I've been wondering this for a few weeks, & really haven't come up with a good answer so I'll as you all.
Once upon a time, it was calories in, calories out. Clean eating wasn't a thing, & now everyone says the only way to lose weight is to eat clean. I don't understand if this is a new fad or what. I realize all the good that eating clean does for you, but let's be honest, it's pretty frickin' expensive to do all day, everyday. From August to October, I lost 15lbs eating Lean Cuisines all day. You can't tell me that calories don't make the difference.
I'm down to the last 7 or so pounds that I'd like to lose, & I'm just not sure what to do about them. I sat staring at my grocery list the other day, stumped about what to get. Do I eat as clean as I can afford or do I just count my calories like I have for the last SEVENTY pounds that I lost? I mean, there's got to be some truth to the calorie theory or I'd still be in the 200s. Can you only have a flat belly if you only consume quinoa & carrots & chicken? Regardless of how you bust your balls to tone & tighten?
At the end of the day is calories that count. Eating clean has its benefits, but for weight loss calories in/out is what really matters. Do what work for you!!
At the end of the day, I feel it is still calories in vs calories out. But it really depends I guess on why you are doing this- I feel better, my skin is nicer, I have more energy and my digestion is much happier (haha) with less processed, less carby foods and more veg, meat, protein and a moderate amount of carbs, mostly foods that are pretty close to how they came off the plant/animal I also know a lot of people tend to bloat if they over do things like carbs, myself included, hence our bellies are not flat unless we eat chicken and carrots but everyone is different- if you're happy, carry on that way! No point bankrupting yourself when you are doing perfectly fine and dont want to change anyway
Although I choose my calories pretty wisely, I have days where those calories are a hamburger, fries or sweets and I continue to lose as long as I stay at my max calories. I do notice when I eat poorly my pores get clogged and my waisted measures an inch larger. So in all I believe in calorie counting. Have u read about the guy that lost weight on the Twinkie diet? Not that I would recommend it, but it adds to the proof we see everyday on this site.
I think that the reason that a lot of people switch to "clean eating" and find it effective is actually because of calories in vs. calories out. I don't do clean eating by any means (particularly since I don't actually have a kitchen and I can't read most of the things at the grocery store...yay Japanese stealing Chinese characters and making reading 40x harder than it needs to be), but if you think about it, a lot of the processed foods have a bunch of added sugars and preservatives and everything, so essentially everything that you add in adds more calories. There's nothing wrong with Lean Cuisine, but look at the portion sizes you get...you could make a salad twice the size of your head with some tuna or chicken for fewer calories because there's added sugar in the sauces and stuff.
It's a matter of controlling the number of calories added to your food vs. being handed something with a pre-determined number of calories. I think for people who need volume to feel satisfied probably do better with "clean" diets, while people who need convenience are still perfectly able to lose weight by counting their calories.
I've only just started my weight loss journey and despite trying a hundred different diets before, the only thing that has ever worked has been clean eating. I stick to a very strict paleo diet and apart from the weight loss i've already seen in just over a month, there are other differences like how I feel, how I look (clear skin and shiny hair, stronger nails etc).
of course it's not the only way. but i definitely think it's the best way.
and it's not too expensive either... of course, if you're gonna go and try to buy all kinds of fancy organic stuff, then yes, maybe it'll be expensive. but i've been eating clean for almost 3 months now, and i live in Japan and produce here is about double the price as back home (would you pay one dollar for an apple? for ONE apple???) and it's still cheaper for me to eat clean. i just eat fruits and veggies and nuts, mostly. i think it starts getting expensive when you get into the whole "buying whole wheat" thing. but a) it's not available here and b) i'm limiting my carbs, so i don't spend money on this kind of thing.
i think the "it's too expensive" thing is just an excuse. but in the end, you need to just do whatever works for you. you know, there have been studies of people losing weight on eating only twinkies. so of course it's about calories in and out. but at the end of the day, it's about how you feel, and what kind of weightloss you are more likely to maintain.
What works for me is calories in vs calories out but ofcourse of the healthy stuff. Maddie calorie counting has been working for you thus far so I say stick to it...
I'm still struggling with the whole "figuring out what to eat as my meals thing" but since I cut a lot of food out of my diet I generally just feel better. Now if I indulge in something or have a "cheat" meal I automatically pay for it. My skin goes crazy, my belly gets bloated and I all around dont feel well. The "cleaner" I eat the better I feel. But like others said, if it works for you and has worked for you, stick with it. But maybe now that your almost at your goal weight venture out a little and try different things if you have the money and time. It couldn't hurt.
I hate the word skinny. I never care about being skinny. But healthy. Healthy is far different from skinny. Healthy may be a size 10-12 for me because I am more.muscular or big boned. Weight is just a number. Your overall health is what matters. I have to remind myself of this often.
I think it's more calories in vs calories out, at least in my experience. I grew up eating "clean" in the sense that, we rarely to never ate processed food or fast food or convenience food (mostly because it didn't exist where I grew up) and all our food was from an identifiable source (you almost knew the cow that gave you your steak) and freshly prepared. I also grew up an obese child. My mom lives off raw or home roasted nuts, veggies and fresh seafood and is morbidly obese. I think with weight loss, it has more to do with your calories than with how "clean" your diet is.
That being said, it's not a bad idea to eat as clean as you can afford or as is convenient for you, for the other health benefits. (All the salt and preservatives can't great for us). I'm not saying throw out your Lean Cuisines, but it's not a bad idea to incorporate some fresh ingredients from time to time as well. I won't say I go out of my way to eat "clean," I'm a huge fan of Splenda, Crystal Light, frozen veggies, snack packs and condiments, but I also try to get some fresh produce in as well.
The only way to be skinny?
I also know a lot of people tend to bloat if they over do things like carbs, myself included, hence our bellies are not flat unless we eat chicken and carrots 
but everyone is different- if you're happy, carry on that way! No point bankrupting yourself when you are doing perfectly fine and dont want to change anyway
