My Clean Eating Dilemma

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  • ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames
    ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames Posts: 32
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    How long has it been since you changed your eating, OP?

    I've only been clean eating for a little over a week.
  • ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames
    ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames Posts: 32
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    Ihave same problem. Since Im eating healthier, less processed foods, it is sometimes hard to eat a full 1200 (or more if exercising)...and stay within macros limits. I too get very full.

    THANK YOU!!! I feel like everyone thinks I'm either lying or an idiot. When I ate junk I kept my calories between 1200 and 1400 and I did lose weight, but now it feels like eating healthy means I can't get enough. It might have something to do with the fact that I don't have cravings anymore. When I was eating crap I craved crap and was more likely to pig out and now I don't really have any cravings anymore and I try to eat when I'm hungry, but only until I'm satisfied so I don't feel sick and skip more meals as a result. But, now that means not reaching the minimum calorie goal. Nut butter and Vegan protein shakes seem like it might help, though.

    I didn't think you were lying or an idiot. You said you were losing a pound a day!

    You know, about a week ago, I cut out sugar and started eating clean/sorta paleo - and I haven't felt as hungry, either. I am not in the same position you are, at all, but I find it pretty easy to eat 1500 or less, even if I'm exercising a lot. Yesterday I hiked over hills for almost three hours and still only wanted to eat about 1400 calories. Today, however, I was a slug and was hungry - yet not in a craving way. I had bang on 1250 calories today.

    I think for me it has been giving up sweets and eating far fewer what I call "white carbs" (bread, pasta, and potatoes.)

    You said that you are not exercising because you are eating so little. I think maybe you should get some exercise and see if that doesn't get your appetite up. That way, you'll be better able to get crucial nutrients. And, if you can't eat much, make sure that what you eat is very nutrient dense - lots of veggies and fruits.

    Exercising makes me feel full during and after for a while, but it might help me overall throughout the day. I'll try it :)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    How long has it been since you changed your eating, OP?

    I've only been clean eating for a little over a week.

    You will likely find that your appetite will adjust. When I first went to maintenance it seemed like 1700 calories was SO MUCH FOOD. Soon enough it didn't seem like much at all. Now I work out so that I can eat 2000-2200 and that doesn't seem like enough some days.

    I also wouldn't be overly concerned with losing a pound per day during that time frame since you're likely dropping some water weight from a decrease in sodium and a decrease in carbs. Now, if you continue to drop weight at that rate then it's a problem.

    I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to eat more. You should. Specifically I think you should try to get your protein and fats up for body composition and long term health. I'm just saying that some of the panic in this thread is probably unwarranted given the short time frame to which we're referring.
  • ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames
    ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames Posts: 32
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    How long has it been since you changed your eating, OP?

    I've only been clean eating for a little over a week.

    You will likely find that your appetite will adjust. When I first went to maintenance it seemed like 1700 calories was SO MUCH FOOD. Soon enough it didn't seem like much at all. Now I work out so that I can eat 2000-2200 and that doesn't seem like enough some days.

    I also wouldn't be overly concerned with losing a pound per day during that time frame since you're likely dropping some water weight from a decrease in sodium and a decrease in carbs. Now, if you continue to drop weight at that rate then it's a problem.

    I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to eat more. You should. Specifically I think you should try to get your protein and fats up for body composition and long term health. I'm just saying that some of the panic in this thread is probably unwarranted given the short time frame to which we're referring.

    Thank you! You're making me feel so much better! lol I'm trying to build up my calories and I'm doing a little better today. I'm at 585 and it's 3:30pm so I still have dinner and a light snack in the evening left.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    By eating clean I mostly meant eliminating preservatives. That's why I'm okay with tortillas and breads that are made in the grocery store, although, I'd like to move to making them myself, I just decided to take it easy while getting used to all of this.

    I don't take it as an insult and that might be true. I am in counseling for child abuse, so I try not to discount anything that might be psychological in nature.

    I have a follow up appointment in a couple weeks with my doctor. If I can't fix this on my own, I might bring it up. Thank you for your input.

    I'm glad you got a lot of ideas and suggestions. Take good care of yourself! :flowerforyou:
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Why only eat the egg whites? The yolk has many more calories while still being "clean," as you define it. It sounds like you're afraid of eating more. Bananas can easily have 100 calories a piece, peanut butter is 200 calories per serving, etc. It's no secret that I don't "eat clean" (though I dare anyone to tell me that my diet is unhealthy because I eat calorie-dense foods), but there are ways of reaching your goals without eating a lot of processed stuff, if that's what you mean.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,090 Member
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    OP said she does usually eat the egg yolk but just didn't feel like it that day :wink:
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Look into drinking your calories. Smoothies and protein shakes can be made very calorie dense. Add in whey protein, nut butters, almond milk (or similar since you said you're lactose intolerant), etc. Things can add up there very quickly.

    Also, look into adding sauces into the mix -- butter, cream based are great for calories (and I think heavy cream can be tolerated by some lactose intolerant people since it has so little lactose).

    I'm a little surprised that you said you feel full after describing what you've been eating. I was expecting to see a whole bunch of fibrous low calorie vegetables as those can be quite filling for a small amount of calories -- and you've got none of that in the examples given. 60 g of raspberry, a small avocado and 1 egg white fills you up on a consistent basis? Same with a tortilla, 4 oz. of fish and more raspberries? I just find that sort of shocking.

    Plus, you said you've been fatigued lately -- I'm guessing it's because your calories have been so low for the past week. I do wonder if there is something more psychological/emotional going on here...
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    If your diet makes it impossible for you to eat enough to fuel your body, maybe you could try eating something else.
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
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    I had the same problem when I was doing clean eating. I am at 1260 calories a day and when I only allowed myself clean (not processed) foods I had a hard time even meeting that little calorie goal. Peanut butter and almonds became a staple for me. I found that, for me, clean eating was not sustainable. I would do great for a couple of weeks, then fall off the wagon and it was hard to get back on.

    Since I dropped the clean eating, and just concentrated on calories in / calories out, I've been happier, more satified and have stayed more consistent. Losing the same even with fun foods! :tongue:
  • limitles
    limitles Posts: 39 Member
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    I eat 1200-1300 during the week. I usually pre-plan to make sure I won't go over. That might help you stay on track. My diary is open if you would like to take a look, but a typical day looks like this:

    Breakfast: 1/2 cup yogurt with strawberries and bananas
    1 slice Ezekiel bread with 1/2 tbsp honey and 1/2 tbsp sunflower seed butter

    Lunch: 3oz chicken breast, 2 cups of mixed romaine, spinach, and kale, 1/2 oz of crotons, 2 tbsp Caesar dressing, 50 grams kiwi

    Dinner: 3 oz shrimp, 1 oz turkey sausage, 100 grams rice, 75 grams black beans, 100 grams broccoli, 2 tbsp salsa
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,966 Member
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    Do let us know how you are doing in a couple days, OP. Once you eat more calories, your energy should improve by a lot.

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