do i need to 'eat clean'

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  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    Some people find it easier to eat clean because the food tends to be less calorie dense and you can eat more in terms of mass without going over your calorie goal.

    Some people can't sustain a deficit without giving themselves 'treats' to keep themselves sane.

    Both groups tend to aim for a good balance of nutrients which is important whilst you're on a deficit.

    ETA: A good balance of nutrients is important all the time. But even more so in a deficit.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    By eating clean, you maximize you do a few things like bring your boy back to homeostasis (it's normal working function before you gained all the weight), it helps your body to fight better against disease & illness, and it make your body work better.
    Do you have any citations to show that if you already have appropriate micro-nutrient levels, having more will make you even healthier.
    Everything I've read suggests otherwise.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Only if that's what you want to do.

    Will now wait for the chorus of people suggesting that you wash your pop tarts before you eat them so they are "clean". Ho hum.

    LOL those people are so annoying.

    Almost as annoying as the people who insist that you need to eat clean to lose weight. Or avoid carbs, sugar, alcohol, fat, and on and on and on and on.

    That's fine, but none of the people you describe are in this thread at the moment. I don't see anyone saying you need to eat clean to lose weight here. We're talking about the anti-"clean" eating police, who are indeed very annoying. LOL.

    And I see no one suggesting that you wash poptarts.

    So...
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    It's a personal choice. I choose to eat as much unprocessed/prepackaged food as possible because i like eating more vegetables and fruits, I like avoiding unnecessary chemical ingredients (yes, I know everything is a chemical, you know the type I'm talking about), and I like that whole/fresh/natural foods allow me to eat more because they're generally lower in calories. If I were only eating hot pockets and pizza I'd never be able to eat enough to feel full.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Only if that's what you want to do.

    Will now wait for the chorus of people suggesting that you wash your pop tarts before you eat them so they are "clean". Ho hum.

    LOL those people are so annoying.

    Almost as annoying as the people who insist that you need to eat clean to lose weight. Or avoid carbs, sugar, alcohol, fat, and on and on and on and on.

    That's fine, but none of the people you describe are in this thread at the moment. I don't see anyone saying you need to eat clean to lose weight here. We're talking about the anti-"clean" eating police, who are indeed very annoying. LOL.

    And I see no one suggesting that you wash poptarts.

    So...
    This time.... you gotta admit, these threads usually devolve in to washing and showering jokes.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It's a personal choice. I choose to eat as much unprocessed/prepackaged food as possible because i like eating more vegetables and fruits, I like avoiding unnecessary chemical ingredients (yes, I know everything is a chemical, you know the type I'm talking about), and I like that whole/fresh/natural foods allow me to eat more because they're generally lower in calories. If I were only eating hot pockets and pizza I'd never be able to eat enough to feel full.
    For me one of the things I look for is whether something has, say HFCS when it didn't use to, and doesn't need to, and when there's an alternative that doesn't. One example: tortillas. Many commercial and restaurant brands have HFCS. Yes, they've replaced fat with sugar. I skip those tortillas. Bread with HFCS? I skip it. There's no need for HFCS in bread.

    Of course I don't just mean HFCS.

    Yogurt with dye? Why?

    But again, all a personal choice. Not something one must do to lose weight. One only has to create and keep a calorie deficit. How one does it is a personal choice. For me not having added sugar where it doesn't need to be makes it easier for me to not get hungry, and to therefore eat the number of calories I want to.
  • freekat
    freekat Posts: 71 Member
    You need to eat food...
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Abs are made in the kitchen means you can exercise all dang day but if you eat a billion calories of crap a day it's probably not going to do you any good. It's not necessarily about what you eat in the kitchen - but how much. I love the idea of clean eating (my definition of it anyway) but is a f-ing ton of work and I just don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen every day.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    You don't need to. But if you want to be healthy overall and not just lose weight, it's generally good to eat somewhat clean.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    You don't need to. But if you want to be healthy overall and not just lose weight, it's generally good to eat somewhat clean.
    Why? And what definition of 'clean' are you using?
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    Eat to fuel your body. However you want to do that.

    This.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    You don't need to. But if you want to be healthy overall and not just lose weight, it's generally good to eat somewhat clean.

    I eat a wide variety off foods-including fast food 3-4 time a week, packaged/'processed' foods, diet soda by the bucket full and also daily salads, green smoothies, nuts and seeds, whole grains etc. I don't label food 'clean' or 'unclean' - good or bad. I'm very healthy-no longer have a glucose level in the pre-diabetic range, have excellent blood work results, have no health issues /complaints, I'm maintaining my weight loss and look pretty good for a 35yr old mom of three kids :smile:

    I eat what I enjoy in moderation and don't get bogged down by pointless labels, rules and restrictions. Eating this way is something I can do for 40+ more years for maintenance. That's part of the reason why I'll be part of the 5% that are successful at this whole thing.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    You have to define "clean eating" for yourself. For me it is having high food quality standards, which includes minimal processing/as few artificial additives as possible, natural/organic, and/or hormone & steroid free. This is just a perfect world standard which I fail often, as my schedule just doesn't allow for doing this all the time.

    But as we've witnessed on MFP over and over, you can treat your stomach like a garbage disposal, dump anything you want in it, and still lose weight as long as you only dump in a reasonable amount of calories.

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