Clean eating vs. just counting your calories

sammy_c_read
sammy_c_read Posts: 22 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
My biggest struggle with weight loss has been making up my mind. One day i tell myself "oh just eat clean and don't worry about counting calories" other days I am like "why cant i just count my calories and eat whatever fits?" I am a student and on M/W I go to school all day so i pack a sandwich and feel guilty about eating the bread and deli meat because they aren't clean but they're also 45 calories bread and all the meat is less than 100 calories. I understand that there is nothing wrong with having to eat certain foods that aren't clean for a good amount of time but why do i get so down on myself about not enjoying/being able to eat "clean"? Is it okay to eat foods that are technically processed but are good in all the calories and macros?
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Replies

  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,900 Member
    edited June 2016
    I carb cycle, 4 days clean eating very low carb then 2 days I eat high fiber carbs. If I really feel like having something I will do it on the 2 days of eating high fiber cabs (my 2 days is Saturday and Sunday) on Mondays I fast.

    On the days I clean eat I will eat less by 200 cals or so. That way I can afford to go over on my weekends.

    This works well for me
  • degenerationwhy
    degenerationwhy Posts: 31 Member
    I would consider multi grain breads and such clean. I eat a can of tuna of multigrain low calorie bread a few times a week and it's under 250 calories and loaded with nutrients. Eating clean to me is more about knowing how your body burns carbs/fat/protein and balancing your nutrient load. While you can lose weight eating anything as long as there is a calorie deficit you will not obtain as much fat loss. Eating clean and knowing your caloric burn per day allows you to balance your nutrient load and preserve lean muscle while coaxing fat burning. I typically shoot for 40% protein 30% carb 30% healthy fats (avocados etc). My resting caloric burn is about 2070 calories so I shoot for 1500-1750 calories consumed most days. Once a week I eat 2500-3000 on a lifting day, this is when I do cheat meals. I like to have high calorie days occasionally to help keep my metabolism from normalizing to the deficit and slowing down. One of the best parts of fitness is getting in touch with your body and learning what you're really made of.
  • JuicerLab
    JuicerLab Posts: 22 Member
    count calories and switch up your exercise routine. switch up your diet. zig zag your calories. eat 6 meals instead of 3, add weight training into your routine. you should bust your plateau. examine all aspecs of your diet and see if your getting excess cals from somewhere including softdrinks. if youve been eating the same thing for a while switch it up, these are the basic ways to break plateaus. they suck but its most likely bc your metab has slowed down too much. bump up the calories by like 300 for a week and then lower by 100 ea week after that, thats called zig-zaging
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    degenerationwhy wrote: »
    While you can lose weight eating anything as long as there is a calorie deficit you will not obtain as much fat loss.

    What are you talking about?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    You don't have to count your calories, but you DO have to reduce them.
    If your idea of clean eating helps you with that, go ahead. But remember that even if you eat that way, if it's too many calories you won't lose a single ounce.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    You can drive yourself crazy trying to eat perfectly or you can enjoy food. If your priority right now is calories, let that be your priority. Use your down time on the weekends to think about, plan, purchase/ prepare cleaner meals if it's still bothering you.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    edited June 2016
    OP, even if you eat "clean" (whatever your definition is) you still have to eat within your calorie limit, or you gain. You can eat "unclean"(whatever your definition is) and lose weight if you eat within your calorie limit.

    So if both statements are true, why not make it easier on yourself and more sustainable by eating both, just make sure to stay in your calorie goals? That way you get your nutrition and the treats that you fancy? Its called having a balanced diet.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I follow an 80/20 rule as a lot here do.

    80% of my food is whole nutrient dense items such as lean meats, whole veggies etc....

    the other 20% whatever I want...could be deli meat on thick white bread or a pie of cake or chips....

    CICO for weight loss but if you are interested in health and nutrition and still living life...this is a great place to start.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    scjamieson644 wrote: »
    My biggest struggle with weight loss has been making up my mind. One day i tell myself "oh just eat clean and don't worry about counting calories" other days I am like "why cant i just count my calories and eat whatever fits?" I am a student and on M/W I go to school all day so i pack a sandwich and feel guilty about eating the bread and deli meat because they aren't clean but they're also 45 calories bread and all the meat is less than 100 calories. I understand that there is nothing wrong with having to eat certain foods that aren't clean for a good amount of time but why do i get so down on myself about not enjoying/being able to eat "clean"? Is it okay to eat foods that are technically processed but are good in all the calories and macros?

    You need to eat in a sustainable way.
    For weight loss you need a calorie deficit. That is all.
    You can choose what food you prefer to eat. Clean eating is a vague term.
    If you want to reduce or eliminate store bought processed foods you can but it will take some extra effort. You could make your own bread and cook meat and slice it up for sandwiches. Not that hard but it takes time and effort.
    You can decide that some store bought foods like bread are fine. There are tons of bread choices. You are still meeting your nutritional needs.
    Guilt is a waste of time in this situation.
  • TristaOnTrack
    TristaOnTrack Posts: 64 Member
    scjamieson644 wrote: »
    My biggest struggle with weight loss has been making up my mind. One day i tell myself "oh just eat clean and don't worry about counting calories" other days I am like "why cant i just count my calories and eat whatever fits?" I am a student and on M/W I go to school all day so i pack a sandwich and feel guilty about eating the bread and deli meat because they aren't clean but they're also 45 calories bread and all the meat is less than 100 calories. I understand that there is nothing wrong with having to eat certain foods that aren't clean for a good amount of time but why do i get so down on myself about not enjoying/being able to eat "clean"? Is it okay to eat foods that are technically processed but are good in all the calories and macros?

    I hear you! I just recently got started here, and I can relate. Over the past 6 months or so, I had put on quite a bit of weight and I was eating fairly clean and unprocessed foods. I had discovered that you can still overeat clean, healthy food. I have followed the 80/20 rule for a long time now. Eating clean 80% of the time. But now I'm tracking, too, to make sure I'm not overeating. Hope this helps!
  • CChandler81
    CChandler81 Posts: 100 Member
    While technically, eating clean isn't required for weight loss, eating clean gets you far more "bang for your buck" in terms of the amount you can eat (i.e. a cup of veggies/chicken/fruit vs a few handfuls of chips/crackers/processed health foods).
    I also feel so much better, gut wise, eating clean. Eliminating mostly bread and dairy has made a huge difference. Same goes for cutting down on sodium. I feel horrible and gain several lbs anytime I have something from a restaurant now, even if it is "healthy" and under calories.

    So although it may not fit into your lifestyle and you absolutely can lose weight eating processed foods, for me personally, the health benefits outweigh convenience hands down.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    CChandler81 wrote: »
    While technically, eating clean isn't required for weight loss, eating clean gets you far more "bang for your buck" in terms of the amount you can eat (i.e. a cup of veggies/chicken/fruit vs a few handfuls of chips/crackers/processed health foods).
    I also feel so much better, gut wise, eating clean. Eliminating mostly bread and dairy has made a huge difference. Same goes for cutting down on sodium. I feel horrible and gain several lbs anytime I have something from a restaurant now, even if it is "healthy" and under calories.

    So although it may not fit into your lifestyle and you absolutely can lose weight eating processed foods, for me personally, the health benefits outweigh convenience hands down.

    you retain water you don't gain lbs.

    and "eating clean" means different things to different people.

    Most here say eat 80% nutrient dense foods and 20% fun foods...because giving up the stuff you love and want can often lead to failure.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    There are higher and lower calorie "clean" and "non clean" foods.

    If I take leftovers from dinner--last night I had lamb, potatoes, brussels sprouts--that's "clean" in most definitions, but can definitely be higher cal than the wrap I otherwise might buy from Pret (I like the shrimp wrap, 390 calories) or the turkey sandwich I get from Potbelly's (290 calories). And those aren't even particularly low cal lunches.

    I ignore the whole "clean" thing (who knows what's supposed to be "clean" anyway, as everyone's definition varies, and some processed foods like the sandwiches I mentioned, smoked salmon, cottage cheese, etc., can be quite filling and helpful). Makes more sense to me to just focus on calories and eating an overall healthful diet, that includes some less nutrient dense foods in moderation as they fit (for example, along with that dinner I had some feta cheese, because tasty).
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    I lost over 1/2 of my current body weight, and have been maintaining for over 2-1/2 years.
    I have found that what worked for me best (after two months of trying "clean eating") was all things in moderation and staying within my calorie allotment. It served me well while losing and has been sustainable so far in maintenance. Everyone is different though, so go with whatever works for you.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Clean food has calories too. Most of us already know what "healthy" foods are, 1-5 ingredient foods, etc. Just do the best you can and don't worry too much about it. Many of us ate organic fanatic to the extreme and became obese eating the healthiest foods on earth, being obese is not healthy either, even though the food was "clean" as clean gets.

    If it's caloire counting you are tired of, just get to the point where you can make the energy estimates in your head as you go through the day. The more you look at the values here on MFP the more you learn and you can eventually stop using it if that is what you really want. Or like me, you log your food mostly for others and stay on here just to motivate the people on your profile.

    Best of luck to you!
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
    I'm down 125lbs in 7 months and I wouldn't say I eat clean at all... But what I did learn to do was count my calories and understand how much I was consuming before. Now I'll have A hamburger instead of 3. I cut sugary pop out completely as its empty Cals that don't make me feel full, and i try to limit foods I can't accurately count to special occasions and give it my best guess.

    I've also found that analyzing your eating patterns and moving the bulk of your days available calories into meals during the periods of highest craving, in my case the evening, I can still keep within my daily calorie limits the majority of the time.
  • demsjtk
    demsjtk Posts: 9 Member
    I also go to school this I usually packed lunch deli. I usually packed low sodium Ezekiel bread with low sodium boar's head oven roasted turkey or roast beef. I usually ask for the thinnest slice size at the deli. Add laughing cow cheese wedge and spinach to the Sandwhich or mozzarella string cheese. I think the key is portion control. This way you can have balance amount of macros and keep sodium low. I usually put 2 slices in my Sandwhich.
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