Do I have to eat 100% clean to lose weight?

I've been using mfp again for the past month and while I lost a solid 8lbs with running, eating back exercise calories, and setting a goal of 1500 cals I have stalled for the past week. However, my diet isn't the healthiest with fries and hamburgers at times because of work. I always pick the correct calorie amount for the junk food but I an wondering if that is what is keeping me from losing weight. I thought it was all about maintaining a deficit but am I wrong?

I agree with most everyone, that a calorie deficit should = weight loss. That said, I know for my body that I can't just eat deficit and exercise. If I eat my "fat" grams daily or even worse, eat over the fat grams and don't make it "good fats" (think avocados, nuts, olive oil, etc), then I risk weight gain or staying the same. That's me who's been on this diet rollercoaster since I was 11 (I'm now 44 and proud of it) and so it's a delicate balance to my lifestyle change because I also risk my body thinking I'm in starvation mode. Your body could be totally different.

If you want to see if eating clean or I should say "cleaner", then plan to bring something healthier for lunch a day or two. Or if you can't, see if the fast food places you go to has a "protein style" burger, and if possible substitute a salad for the fries (okay I have problems with that one too but it's only trying it a couple of days a week for a few weeks), and if not possible, then eat less of the fries or order smaller fries. That's a way to shave off some of the calories and fat from the fast food diet. It's all about moderation and making smarter choices. And I suggest to try it for a few weeks to really gauge if it makes a difference. If it does, then incorporate it into your lifestyle change but if it doesn't, then back to the drawing board and try something else. You have to determine what works for you for the long run.

That's my 2 cents worth.

Unless you have a medical condition that changes the rules, you only need to consume less than you expend to lose fat. What you eat can make a difference in how you look and feel, and even in how quickly you lose, but the deficit is all that is needed.

But, even a thin person can suffer health consequences from a poor diet. A healthy diet does not have to 100% clean, but as you get older you'll begin to see how important eating proper nutrition is. I have many friends my age (50's) who have never been overweight who are now seeing the effects of long term poor diet.

Fat loss = calories in / calories out
Health = more than just that.

The only thing that works is moderation.

For you.

Yes, him.

Well, and everyone else too.

And me. My diary's open. Not clean, but perfectly healthy. Moderate deficit for sustainable weight loss. Ice cream every single day:bigsmile:
Edit: and I'm 45, because, apparently, that matters.

Unless you have a medical condition that changes the rules, you only need to consume less than you expend to lose fat. What you eat can make a difference in how you look and feel, and even in how quickly you lose, but the deficit is all that is needed.

But, even a thin person can suffer health consequences from a poor diet. A healthy diet does not have to 100% clean, but as you get older you'll begin to see how important eating proper nutrition is. I have many friends my age (50's) who have never been overweight who are now seeing the effects of long term poor diet.

Fat loss = calories in / calories out
Health = more than just that.

Hear hear. The earlier you make GOOD habits, the easier it is when you're older.

Yes.

99.375% will not do. You must eat 100% clean.
Of course, eating 100% of something no 2 people seem to be able to agree on is pretty much impossible.

Therefore, it is actually impossible to lose weight.


You're welcome for the dazzling display of logic.

Calorie deficits work for weight loss, but if you really want to tone then eating clean is mandatory. However you don't have to eat clean 100% of time, it will just take longer to tone if you don't eat clean all the time.

:laugh:

What's the reasoning here, anyway? "You'll get diseases" at least makes some sense. What is it about eating clean that would make fat loss faster?

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

No one said anything of the kind.

Reading comprehension=Fail
Smartassery level=Lame

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Well you'll lose weight if youb urn more than 1500 a day, sure.

However, you will suffer a number of nutrient deficiencies, your energy levels will probably go way down, and you'll suffer the downsides of protein deficiency such as lean mass loss.

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Well you'll lose weight if youb urn more than 1500 a day, sure.

However, you will suffer a number of nutrient deficiencies, your energy levels will probably go way down, and you'll suffer the downsides of protein deficiency such as lean mass loss.

Not to mention you will double your chances of starting a grease fire on your skin

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Always someone that cant grasp the concept of moderation and has to take it to the extreme limits to disprove it. Yes you could still lose weight eating nothing but butter but obviously that would be ridiculous.

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Always someone that cant grasp the concept of moderation and has to take it to the extreme limits to disprove it. Yes you could still lose weight eating nothing but butter but obviously that would be ridiculous.

And gross.

Yes. In fact, you can only eat chicken breast and spinach. But you must be vegan. It's a difficult balance, but I know you can do it!

Don't tell anyone, but the secret is Cauliflower chicken substitute. Shhhhhhh

Soo... If I am to believe everybody in this thread, I should be able to eat 1500 calories of butter every day and still fit into my sexy pants. Why has nobody told me this sooner?!?! Thank you folks of MFP for this genius insight!!!

Always someone that cant grasp the concept of moderation and has to take it to the extreme limits to disprove it. Yes you could still lose weight eating nothing but butter but obviously that would be ridiculous.

No, I actually CAN grasp moderation and it's what I've practiced to get to where I am now. My problem with this thread is those that are saying calorie deficit is all that matters. If your goal is to lose weight, yeah, calorie deficit is all that matters. If your goal is to be healthy, then clean eating is better than junk food every day.

With a straight face, can you tell me that 1,800 calories of junk food is going to have the same effect on your body as 1,800 calories of clean (even mostly clean) food?

And to be quite honest, you guys can do whatever you want to do. I don't care.

my ice cream and pizza last night were clean....







I did not drop them on the floor once :bigsmile: