Clean eating vs 'Normal' eating?

LamandaPanda

From all the reading I have done, Normal eating consists of eating whatever you want but paying attention to your body's signals of hunger and fullness so that you are not overeating. It also has a lot to do with learning to eat when you are genuinely physically hungry as opposed to when you want to eat out of feelings of stress or boredom. Clean eating seems to be sticking to food that is in the most natural state it can be and staying away from things that are overly processed, refined, or have a ton of ingredients that are synthetic in nature. So I think the basic difference is that Normal eating speaks to how you eat whereas Clean eating speaks more to what you eat.

Personally, I think a combination of both is good. I am a martial artist. I started my life as a martial artist at 230 pounds. I TRIED to eat normally, but found that I would routinely overeat anyway. I am talking eating large portions of fast food and processed foods everyday. I found that getting into working out with martial arts helped me feel better, but I could not really keep up with everyone else like I wanted to. I could not perform many of the techniques as well as I wanted to. I struggled a lot with low energy and blood sugar fluctuations. My moment of change came when my sister was diagnosed with diabetes. She and I have had a very similar medical history, so this SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I knew I had to change and a big part of that change would be losing the excess weight I had. I started Weight Watchers. This with continued martial arts workouts led to a loss of 40 pounds. Just a few weeks ago I made the decision to drop WW for financial purposes. At about that time I started reading about Clean eating. A huge part of what made WW so successful for me was simply that it taught me to focus more on eating lean proteins and complex carbs from primarily fruits, veggies, and whole grains as well as staying well hydrated. When I read about Clean eating this clicked for me as an athlete (yes, I AM an athlete now!). What I focus on is food as fuel. If I want my body to run well I need to put high quality fuel in it in the right amounts. Does this mean I NEVER eat fast food or enjoy treats - NO WAY! I allow myself treats every now and then. Sometimes it's for a day, sometimes it's just in one meal a week. But what I have found in my journey of over 2 years is that I always FEEL better and perform in my life better (both athletically and in general energy) when I eat "Clean" - for me meaning as natural as possible.

Always remember that different things will work better for different people. Define your goals for yourself and then play around with ideas and advice that YOU find wise. You may pull a page from different philosophies and put them together to make your own. I know I have! I hope this makes sense and helps.

bluebear_74

I've never paid attention to my carbs, fat, protein, I just count the calories and have lost weight. I love my junk food too much to give up. Though if I did "eat clean" I'd probably have better results, but I don't think I could do it in the long run (i'd probably miss junk too much and put back on all the weight).

I read a article the other day which said if you eat too little carbs for too long it could reduce your life span.

mich1902

Mich, I'm with you. I'm very strict when it comes to staying within my calories and try and stick within my macros but I'll eat a little cheese if it fits into my day etc.

If necessary I'll take the next step and switch to 'cleaner' foods but I know I'd be miserable eating plain grilled fish and veg with brown rice rather than a chicken breast in a small burger bun with some salad, light mayo and bacon with the fat cut off! I never eat butter or cream and use olive oil for cooking (which I measure out) and if I have pasta I'll have a tiny portion but I was just wondering whether I need to cut out these types of things altogether to lose the fat. I am determined to get there!

Intermittent fasting is something I've thought about as I've tried it before (with an 8 hour eating window) but that didn't really make any difference. I've thought about trying a 5:2 method instead which is the latest craze in the UK. I'm currently doing TDEE -25% eating 1450 during the week and I eat 2150 at weekends so I guess I could change it to having 2 days of much lower calories (750 for example) then 3 days of 1950 and a tiny bit more at weekends.

Does anyone think this would work? I'd have to stop working out on the low days that's the only problem and I love getting in my workouts each day. Is there any real benefit to intermittent fasting?

I think what you are doing sounds sensible. My calories for the past few weeks have been higher due to alcohol consumption leading to bad food choices at the weekend. That's me done with that now though. For me as long as i get my protein to try and preserve my lean mass while losing then i'm happy. That said, my bread is always wholemeal, I eat mostly sweet potato but there are days where I will want something that is processed as there is no way I could live my life completely clean. I wanted a biscuit last night and I had one. Its all about choice, that's a given but back to your original question. Did it affect anyone who lifts, to reduce body fat while trying to keep lean muscle?

hedwardsb

Your diet & calories look fine to me. If anything, you're during the week calories look low, if you're working out 6 days a week, but then they balance your weekends. Do you think your body is just slower to take off weight because you don't have a lot to lose, (& offense because I'm a few years older than you,) you're not in your 20s?
A few years ago, I got into the mid 130s when I really prefer to be close to 111. It took me almost 8 months to get where I wanted to be eating healthier (calorie deficit) and exercising.
Stayed there for a while & then emotional eating took me back up to the low 120s. I've been tracking calories & exercising since right before the new year, and I'm just seeing the scale make a decent drop in the past couple of weeks. I have to be careful not to have too big a calorie deficit or I'll lose nothing.
Good luck!

EmmaKarney

Yes but the majority of what I eat is 'real' food, although I have other things which some would consider as not 'real' but chemicals. Most days I have a protein shake, I also eat a yogurt often for breakfast (either fat free or sometimes greek style (full fat) with sugar added) along with an oat based cereal (also containing added sugar etc.) and I eat white bread, rice, pasta etc. although in moderation.

I have packaged ham, although often it's Spanish serrano and sometimes ham off the bone which is not so processed and I eat a lot of good fats like nuts and avocado but I also eat cheese and some sauces, pate etc.

I wouldn't say I eat a lot of highly processed foods and often my meals contain meat or fish in their natural forms but I wouldn't say I eat completely clean as I don't eat food without sauces that often. I love desserts and ice cream but try and have 70% dark chocolate instead of a mars bar for example and if I eat other desserts it's not very often.

Hey I'm with you - some preservatives and additives probably do make it in to my diet - but for the most part I try to stick to actual food.

Sauces can be clean though - a tomato and herb sauce would take minutes to make and would not have the ingredients list as long as your arm that a jar of ready to eat sauce would have.

eylia

I eat 'clean', in most senses, as I have a medical condition that means most processed foods and anything with high sugar, dairy or fat content make me ill. I also find I digest fish easier than red meats, but I eat a variety of red, chicken and fish; balance is what is important, rather than rules, I think. Choose food that is as it comes, vegetables, meat, grains, and start from there. Don't force yourself to eat things you don't enjoy and you'll probably make it more likely you'll snap and run for what you miss and overdo it! Maybe just eat seafood that you're comfortable with once a week, and reduce red meat consumption a little. I still use sauces and salad dressings, they aren't 'bad', and there's nothing wrong with having a little if it makes you enjoy your meal. I use spices and herbs too to add flavour, and make my own sauces and curries and such whenever I can. Find a medium you're comfortable with and enjoy what you like because it'll be more sustainable, and be patient, because no diet will transform you over night!

EmmaKarney

I'm not a fanatical clean eater (why would you be? - just eat real food - no biggy right?) but I'm utterly bemused at the people who are actually trying to defend processed food as normal/better?

It's packed with sugar and salt so basically you're addicted to it. This is why you defend it. You're addicted.

RainHoward

you can lose weight eating nothing but twinkies and drinking beer. Fat loss simply requires burning more calories than you consume. Calories are calories.

Remaining healthy on that diet, that's another question all together.

JAT74

To be honest I think it's my own fault. Age may play a part in it as I'm 38 not but 11 years ago I got up to 178lbs and lost loads of weight and got down to 122 lbs (though skinny fat) and it was relatively easy as I cut calories for the first time in my life and went low carb. Even at the end I had a body fat % of 28% which was too high for my size but I couldn't sustain that weight and it quickly got out of control when I ate more carbs and stopped calorie counting.

Since then I've found that every winter I've gained weight (up to 147lbs max) and then had to try and lose it in time for summer!

Until now I haven't ever calculated my TDEE or BMR and although I've always done some form of training it was mostly cardio around 3 times a week and in the past when I've trained more I've always eaten loads more and not really thought about it so it was probably above maintenance.

I think my metabolism is shot personally and that's why I struggle so much now even with calorie counting and all this training. Ideally I think I could do with a RMR test to find out my true requirements but as I can't afford that and there isn't anywhere near here anyway I'll have to continue working on estimates. I hope that TDEE -25% will work for me now and I'm going to make an effort to eat less fat, maybe cut down on things like cheese and processed meats and try and eat more lean chicken, turkey and fish even though it's not my favourite.

I suppose it's possible I am actually eating a bit too little for my activity level but I don't think so. In the past I've always lost weight by eating under 1000 calories but I don't want to go that way as I want to be lean this time.

MeeraAnnT

Im on a clean diet now, but I used to be 5-6 kg heavier and I lost those by just sticking to the calories but I ate terrible food now that I think about it...I am at university so I used to eat out everyday fast food....so i would literally eat one big meal (KFC, Mcdonalds) and still lost about 1 kg per week.....but then I hit a plateau and now im on clean eating and im losing about 1 pound per week....

The only difference really is that it is much harder to stick to your calories when you eat crap.... When you eat clean you find it easier in fact I have been struggling to eat my calories since I threw away all the junk in my apartment! You won't starve and you are less likely to break the diet! Although a cheat day is always good to have, I haven't had mine yet, i dont trust myself!

Delicate

What is considered normal?

I consider normal to eat healthy (as in very little processed food to none at all, my body doesnt appreciate processed and high carb/sugar sources).

I find all the ones who eat all the processed 'diet' meals to be the not 'normal', if you look up Zoe Salmon when she made a mini documentary on what happens when you use that type of food, it made her gain weight, fitague among other things, you might find it interesting.

EmmaKarney

What is considered normal?

I consider normal to eat healthy (as in very little processed food to none at all, my body doesnt appreciate processed and high carb/sugar sources).

I find all the ones who eat all the processed 'diet' meals to be the not 'normal', if you look up Zoe Salmon when she made a mini documentary on what happens when you use that type of food, it made her gain weight, fitague among other things, you might find it interesting.

I think I saw that - was it the one where one of the women was literally addicted to Special K cereal?

If so, shocking!

JAT74

I am trying to be patient but after 11 weeks of logging everything, sticking within my calories and working out 6 days a week I'm getting a little frustrated which is why I asked this question! I think they key for me will be finding the exact number of calories my body needs each week in order to lose but that isn't easy when you've followed lots of advice and used many online calculators and it doesn't seem to work!

For me personally I don't think eating clean would be that hard as I'm already halfway there and my diet is probably 80% clean already. I may just cut down on red meat a little more and try and eat more of the fish I can stomach and have it naturally instead of as fish fingers which I've been doing recently.

I just need to find a way to lose the fat and I am hoping that a combination of cutting calories a little more over the week and eating more healthily also during weekdays will do the trick. I don't buy or keep any junk food in the house but maybe I'll stop eating white carbs and cut out the sugary cereals and allow myself a cheat day at weekends so that I don't get bored eating this wya.

JAT74

Does anyone know the name of that documentary?

EmmaKarney

Does anyone know the name of that documentary?

The Big Fat Truth about Low Fat Foods - originally shown on BBC3

Martucha123

I go with 80/20 rule.
My lunch will be most time chicken breast, 4 portions of veggies and potato or rice, and fruit for dessert.
I eat homemade food for dinner, but usually it's sandwich or pork chops or eggs with bread (I looove bread), and my snacks are cookies, ice cream, chocolate, chips, anything really. At least 1 meal a week is take away and it will be pizza or durum kebab. I'm losing weight and the amount is pretty much reflecting my deficit.

I think that you can skip fast food or cokkies if you want, but any diet that tells you that you need to go organic, or skip starches or cheese is bullsh*t

JAT74

I might have seen it, I'll have a look. I usually watch this kind of documentary.

EmmaKarney

I would never judge anyone for a moderate approach.

It's those that actively dismiss clean eating as if it were some "fad" that I find hard to get my head around.

rybo

Sorry but eating "normal" is eating clean!

Eating a bunch of processed chemicals that aren't even food should not be considered the norm (regardless of whether it fits your calories or macros)

/End thread

If more people's "normal" was eating real foods and not processed crap, the "diet industry" would collapse because much fewer people would be overweight.

Melany502

Yes, you can lose weight eating normally. But if your still eating lots of processed foods you really aren't doing your body any favors. Choosing an apple, orange, banana over a 100 calorie pack will provide way more vitamins and nutrients and hold you over longer. Since mostly eating clean I don't feel as hungry as I do when eating normally and I don't feel the urge to snack like I did when I was eating lots of processed carbs.