Flexible Dieting = Success (rant)

People mistake me for a low carber or clean eater...but sometimes I feel guilty for looking like a goody two shoes because I have a health ciondition that is alleviated when I eat clean foods (psoriatic arthritis). Last week I played devils advocate with a genuine, glorious Italian family owned takeaway pizza. It was devine. I woke up in the morning feeling like I had been hit by a train and the fatigue was indescribable. It had been over a year since I had an episode and 80lbs ago...when I started I thought food was the answer to all my problems as in type of food and my focus was that. As I got healthier, I lost weight as a nice secondary bonus. I can have some things but I have to follow it up with a good dose of protein and veg. I'd been working on my fibre with adding wraps back in and other foods but the pizza tipped me over. I think it was the thicker crust.

But what I resent sometimes is that people think I am deliberately avoiding these things to lower cals etc. I've had people suggest that treating this in this way is BS. it's not...I've been symptom free up until that pizza. I stood looking at that pizza and forgot why I shouldn't have it because I knew calorie wise I could get away with it...in fact I was down 1lb the day after! Damn! The fatigue got me...upset me...but it was a big wake up again. The symptoms aren't going to go just because I'm not fat anymore. I'm going to have to be vigilant for the rest of my life.

What I genuinely want to know though from you all that can still eat this food is when you hit maintenance are you going to be able to stop having that little bit extra n tell yourself it doesn't matter? Are you planning on being on MFP for the rest of your life to keep track of it. Cos to tell you the truth I also thought clean eating easy (seriously lol)... You rarely have to cook, calories aren't a problem...very little to think about...I thought I was kinda lazy apart from having to do it. But I also really enjoy what I eat too.

What about your athletic performance? Food choice definitely has an impact there.

What about your athletic performance? Food choice definitely has an impact there.

You're body sees macronutrients and micronutrients not food names. As long as you are consuming a suitable amount of macronutrients (will differ from person to person and type of training) and getting adequate micronutrients then atheletic performance should be fine.

e.g. 2 weeks ago I was on a VLC diet that was 100% "clean" foods. (lean meats, fibrous veggies only) Training SUCKED! Was a mission just to get through each session. Finish diet, refeed with high cals/carbs and a heap of "junk" food (fruit toast, pancakes, pop tarts etc) and next session set new PB's.

Elliott, I would have to disagre with you on what you said about your body not knowing the difference in what you eat. While your body does still work off the fuel you provide it, I found from experience that the better foods I ate, the better I felt and more energy I had. When I would eat crummy, calorie rich foods without any true nutritional value, such as a cookie, some chips, or even a beer, my body definitely notices. I am not saint in regards to eating 100% whole or natural foods, but do notice a difference when I take advantage of my "cheat days", or weeks when I might be on vacation.
I do see your point in playing the calorie game, and while I also know that moderation is key, natural and nutrient rich foods definitely are the best fuel for your body.

Yes this ^^^ thats pretty much what I was going to say! Yes...you can lose weight and be under your calorie goal eating crap but its not good for you. I feel SO much better since ive eliminated processed stuff. "clean" foods so to speak...(although i just call it eating healthy) make your body work so much better.

You're body sees macronutrients and micronutrients not food names. As long as you are consuming a suitable amount of macronutrients (will differ from person to person and type of training) and getting adequate micronutrients then atheletic performance should be fine.

Not true exactly. Certain foods require more resources for the body to break down than others. This is a kind of physiologic stress and inhibits recovery.

You mean like protein?

e.g. 2 weeks ago I was on a VLC diet that was 100% "clean" foods. (lean meats, fibrous veggies only) Training SUCKED! Was a mission just to get through each session. Finish diet, refeed with high cals/carbs and a heap of "junk" food (fruit toast, pancakes, pop tarts etc) and next session set new PB's.

That's because you made too drastic a change too quickly and didn't give your body enough time to adjust before you rushed to judgement.
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Could you please forward you're thoughts to Lyle McDonald. I'm sure he'll be happy to learn something.

I do clean eating with a twist. I try to limit eating processed snacks(my biggest problem) but I pretty much eat everything else within reason. I do have a cheat day every once in awhile

You're body sees macronutrients and micronutrients not food names. As long as you are consuming a suitable amount of macronutrients (will differ from person to person and type of training) and getting adequate micronutrients then atheletic performance should be fine.

Not true exactly. Certain foods require more resources for the body to break down than others. This is a kind of physiologic stress and inhibits recovery.

You mean like protein?

No. Protein is essential for recovery. Although it is true that is is inefficient as an energy source.

Just because a food item has a nutrient doesn't mean it is bio-available, or readily bio-available. Think of the the calcium in milk. Milk has calcium so it's therefore supposed to be good for your bones. Wrong! The calcium in milk isn't bio-available. That's why they add Vitamin-D to Milk. Even then it's poorly assimilated.

Certain foods also create a variety of inflammatory, immune and stress responses. While it's true many of these responses are unique to the individual, they are real. Most processed foods have wheat, corn and dairy. All common allergens. The inflammatory response to these foods for someone who is sensitive to these things WILL INHIBIT WEIGHT LOSS. Eliminating these foods will also quickly result in reduction of bloating and water weight. That's partly why many people associate clean eating with aiding their diet success.

We're talking about "clean eating." Everyone has a different idea of what exactly that means in practice. But the purpose of eating clean is to reduce or eliminate exposure to common allergens, artificial chemicals and to maximize nutrition. You're right that it isn't inherently a weight-loss strategy. But things are more complicated than that.

e.g. 2 weeks ago I was on a VLC diet that was 100% "clean" foods. (lean meats, fibrous veggies only) Training SUCKED! Was a mission just to get through each session. Finish diet, refeed with high cals/carbs and a heap of "junk" food (fruit toast, pancakes, pop tarts etc) and next session set new PB's.


That's because you made too drastic a change too quickly and didn't give your body enough time to adjust before you rushed to judgement.

Could you please forward you're thoughts to Lyle McDonald. I'm sure he'll be happy to learn something.

I'm glad you have AN expert you rely on. (If only he was or claimed to be an expert in clean eating).

Look obviously you did something wrong. If you were eating enough of the clean diet, and the body doesn't see food labels, you SHOULD NOT have had poorer athletic performance when you switched the diet. After all "You're body sees macronutrients and micronutrients not food names."