a week of clean eating

Options
135

Replies

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Options
    Ahh ... a "whole food" .. introducing yet another arbitrary, subjective, and therefore meaningless term into the discussion.

    ETA: Based on your diary, heaving whipping cream must be a "whole food" along with coffee which is heavily processed from its natural, cherry pit state to a roasted and ground product suitable for making a beverage.

    I know perfectly well my diet isn't clean and I've never described it as such. There's some sort of gum or wax in my cream, MSG in the soup mix I use, some bunch of letters (BHT... BBT I don't know) on my pepperoni that is apparently so bad for you there's a warning label on the front of the package... and I could go on all day with this.

    But I do think eating whole foods is the ideal so I try to do that as much as taste, convenience and budget allows. That anyone thinks there's something wrong with this is certainly telling.

    Define "whole food"
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
    THAT is why.
    And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

    If you know that what you want to do is eat fresher foods, just do that. Cook for yourself, is really the bottom line. Check in the Recipes forum for tons of ideas.

    For some people, "clean" means no sugar. For others, it means completely organic. You get to decide for yourself what it means.

    Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think I'd get crucified for asking a simple question. Yes I should have put more detail into the question, but still. I will not be asking for help on here for further reference! Lol

    A week to see how my body feels, if I can do it, if its sustainable for me at this point on my journey. A trial period. Yeah I get that I can lose weight eating twinkies as long as its within my goal, but I'd like to see if I feel better in general without all the processed crap.
    THAT is why.
    And yes, I get that it's all about CICO.

    What food is there that doesn't go through at least one process before consumption?

    I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.
    I'm talking about prepackaged meals vs doing everything from scratch and following pretty simple recipes.

    You can ask the mods to remove the question if you don't want to see the barrage of standard 'let's bash clean eating' replies. Just click on flag under you OP then Report and choose 'this is my post and I'd like it deleted'

    no one is bashing anything..

    The OP asked, and got answers..

    debate/providing answers does not equal bashing, no matter how much you want to think that.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Options
    clean eating
    A term applied to a wide range of 'healthy' eating habits, usually by people with an unhealthy obsession with fitness and/or body weight. It is mostly a means of garnering praise or approval from peers and making anyone who isn't into clean eating feel like their food is somehow dirty.

    Clean eaters are obliged to post on social media about their 'clean' meals at least daily, and should never post about any non-clean meals they consume, so as to give the impression that they are strict clean eaters and their discipline is something to be admired.

    If taken literally, clean eating is eating food in its most natural state. In practise though, clean eating can include all manner of processed foods such as milk, pasta, cheese and bread, depending on individual interpretation.
    I just LOVE this new celery, carrot and cottage cheese combo! Clean eating ftw! #fitness #cleaneating #rawfood #healthy #5kgin5weeks
    by n3xia August 04, 2014

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=clean eating&utm_source=search-action
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
    Options
    Hooray for Friday!!
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Options
    While it looks like the OP might have flitted off, in case she comes back, I'll add my 2 cents. I get what everyone's saying about "clean" eating, but I also thing what the OP is suggesting might be helpful for her. When I was trying to get back on track with my eating and starting back with MFP, I did what I would call "Paleoish" eating for a month. It was really helpful for me to learn what was satisfying and what was not satisfying and also to break some bad habits I had gotten into (like not walking past a doughnut in the break room). While I now fit treats into my eating often (mmm....ice cream!) and eat lots of heavily processed foods, having the complete break from them helped me fit them in more consciously and helped me learn when I really want them and when I really don't. It also taught me how much more satisfying non-treat foods are, so when I have a day (like yesterday) when I did choose to eat the doughnut in the break room, I understand why I felt starving all day.

    For the OP, I would agree with others that you should commit to longer (at least 2 weeks, probably a month). Also, just figure out what "clean" means to you and then stick with it. Don't stop weighing and tracking, though, because you will both learn more about your own eating (what types of foods in what amounts satisfy you) and because you can certainly gain weight eating the most basic of foods.
  • MillyFleurs
    MillyFleurs Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.
  • Kexessa
    Kexessa Posts: 346 Member
    Options
    Kexessa wrote: »
    Clean eating to me means:

    No food found lying on the side of the road.

    No food taken from a garbage can. This is subjective. If it's a candy bar, and it's laying on top still completely sealed it may be seen as 'clean' food.

    No food from a dumpster. Not even sealed.

    No food my dog licked. This is also subjective. If it's an ice cream cone, we can share.

    The 5 second rule for the kitchen floor can be extended by as much as 25 seconds if I just cleaned the floor.

    Chocolate covered crickets are not food. I don't care how clean they were processed.

    Other than that, if it's edible and I'm around and hungry, it's in danger.

    But what if chocolate covered crickets fit into your calories and macros? ;):o

    Just because I had to see, Insect - Crickets is in the MFP database. At 100g RAW. At least cover them in chocolate so I can pretend it's rice krispies in there. :o

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    Your logic has a flaw. If your workouts are better because of clean eating, how could you then "have a great session after a huge piece of cake too". The cake assertion negates your claim that your workouts are better because of clean eating.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Options
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    I am not trying to start a debate here. I'm a newbie with a question, settle down.

    The forums here are used more for entertainment than anything else, unfortunately. You might have better luck checking out a clean eating group here or looking for another forum altogether -- maybe on Reddit or Facebook? Here's some links:

    MFP - Clean Eating Group
    r/Clean Eating

    Aha - I understand now. "Clean Eating" means buying your groceries at Whole Foods.

    That's what I always assume someone means* when they say clean eating given the context of the posts and I haven't been wrong yet. Why everyone here pretends they don't know what they're talking about is beyond me.

    *eating whole foods, not shopping at a particular store

    Why does "whole" = "clean"?
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Options
    I get you, OP. I assume by clean eating you mean to cut out empty calories and junk foods and cook/snack on more simple (fewer ingredient) foods.
    If so, yes! Give it a shot. Try a couple of weeks, though. I'll admit this is not my first rodeo and those bad habits are just a couple "comfort" slip ups away for me. I've found that what helps me make that initial adjustment with dietary changes and eating at a deficit is cutting out food I don't need to eat and filling up on nutritious food. I know most people here don't care for elimination diets or the term "bad food" but if certain foods or types of foods are a problem for you, you should avoid them. Kind of like how a problem drinker should avoid bars.
    It takes me a while to break bad eating habits with slip ups all along the way, but after about a month I form an easy rhythm of: "do I need to eat this? will I be hungry later? if I don't eat this today, I can splurge when out another day" and so on. I also quit wanting those problem foods so much.

    What I'm hearing is "Eat more potato chips." Not empty calories: they are an excellent source of potassium. Only 3 ingredients. Minimally processed ... convenient clean food.
  • MillyFleurs
    MillyFleurs Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    And yes, my diet affects my mood when eating at a deficit. 200 calories of an apple and peanut butter is way more filling than 200 calories of potato chips.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    Yes! I think that's exactly it--break the habit by being super strict so you don't have to think about it as much. And, I agree with you, Milly, that people seem to forget that they're often talking with newbies, for whom it may be more helpful.
  • MillyFleurs
    MillyFleurs Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    Your logic has a flaw. If your workouts are better because of clean eating, how could you then "have a great session after a huge piece of cake too". The cake assertion negates your claim that your workouts are better because of clean eating.
    sullus wrote: »
    I get you, OP. I assume by clean eating you mean to cut out empty calories and junk foods and cook/snack on more simple (fewer ingredient) foods.
    If so, yes! Give it a shot. Try a couple of weeks, though. I'll admit this is not my first rodeo and those bad habits are just a couple "comfort" slip ups away for me. I've found that what helps me make that initial adjustment with dietary changes and eating at a deficit is cutting out food I don't need to eat and filling up on nutritious food. I know most people here don't care for elimination diets or the term "bad food" but if certain foods or types of foods are a problem for you, you should avoid them. Kind of like how a problem drinker should avoid bars.
    It takes me a while to break bad eating habits with slip ups all along the way, but after about a month I form an easy rhythm of: "do I need to eat this? will I be hungry later? if I don't eat this today, I can splurge when out another day" and so on. I also quit wanting those problem foods so much.

    What I'm hearing is "Eat more potato chips." Not empty calories: they are an excellent source of potassium. Only 3 ingredients. Minimally processed ... convenient clean food.

    Neither of you are listening. I never said I'm an advocate of clean eating, I did say I think I understand the OP's question and worked with what she was asking.
    I said avoid problem foods, for me potato chips are a problem food. I said to ask yourself if you need to eat this and will you be hungry later if you do. You definitely don't need to eat potato chips and if that's what you're snacking on, you'll be hungry sooner rather than later.
  • Kexessa
    Kexessa Posts: 346 Member
    Options
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    Aha - I understand now. "Clean Eating" means buying your groceries at Whole Foods.

    I thought Trader Joe's was the new Whole Foods.

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.


    Then you binge when you do give in. That why people bring up eat it in moderation.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    now you are trying to have it both ways. You can't say that clean foods make me perform better, and then flip it around and say "well, yea, I could eat cake and have a great workout session too"..

    I eat ice cream every evening, my workouts are fine. Are you saying if you had a serving of ice cream every night that your workouts would suffer? That makes no sense...
  • MillyFleurs
    MillyFleurs Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    Yes! I think that's exactly it--break the habit by being super strict so you don't have to think about it as much. And, I agree with you, Milly, that people seem to forget that they're often talking with newbies, for whom it may be more helpful.

    Thank you. Just, thank you.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.

    Yes! I think that's exactly it--break the habit by being super strict so you don't have to think about it as much. And, I agree with you, Milly, that people seem to forget that they're often talking with newbies, for whom it may be more helpful.

    Yes but for newbies, it is also often helpful to hear that they don't HAVE to follow some arbitrary way of eating in order to be successful. Many people come in here saying, "I want to eat clean so I can lose weight" as if those things are completely dependent upon each other. The point that many people here are trying to make is that using a term with such a subjective interpretation can lead to frustration and often over-restriction, which sometimes leads to people falling off the wagon and saying, "to heck with the whole thing, I'm just going to give up, this is too hard".


  • MillyFleurs
    MillyFleurs Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Also: my workouts are better, my general mood is better, and my IBS flare ups are shorter.

    that is all subjective...

    one of my best deadlift sessions in a while was after eating a huge piece of cake, which I am guessing is a no no for you...

    I could have a great session after a huge piece of cake too, provided I didn't eat like that for every meal up to that point.
    I think what a lot of people who haven't been out of shape or making poor dietary choices for a while or ever forget what it's like at the beginning. Sometimes in the beginning, the best way to deal with a craving is to not. give. in.


    Then you binge when you do give in. That why people bring up eat it in moderation.

    OR, you learn how to control your cravings and that you are in charge.
This discussion has been closed.