Struggling to maintain clean diet :(

Maybe that type of eating isn't practical for you. It takes a lot of work and prep to only eat clean (whatever that means as everyone has a different definition). Eat the foods you like at a calorie deficit without the extreme restrictions that don't work with your lifestyle.

Why? How about do 80% whole food and 20% "rubbish" while sticking with your calorie deficit and macros? Or even 60%/40% might still give you enough nutrients. If you are getting everything you need to be healthy why does it matter if you get some extra "rubbish" as long as you stay under your calorie goals and the rubbish doesn't create negative health effects?

Because food that is bad for you is horribly addictive! Just as long as you keep trying it's better to do one week of good stuff and fall off the wagon then to never be on the wagon

danigirl1011 wrote: »

Because food that is bad for you is horribly addictive! Just as long as you keep trying it's better to do one week of good stuff and fall off the wagon then to never be on the wagon

Totally disagree.

Far better to consistently eat a healthy balanced diet with enough protein to maintain muscle, healthy fats, lots and lots of vegetables, some fruit, generally higher fiber carbs, and also some chips or chocolate or ice cream or a dessert of delicious artisan cheese or whatever floats your boat, including perhaps a planned for meal of pizza or McD's if that's your thing, AND to happily maintain a calorie deficit and feel satisfied, than to decide you MUST eat 100% "good stuff" and fall off the wagon and go nuts (because the day is already ruined, after all) and have no deficit and have to start over and be beating yourself up and thinking there must be something wrong with you (or that the food made you do it).

Also, from what I've seen at MFP, thinking you should eat only "good stuff" often results in a less healthful diet than many who eat a variety of foods but try to eat healthfully, since avoiding whatever you have decided is bad doesn't necessarily mean that you are eating good amounts of foods that you need in your diet, like vegetables (a variety, ideally) and protein and healthy fats, for example.

As others have said, OP's issue may well be trying to be too extreme, especially with calories.

Your diary shows that you had 731 calories yesterday and 905 last Thursday and closer to 1000-1200 throughout the rest of the week. The bare minimum considered safe for a man is 1500. If your diary is accurate, it's not surprising that your body wants you to eat some calorie dense foods on the weekend. I would guess that it has little to do with those being "rubbish" and everything to do with your body starving for nutrition.