Looking for new friends who quit sugar/eat clean :)

No way, I like my chocolate.

Do you know that you will lose the same amount of weight eating a wide selection of fruit, veg and lean proteins, fats then adding a few treats in as long as the calories add to the same amount?

You don't need to miss out on the foods you love, you just need to fit them in.

Congratulations on your weight loss, and you sound like your going to nail 2018!

You might be interested in this group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133-clean-eating-group

I will say, that from reading the group and what others say about "clean eating," I really am not sure what it's supposed to mean, as it varies from person to person. My own view is that eating a nutrient-dense diet made up mostly (not entirely) of foods I cook myself is really helpful to me, and I try to include a lot of vegetables in all meals, and generally to pay attention to nutrition (getting in enough protein, healthy fats, fiber, and a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, mostly plant-based). My impression is that "clean eating" focuses more on avoiding specific food items and not what is included, and for me that's a negative approach, not a positive one, and not mine, but the results may look kind of similar anyway.

I do enjoy sharing recipes and ideas for healthy meals, and I suspect that my meals generally fit the "clean eating" model as many define it (although I eat potatoes, whole grains, and legumes, which some have issues with; use olive oil, which some have issue with; use tofu, which some have issues with; even use occasional protein powder, which some have issues with -- so you see why it's hard to say). My guess is that probably the most useful thing would be to define what types of meals and recipes you are interested in -- you may find that more people than the clean eaters eat about 80% that way (or that way 80% of the time) and have lots of ideas, and you may find that lots of self-proclaimed clean eaters eat foods that you yourself may not consider clean or have super "clean" diets in terms of not eating any prohibited foods, but still in some cases don't eat a lot of vegetables.

I cut out added sugar for a bit, found it wasn't that tough for me, and now mostly eat it in moderation (but not all that much). It's extremely rare for a meal (vs. a dessert) to have added sugar for me (occasionally I use a bit of honey), so IMO if we are talking about main meals and sharing recipes and ideas for them the fact I might have some occasional dark chocolate or pie on holidays probably does not make a difference.

Anyway, congrats on your success so far! Sounds like you are making progress.

I eat clean, no sugar except for natural sugar found in fresh fruits and veggies.

It is definitely a thing and it's a healthy thing! Add me

I try not to label my diet, I don't eat meat except fish, I don't eat dairy except a small amount of cheese, I try to keep the food I eat as unprocessed as possible and the foods I eat I look for the nutritional benefits as well as calories. I try keep sugar (all sugar) under 70g a day and sodium low too which I find I can do most days. I don't allow myself "treat foods" or "cheat foods" as I know that will just sabotage me and incorporating it in my diet doesn't work for me. You have to find what works best for you, what you're goal is whether to just lose weight, change your way of eating altogether, get healthy etc. and by all means ask for advice and research, but don't always take what you're told to be the only way to go. The only certainty is that eating less calories than you burn is the way to lose weight. As I said find what works best for you.

I failed to mention that I have drastically cut back on sugar and avoid refined sugar. I replace the sugar in my recipes with honey or maple syrup. I also have reduced my sodium intake.

I know exactly what it means. What you failed to comprehend is that my strategy is eating lean, clean and green. Others use strategies such as CICO or fasting.

Why are you here? You obviously aren't looking for friends who eat clean. I don't feel like arguing semantics with somebody who is obviously bored and looking to edumacate everybody in his/her opinion. I don't even give a flip if I am wrong. Wooooohooo somebody on the internet disagrees. Big whoop! I am here to find friends who want to live a similar lifestyle. We disagree. The end. [post edited by mods]

You know. See the above response to the others. There are all sorts of threads here at MFP. If you aren't interested in eating clean, then spare us. The posters query was for people who WANT to eat clean. Maybe you are assuming that everyone on this site is here to lose weight. It is called My FITNESS Pal and some of us are here to find a path to a fitter healthier self rather than just lose weight. Honey has antioxidants and both honey (58) and maple syrup (54) have a lower glycemic index than table sugar (65). I am not advocating eating any of them by the spoonfuls. I clearly stated that overall I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. Unlike you, I have a credible site to support my information on honey. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20040618/honey-has-variety-of-health-benefits-news#1 I consider Web MD to be a pretty balanced source of information.
[post edited by mods]

The conversation that's going on will probably scare other like-minded people away from this thread, which is a bit of a shame. I would've loved to come in contact with more people who are interested in eating this way.

MarianMarMoi wrote: »

The conversation that's going on will probably scare other like-minded people away from this thread, which is a bit of a shame. I would've loved to come in contact with more people who are interested in eating this way.

I see that as a good thing - I used to be a poster child for "clean eating". Adopting that approach to my diet made me the unhealthiest I've ever been in my life, both physically and mentally. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

MarianMarMoi wrote: »

I personally don't see why it would be so impossible. Maybe there are people with a more strict view on "clean" food than me, but to me it just means keeping to food that is not processed, cooking from scratch (I'm not sure what to call it in english, sorry).
I know that beside all these unhealthy snacks I've been eating out of habit my "normal food" has been primarily "clean". I don't know if anyone eats 100 % "clean", I probably never will, but I don't see why it would be so wrong to try. Why is this so provocative to some?

So, just eat nutrient dense food most of the time, know you can enjoy less nutritious foods sometimes and still be healthy without the need to feel bad or guilty about it.... Why does that need a name? You'll probably find that most of the anti-clean eating people eat "clean" most of the time, that's normal eating.