Does clean eating really make a difference for you?

Hi there. I have been working hard on "cleaner eating" as I can be self described as a carb and sugar addict. I have worked really hard to eat less processed, far less sugar (and also have omitted aspartame and sugar substitues) and include more veggies more fruits more organics and much more water.
Coming from someone who could demolish ice cream half gallons by herself if allowed to do so, just being more mindful and making better decisions whenever i can, it has made a difference in my weight loss but even more importantly it's made a HUGE difference in my overall health and mood.
the sugar highs and lows, the caffeine uges, the drive to carb binge for a "lift" have all but been eradicated. i feel less "hungover" in the mornings becuase my diet has elimiated a bunch of the processed stuff i used to enjoy.
i have more energy and now i find myself craving healhier treats. like for instance, instead of going for the baked goodies we have in the house (because my husband doesnt believe in "clean") i just enjoyed a medium red delicious apple and 1/2 teaspoon of organic peanut butter. i am satisfied, satiated and most importantly guilt free. i used to always regret eating choices later at night but since i have made the transition to cleaner eating and living, i haven't been angry or frustrated with myself in a long while.
good luck. do what works best for you. it can be a gradual transition and see which aspects fit your life best.
enjoy the journey!

It makes a huge difference to me.

First, highly processed food always makes me hungry. With clean food, I get more and more full for a couple hours after I eat.

Second, it's healthier so I feel better. And it's cheaper serving for serving if you shop well.

Third, sodium, fat, and sugar are high in processed food to give them more flavor. If they're 'diet' or 'healthy', they have even more fat and salt to make up for the lack of sugar.

After you eat clean for a while, low quality processed food tastes pretty gross. Really good quality excellent food always tastes great, however - even if it's all white flour and sugar. Love those high quality bakeries!

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: It's not JUST about the calories, but about the quality of those calories. You can lose weight by eating greasy fast food every day and sticking under your calorie goals, but your liver and colon will hate you for it. Eating better (personally) has made my hair thicker (which is good, since it's getting kind of long), cleared up my skin, and had other benefits which are kind of gross.

Meanwhile, when I do lapse (I still manage to stick below my calorie goals during these lapses) I pay dearly for it if it goes on long enough. My gut starts to hurt really bad, and my skin starts to get all gross. Not to mention my colon starts punishing me too. So I try to keep it clean as I can.

Absolutely.

Yeh, you can lose weight (fat+muscle) by eating all kinds of food (or pseudofood) but you can also be skinny and unhealthy.

Food is the bedrock of everything from physical composition to mental health and everything in-between, why short-change yourself?

Yes I notice a difference immediately. Chips, fast food, candy, baked goods while they taste good they don't make me feel good. When I stick to veggies and fruit and lean proteins I feel so much better.

In terms of weight loss, no it doesn't make a difference. But in terms of just being healthy overall it does.

Clean eating makes a difference for me because I am not doing it to be skinny. I am eating clean to be healthy. I hear all the time life is short and live life large. Bullchit, live is long and we are going to have to live with the choices we make for the next 50 years and I for one, want to be out parasailing when I am 80, not drooling in a chair in the nursing home.

Today I ate 1/2 a piece of pizza and threw up..

Eating clean or mostly clean has not changed the amount of weight I lose, but it has changed my body composition. I was losing weight before but my body was still.. squishy lol. My loose skin is more hydrated and more elastic, my muscle is stronger and tighter, I don't feel bloated. I'm not hungry when I shouldn't be. Once the toxins are out... you notice a huge difference.

My short answer is also a BIG fat YES!

My testimonial :
I am not perfect and a highly processed cookie or something squeeks its way in every once in a while. But 90% of my choices are clean and my mind/body thank me for it everyday. I have SOOO MUCH more energy, I need less hours of sleep to feel rested, my skin looks healthier and my mood/attitude is greatly improved.

It is 100% possible to lose weight and not eat clean at all, but I promise you that if you put 2 people of the same age, height, weight next to eachother - one who eats clean and the other who doesnt, the 'clean eater' will look considerably thinner, toned and healthier overall. So why eat dirty if in order to look like you want to you have to lose more weight and eat less than if you just chose different foods?

Before I started eating clean 80% of the time



After I started eating clean 80% of the time



This was over the course of about 1.5-2 months, I changed nothing about my workout and simply just changed my diet. I didn't believe it until I saw the results in pictures

absolutely 100%. especially as a vegetarian, I notice a MASSIVE difference in how I feel, my digestion, etc when I eat clean, fresh foods and cut out the processed junk.

Absolutely! My body has adjusted to clean eating so well. I don't crave artificial sugar or refined carbs anymore, and I used to be a huge chocoholic. I've lost lots of weight and my body is much more defined.

I wouldn't say I lose a significant amount of weight but I feel better. I am less bloated. And I lose weight just a bit faster.

Preservatives and such are a big migraine trigger for me, so ... definitely, at least in terms of how I feel from day to day. I don't crave junk any more either, so that's a big plus. I had coke for the first time in months the other day and it tasted like sugary dishrag water. It was kind of a letdown.

So glad you asked this question! I am still teetering between clean and not so clean... so the responses have been very helpful for me! Thanks :happy:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and a big fat YES! Weight loss in particular no, you could lose weight eating the crap, but my health and well being has improved drastically since I started eating cleaner. Headaches are a prime example. I got chronic migraines constantly, as did my son. Since we started eating clean, neither of us has had a single one.