We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

"Clean" eating vs. Moderation- what works for you?

13468911

Replies

  • Posts: 4,696 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »

    strawman? just some messages above yours someone wrote:
    "It's all about calorie deficit. Even if all you eat is cake - Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds: edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/ "

    This is used as a means to show that weight loss in general has a positive impact on your health if you're overweight and that a calorie deficit is all it takes to achieve that.

    No one is suggesting *actually* going on an all-twinkie diet.
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    avvgromano wrote: »

    strawman? just some messages above yours someone wrote:
    "It's all about calorie deficit. Even if all you eat is cake - Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds: edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/ "

    I believe the point was that you COULD do it and lose weight, but no one was actually recommending it...
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »

    He did it to illustrate a point - that as far as weight loss is concerned, CICO is all that really matters.

    No-one, and I mean no-one, is going to be eating an exclusive Twinkie diet as a matter of course.

    Why is this so difficult to grasp?

    because the clean eating mentality is to always fall back on the strawman that moderation = 100% twinkies all day.
  • Posts: 164 Member
    I am still very new here - 35 days I think, and I am eating what I like in moderation and within my calorie allowance. I have lost 6 pounds since joining MFP. I'm not going to try any diets or work-outs that I know I will not keep up with. That's just me - I know it will be sabotage if I do. I like candy, cake, etc - but within reason, and for me to say I am trying to get healthy, therefore I will never eat this again, well, that is a lie! I log every snack, soda, etc just so I can see where I stand throughout the day.

    I didn't even know the details of what "eating clean" actually was until reading this thread. I had heard of it, but didn't know the specifics.
  • Posts: 1,525 Member
    They aren't mutually exclusive options. You can eat as clean as you want, using whatever definition of "clean" you want to use.. Unless you do that in moderation and stay in a deficit you're not going to lose any weight.
  • Posts: 4,696 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    because the clean eating mentality is to always fall back on the strawman that moderation = 100% twinkies all day.

    Exactly. And none of them reply or acknowledge when informed that their ridiculous idea of our moderation is not the case. They only hear what they want to hear and then go about their merry way, skipping into the sunset and spewing their misinformation all over the place.

    It's frustrating.
  • Posts: 6,035 Member
    edited February 2015
    Mapes84 wrote: »
    In the past 5 years or so, I have really noticed what seems to be an enormous shift in what is considered the "ideal" diet. So much emphasis is now placed on eating only whole, unprocessed foods, no added sugar, nothing artificial, ditch "white" carbs, etc. Paleo this, Whole 30 that, don't eat gluten, don't eat bread, etc. I totally get that nutrition and weight loss are two totally different things. What I am curious about is how are "real" people who are currently *successfully* losing weight actually eating? Do you have the occasional bowl of sugar cereal if it fits into your calorie allowance, or are your 1200 calories (or whatever your number is) strictly filled with vegetables, nuts, and organic chicken breasts? I want to know what REALLY works for you, not just what is "ideal".

    On the bolded, I personally do not think nutrition and weight are two totally different things. I think one of the best things you can do for your health is maintain a healthy weight. So IMO they are interconnected. IMO, the individual needs to find what is sustainable for them for the long haul. For me it is moderation...
  • Posts: 164 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    calorie deficit is what works for everyone….

    everything else - moderation, clean, low carb, no carb, etc is just a tool for creating said deficit…

    POW!!!!

  • Posts: 2,424 Member
    Just going to sit back and enjoy the dogpile on the "clean eating" camp while ignoring how many times people who mention giving up a single food (not an entire macro) are accused of using woo woo diets instead of it being acknowledged that they are moderating their own food. The defensiveness in the pro-moderation posts is quite entertaining viewing.
  • I don't eat 100% clean, but I do eat in moderation so if I want that candy bar, ice cream, or brownie I just work in my calorie goal.
  • Posts: 9,026 Member
    i was doing moderation for a while. i'd have a glass of wine or two most nights, some kind of sweet on a daily basis, not to mention some take out and deli foods. sure i would count it all, but my weight never really dropped. i knew i had to change my diet to really see a drop in weight.

    basically, i had to moderate my moderation.

    now i fill up with fruits and vegetables, and do 90% of my own cooking and snack preparation. yes, i will still have a drink, but it's limited to two days a week, and just to two drinks. i'll still have sweets, but those are very very limited as well, and i'm also more conscious of what kind of sweets i'm having. and i've started weighing and measuring EVERYTHING.

    and since doing this i've dropped about six pounds in 2 months.
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Just going to sit back and enjoy the dogpile on the "clean eating" camp while ignoring how many times people who mention giving up a single food (not an entire macro) are accused of using woo woo diets instead of it being acknowledged that they are moderating their own food. The defensiveness in the pro-moderation posts is quite entertaining viewing.

    almost as amusing as the verbal gymnastics the clean eating folks go through to define what they can and cannot eat....
  • Posts: 6,035 Member
    i was doing moderation for a while. i'd have a glass of wine or two most nights, some kind of sweet on a daily basis, not to mention some take out and deli foods. sure i would count it all, but my weight never really dropped. i knew i had to change my diet to really see a drop in weight.

    basically, i had to moderate my moderation.

    now i fill up with fruits and vegetables, and do 90% of my own cooking and snack preparation. yes, i will still have a drink, but it's limited to two days a week, and just to two drinks. i'll still have sweets, but those are very very limited as well, and i'm also more conscious of what kind of sweets i'm having. and i've started weighing and measuring EVERYTHING.

    and since doing this i've dropped about six pounds in 2 months.

    You can be practicing moderation and still eating too much, which is what it looks like you were doing...
  • Posts: 46 Member
    For the past two years my whole family has started "clean" eating. It has taken that long to adjust. What i mean by clean is we've cut out as many processed chemicals that we possibly can. We follow one basic rule dont get anything with more then five ingredients. Nothing with chemicals used in any type of cleaning. (You would be amazed at how many processed foods have these chemicals.) Organic meat as much as possible! We are working on getting our own chickens and we are also buying a cow with another person who can take care of it. This is all so that we dont get the chemicals that are fed/processed in meats. It is a hard lifestyle to have, but i feel good about what i feed my family. Given all that i must also say that every once in a while we do eat a bag of doritos or something along those lines. Of course we also eat in moderation because moderation is important whether you eat clean or not.
  • Posts: 4,696 Member
    For the past two years my whole family has started "clean" eating. It has taken that long to adjust. What i mean by clean is we've cut out as many processed chemicals that we possibly can. We follow one basic rule dont get anything with more then five ingredients. Nothing with chemicals used in any type of cleaning. (You would be amazed at how many processed foods have these chemicals.) Organic meat as much as possible! We are working on getting our own chickens and we are also buying a cow with another person who can take care of it. This is all so that we dont get the chemicals that are fed/processed in meats. It is a hard lifestyle to have, but i feel good about what i feed my family. Given all that i must also say that every once in a while we do eat a bag of doritos or something along those lines. Of course we also eat in moderation because moderation is important whether you eat clean or not.

    My salads have way more than 5 ingredients, and I use vinegar in cleaning all the time.

    You never consume vinegar? Or baking soda?
  • Posts: 5,481 Member
    "Clean eaters" who say they get bloated or whatever after they eat "bad" food, I believe it's all in their heads, unless you have a REAL medical issues that have been diagnose by a doctor an not themselves. Cause if really had issues then why would you keep eating it prior to weight loss or getting healthy and now all of sudden you/they have issues now.
  • Posts: 770 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »

    He did it to illustrate a point - that as far as weight loss is concerned, CICO is all that really matters.

    No-one, and I mean no-one, is going to be eating an exclusive Twinkie diet as a matter of course.

    Why is this so difficult to grasp?

    Challenge accepted.

    200.gif
  • Posts: 770 Member
    edited February 2015
    Eeep. double post... nothing to see here. **slinks away**
  • Posts: 4,696 Member
    Serah87 wrote: »
    "Clean eaters" who say they get bloated or whatever after they eat "bad" food, I believe it's all in their heads, unless you have a REAL medical issues that have been diagnose by a doctor an not themselves. Cause if really had issues then why would you keep eating it prior to weight loss or getting healthy and now all of sudden you/they have issues now.

    Yep, they read some article about certain foods causing inflammation and BAM, they're bloated after eating said food. And omg they feel soooo much better since cutting it out. Clearly that particular food is the root of all evil.
  • Posts: 6,035 Member
    When someone says, "I eat 80% clean with the occasional cheat", they are practicing moderation...
  • Posts: 9,026 Member
    J72FIT wrote: »

    You can be practicing moderation and still eating too much, which is what it looks like you were doing...

    most likely. also, i was guesstimating the take-out that i was buying, so i'm sure i was not eating at the deficit that i thought i was.
  • Posts: 10,330 Member

    http://www.burnthefat.com/cold_weather_fat_loss.html

    I never said that was meant for all but some people do have issues losing fat in the winter versus the summer. Some of that can be attributed to activity as well - summer is a very active time - I don't find myself at home at all really during the summer - so moving around helps achieve a greater use of calories than in the winter.

    You are right, some do. I'm one of those. I have made it a habit to maintain during winter months and lose during spring/summer. Reason? I want to sit in my warm cocoon and even getting up to drink water is a chore (brrrrrrr). Even when I don't intentionally move less, I have noticed my average non-exercise steps in the winter are around 2500 compared to around 6000 in the summer. Plus, for some reason I feel even colder than normal on days I exercise. I'm not sure why.

    Yeah I know, excuses excuses, but it works for me so why not? I get to practice maintenance afterall, so it isn't all to waste.
  • Posts: 834 Member
    Why are we rehashing this again, seriously people stop, just stop. No one is going to change thier opinion about this on an internet forum.
  • Posts: 6,035 Member

    most likely. also, i was guesstimating the take-out that i was buying, so i'm sure i was not eating at the deficit that i thought i was.

    Yeah it can be tricky. Even figuring out what your caloric intake should be is a guess at best...
  • Posts: 2,424 Member
    Serah87 wrote: »
    "Clean eaters" who say they get bloated or whatever after they eat "bad" food, I believe it's all in their heads, unless you have a REAL medical issues that have been diagnose by a doctor an not themselves. Cause if really had issues then why would you keep eating it prior to weight loss or getting healthy and now all of sudden you/they have issues now.

    Where I live, doctors don't diagnose medical issues unless you tell them about them first. Apparently you have more psychic powers than they do, since you can declare it's all in someone's head, yet anyone who has been diagnosed with the multiple possible reasons someone has digestive issues can tell you, you know about them long before a doctor has anything to say about it.

    As for why did they keep eating it prior to weight loss, that's how an elimination diet works. You stop eating something, and if your problem keeps happening, that wasn't the cause. If it stops happening, that probably was the cause. You eat it again, the symptoms come back, more evidence it was the cause. Until you do that, you don't know what's causing it, unless, of course, you're psychic.
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    Why are we rehashing this again, seriously people stop, just stop. No one is going to change thier opinion about this on an internet forum.

    yet here you are...
  • Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited February 2015
    Why are we rehashing this again, seriously people stop, just stop. No one is going to change thier opinion about this on an internet forum.

    If someone is dead set on labeling the way they eat as "clean," then more power to them.

    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    People who are just starting may think that eating "clean" is the be all end all to health and weight loss, try to eat clean, realize that deprivation sucks, and give up altogether because they failed. When in reality they didn't fail.

    People can eat what they like and be healthy. You don't have to limit your diet to chicken, broccoli, and quinoa to be healthy. You can eat chicken, broccoli, quinoa, AND cake and be healthy, both mentally and physically. We are trying to get people to understand that.

  • Posts: 6,035 Member
    The point of these types of discussions is to let people, such as OP, who are on the fence about something and are miserable while trying to eat "clean," know that eating clean is not the only way to be healthy and lose weight.

    Yep...

  • Posts: 916 Member
    Yep, they read some article about certain foods causing inflammation and BAM, they're bloated after eating said food. And omg they feel soooo much better since cutting it out. Clearly that particular food is the root of all evil.

    I also have to wonder about the magical food that doesn't bother them when it's organic, even though the store-bought, commercial version will "tear up" their insides. Come on, people. It's an egg or an apple or a cut of beef. A "yard egg" (as we call them around here) will taste and digest the same way as an egg from the grocery store or from Walmart. I've had both on my counter and in my food at the same time and cannot tell the difference except for color and firmness of the white as it comes out of the shell.
  • Posts: 4,696 Member

    I also have to wonder about the magical food that doesn't bother them when it's organic, even though the store-bought, commercial version will "tear up" their insides. Come on, people. It's an egg or an apple or a cut of beef. A "yard egg" (as we call them around here) will taste and digest the same way as an egg from the grocery store or from Walmart. I've had both on my counter and in my food at the same time and cannot tell the difference except for color and firmness of the white as it comes out of the shell.

    It's self validation for some people, and I suppose it can be comforting to the uninformed.
This discussion has been closed.