in the first or did you just assume they are expensive because that's what people normally say.

Yes, I do cook everyday, actually. And it's not always true, but constantly replenishing our fruit & veggie supply is costly. I spent $30 more this week than I usually do on food for the week for a family of 3 when I decided to buy more healthy options. Same store just a different healthy menu.

I'm sure that finances is important but how tight is your budget if you can give up other things to spend just a little bit of extra money to buy healthier food I think it's worth it. Although you can lose weight with anything as long as you eat below your expenditure, it will be healthier for your body to eat clean