Clean eating?

From a health perspective the notion of "clean eating" is what is sold by food lobbies as the best option - from a physical result point of view it is a matter of calories in vs calories out.

Clean eating really means nothing, as people have different definitions of what they consider "clean". And you would still need a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

I tried "healthy" eating instead of clean eating (I can't stand plain chicken breasts) and it's been working well for me but of course, that includes exercising and making sure there's a calorie deficit. I'm not sure if it's the same, but for me with healthier eating diet, my weight went down faster than expected and I feel energized the whole day.

PS: My healthy eating consists of chicken or salmon seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder etc. Sometimes I'd cook some curry chicken with greek yogurt. Stir fry spinach / broccoli / kale.. oh, and brown rice. I love brown rice!

I think the main thing with clean eating vs calorie counting is what you're eating. I did the calorie counting, and I did get results but gained it back with time. This time around, a friend taught me how to read labels and eat better. The one thing she told me, which, I thought she was crazy when she said this, was to NOT count calories, just read the labels, as she had taught me. A year later I'm down about 30 pounds and while my weight does fluctuate a few pounds, I've yet to gain any of the weight back.
With the calorie counting, I was fine until I hit my limit for the day. Now, I'm more aware of what I'm eating (protein, carbs, fats) and actually eat more than I did when counting.

For weight loss, clean eating doesn't matter. But for me I found cutting out most refined, simple carbs like bread, pasta, sweets, etc and sticking to whole grains (oats, quinoa, etc) and whole fruits, veggies, chicken, turkey, lean beef and nuts was what was really keeping me on track as far as staying satisfied and decreasing cravings and wanting to binge.
I started my weight loss journey being fairly strict with this way of eating and was doing really well. Was satisfied and didnt feel deprived, didn't even want the sweets, bread etc. Just recently I've been splurging more/ fitting little treats in my cals and its just never enough for me and its a big trigger. I would have a mini Snickers at work and its not enough to just have one. Some can, but I can't. So for now I'll be leaving my splurges for special occasion bday cake type situations.
Also I know "clean eating" is a pretty annoying fad/term, but I don't get why people who are just trying to eat more whole, nutrient dense foods and fewer less nutritious foods get picked apart when they come here for support. It's fine to clarify that it won't speed up or cause miraculous weight loss. But paired with calorie counting, this way of eating I think can help people like me who have... Issues with food to say the least haha.
Also also I realize there are not "bad" foods, but for people who have issues with trigger foods and have trouble saying no once they start, refined carb type foods are about as close to "bad" as you can get.

kristinleah939 wrote: »

Over all I want to be able to eat clean and was wondering if anyone has done so and seen results faster than they would counting calories and exercising?

Weight loss is always a factor of calories in vs. calories out, though there are lots of subdivision of just what is the best to eat. In that, clean eat by most standards is cutting out processed and refined foods. But calories in and calories out STILL is what guides how much you can eat. So it isn't an either/or proposition, but simply a personal choice of what you eat.

My wife did the whole food 30 and was able to drop 7 pounds. In the same time frame I ate salads to burgers, all within my calorie deficit and managed about the same loss. The difference was, she had a lot more prep time and restriction that made it harder to stick with, where I moderated most of the time but could grab something off the shelf or at a restaurant in a pinch. To me, the most important factor of any healthy lifestyle change is, how sustainable it is. I've done shakes, low carb, and tried other changes and for me it just was not practical for my life. Others probably can do it.

Good luck.

I found that by avoiding processed food I could eat more, and still come in under calorie. I wouldn't say bake your own bread but I like to make my own baked beans for example. And I can eat way more with less sugar and sodium, and at a lower calorie count.