Quote:
Originally Posted by cantgetenoughchoc
Hi
I look at a lot of fitness blogs and the girls who have the amazing figures always either a) eat clean or b) have become a vegan. Since I love meat and milk far too much for the latter option, I've been looking into eating clean.
But what does it meeeannn?
From what I can gather it's eating food that hasn't been processed. Veggies, wholegrains, fish and meat (lean meat I assume). A typical meal that I see in a lot of the blogs is salmon/chicken, quinoa/brown rice and veg. Simple enough, but.... can I not make a sauce?! I think that sounds quite boring and dry... But I never see anyone using sauces!
Also what do these people eat for breakfast? I'm a calorie counter myself, so I eat this packet of honey porridge in the morning that only comes to 215calories in total and it's the best food I've found as it keeps me full until breakfast. But calorie counting takes over my life and I heard with clean eating you don't need to count calories so I was willing to leave the porridge behind for something else... but what?
I'd love to do it, I think it sounds like it makes sense and would be good for the body, but I can't live a life of dry meals. I'd rather go mad with the calorie counting :P Also... can I have wholemeal pasta, bread and potatoes? I obviously won't go mad on it as I know it's a diet, but I need some carbs in my meals else I'll be hungry!
Clean eating for me is what's described in the excellent "Funeral for My Fat" link, above. Basically, it's what's natural, from a plant or an animal. Minimal additives and processing. Saturated fat has gotten a really bad rap, and some of them, like coconut oil, are good for you. Cholesterol is a necessity for health! So my definition is a little less strict than some others.
My breakfast is usually three eggs scrambled in a tablespoon of real butter with as many (usually) raw greens as I can fit in the skillet, with maybe a caramelized onion and some garlic. On "Up Days," I can add some whole grain Ezekiel toast with butter. They have some of the cleanest bread you can buy. I also like the "Just" juices from R. W. Knudsen.
I'm glad you mentioned sauces. It reminded me of a book of vegetable sauces that I haven't looked at in a long time:
Pasta E Verdura - 140 Vegetable Sauces, by Jack Bishop. I'm going to make a point of trying these this year, kind of like Julie in the movie "Julie and Julia" making her way through
The Art of French Cooking.
As far as counting calories: The way I've lost weight is going for a weekly calorie deficit, i. e., eating less than my body uses up, so it has to take away from my fat stores to continue operating. I count calories carefully five days a week, and have two "Up Days," where I can eat however much I want.
Total calories for the week are 1200 x seven days = 8400 or more. Pasta, bread, and potatoes are fine, as long as they're clean (not overly processed or having more additives than maybe a little salt and/or pepper/spices). I hate feeling deprived, and this diet has less of that than any I've tried - and it's been a success so far.
