Clean Eating checkin, week 1

K

kaybell

Active Member
Hi! This thread is being started due to a common interest in alot of Cathe fans to eat better and shed some unwanted fat. If you'd like to see the original thread, search for "looking for weightloss ideas/rotations" on the Ask Cathe board. Anyway, I'd like to see us all share ideas, books, recipes, other websites, articles, challenges, whatever that will help us all eat 'cleaner'. Feel free to make other suggestions.

My goal this week is to minimize white flour and sugar consumption. I say minimize, cuz I'm going to my mom's for lasagna tonight, and dont want to be unsociable (personal choice), so I'll be having some white flour in the pasta and bread. I can commit to eating clean the rest of the week tho. I'd also like to keep my calories to 1400-1600/day. I'm trying to lose 15lbs by June 1.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone else! I'll let you know how I did tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Karen
 
I had white flour pasta last night too at a wonderful new Italian resturant. It was freshly made and even in a light cream sauce but wonderful and not a heart attack on a plate like some of the Italian fare out there!

Otherwise, my diet was nice and clean. I am ever so pleased since I am premenstrual and last month the Valentine's day chocolate and cookies did me in!

Sundays are usually my cheat day, but I am making Yesterday my cheat day this week since we ended our dinner with Cappicinnos and Black Forest cake. I asked for skim milk but I Know they used half and half and I gave my coffee to my husband who was more than happy to finish it for me.

I ate fish twice this week and kept it all pretty balanced.

Thanks for asking!!

Bobbi http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
 
Hi,

Although I didn't post on the other thread, I have been reading it. I found K60 and the others stories very inspiring. I hope you don't mind me joining. I just bought some ezekial bread and some boca burgers. I would love to see an example of at least one of your meals. It will help on what to eat. I have quite a bit to lose but I am not giving up.

Thanks for letting me join you.

Oh yes, I am limiting my sugar and white flour, also. Most definitely giving up the sugar and on a rare a occasion I will probably have a tiny bit of white flour and sugar. K60 I hope you chime in with more wonderful information.

Nikki
 
Hi everybody,

I have been interested in this topic since the first post a few weeks ago...I bought "The Sugar Addicts Diet" by Kathleen Desmaisons and she suggests eating more protein and detoxing from sugar and flour by doing it one step at a time so it is not so hard on yur body and that lessens the chance for relapse. Her book also explains what is happening inside your body when you start to remove these items from your diet. Its really interesting. Visit radiantrecovery.com for more info.

Anyway, my goal this week is to minimize the refined sugars from my diet. And drink a gallon of waater each day. I'm almost there on the white flour since I removed that from my diet a while ago.

I am also very interested in recipes and snacks since I am just starting out :) Its really hard to believe how many products do have sugar in them!

keeping it clean!

Joyce
 
Hi - I'm new to posting on this forum, although I've been a 'lurker' for quite a while :D
Bobbi helped me out on another thread (willpower), so I thought I'd join in on this one for some motivation on clean eating - I find everyone so inspiring.
ps - this is kind of a silly question, but what exactly is clean eating? Is it no flour, no sugar?? :-hmmm
 
Hi everyone. Great idea Karen. Yesterday was my second day away from flour and sugar although I have been "dieting" now for a month in a half. Although this morning I saw I dropped two pounds so it is about 7-8 pounds since I started. I can give you info regarding what I ate the last couple days if that helps (can't remember who asked). For breakfast I had an all bran and fruit muffin from trader Joe's that is delicious plus a grapefruit. For lunch I had a chicken salad with low fat dressing and for dinner I had a greek salad with a taste of my kids pasta. Yesterday I had egg beaters with low fat cheese, a chinese chicken salad with spinach, chinese cabbage, carrots, red peppers, chicken and dressing with soy sauce, rice vinegar and 1 t. sesame oil. For dinner I had baked chicken, 1/2 baked potato with no fat sourcream and an artichoke. I was hungry during the day and had a couple slices of low fat jarlsburg cheese, and a piece of fruit and a no fat fudgicle bar (yes, there was some sugar in it). In the evening I had a no sugar hot chocolate. So far this morning I had a bowl of kashi with fresh strawberries.

Pasta is definitely going to be the hardest part for me. I only eat whole wheat low fat bread but sugar is also hard. I just want to do the best I can but to also be realistic with what I do because then I can continue this even when I get the wait off.

BTW, I am still looking for suggestions on the next set of tapes to buy. I only have the wedding tape which I have been doing for the last couple of weeks. I want to get some more cardio and also start doing some toning. I can't remember now what you suggested Karen. It was the series (I don't even have all the names down yet). I'll go back and check.

Good luck with your eating today. This is a great idea. Sandy
 
Hey, Susan Lynn, eating clean is really all about eating foods in as close to a natural state as possible. Choosing brown rice over white or whole wheat pasta over white pasta because the refining process strips away fiber and nutrients which are necessary for optimum health.

At home, I eat whole wheat pasta and now I love it but it was hard to transition. I also eat white rice and French bread occasionally. I never say NEVER. As for sugar, the thing to look out for is high fructose corn syrup. It's a baddie and it's everywhere. Read those labels. Glucose, fructose, sucrose are all types of sugars which are added to foods.
I have never eliminated anything entirely but I do watch to keep my intake minimal.

Also you'll hear the phrase whole foods or foods in their natural state. A good thing yes, but soy products, which are very nutritous are not whole foods and are a large part of my diet.

Keep it simple. Eat something decadent every once in awhile!
Bobbi http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
 
Hi ya'll, I'm joining in too. This week I am going to really concentrate on looking for hidden sugar and flour in the foods I have been eating and make some changes.

Bread question?? Does anyone use the Sugar Buster's bread? That should be okay since WF and S are not allowed on that program. We do have that around here, I don't know about the Ezekial bread. Haven't looked.

Soy question?? Those of you who are "in the know", what do you know about women with certain kinds of breast cancers in their families should avoid too many soy products because of the plant estrogen in them. The estrogen feeds certain types of Br.cancers.

PS - to Susan Lynn, that is my name, too.
a_smil09.gif
 
Hi Suzyq

I'm certainly not an expert, but the March issue of Health magazine has an article on Soy (A second look at soy). Basically, it says for women who have breast cancer, are breast-cancer survivors, or are at high risk (strong family history) should be extra cautious about soy intake. Experts suspect that the weak estrogenic effects of soy may be active in women whose levels of natural estrogen are low. Animal studies indicate reason for caution. Experts say a modest aamount of soy is ok, but keep tabs on how much you eat - then it says to talk to your doctor if you're not sure about your risk or how much soy to take.
 
Great to see this check in!

You guys got me SOOO motivated last week I stopped sugar and white flour. I'm NOT giving up my cup off Dunkin Donuts though (no sugar though of course!)

Anyhow I'm VERY motivated (my daughter has done it to) be both lost a couple of lbs this week.

I do miss pasta - that's about it. I am finding I'm enjoying fruit a lot more and veggies.

Also driking a lot more water.

Welcome everyone - glad to have this check in.

Thanks for starting it!
 
Hi all!
I am working on my clean eating too! I was going thru an intense "sugar craze phase" for awhile--I was craving something sweet EVERY night and giving in to it! I finally decided last week that this has got to stop so I quit cold turkey and started eliminating added sugars--well, almost--nobody's perfect! ;-)

Anyway, since doing so, I am not having the intense sugar cravings as much. This week I am PMSing so I did give in to the call of two chocolate Dunkin Munchkins }> but I really wanted a giant chocolate crueller so I made the better choice :)

For those of you who miss pasta, here is a delicious substitute: Cook up a spaghetti squash, scoop out the strands and put your favorite pasta sauce on that :9/! Although, I must say there is no need to cut out pasta if you eat the whole wheat kind. Also, what makes pasta a diet dilemma is simply the portion size--most people will eat several serving sizes in one sitting (myself included):-wow. I only eat whole wheat pasta but when I do, I measure out a 2 oz portion and only cook that amount so I CANNOT go back for seconds. There is no need to eliminate an entire food group as long as you keep portions under control though I will agree that switching to whole grain varieties of foods is better for you than the white flour versions.

Good luck in all your endeavors!
 
Exactly and if you do want a larger protion of pasta, eliminate a serving somewhere else. Say instead of having a sandwich at lunch have a salad with a protein instead. Then you can sneak in an extra carbohydrate at dinner. I eat about 9- 11 servings of carbohydrates per day.

One more thing. If you absoulutely hate whole wheat pasta, white flour pasta can be part of a healthy clean diet. Just use a high fiber breakfast cereal or better yet, eat beans with your pasta. They are loaded with fiber and help keep blood sugar levels steady.

I personally would not and could not follow a diet that eliminated any food entirely. Moderation is the key. Food is a gift to be enjoyed and even junk food has a place. You CAN have your cake and eat it too! But be picky and don't waste your time on bad food. Eat the good stuff, like a Krispy Kreme donut or a slice of New York Cheese cake. Once a week I indulge in something really "bad". A few times a week I eat one piece of bittersweet chocolate or take the kids to DQ so I can have a baby size vanilla ice cream cone. It satisfies me and makes eating healthy easier. Buy the freshest produce and the best quality food you can afford. I am a health nut yes but I like good food and I make good food that satisfies even my junk-loving family.

Bobbi http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
 
YIPPEE!! I'm so glad to see this check in. Day 4 for me and I'm doing well. My tummy is shrinking already!!! I'm cutting out all white flour, rice and pasta and all sugar. Just to complicate things tho, there are some (Dr. Andrew Weil is one) who believe that white pasta is NOT high glycemic if cooked al dente' (sp??). I like ww pasta tho, so I'm not going there. Also, I cutting way back on the dairy and have eliminated cheese altogether. That stuff loves the back of my upper thighs.

Also, whoever asked about Sugarbuster's bread, I'd say YES to that. Also, my grocer carries Nature's Own WW sugar-free bread and it's delicious. I eat Sugarbuster's mayo too (costs a fortune tho). Check out www.sugarbusters.com (go to the message board) for some great recipes, also. AND!!! Sugarbusters does allow certain types of dark chocolate. There's a list on the message board somewhere. The criteria is that it has to be at least 70% cocoa. When I get closer to goal, I plan on trying it.

If anyone's interested, in the afternoons I get a huge chocolate craving and so I make an Atkins chocolate protein shake with frozen strawberries and half a frozen banana. Oh and I throw in a packet of Splenda. DELISH!!

One more thing, I am eliminating carbs after 6pm. Otherwise, I eat them pretty freely.

Have a great weekend all!!!!! Robin.
 
I have done AWESOME this week!!!! I have eaten many more fruits and veggies. It is my PMS week, and I did buy a box of Tofutti Fudge Bars. There are sugar free, but have 4 grams of sugar alcohol in them??? Does any body know what this is?? I know it is a hidden meaning of some kind of sugar. Anyway, besides a couple of those, I have done great, and I feel great!!!!

Best of luck to everyone this week. This forum is so cool!!!
Lori
 
Hi everyone,
Congrats to all of you for your success!!! I'm now beginning my 7th day of sugar/white flour-free eating. This was a major change for me, since like many of you I can't eat sugar-foods in moderation!!!!!! In these 6 days of clean eating, I've lost 3 pounds already!
I wanted to pass on a message board website I found, great site for questions & answers, if any of you are interested:
http://www.sweettalkplus.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html
and here's a recipe board:
http://www.radiantrecovery.com/recipes/index.shtml
I'm sure there are lots more informational sites...if any of you know of any great message boards or recipe sites, please share! There's another recipe board in Yahoo egroups, but I can't get a "verification email" in order to register. (pout)
Deb
 
Hi All!!

Well .. for everyone out there that's missing pasta, I'm not sure if it's due to the simple carb aspect, but in reading through Muscle and Fitness mag, I saw an add for a product called "Pasta Lite". I was intrigued by the ad, hopped on the website, and here's the lowdown on it.

Ingredients: Defatted soy flour, pasteurized egg white, durum what semolinda, gum gluten, isolated soy proteins.

Nutrion Info (per 3/4 cup serving) No typos .. this is for REAL!:
Calories: 160
Total fat: 1g
Cholestrol: 0
Sodium: 50mg
Total Carb: 10g
Sugar: 3g
Dietary Fiber: 7g
Protein: 28g

I was ALL over it because I am trying to up my protein intake, and hated all the carbs I was getting from pasta. I received my order the other day, and while I haven't tried it yet, I'm itching to!! I can't comment on the flavor, but the guy that I spoke to about it said the texture is quite similiar to regular pasta, and honestly, pasta is pretty flavorless on it's own, and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. If anyone's interested in checking it out, you can find the product at:
www.pastalite.com

Good Luck!!
Nicole
 
Hi All!!

Well .. for everyone out there that's missing pasta, I'm not sure if it's due to the simple carb aspect, but in reading through Muscle and Fitness mag, I saw an ad for a product called "Pasta Lite". I was intrigued by the ad, hopped on the website, and here's the lowdown on it.

Ingredients: Defatted soy flour, pasteurized egg white, durum wheat semolinda, gum gluten, isolated soy proteins.

Nutrion Info (per 3/4 cup serving) No typos .. this is for REAL!:
Calories: 160
Total fat: 1g
Cholestrol: 0
Sodium: 50mg
Total Carb: 10g
Sugar: 3g
Dietary Fiber: 7g
Protein: 28g

I was ALL over it because I am trying to up my protein intake, and hated all the carbs I was getting from pasta. I received my order the other day, and while I haven't tried it yet, I'm itching to!! I can't comment on the flavor, but the guy that I spoke to about it said the texture is quite similiar to regular pasta, and honestly, pasta is pretty flavorless on it's own, and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. If anyone's interested in checking it out, you can find the product at:
www.pastalite.com

Good Luck!!
Nicole
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-03-02 AT 02:59PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi. Just wanted to share some of the foods I've been eating lately (I've lost 10 lbs since Christmas, haven't changed my exercise routine--its the eating that's done it.) Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: 1/2 c. grapenuts with 1/4 c. blueberries, few teaspoons vanilla yogurt, 1/4 c. skim milk (YUM!)

Snack: apple or orange

Lunch: tons of fresh spinach with a tomato cut up, a couple teaspoons of Annie's Natural Lowfat gingerly Dressing (SOOO good!), and a whole wheat pita pocket
OR
a cup of some sort of soup (Progresso veggie or chicken with barley, if I haven't made any homemade

Snack: an apple or a tomato juice or both

Dinner: stir fry veggies (tons, with hardly any oil, add a little water when they start to stick!) with 1/4- 1/3 c. rice (that's what used to get me--way too much rice!!
OR
whole wheat pita pizza with a little chicken and sundried tomatoes, a few slice olives, mozzerella cheese
OR
some other high-veggie meal :)

Snack: banana with a little peanut butter

The trick for me (I'm basically following weight watchers, but not paying for it!) is to eat often, and PLAN my lunch--I've found stuff I love and can eat every day, and that has really helped. Dinner is not huge, because I've been eating all day and I'm not that hungry. The whole POINTS thing really works for me (WW). I am not doing the no sugar/no white flour thing, but I guess in reality I am eating a lot less of those things, since the breads I eat are whole wheat, and when I eat rice and pasta now, I measure it (I must have been eating CUPS of the stuff before!)
I have a bag of lifesaver Cremesavers on top of the fridge--chocolate/caramel swirl--and I pop a couple of those on a daily basis! But, I don't even crave the Ben and Jerrys/cheesecake/DQ anymore.
I've really cut down on cheese, also--just have part-skim mozzerella in the house, and have the occasional whole wheat pita pizza with it.
Also--soup, with tons of veggies! Love love love it, and it fills me up.
Again, I have not added or reduced the amount, intensity, or frequency of my cardio or weight workouts. for years I have been eating healthy food, just WAY too much of it, and lots of desserts. this method is really working for me!

Wendy

Edit: Just wanted to add that I will also sometimes have scrambled egg substitute for breakfast with salsa and whole wheat toast or pita.
Snack is sometimes a mozerella cheese stick if I'm extra hungry, with fruit
Lunch I often throw some beans into that salad, or some tuna with light mayo
Dinners are more varied than what I posted. As long as it stays within my points range, I eat anything. I try to have salmon once a week, I usually have chicken once or twice a week.
When I make homemade soup, I always add at least one can of beans :)
I have a huge pigout of sushi every Friday or Saturday!!!
I feel good!
Wendy
 
Hey Wendy,
Congrats on the healthy eating and weight loss! Your menus sound yummy but also seem to be lacking in protein?--or am I missing something?:-hmmm Have you ever logged a typical day's meals on fitday or something to see what your carb/protein/fat percentages are? Hope I'm not out of line here, I am basically brand new at learning all of this clean-eating stuff....but I was just wondering. From what I've learned so far, fruits and veggies are wonderful but protein shouldn't take a back seat to them. BUT whatever, I'm glad it's working for you in terms of weight loss!!!!!!!:)
Have a great day!
Deb
 
Trying to hang in there. Made a fruit smoothie this morning and tried to get the carbs and proteins in better balance. Anybody else out there paying attention to the glycemic index of certain foods? If so, are you following the Zone, or Body for Life, or doing your own thing? How many calories are you getting every day? I've managed to get myself into a very confused place recently over all these 'diet' choices. I know there's a way out, I just have to get there.
Looking forward to finding a simpler way that works....
Karen
 
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