Losing weight but not clean eating?

Options
2

Replies

  • sjkcarter
    sjkcarter Posts: 417 Member
    Options
    I don't eat clean. I would recommend cooking more. I have found that very helpful, and I cut out frozen meals. It can be done without going completely clean.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Options
    I eat a combo of the two. Breakfast is usually egg white omelletes with spinach and swiss with a side of very processed turkey sausage. Lunch is whatever: salads sandwiches, healthy choice meals recently. For snacks, fruit, yogurt/granola, cottage cheese. Dinner is always some kind of chicken, steak, beef meal with steamed veggies and potatoes or brown rice. I eat the occasional fast food, probably anywhere from 1-3 times a week.

    Portion control is my problem. I constantly feel hungry and eat every 3 hours all day.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    I'm a college student. Eating clean is too hard for me right now (yes I realize some college students do it, but they have more willpower than I do lol). I have lost the weight just fine and I am healthier than I have ever been. Don't get me wrong, I eat healthy most of the time. But I haven't completely eliminated processed foods. I think I would give up and fail if I did that!
  • tacguy
    tacguy Posts: 196
    Options
    I'm a college student. Eating clean is too hard for me right now (yes I realize some college students do it, but they have more willpower than I do lol). I have lost the weight just fine and I am healthier than I have ever been. Don't get me wrong, I eat healthy most of the time. But I haven't completely eliminated processed foods. I think I would give up and fail if I did that!

    I cheat sometimes too. Last Friday night was a train wreck. But I eat clean 80-90% of the time which is achievable for me.
    If you can do 80% clean, you're doin' OK.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    Options
    Biggest issue with those pre-packaged, institutionalized frozen meals is the sodium (I'm hypertensive, so those things pretty much make me feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest about 10 minutes after I eat one). Also, I don't think you really get the same bang for your calorie buck as you would preparing something similar from scratch.

    That said, it's calories in, calories out. From a nutritional standpoint, I'd add some more veg and fruit if I were you...try to get at least 3-5 servings of veg per day (even if you have to drink a couple of those...more the better) and 2-3 servings of fruit.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    I'm a college student. Eating clean is too hard for me right now (yes I realize some college students do it, but they have more willpower than I do lol). I have lost the weight just fine and I am healthier than I have ever been. Don't get me wrong, I eat healthy most of the time. But I haven't completely eliminated processed foods. I think I would give up and fail if I did that!

    I cheat sometimes too. Last Friday night was a train wreck. But I eat clean 80-90% of the time which is achievable for me.
    If you can do 80% clean, you're doin' OK.

    Exactly! 80% clean is what I am for, and I usually achieve it. It's just nice to be able to still enjoy a greasy burger or some drinks with friends on the weekends!
  • sburiel
    sburiel Posts: 18
    Options
    I do very little clean eating. I sometimes have fast food, but really limit myself with that. Mostly I just watch my calorie count and I am still losing. If I eat some potato chips here or there, I include it in my diary but I don't feel guilty about it because I am staying under my calorie goal. If for some reason I have a big fast food meal at lunch time, I've found that I am full for the rest of the day. So I think that if your not eating clean, then it is still possible to lose as long as your watching everything else.
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
    Options
    Your diary looks pretty good. My only suggestions would be to track sodium as well and cut back on the bread and pasta a little bit. But you have lost quite a bit already so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't eat clean either...I just try and keep it balanced.

    And now I really want some Cheerios! Yum!
  • ncl1313
    ncl1313 Posts: 237 Member
    Options

    I have about 20-30 lbs to lose and yes I have a family too. We dont eat fast food or anything like that and they are definitely in great shape (kids and hubby) so I guess the diet must not be all that bad, i just ate too much for my height lol

    Ditto! Hubs and I still eat fast food (not the kiddo though...only good stuff for him lol). My husband is a foot taller and super skinny and I found I was trying to "keep up" with what he ate. Horrible idea. I'm still eating mostly the same things, just making sure I'm only have 1 to 1 1/2 portions instead of 2 or 3. And now that my little guy has started eating with us, I make a point to work veggies into every meal and have switched from white bread to wheat, white rice to brown, etc. Considering we pretty much only ate meat, potatoes, cheese, and pasta before, these are definitely big changes. So far I've been losing at the one pound per week rate.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Options
    Your diary looks pretty good. My only suggestions would be to track sodium as well and cut back on the bread and pasta a little bit. But you have lost quite a bit already so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't eat clean either...I just try and keep it balanced.

    And now I really want some Cheerios! Yum!

    I love my cereal :smile:
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Options

    I have about 20-30 lbs to lose and yes I have a family too. We dont eat fast food or anything like that and they are definitely in great shape (kids and hubby) so I guess the diet must not be all that bad, i just ate too much for my height lol

    Ditto! Hubs and I still eat fast food (not the kiddo though...only good stuff for him lol). My husband is a foot taller and super skinny and I found I was trying to "keep up" with what he ate. Horrible idea. I'm still eating mostly the same things, just making sure I'm only have 1 to 1 1/2 portions instead of 2 or 3. And now that my little guy has started eating with us, I make a point to work veggies into every meal and have switched from white bread to wheat, white rice to brown, etc. Considering we pretty much only ate meat, potatoes, cheese, and pasta before, these are definitely big changes. So far I've been losing at the one pound per week rate.

    Maybe I will try the wheat change too. Funny you mention your hubby, mine is 6'4 185 lbs...cant gain weight for the life of him!
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Options
    It is partly calories in, calories out. the difference is how you will feel with a cleaner diet that does not consist of processed foods and mostly carbs. I find that I have alot more energy and dont feel as blah with less processed foods in my diet. the day after my treat meal (which is whatever I want like pizza, burgers, drinks, sweets) I feel like total crap and am lethargic all day.

    it also depends on what your goals are. ie. just be thin vs thin and toned.

    totally unrelated to your diet, but are you not starving with just two meals??? I start getting hangry right around the 3hr mark after my first meal.

    I eat all day long, I just mostly log it all in the breakfast category.
  • kayaksara
    kayaksara Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    I think you can lose weight on what you are doing. I have in the past. Now I am 43 and want to keep my cholesterol in check along with just being healthy in general. I pretty much follow clean eating about 90% of the time. I feel sooo much better. And my face and skin look younger and fresher too. And artificial, processed foods leave me hungry for more. So I don't see the point any more. I just ate 1/2 cup of steel cut oats with a cup of blueberries and that will keep me full for 2-3 hours. And I don't crave anything bad for my next meal...which will most likely be my afternoon spinach salad! Good luck! :happy:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    I glanced at a couple days of your diary and it didn't look bad. If you eat a lot of processed foods, I'd suggest tracking fiber, as many are lacking in it.

    If you want to "clean" up your diet, do it gradually. Just make one or two changes for now. Once that becomes habit, make another. Keep going until you are satisfied.
  • girlnextdoor64
    girlnextdoor64 Posts: 5
    Options
    Extreme attitude leads some people to failure...Somewhere in the middle I think is a good compromise..Everything we do regarding our body should be a lifestyle not a diet, HATE this word..."diet"....

    This.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Options
    As nearly everyone has said, it's about being in a calorie deficit. If you can maintain a deficit and get adequate protein while eating those types of foods, you'll succeed at body recomposition. If you want micronutrient insurance, buy yourself a GMP certified multivitamin.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Options
    The Dirt On Clean Eating
    Worth the read.

    http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/
  • ncl1313
    ncl1313 Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    I'm anti-veggie. I have to hide them in my own food in order to eat them. Here are my favorite tricks:

    Roast them. It makes broccoli and cauliflower less broccoli-y and cauliflower-y.
    Sweet potatoes. Spread mashed on grilled cheese. Make instead of baked potato. Basically sweet potatoes are the best thing ever.
    Zucchini/yellow squash/mushroom-take on the flavor of whatever you cook them in. I hide all of these things on pizza and in spaghetti sauce (pureed carrots can hide in spaghetti sauce too).
    Barilla veggie pasta.
    Spinach. I HATE raw spinach. If I chop it up super tiny with fresh herbs that I like (cilantro, dill, parsley, whatever) it doesn't even taste like spinach anymore.

    BAM! Clean(ish) eating! :)
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Options
    Extreme attitude leads some people to failure...Somewhere in the middle I think is a good compromise..Everything we do regarding our body should be a lifestyle not a diet, HATE this word..."diet"....

    I totally agree with this ^ ^.

    If you're eating at or some below your calorie goal and losing weight then you're doing great. At the beginning I was more concerned with portions sizes and just getting enough fruits and vegetables. Now that it's become more of a habit, I'm tweaking to include cleaner foods. And I think you're right - when you have other people in the household it becomes much more complicated so small changes might be the ticket.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Options
    Law of diminishing returns. It applies to diet as much as anything else in life.

    The vast majority of the health benefits will be gained from just losing the weight, however you may choose to do it.
    Then you'll get a benefit from hitting the correct macros for your goals.
    Then you'll get some incremental benefit from getting all your micros.
    Then a small bump from eating 'clean'.
    Then you may or may not gain some health benefit from specialist diets like veganism or paleo. Of course those diets have other perceived moral or social benefits, but we're talking in the context of health.

    You can argue the exact order that these come to as much as you want. But fact is that if you get the broad strokes right, you'll do ok. Then you can start looking for the incremental improvements, if you so wish.

Categories