The only way to be skinny?

Jaulen

For me 'clean eating' is: as many organically raised products as possible (dairy, eggs, meat, fruit and veg), wild caught fish, and staying away as much as possible from packaged foods. Yes I do eat packaged pre-made foods and do not always make the healthiest choices, and I go out to eat, but I try to have the bulk of my diet come from 'organic' foods... I also use ammonia, bleach, vinegar, and baking soda at home to clean with (yes, bleach and ammonia...caustic chemicals)...

why?

I work in the environmental industry. To me the body burden of chemicals is too high, too little research has been done about what levels in humans these chemicals can cause problems, or how that chemical soup in our bodies interacts with each other and our systems.

Plus, you've always heard the phrase "You are what you eat."

Am I going to say eating that way has helped me lose weight? Made me feel better? Cleared up my skin? Or whatever people anecdotally attribute to their diet? Nope. Will I say 'Oh you're doing it wrong?" to others? Maybe if their whole diet is nothing but processed food (that just can't be healthy).

I just want to reduce the chemical body burden I subject myself to, especially with a family history of cancer.

BCSMama

I guess it depends on your goals. If your goal is simply to be skinny, then I would say it's simply a matter of calories in/calories out as others have said. Personally, my goal is to be fit and healthy. Being "skinny" is just a nice side effect of that for me. I choose to eat clean as much as possible because it has helped me reach my goals and I love the way I feel when I eat clean. I am certainly not always on my A game, and occasionally eat processed foods though, but I don't stress about it.

ladyraven68

you may find this interesting - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean

carrieous

i hate when the word skinny is misused. Skinny is not healthy. I think the word you want is FIT

cwolfman13

Purely speaking about weight loss, it is calories in/calories out. Burn more than you consume and you're going to lose weight...consume more than you burn and you will gain weight.

Nutrition is a completely different matter. I personally don't think you have to "eat clean"...and personally I feel that term is pretty subjective. I also don't think you have to do low carb/no carb or whatever. All the macros are important and I try to balance them out...I generally make good/better nutritional decisions these days, but I don't deny myself a little junk food now and then either.

Jaulen

i hate when the word skinny is misused. Skinny is not healthy. I think the word you want is FIT

Fit is a much sexier and healthier word than skinny.

carrieous

i hate when the word skinny is misused. Skinny is not healthy. I think the word you want is FIT

Fit is a much sexier and healthier word than skinny.

seriously. "Skinny" makes me think of drug addicts and the elderly. NOT HOT lol

corneredbycorn

Eating clean will provide your body with more micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), but it is not necessary to lose weight.

For me, most of my meals are homemade, but I do not fret over the occasional boxed meal or takeout dinner.

tammymusic1

I starting eating clean (or shall we say natural healthy foods like they ate back in the day before processed and fast food) because I wanted to have more energy and feel healthier not to get skinny I want to be strong not skinny. You can be skinny and feel horrible

Erica_theRedhead

I think eating clean has come about because a lot of foods have become over produced, altered, and engineered. Also many people go for the take out, and already packaged foods for ease. I think kids are growing up without proper nutrition, and it is possible that all the chemicals/salts could have long term adverse effects on your health. Weight loss is mainly calories in / out, however clean may help your long term health. I'm trying to eat cleaner foods, but haven't figured out a cost effective way to fit it into my life.

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.