[Taylyn]

I have been a lurker on here for awhile and decided to join in. I have been on more diets than I care to mention and have started and stopped weight watchers so many times that I could wallpaper a room with my registration slips LOL. I can honestly say the one time I lost a lot of weight was when I did 2 things and that was count calories and give up fast food and processed food. I lost a lot of weight, had more energy than I have had in years, slept better, no more joint aches, no more "foggy mind" and wasn't hardly ever sick.....it was amazing that for the first time in my life I craved fruits and veggies and not sugar.
Being the food a holic that I am I decided to cheat thinking I could handle it and needless to say I spiraled back down to where I am today. I was struck by others who reported not being sick since eating this way and thought I'd ask about the other things I experienced to see if that was common among you as well. I also started exercising at that time as well so I am sure that was a added bonus. I just decided it is time to get back to eating this way after my last failed attempt at weight watchers. Although ww is a great plan I just kept losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over and am tired of feeling yucky basically.
I would like to know others experiences as well with eating clean or whole foods as well as how long it took to basically detox from the sugar as that is hard I find.
Sorry such a long post.

[indiblue]

Hey and welcome!

Full disclosure: I have never been totally addicted to fast food/processed food, or gotten most of my meals from these sources. I also am not strictly whole food- I eat whole foods 80-90% of the time.

However, I did used to eat much more if it than I do now. I live in a developing country, so fast food and processed food is hard to find. I HAVE to eat fresh, local ingredients because that's mostly all that is available

And you're right... I feel totally different when I eat a homemade vegetable soup made from carrots, leeks, potatoes, onions, and other goodies that were brought in from the farm this morning than prying open a can of thick, gloopy Campbells... or making fresh tomato sauce from real tomatoes and rosemary than buying a jar of Prego.

And I agree.. it is much easier to stay "on plan" and within calorie ranges when you're eating lots of legumes, beans, whole grains, veggies, and fruits than when you're eating Lean Cuisines. You get fuller faster and don't want to stuff your body with all those chemicals.

I think detox is a buzzword that the industry uses to sell products- the *general* opinion around knowledgable folks on 3FC is that it's a gimmick. The body does a pretty good job with detoxing itself.

I imagine what you mean is how long it takes to wean oneself off of craving junk food/high sugar products? I find it takes a couple of weeks. Not too long. And every day it gets a little easier

I do include sweets/desserts in my diet. I have no problem having a slice of apple pie I baked myself with apples and whole wheat crust, or a lemon bar made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. I find that these do not trigger an urge for junk food (though it certainly makes it difficult to not go back for a second piece, admittedly!)

What does trigger an urge for junk food, chips, candy, etc is eating some of it. Again, I do this from time-to-time on special occasions. If it's just a small portion every now and then, by the next day the urge for more is gone.

This is just my perspective... and I don't really know if I've helped answer any of your questions at all. I love whole foods lifestyles and wish you the best of luck on your journey

[AndLy]

I am not 100% whole foods, but I do try my best to eat as whole and clean as possible. I find that eating fast/processed foods leads to eating more fast/processed foods. It seems like there were days that went by before I realized I had eaten every single meal out of a drive-thru or a package. I did a "superfoods" only kind of plan a few years ago and lost 75 lbs. I had several unfortunate things happen in my life and fell off the wagon, gaining every ounce I lost back again. I realized that my life is passing me by and decided I needed to get back on plan and start living again. I feel amazing again and eat as clean as possible. I really only have a little dark chocolate a few times a week because I'm still afraid to try anything else "sweet" for fear of going into a sugar coma and eating everything in sight!

[loveAcat]

I also don't eat whole foods all the time, but I aim to eat mostly stuff that's not processed or that I made myself.

For me, it takes about 2-3 weeks to lose the sugar cravings (I know this because I fell off the wagon too many times :| ).

What helps me is eating fruit. It's a bit sweet, but it has fiber, so it fills me up. Basically, I try to replace all my snacks with either a hand full of nuts (up to one hand full a day) or a piece of fruit.

At some point, I realized that the apple was actually more appealing to me than the cookie (at probably half the calories, and tons more nutrients and minerals).

Good luck!

[attagirl125]

I have been able to get into shape years ago eating clean. Now I am trying to participate in it again at least get most of my foods from whole. I do like to make my own bread as well.