STOP COUNTING CALORIES: EAT CLEAN

berrydana7
berrydana7 Posts: 78 Member
in Food and Nutrition
even though counting calories may be an effective way of losing weight, the process is very tedious. I love using myfitnesspal since i have seen good results from it . The problem i am having is how time consuming it is recording every single calorie you consume. this is a problem for me because my parents cook chinese dishes every night with many ingredients in each dish and i have to just estimate the amount of calories in each dish then record it down. This may be inaccurate too.
I want to make a lifestyle change rather than counting calories daily. Sure this app is great if you want to lose weight quickly but maintaining weight requires you to eat clean. So i just want to make this post to ask if its okay? do u think i should start eating clean as in eating lean meat, vegetables and fruit on a daily basis rather than relying on counting calories in vegetables because obviously vegetables are good for you since they have a lot more nutrients than you can get out of any junk food. do you think this is a good choice? i still want to lose few kilograms but i am just really sick of counting calories in my meals because of the difficulty of estimating them. please help? :)
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Replies

  • Spartan_Tank
    Spartan_Tank Posts: 3 Member
    I think you shouldn't write posts if you have no idea what you're talking about....

    Eating clean means nothing... I've eaten "dirty" for a straight week and still lost a few hundred grams(wasn't a big calorie deficit).

    There is no such thing as clean and dirty LOL. Don't be fooled by the fitness and nutrition industry with this whole "Clean eating". The reason clean foods are considered clean is because they're more satiating. Protein takes longer to synthesize by your muscles and clean foods also have higher fibre content generally so they fill you up for longer meaning your less likely to overeat.

    /rantover
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    It's all activity. All. See what diets were in the. . say 17th century colonial America. Know where the phrase "chew the fat" came from? Exactly.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Counting calories doesn't need to be tedious. It shouldn't take you more than a few minutes a day to log your meals. I preplan each day the night before and often have foods I have had before so it's just a matter of checking off recent selections. In your case, you could do the same with Chinese meals that have similar calorie amounts. As for the clean eating, this is a good read on the topic. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean

    And, being that you've had success using MFP and counting calories, keep going. When something works don't fix it. You lose weight from a calorie deficit, not by clean/dirty eating.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    I think you shouldn't write posts if you have no idea what you're talking about....

    Eating clean means nothing... I've eaten "dirty" for a straight week and still lost a few hundred grams(wasn't a big calorie deficit).

    There is no such thing as clean and dirty LOL. Don't be fooled by the fitness and nutrition industry with this whole "Clean eating". The reason clean foods are considered clean is because they're more satiating. Protein takes longer to synthesize by your muscles and clean foods also have higher fibre content generally so they fill you up for longer meaning your less likely to overeat.

    /rantover

    QFT
  • berrydana7
    berrydana7 Posts: 78 Member
    true, clean eating is more satiating but by eating clean, you are basically filling your body with good nutrients. for example vegetables, chicken.
    you can eat 'dirty' by eating junk food once in a while in a clean eating lifestyle however, you will need to control portion size.
    i am tempted to count calories but sometimes it is just very hard to estimate calories in the food you consume as i said, my parents cook several different dishes during dinner and i basically have to estimate the calories in each dish... so what i am saying is that i want to stop counting calories and eat wholesome, clean food
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    BawxZ.gif

    This is going to get Good.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    true, clean eating is more satiating but by eating clean, you are basically filling your body with good nutrients. for example vegetables, chicken.
    you can eat 'dirty' by eating junk food once in a while in a clean eating lifestyle however, you will need to control portion size.
    i am tempted to count calories but sometimes it is just very hard to estimate calories in the food you consume as i said, my parents cook several different dishes during dinner and i basically have to estimate the calories in each dish... so what i am saying is that i want to stop counting calories and eat wholesome, clean food because surely, it's better to overeat vegetables rather than a mars bar...

    Please define what "eating clean" means to you since there are several Thousands of defintions.
  • PrayerMiracle
    PrayerMiracle Posts: 49
    to OP: try it out for a couple weeks (not counting calories) - just mark down what you eat and volume/weight. also record exercise and minutes you do every day. after two weeks, adjust your intake and exercise output depending on if you lose or gain weight. just my opinion. : )
  • MexicanOsmosis
    MexicanOsmosis Posts: 382 Member
    so what i am saying is that i want to stop counting calories and eat wholesome, clean food

    Yeah, one can still gain weight by eating "clean". It still boils down to calories in < calories out.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Sweetie, I think this eating 'clean' thing will work for you so long as your appetite isn't up the wop. If it's off base you might still eat too many calories to lose weight even if the food is lean.

    I think counting calories has been important for me to reestablish what 'normal' eating actually is.

    What you could do, if you need to count calories and dinners are difficult, is to ask mum and dad to write down a usual recipe, you enter that into your recipe index and tell it that this makes three portions, and it will calculate your calories. You have to do it, but only the once.

    Whether it's broccoli or beans on one day or other really won't much matter. Ie you can choose '1 portion homemade chinese' from your recipe section and not care too much if it was full of carrots or capsicum this time. The real calories will be in the sauce, really.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    I think it means eating in the shower. . .

    . . . or she passed her drug screen. . .
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    BawxZ.gif

    This is going to get Good.
  • ziggiezambi
    ziggiezambi Posts: 253
    I guess it will depend on how many calories are in this "clean food" you speak of.. :huh:
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I think it means eating in the shower. . .

    . . . or she passed her drug screen. . .

    LOL!
  • berrydana7
    berrydana7 Posts: 78 Member
    i agree :) thank you :) i am just concerned that i might overestimate or underestimate calories in which will distort the entire entry >< its quite hard for me to estimate calories spot on.
  • mkbledsoe
    mkbledsoe Posts: 132
    If I am not recording every single thing I eat, then I am overeating. Guaranteed. Eating clean or not, I am a glutton.
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
    I think it is a good idea. Just weigh yourself each day so you can know if you are getting the results you want and you can make adjustments along the way. I think after counting calories for a while its very easy to know "about" how much things cost in calories and estimating should work out..
    Good luck
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I think Weight Watchers has or had a plan where you don't count calories but only eat foods from a certain list. I would personally fail miserably on this plan. I can put tons of calories away from fruit alone without batting an eye. If you think this kind of a plan can work for you, try it out. But you should still have general ideas of things like approximate calories, portion sizes, ingredients.

    If you eat three properly portioned meals a day, following the guidelines on MyPlate (half the plate fruits and veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 grains, serving of dairy-I think this is it, anyway), you will likely do alright. But if you are someone who rationalizes portion sizes or snacks a lot or doesn't eat well-balanced meals, this could be a poor plan for you. (Not just because of calories, but because of inadequate macros/nutrients.)

    Since you aren't preparing the foods, I can see why calorie counting doesn't seem like the right fit for you. Try sticking to portion sizes and see how you do.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    In for another discussion about eating clean. Anyone have snacks?


    Seriously though, OP, if eating clean works for you and makes you happy, then that's great. But it's not the only way to lose weight (I'm down 30 pounds eating all the same stuff I ate before, just less). And as far as the dishes you mentioned, you can use the recipe builder and that will make that part a little easier for you.

    Good luck!
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    i am just concerned that i might overestimate or underestimate calories in which will distort the entire entry >< its quite hard for me to estimate calories spot on.

    this has absolutely nothing to do with eating clean or eating otherwise.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    i agree :) thank you :) i am just concerned that i might overestimate or underestimate calories in which will distort the entire entry >< its quite hard for me to estimate calories spot on.

    Remember you have to underestimate your calories by quite a long way before you truly mess up. Going 100 over or 100 under is not going to be a problem in the long run. The goal calculator will have you set at 500 calories a day under what it would take to maintain you, so as I say, if you count your calories as well as you can, you will be near.

    The problem with not counting them at all is that some sauces can have 1000 calories in them and you wouldn't even know. Some foods can be incredibly lean, and you don't know. I only just, yesterday, discovered that it's only 16 cals for an egg white, when it's 70 cals for the egg!

    Now I can make a choice I couldn't make before, which is, have 2 eggs and 1 white in my omelette and save myself 50 cals.

    So having an idea of calories opens your choices up, gives you power as it gives you understanding.

    but you might find, at your age, that all you have to do to lose weight is give up sweets. Your main diet may already be pretty good. :) My sister hasn't counted a calorie in her life and she's been 54 kg forever.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    true, clean eating is more satiating but by eating clean, you are basically filling your body with good nutrients. for example vegetables, chicken.
    you can eat 'dirty' by eating junk food once in a while in a clean eating lifestyle however, you will need to control portion size.
    i am tempted to count calories but sometimes it is just very hard to estimate calories in the food you consume as i said, my parents cook several different dishes during dinner and i basically have to estimate the calories in each dish... so what i am saying is that i want to stop counting calories and eat wholesome, clean food
    You can gain weight on wholesome clean food too if you eat too much of it. You still need to count, it isn't really that time consuming.
  • berrydana7
    berrydana7 Posts: 78 Member
    thanks for the feedback! i will continue to record my daily intake :) honestly i have tried eating clean twice. once when i ate clean, i did not eat any high GI carbs such as white pasta, white bread, sugar (except fruit) combined with exercise and it worked for me. i tried it again earlier this year and i hoped for the same result but my self control was not that good and i ended up eating more chocolate, ice cream etc. than i thought i would.
    so yeah i guess eating clean really depends if you have the self control to restrain yourself from junk food to lose weight while anyone can count calories and as a long as there is a calorie deficit, they will see result. also eating clean and counting calories can coincide which is what i plan to do :)
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    I once did a program where I did not count a single calorie for any: lean meats, fat-free dairy products, most grains, all fruits and vegetables, one serving of potatoes or pasta or rice (the whole grain kind), eggs (clearly in moderation), beans and legumes, and two servings of oil. I lost 100 pounds in less than a year eating that way. You just eat until you're not hungry anymore, and then you stop (and sometimes I ate until I was full...and I still lost weight). I am trying to get back to that way of eating right now because it was my most successful lifestyle. So yes, it does work. But if you need the structure, then counting calories is helpful.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Maintaining weight has nothing to to with "eating clean". It's about energy balance (CICO). Hit you nutritional needs any way you want. FWIW, I don't find counting calories very time consuming.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    STOP SPREADING CRAZY: EAT FOOD*






    *at appropriate caloric levels and nutritional balance
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    NO.
  • cyndymar
    cyndymar Posts: 73
    Yup sir I agree
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Stop wearing glasses! Only read childrens' books with those huge letters so you don't need glasses.

    Yeah I know they're totally boring and not really worth reading, but who cares about silly things like enjoying life or being happy?
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    my personal definition of "eating clean" is to not eat anything that has fallen on the floor and not been picked up within 5 seconds of falling.

    i also don't eat eclairs out of trashcans. trashcans are dirty.

    everything else is fair game!

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