Just an opinion: Clean-eating vs IIFYM

When people say "clean eating" what do they mean? When they say "if it fits into your macros" what does that mean exactly? You see, I try to eat healthfully because I generally have more energy, I feel better, my blood work looks great. I like to eat whole food and food that isn't heavily processed. I like ice cream and cookies--I'd just prefer that they not have 15 ingredients (12 of which I need to read twice in order to pronounce). In some ways I feel like I fall into both camps.

I also don't believe in lecturing people on what to eat. If the food choices you make work for you-- then go for it! :flowerforyou:

I haven't read this whole thread--just popped in to say that before I saw it, I hadn't heard of IIFYM. After googling it and playing around with calculators, I found out that my current meal plan (around 1700-1800 cal/day) is WAY below my TDEE. Rather than the recommended 15-20% less, it's like 50% less! I should say that I'm a fattie, so I'm sure that's why my TDEE is so high, but I'm really satisfied with my current calorie intake. Is the implication of IIFYM that I would lose weight (or body fat?) more quickly by eating more calories? That seems counter-intuitive--I don't think my body is in starvation mode or anything. In any case, the IIFYM recommendations would actually be physically impossible for me to do: according to the formula, I'd apparently be eating so much protein and fat that I would have to eat negative carbs. I haven't figured out how to do that yet! :huh:

I wouldn't go around saying I'm a "clean eater" mostly because I don't like to sound holier-than-thou (and because to look at me I definitely don't LOOK like a clean eater!), but privately that's sort of how I think about it (without having read much about clean eating--this is just my layperson's understanding). To me that means I mostly eat whole foods, not much that is processed or having artificial ingredients (though I make some limited exceptions to that), and no refined sugar or flour. It's pretty simple because I don't really like to complicate my eating plan. I don't do my version of "clean eating" because I think it's the best or only way to lose weight; I do it because I've determined that I'm a sugar addict and that highly processed foods trigger my urges to binge. Eating this way allows me to not overeat. It's great that some of you can practice "everything in moderation," but for me, it's much, much easier to have zero cookies than it is to have just one.

bummpp

i feel like if you're having anxiety about eating, you probably have some sort of eating disorder...

junk food is for fat people. if you don't wanna be fat, don't eat junk food. arguing won't change that.

No wonder I'm so huge. Why didn't anybody tell me?!

I have mixed feelings about this. I definitely am not an all-or-nothing "clean" eater. If I go out to eat socially or share a special meal with my family, I will probably eat something that isn't "clean," like tortilla chips, white bread, or a cupcake. Because I don't do this sort of thing on a daily or even weekly basis, I do not worry that one meal is going to cause me to gain 5 pounds or die a year earlier than I would have otherwise. But easily 95% of the time, I eat a grain-free diet full of organic fruits and vegetables and wild-caught fish or grass-fed/pasture-raised meats. I do believe it makes a difference in my health because it makes a difference in the way I feel on a day to day basis. I don't think I would feel good if I ate grains every day or if I drank alcohol every day, whether it fits in my macros or not.

Having said that, I don't think anyone should try to force him/herself to eat in a way that they don't find enjoyable. I like the way I eat. It is not hard for me to stick to it, and I don't feel like I am being deprived of anything. And it is reasonable to expect that if you try to give up a whole food group (like grains) after having eaten them all your life, you will probably experience some withdrawal-like symptoms. But if you do it long enough that eating less processed foods becomes habitual and normal for you and you no longer have cravings for those things, then you're not really depriving yourself of them. To me, deprivation is willing yourself not to eat something you really want, to the extent that it causes you stress, as the OP described. But not everyone who gives up certain foods feels that stress, and I really hate that we've started attaching the term "orthorexia" to people who have simply chosen a different lifestyle (yes, I'm calling it a lifestyle because what you put in your body affects literally everything you do). How sick has the world's population become that we are saying you have some kind of illness if you pay very close attention to the quality of food you eat?

I used to follow a clean eating plan, which meant a "cheat meal" and a glass of red wine now and then. It also involved 6 small meals a day. I can remember forgoing a glass of wine for a palmful of. Potato chips and feeling guilty! I remember thinking that my cheat meal should be more "bad". It did work, I was in excellent shape. I felt badly if I had an apple with no protein, I felt bad if I missed a meal, especially <gasp> breakfast. I probably eat close to the same way now at least half the time, the other half I will eat an apple for a snack with nothing else, I'll have popcorn for dinner, I'll drink two glasses of wine with an 800 calorie lunch, and I'll even go four or more hours without eating. And it is just as effective. The main difference is IIFYM makes sense in my head, and I get to make choices:)

How sick has the world's population become that we are saying you have some kind of illness if you pay very close attention to the quality of food you eat?

Not true at all. Just by eating nutritious foods doesn't make one orthorexic. There is a line that someone can crossover into that territory, though. You, obviously, aren't one of those.

There are people that look at food in an unhealthy way. To the point that they may be undereating because they can't get past labeling foods as "clean" or "unclean".

ETA: Or, the thought of eating out at a restaurant causes an extreme level of stress.

In any case, the IIFYM recommendations would actually be physically impossible for me to do: according to the formula, I'd apparently be eating so much protein and fat that I would have to eat negative carbs. I haven't figured out how to do that yet! :huh:

You must have been looking at keto. IIFYM doesn't prescribe 0 carbs. That's not even possible.

I was trying not to give specific numbers because it tells how much I weigh, but oh well. :ohwell: Here's a screenie:

I think a mix of the two works best. Keep good macro balance but don't hinder yourself too much and by the clean eating but try to abide by it as best as possible.

In any case, the IIFYM recommendations would actually be physically impossible for me to do: according to the formula, I'd apparently be eating so much protein and fat that I would have to eat negative carbs. I haven't figured out how to do that yet! :huh:

You must have been looking at keto. IIFYM doesn't prescribe 0 carbs. That's not even possible.

I was trying not to give specific numbers because it tells how much I weigh, but oh well. :ohwell: Here's a screenie:

You wouldn't want to use grams/lb of current weight. For you, it would be fine to use grams/lb of goal weight. That will still be sufficient protein and fat intake.

Thanks for the info! I'll play around with those numbers and see what I come up with. I'm not sure I'll change anything, but I find it interesting to look at the different plans people use! :happy:

junk food is for fat people. if you don't wanna be fat, don't eat junk food. arguing won't change that.

Subjective. I eat junk food at least once a week. Am I that fat?:laugh: :laugh:

This is what I meant about "clean" eaters criticizing others.

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junk food is for fat people. if you don't wanna be fat, don't eat junk food. arguing won't change that.

Well, I guess all the weight and inches I've lost are all negated because I eat "junk" every so often.

And to anyone new reading this..,the above is false.