Eating Clean Doesn’t Work

From here on out, everything I post will attack one of the three “villains” that I believe people are facing when trying to accomplish their fitness goals. Those are confusion, inconsistency, and complacency.

In this one, I’m attacking CONFUSION with the only weapon effective against it: KNOWLEDGE of how something actually works.

Picture this: You’re at work, someone brings in doughnuts, and one co-worker shockingly declines, stating “I’m trying to eat clean.” When someone says this, they generally mean that they are trying to eat whole foods. Foods found naturally. Things like meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.

Let me get out of the way first that eating clean is actually a great idea. It just doesn’t always do what most people think it does, which is to help them lose weight.

Let me illustrate why for you:

Luke and Leia both burn, on average, 2500 calories each day. They’re currently not losing weight because they consume more calories than this. What they need to do to begin making progress is burn more calories than they consume.

Now, there are innumerable ways to accomplish this, but whether “eating cleaner” is effective depends entirely on the foods that a person chooses.

Let’s say that Luke loves and just can’t get enough vegetables. This guy will eat raw carrots all day and not care if the crunching makes his travel companions struggle with their anxiety. One cup of raw carrots is around 45 calories. Eating clean just might help him lose weight, because veggies are low-calorie, and since some of them are high in fiber and keep him more full, he won’t eat as many other foods as he would otherwise.

Leia simultaneously decides to “eat clean.” She is not a vegetable fan, but she does love peanuts, walnuts, and cashews. She keeps them with her every day since they are a natural, clean food. One cup of peanuts is roughly 828 calories. EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT compared to the same amount of carrots that are 45 calories. Literally, all that she has to do to be above the calories she needs to consume for the day (<2500) is eat one meal and have a cup of peanuts twice each day as a snack. Soon, she’ll be envious of her brother, Luke.

Now, eating clean does certainly have its benefits. Someone who consumes more whole foods (and who is at a healthy body-fat percentage) will certainly be generally healthier than someone who doesn't eat that way, because these kinds of foods offer the nutrients our bodies need.

But general health is a SEPARATE goal from weight-loss.

Now that you know this, if you need a plan that is founded on the principles that work for you goals, comment or message me and let’s chat. I want to be your guide in this journey.