Eating Clean?!

what exactly is that??

Read labels, go slow. I used Tosca Reno's website to start and have 2 of her books, "Just the Rules" and one of her cookbooks.

It's not a bad idea. You can avoid a lot of chemicals, processing, and unknowns. You don't have to eat clean 100% of the time. You can just lean toward clean choices when possible. Sometimes eating clean people turn into fanatics. Please don't be one of these people

I agree! ^^^^^^^^^^

Give up processed foods and sodas. Absolutely give up aspartame. It is EVIL. Splenda isn't much better. Saccharin is ok, but Stevia is the best. I am not much of a carb person but brown rice and real whole wheat bread and pasta is better than the alternative. Tuna has mercury so try to avoid it. Any toxins in your foods are going to slow down you weight loss. Read label. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.

Oh, did I say, aspartame is evil? It gave me cataracts.

Check out this article, do some other research, then make your own decisions.

http://jcdfitness.com/2010/09/clean-eating-is-a-scam-and-why-you-should-abandon-it/

Some people think that "eating clean" is the only way to go. It all depends on how you define "clean" really.

I didn't read the article, I'll admit, because all I had to do was look at the URL. How on earth is clean eating a "scam"? I know there are a lot of books out there geared towards clean eating, but you don't have to buy any of them. I eat clean and I never bought a single thing to help me out. Since eating clean my stomach has leaned out and I feel so much better on a daily basis. Literally no one is benefiting from me eating clean but me. How is that a scam, again?

I do agree that it depends on how you define clean, though. I call myself a clean eater, but I do follow the 80/20 rule. Clean 80% of the time, "normal" 20% of the time. I've heard this is common for clean eaters. For example, I do buy whole wheat bread but it also has stuff I can't pronounce on the label. That's the best they have at my grocery store, and it's the best I can do right now. In my opinion it's better than nothing.

LOL! :laugh: I knew this would happen. Just read the article. He explains it a lot better than I can. But really, you can't use the excuse that there are a lot of books on the subject, there are a lot of infomercials on T.V. selling the "secret" to weight loss, or "you can go from 300lbs. to a six pack in 5 days" that doesn't mean it's true. Also you didn't "lean out" because you were eating clean, you leaned out because you ate at a deficit and lost fat. Like I told the OP, do some research, make your own decision on what you think is best.

I'd say I'm 80-90% clean. To be honest, clean eating is what came first for me; it was my priority over weight loss. The more I got into eating clean, the more I got into losing weight and getting into shape. And it's been great for me! I don't find it difficult at all, especially considering I used to eat awfully. More fruit & vegetables; more whole grains; more lean meats and fish and so on. It's just making smarter choices and avoiding things that are pretty much just full of crap. A lot more home-cooking too, which is great for me personally! It's quite a challenge, but easing into it slowly is a good idea. The most crappy food I eat is most likely store bought bread, but apart from that, my diet is pretty basic. I'd definitely recommend it.

\ Since eating clean my stomach has leaned out\

So you ate a deficit and your dropped BF%. Or are you saying your were eating something you may of had an allergy to, and now that your not eating it inflammation has gone down?

either way great work!

Didn't know it had a name for it...I think it's just common sense!! Give your body what it wants so you can exercise well and get to the weight your body should be at which happens to make you feel and look great. Chemicals and processed crap doesn't really have a place! 80/20 makes sense as we are human and I sure like some wine or chocolate in my life!!! Wish I would have thought to write a book about eating real food...damn.......

Well, I do hope you do what's best for you and your lifestyle. But for me, I found that limiting intake of certain foods set me up for failure, each and every time. This time around, I count calories. I do try to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies, but there is nothing that is off limits for me nutritionally. Of course, I eat in moderation paying close attention to my caloric intake, but I don't limit any foods, if i want a fried pork-chop, I may pair it with fresh steamed broccoli, rice, or a baked potato, or mac and cheese, or anything that I want for that matter. To me eating different things and trying new recipes is a wonderful experience, and I never want to have an unhealthy relationship with food again. This time around, I'm seeing the results that I always wanted to see, and it's not a diet, it is a lifestyle that I can maintain forever. :-)

Check out this article, do some other research, then make your own decisions.

http://jcdfitness.com/2010/09/clean-eating-is-a-scam-and-why-you-should-abandon-it/

Some people think that "eating clean" is the only way to go. It all depends on how you define "clean" really.

I didn't read the article, I'll admit, because all I had to do was look at the URL. How on earth is clean eating a "scam"? I know there are a lot of books out there geared towards clean eating, but you don't have to buy any of them. I eat clean and I never bought a single thing to help me out. Since eating clean my stomach has leaned out and I feel so much better on a daily basis. Literally no one is benefiting from me eating clean but me. How is that a scam, again?

I do agree that it depends on how you define clean, though. I call myself a clean eater, but I do follow the 80/20 rule. Clean 80% of the time, "normal" 20% of the time. I've heard this is common for clean eaters. For example, I do buy whole wheat bread but it also has stuff I can't pronounce on the label. That's the best they have at my grocery store, and it's the best I can do right now. In my opinion it's better than nothing.

LOL! :laugh: I knew this would happen. Just read the article. He explains it a lot better than I can. But really, you can't use the excuse that there are a lot of books on the subject, there are a lot of infomercials on T.V. selling the "secret" to weight loss, or "you can go from 300lbs. to a six pack in 5 days" that doesn't mean it's true. Also you didn't "lean out" because you were eating clean, you leaned out because you ate at a deficit and lost fat. Like I told the OP, do some research, make your own decision on what you think is best.

Oh sorry the way I worded the books thing was weird. I wasn't trying to say that them selling books makes it credible at all, haha. I was trying to say that I could see how people could call it a "scam" since there are products for it, but you don't HAVE to buy the products so you don't have to get "scammed" at all.

As for the stomach thing, yes I ate at a deficit for months but my stomach was my problem area. I tried lifting heavy, all kinds of workouts and continued eating at a deficit, everything. I was still losing weight (slowly) but my stomach just wouldn't flatten out. Finally I switched to clean eating and now my stomach has flattened! I didn't change anything except for the kinds of foods I ate. I"m definitely not saying it's a solution for everyone but it worked for me. Could it be a coincidence? Possibly, but I got the results I wanted and I'm going to stick with it.

ETA: I read some of the article, not all of it because I'm not in a reading mood haha... but anyway from what I can tell is his point is to not get obsessed with it. I can agree with that. But, couldn't we say that for ANY form of changing lifestyles? For example, MFP. It would be very easy to become obsessed with counting calories and sadly a lot of people do. That doesn't make MFP invalid though. It's a great site that has helped a lot of people. Same thing with clean eating - if you do it your way and don't let it take over your whole life, it can be very beneficial.

My advice is to start small. It took me a while to transition into clean eating. Start with little changes, like replacing white rice with brown and regular bread with whole wheat, etc. Slowly start to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet. Learn lots of new clean recipes. Finally, cut out the processed stuff. It's actually a lot easier than you'd think!

I agree. I started small too. Now 90 percent of my normal diet is clean eating. I usually reserve one day a week to eat crap (as I call it) so I can meet my mom or brothers for dinner or go out with friends without stressing over it.