In a calorie deficit but not losing weight
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It's probably because they'd rather get their protein from a high protein source that is not possibly full of fat, and use their fat source as something else.
Some consider cheese high protein - considering the fat content, usually not, it's high fat with some protein.2 -
Also randomly:
My blood pressure my whole life, even obese, has trended low. When I went to far in cutting out 'processed' food and trying to be 'healthy' I just about killed myself.
Don't do that, either.2 -
wunderkindking wrote: »Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
There is an ED called orthorexia (focused around 'healthy/clean eating) that can be a major, major problem for some people. If you can prevent yourself from going down that road... do.
These personal trainers and body builders are often doing 'cutting' to get to temporarily very low levels of body fat that THEY do not sustain. Most competitive body builders cut for a show and then LET SOME BODY FAT COME BACK because your body needs it to function.
Also please remember there are fat soluable vitamins. If your diet is truly 'salmon and asparagus' (or chicken and broccoli) low all the time, indefinitely, you are going to have problems
Funny you say that. One of the plans I have recently seen is from a body builder who is training for a competition and has what looks like zero body fat (madness!!)
Ok so, I’m going to take your advice. I need to remain in a calorie deficit but also not deprive myself of foods that are not deemed to some as “clean”.
I have been obsessed with eating before and dropped to 7stone 10lbs! A very unhealthy weight and I am very conscious not to go down that road again. That’s why sometimes it’s good to get other peoples advice and make sure I’m going to go down the correct path this time. So thank you 😊3 -
Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
Be very careful please.
That is a real concern that you would say you are "scared" to eat perfectly normal and nutritious foods or start to assign moral judgements ("worst") to everyday foods.
Hmm lets think about mayonaisse, if you made it from vegetable oil, egg yolk, and vinegar (or lemon juice) then which of these ingredients is unclean or bad? Or do they only become bad when mixed together? Or are they clean if you made it in your kitchen but not if someone else made it for you?
Hope you are seeing this isn't logical.
It's a sad fact that some personal trainers (who are not dieticians, they are exercise professionals) often push the most awful bro-science at their clients.
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Aww ok, so I thought a clean diet meant only eating whole foods, nothing processed?
I am worried that if I don’t eat only whole foods...vegetables, fruit, fish, meat etc then I won’t get the results that I am looking for.
I eat all of the above daily, but sometimes I don’t feel like chicken/ fish and veg/salad for lunch so looking for an alternative.
I feel so lost when it comes to foods. I understand that being in a deficit means that I will lose weight, but why do so many fitness fanatics live off chicken and veg for pretty much their whole diet? It must have some benefit? Or am I wrong.
I have whey protein daily to up my protein intake as well as sourcing it from normal foods but feel like I shouldn’t touch anything processed if I want the results I am after.
Sorry for the long reply! Feeling so confused.
Usain Bolt was famous for his enjoyment of chicken nuggets! He did quite well.....
Ever seen what a Tour de France winner eats including loads of carb gels?
How can you regard whey protein as being clean but cheese is not when whey powder is far more processed than the cheese as whey powder is a highly processed by-product of cheese making? I could (sort of) see the argument turned round the other way..... (Other whey?
)
Where does processing definition start and stop? Frozen, canned, packaged - even if those items might be highly nutritious single ingredient items?
Cooked? That's processing too.
Can see you are confused but you are making this very restrictive and complex for no good reason - neither of those things is helpful for success.
I like your humour! 🤣
I think you’re right, where does it start and stop. Why will I have whey protein but not cheese? Now you’ve said it like that it sounds ludicrous!
I don’t want to restrict myself completely. Of course I want to consume healthy foods, but that should be for no other reason than the fact I enjoy them and they are beneficial to my health.
I don’t know enough about anything really. It’s been really helpful reading all of your replies.
I will definitely be eating my ryvita and cream cheese and I may even treat myself to a chicken nugget....Usain Bolt style! 😂
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Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
Be very careful please.
That is a real concern that you would say you are "scared" to eat perfectly normal and nutritious foods or start to assign moral judgements ("worst") to everyday foods.
Hmm lets think about mayonaisse, if you made it from vegetable oil, egg yolk, and vinegar (or lemon juice) then which of these ingredients is unclean or bad? Or do they only become bad when mixed together? Or are they clean if you made it in your kitchen but not if someone else made it for you?
Hope you are seeing this isn't logical.
It's a sad fact that some personal trainers (who are not dieticians, they are exercise professionals) often push the most awful bro-science at their clients.
I totally get your point and I completely agree. My friend have recently signed up to an online personal trainer and I have seen the meal plan. It’s basically chicken, salmon, tuna, greek yoghurt and veg. There isn’t much more to it so I think that’s another reason why I have been worried about eating anything that doesn’t fall into those categories!
It can become obsessive, I have been there before and I am determined not to be there again. I have to remind myself that as long as I am in a deficit then I will lose weight, even if it takes time.
Thank you for your help and advice. It’s a slippery slope and one I do not want to fall down. So thank you for shedding some realistic light on things 😊
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Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
Be very careful please.
That is a real concern that you would say you are "scared" to eat perfectly normal and nutritious foods or start to assign moral judgements ("worst") to everyday foods.
Hmm lets think about mayonaisse, if you made it from vegetable oil, egg yolk, and vinegar (or lemon juice) then which of these ingredients is unclean or bad? Or do they only become bad when mixed together? Or are they clean if you made it in your kitchen but not if someone else made it for you?
Hope you are seeing this isn't logical.
It's a sad fact that some personal trainers (who are not dieticians, they are exercise professionals) often push the most awful bro-science at their clients.
I totally get your point and I completely agree. My friend have recently signed up to an online personal trainer and I have seen the meal plan. It’s basically chicken, salmon, tuna, greek yoghurt and veg. There isn’t much more to it so I think that’s another reason why I have been worried about eating anything that doesn’t fall into those categories!
It can become obsessive, I have been there before and I am determined not to be there again. I have to remind myself that as long as I am in a deficit then I will lose weight, even if it takes time.
Thank you for your help and advice. It’s a slippery slope and one I do not want to fall down. So thank you for shedding some realistic light on things 😊
You are very, very welcone.
A healthy diet is a fantastic aim but I would always start from what to include rather than what to exclude. Food should be a joy as well as fuel.4 -
Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
If losing weight were a simple matter of getting the right number of calories, and nutrition could be achieved by common sense, how would lots of personal trainers, etc., make a living?
They have a vested interest in making it complicated, making us think we need professional help, and very arcane eating patterns that only they can prescribe.
Guess what? It's really not that complicated: Proper calorie level for weight management (doesn't matter where the calories come from), reasonable overall nutrition for health. That's pretty much it. I admit, nutrition can be a complicated subject (that's why we do have registered dietitians to help in complex scenarios), but the basics are common sense: Get enough protein, enough healthy fats, a variety of nice, varied, colorful veggies/fruit, and that's the bulk of it.
If cheese prevented a person from losing weight, I'd still be obese (like I was from the 1980s or earlier to 2015), not at a healthy weight (as I have been since 2015). I eat cheese every day . . . lotsa kinds, including indulgent triple-cream cheese. Cheeses give me a little bit of protein, and are a bit calorie-dense, but that's not a problem if I pay attention to portion size. Easy.
Really, there aren't bad foods, unless you have a health condition that requires eliminating them, an allergy/sensitivity, or they're actually poisonous. (Processing doesn't inherently make things poisonous despite what the silly blogosphere may claim).
There can be bad overall diets, though, if there's poor overall nutrition. Guess what? A person can eat entirely unprocessed, whole, clean foods (by anyone's definition of the term) and still get poor overall nutrition. "Clean" is not only ill-defined, it's an unhelpful tangent.
Proper calorie level, good overall nutrition. That's the stuff that matters.
And this is 100% true:Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
Be very careful please.
That is a real concern that you would say you are "scared" to eat perfectly normal and nutritious foods or start to assign moral judgements ("worst") to everyday foods.
Hmm lets think about mayonaisse, if you made it from vegetable oil, egg yolk, and vinegar (or lemon juice) then which of these ingredients is unclean or bad? Or do they only become bad when mixed together? Or are they clean if you made it in your kitchen but not if someone else made it for you?
Hope you are seeing this isn't logical.
It's a sad fact that some personal trainers (who are not dieticians, they are exercise professionals) often push the most awful bro-science at their clients.
I totally get your point and I completely agree. My friend have recently signed up to an online personal trainer and I have seen the meal plan. It’s basically chicken, salmon, tuna, greek yoghurt and veg. There isn’t much more to it so I think that’s another reason why I have been worried about eating anything that doesn’t fall into those categories!
It can become obsessive, I have been there before and I am determined not to be there again. I have to remind myself that as long as I am in a deficit then I will lose weight, even if it takes time.
Thank you for your help and advice. It’s a slippery slope and one I do not want to fall down. So thank you for shedding some realistic light on things 😊
You are very, very welcone.
A healthy diet is a fantastic aim but I would always start from what to include rather than what to exclude. Food should be a joy as well as fuel.
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Hey everyone! I’m looking for a bit of advice. I started my diet on 1st Jan. Both diet and exercise. Working out around 4 times a week with a mix of cardio and weights. I am consuming 1200-1300 calories a day (never over 1300 calories), and eating a clean diet.
In the 13 days I have been doing this diet I have not lost any weight at all. Pictures have shown my shape has changed and I’ve lost 3.5inches off my waist, 1inch off my arms and 2 inches off my legs but no weight loss.
How can this be? Before people jump and say I’m probably not in a deficit. I 100% am. I weigh all of my food, even down to if I have a light salad dressing. I am not consuming more calories than I think, I am very strict.
I am 5ft 2inch tall and I weigh 61.2kg. My goal weight is 54kg.
Any ideas or advice would really help. Thank you x
My own scale went UP 7 POUNDS when I started lifting weights again, so, like others have said, it is likely water retention from the new exercise program. It came back off and kept going down in a few weeks.
If you are ovulating or premenstrual, that can also cause water retention.4 -
Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
Technically, if I pick an organic strawberry from my garden, stem it, brush off the straw, and throw it in the freezer, I have "processed" it.
Here are some categories of "processed" that may be helpful:
https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova
Cheese is a Group 3 Processed Foods.
Off MFP, when I see people talking about limiting processed foods, they mean Group 4 Ultra Processed Foods.2 -
You're getting great advice here from people who have been around this block a long time. Read what they say and take it to heart.
FWIW, I make room in my diary for at least one (sometimes two!!) mini Peppermint Patties after lunch EVERY day. I log two, then decide during the afternoon whether or not I want the second one. Sometimes I don't eat it and use those calories for something else, like a hard boiled egg, if I'm actually hungry mid-afternoon. You will find that playing around with what you enjoy eating and what keeps you full is kind of fun!5 -
AnnPT77 - This has been extremely helpful to wake up and read this morning. It seems that these personal trainers give you the impression that to lose weight you must only eat the things they are telling you to. If you go “off plan” then you won’t get the results.
I have taken everything you have said on board. Seeing everyone’s replies has definitely changed my mindset and I am really glad that I have come here for advice.
Thank you so so much!! 😊
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Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
For some reason clean eating is a buzzword. It's marketing. If you don't put it into your diet plan or poster at the gym then you appear backwards and not up to the task of giving your client the wonderful, fitnessmodel-like body so many people dream of. It's nothing more than advertising. It's the same as business buzzwords like synergy, vertical, dynamic, cyber, strategy, etc. It means nothing but makes you look cool, up to the task, knowledgeable.
Eat what you like. If you want to make changes or experiment then just do it. Maybe try small changes at a time and don't be afraid to stop if it doesn't work. What food works for you, makes you happy and feel satiated is totally individual. You can learn to like certain foods where you now say Eeeeewww! but your body might not learn to feel full on certain types of food. Genetics. Also, enjoy your cheese, log it, be happy. I leave about 200-300 calories each day just for snacks. That might include a dessert, bit of candy, but also fruit (fruit doesn't fill me up but is yummy).5 -
Sijomial - I don’t actually know why to be honest. I think because when I see these diet plans from a lot of personal trainers etc, there isn’t a slice of cheese in site. If there is then it’s protein cheese (which I recently found out was a thing!). I guess I’m scared to eat anything other than non processed foods. The worst thing in my diet at the moment is a little bit of salad cream or Mayo on my salad 🤦🏻♀️
For some reason clean eating is a buzzword. It's marketing. If you don't put it into your diet plan or poster at the gym then you appear backwards and not up to the task of giving your client the wonderful, fitnessmodel-like body so many people dream of. It's nothing more than advertising. It's the same as business buzzwords like synergy, vertical, dynamic, cyber, strategy, etc. It means nothing but makes you look cool, up to the task, knowledgeable.
Eat what you like. If you want to make changes or experiment then just do it. Maybe try small changes at a time and don't be afraid to stop if it doesn't work. What food works for you, makes you happy and feel satiated is totally individual. You can learn to like certain foods where you now say Eeeeewww! but your body might not learn to feel full on certain types of food. Genetics. Also, enjoy your cheese, log it, be happy. I leave about 200-300 calories each day just for snacks. That might include a dessert, bit of candy, but also fruit (fruit doesn't fill me up but is yummy).
Wow! I never actually thought of it like this, that it is like a form of advertising. That completely makes sense. It’s scary that you can be made to feel that only eating certain foods will make you lose weight, whereas, after speaking to all of you on here, that clearly isn’t the case.
I want to eat to feel good and actually enjoy my food, so it’s good to get some clarity on all of this.
Thank you so much for your advice and help, I massively appreciate it x4 -
Leanness come's from low body fat and that has more to do with your calorie deficit than what you're eating overall. You could eat pizza and get lean. I know cause I've done it many times.That’s great thank you all so much! It’s so good to get what I would say is an expert opinion. You all sound like experts!
I will of course stick with it, I had no intention of quitting as I feel great and I will celebrate the change regardless of whether the number on the scales moves.
Just one other thing, I’m not sure if anyone knows, but is cream cheese (such as phillidelphia), acceptable on a clean eating diet? I know cheese seems to be a big no no (especially cheddar), but I’m not sure where I stand with soft cheeses. I am thinking of lunchtime choices and wondered if eating ryvita and cream cheese is an option. I want to be as lean as possible so don’t want to risk eating a food that could prevent that. Thanks in advance xx
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Leanness come's from low body fat and that has more to do with your calorie deficit than what you're eating overall. You could eat pizza and get lean. I know cause I've done it many times.That’s great thank you all so much! It’s so good to get what I would say is an expert opinion. You all sound like experts!
I will of course stick with it, I had no intention of quitting as I feel great and I will celebrate the change regardless of whether the number on the scales moves.
Just one other thing, I’m not sure if anyone knows, but is cream cheese (such as phillidelphia), acceptable on a clean eating diet? I know cheese seems to be a big no no (especially cheddar), but I’m not sure where I stand with soft cheeses. I am thinking of lunchtime choices and wondered if eating ryvita and cream cheese is an option. I want to be as lean as possible so don’t want to risk eating a food that could prevent that. Thanks in advance xx
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well now, you can't pick the example of eating only the perfect food and getting great results - that's to be expected.
Ditto's to pizza. Especially if you have your own few recipes to rotate between.
Of course I didn't do that - don't even want to mention the "processed" versions I was eating!1 -
AnnPT77 - This has been extremely helpful to wake up and read this morning. It seems that these personal trainers give you the impression that to lose weight you must only eat the things they are telling you to. If you go “off plan” then you won’t get the results.
I have taken everything you have said on board. Seeing everyone’s replies has definitely changed my mindset and I am really glad that I have come here for advice.
Thank you so so much!! 😊
Now that I've gotten you all softened up marketing-wise, I'm gonna recommend that you buy *my* diet plan:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1
Oh, wait: It's free. Clearly, I missed something, in my marketing classes. 😉
Seriously: The post outlines an approach for using food logging to gradually remodel your eating in a positive direction, eating foods you enjoy all along the way. It's how I lost 50+ pounds, and have maintained a healthy weight for 5+ years since, after multiple previous decades of obesity. It's just one approach to consider . . . and very different from the highly structured, restrictive plans that some of the trendy trainers push.
Wishing you well!6 -
I am 5ft 2inch tall and I weigh 61.2kg. My goal weight is 54kg.
Hi Leah,
I've not seen anyone mention this yet but as you're already at a healthy BMI (5'2" 61.2kg (135lb) of 24.7, weight loss is going to come very slowly. Hopefully you've chosen a healthy rate of loss of half a pound (.23 kg) per week.
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Thanks for all the great ideas here. I am trying to clean up my eating too. This is a good reminder not to be too strict. The article above was great!1
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Shall we play the game "Let's judge if my lunch was clean or unclean."?
Avocado - High fat, high calories but oh so trendy and fashionable so lets say clean.
Bacon - Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! Far too tasty to be clean and of course processed.
Cannellini beans - Fibre and protein, a bit trendy for the plant-based eaters so must be clean. But wait, they came in a can so does that make a virtuous item unclean as it was processed and packaged in a factory?
Toasted pine nuts - Not actually a nut but must be a good single ingredient item and as they are seeds maybe a superfood (whatever that means). But wait - they were browned in the same frying pan as the bacon so are they now "contaminated" and therefore now unclean?
Lettuce - Salad and raw so clean. Virtually no calories with reputation you burn more calories eating it than you get from it (false). Hurrah, the more you eat the slimmer you will be! (False.)
Tomato - Clean! Not as good as my home-grown and no doubt grown under glass but I will forgive them for that to get fresh tomatoes in January.
Balsamic vinegar dressing - if only it had been ACV the weight would be dropping off me!!!!
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