I hear ya! I read the thread you were referencing, and I have to say that you handled yourself admirably. I never post on the main forums because it can get kind of snarky over there. Especially posting about clean eating in the fitness forum! I sometimes see reasonable discussion of clean eating on the nutrition forum, but there will always be someone piping in with full on denial of toxins, or a defense of GMOs as being "a faster form of natural selection." (I read that one earlier today). It is very frustrating!!

Honestly, I think most people don't like to have their behaviors challenged, and unless someone asks for specific advice on cleaning up their diet, they're unlikely to be swayed by actual information. That's not to say you shouldn't put it out there, but only with the full knowledge that there will be tons of faulty logic thrown right back at you, often angrily. :grumble:

I almost found myself wanting to pipe in about pesticides and endocrine disrupters and soy, but I don't have the constitution to brush off the haters. My older sister has thyroid cancer, and I tend to take those discussions too personally. That's why we have this group, and our friends lists.....

I'm sure you're calmed down by now, but here's a reminder for the healing power of a nice deep breath!

PMS is getting to me this weekend, so haven't been eating clean. I feel like crap too. Normally, I eat pretty clean. I really believe in eating good food and it's helped me lose weight. When people want to know how I've done it I usually say "exercise." I do believe it is the main reason, but changing my food intact from sugary fatty things to healthy choice really helped too. People don't want to know that. They can barely get past the exercise comment. Everyone wants the magic pill or magic diet. Just doing what my Dr. told me to do 30 years ago is what helped me. I too, didn't listen for many years. I'm a convert now. I love Tosca Reno's books and how she writes down what we should already know.

Yep, it's full of daggers in there!

hi conniedj, i first heard of clean eating through someone else's curiosity on one of the forums on fp. after a week or two of wondering what it was really all about, i googled it and have started to replace the food i have in the house with clean eating items. i am following the principal of eating 5 - 6 times a day and am enjoying it a lot!!! i think some of my family think i'm strange, but others seem to have just accepted that it's what i do now and have asked a few questions. i explained to my parents that it's similar to a world war two eating regime without the deprivation lol!

As for exercise I go to the gym and work with a trainer. I do take some of the free classes offered too. Boot Camp and Group Strength Training being the classes that closely resemble a workout with a trainer. I've had my trainer write work outs down for me as i don't remember them well. So, I have a clipboard of workouts that I do on my own when i don't feel like doing a class.

My workouts are a combo of strength training and cardio. I've gotten so muscular over the past year. Can't wait until I'm down to my goal weight and it's more obvious how toned I am.

Great job Conniedj for training for another triathlon. I'm not quite up to doing that just yet. Next month I'll do a 5K and an obstacle course. Not sure running is my thing. I'm looking into taking a sculling class or basic rowing as they like to put it for those of us (me) that don't know what it's called.

I used to drink tons of Diet Coke. I haven't had one in almost 8 weeks now. I don't feel worse for it, and now I drink tons of water and some green tea. I'll have the occasional black tea (iced and unsweetened) or herbal tea, but that's it. I guess I look at it this way: if other people want to drink Diet Coke or eat highly processed foods, that's their choice, and I'm not going to be judgmental or critical of their choice (and I'm not saying that anyone else here is). The best thing to do, IMO, is to lead by example.

My family doesn't eat 100% clean. However, I'm slowly working us in that direction. For example, this week we had the ginger lime crunchy salmon from one of the Eat Clean Cookbooks. It was incredibly delicious. Like "OMG, why didn't we make this before or make more of this" delicious. LOL I've already told everyone I know how great it was and recommended the cookbook. Last night we had homemade turkey burgers on whole grain buns and sweet potato "fries" - again, super yummy. Tonight is leftovers and tomorrow is another Tosca Reno recipe (slow cooker chicken cassoulet). Every tasty recipe we incorporate is another clean thing that my family can enjoy.

I am setting an example for my kids by giving up soda (they don't get any anyway). I am showing them that eating good, whole foods (like a banana for a snack instead of goldfish) is a great choice for their growing bodies. I am also showing them that a commitment to exercise makes you healthier and happier (I am never a better mother than when I am regularly exercising - less irritability, more energy and happier in general).

It's the same thing on the forums here. Live well, eat well and show the results that you have - other people will naturally want to get the same results. If they don't or if they've found something that works for them, well good for them.

And FWIW, I would never be with you on the raw milk thing. LOL I *hate* the taste of it. It's probably because I grew up on a dairy farm and always had raw milk growing up and developed an aversion to it. Now, I drink almond/coconut milk and am much happier.

For workouts, I am doing a boot camp style workout at my local Zumba gym. I go 4 x a week at 5:45 in the morning, including Saturdays, which is really a challenge! It is a 45 minute workout that does everything from strength training to cardio. It is a very fast-paced 45 minutes. I also go to 2-3 Zumba classes per week. The other thing I have done is started taking the stairs at work, at least some of the time. I work on the 5th floor, so there are LOTS of stairs. I've lost 21.2 pounds in 7 weeks, so it's working.