Does Eating Clean Get Better?

Diet and Nutrition
1

Over this past weekend, I’ve decided to start taking my diet and workout routines more seriously. I would eat well and workout in the past, but it would never last very long and/or I would cheat along the way. I’ve decided I’m done with that, and will continue to workout and eat clean regularly.

However, since I started eating better on Monday, I’ve felt horrible. I’m light-headed, and feel like puking. Is it withdrawl from junk food or what? normally I could eat 2 pieces of pizza for lunch and feel great the rest of the day, but for the past 2 days while not eating this stuff I’ve felt bad. Does this go away at some point?

Just to clarify what I mean by eating “clean”, here’s what I’ve consumed over the past couple days:

Early AM: Oatmeal, plain with a multi-vitamin

Mid AM: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive

Lunch: 2 cans Tuna

Mid Afternoon: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive

Dinner: 2 pieces of skinless chicken, grilled & a light salad

Post workout: Surge

Pretty much the same diet so far today. Is it a lack of carbs that is making me light-headed?

Also, I realize there’s a lack of fruit/vegetables so far, and I plan on adding that. I just didn’t have any readily available yesterday or this morning.

2

You seem to be forgetting the importance of carbs in your diet. Im not sure about your goals, but no matter what they are i would add some sort of carb to your tuna fish meal and also to your chicken meal at the least. Also you say Surge is post-workout, does that mean you workout after dinner and then Surge is all you eat after your workout? I would add another meal about an hour after your post-workout consisting of protein and carbs.

3

Typically, a person needs about 200 grams of carbohydrate a day for normal brain function, and that’s if it’s spread out.

i guarantee that you feel crummy because of the low-carb intake.

While I applaud your decision to eat better, your execution could use some tweaking.

The rest of you have any suggestions for this guy?

4

have you considered that those two slices of pizza have as many calories as your first 3 meals? 2 cans of tuna is what, 180 cals? 2 scoops MD, is 220 so that brings you up to a whopping 620. 150 for oatmeal and about the same for your chicken. You ate. 920 calores without the Surge. You’re starving not eating clean.

5

[quote]TC wrote:
Typically, a person needs about 200 grams of carbohydrate a day for normal brain function, and that’s if it’s spread out.

i guarantee that you feel crummy because of the low-carb intake.

While I applaud your decision to eat better, your execution could use some tweaking.

The rest of you have any suggestions for this guy?

[/quote]

TC,

How would you explain those of us who follow the Anabolic Diet (or something similar), eat c. 30g carbs yet function perfectly? I’ve been eating in that style for about 6 years now. Was it an adaptation? or maybe some people do better on fat and protein? I’d love to get your opinion on this.

6

Are you eating to wane, gain or maintain?

Definately eat more fruits and veggies.

Try to spice your meals up for example adding blueberries, raisains and whey to your oatmeal.

7

It doesn’t look like you’re getting enough fiber or EFA’s. The fiber can be fixed with the addition of fruits and veggies, but you need to get some EFA supps. (Flax oil, salmon oil capsules, flax seed (milled or whole), or Biotest’s Flameout). Poke around here and look up articles for recommended EFA intake.

Also, how much water do you drink in a day?

8

Your meals suck. Go buy a cookbook.

Yeah, I’m helpful today.
:confused:

9

Eating clean is great if everything is balanced and you are eating enough. I feel like crap now when I have pizza, soda, or candy. Stomach gets all unsettled and I feel bloated.

Looks like you seriously restricted your calories and completely cut out carbs. You feel light headed because you are starving yourself.

Reavaluate your diet and try to add in more veggies, fruits and fibers and at least 1000 more calories.

10

Wow, I think that was the same meal plan Karen Carpenter used to “cut up”.

11

Count your calories, most people who go on diets drastically cut the calories and end up dropping it because they can’t handle eating 1500 calories a day less than they used to. If you’re not hungry you’re eating enough.

OTOH, check out the recent John Berardi/Dave Tate article for the affects that healthy eating has on people not used to it.

Also your meals aren’t well rounded. A meal is protein plus energy (fat and/or carbs). You seem to eat either carbs or protein and no fat.

12

[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
TC wrote:
Typically, a person needs about 200 grams of carbohydrate a day for normal brain function, and that’s if it’s spread out.

i guarantee that you feel crummy because of the low-carb intake.

While I applaud your decision to eat better, your execution could use some tweaking.

The rest of you have any suggestions for this guy?

TC,

How would you explain those of us who follow the Anabolic Diet (or something similar), eat c. 30g carbs yet function perfectly? I’ve been eating in that style for about 6 years now. Was it an adaptation? or maybe some people do better on fat and protein? I’d love to get your opinion on this.

[/quote]

I think you’ve adapted to using fat as a fuel.

I think most people can do this, but it doesn’t happen overnight.

After all, there are essential fats and essential proteins, but no essential carbs.

The guy who started this thread is going cold turkey when he doesn’t need to.

13

[quote]MrTangerineSpedo wrote:
Your meals suck. Go buy a cookbook.

Yeah, I’m helpful today.
:/[/quote]

I have to echo this. Eating “clean” doesn’t mean food has to be bland and boring.

Some of my favorite “clean” meals and snacks are:

-Banana Metabolic Drive mixed with oatmeal and blueberries

-1% cottage cheese with a scoop of vanilla Metabolic Drive

-Chicken done in a pan with red pepper olive oil, red and green peppers, and onions

-Chicken Cobb spinach salad (bacon used is turkey bacon), no dressing

-Flank steak in a pinwheel (with feta cheese and spinach)

-97% lean ground meat hamburgers (no bun)

-Prime sirloin or filet (Nothing better than a prime cut of meat).

Those are just a few off the top of my head. If you take the time to fit foods into your diet correctly, they don’t have to be boring and tasteless.

Also, I use different variations of these meals whether I’m cutting or bulking. Be creative.

The better I am at cooking healthy, the less desire I have to “cheat”

14

300

220

320

220

300 (or so) + 100 for the salad

350

So, 300+220+320+220+400+350=1810. Round that to 2000 (since I may be underestimating the quantity that you eat, though I think the values should be fairly accurate). That’s not a lot. Especially for an active person. 2000 calories is the RDA for a sedentary woman!

Also, I agree with the above posters that you’re getting very few carbs. And it also seems like you’re not getting enough fat. I don’t know if that’s a huge issue (I’ve eaten very little fat for prolonged periods, and have been OK), so I hope someone will chime in on that.

15

My advice? SLOWLY integrate pizza back into your daily regimen.

Seriously, it sure seems like you jumped into “eating clean” too hard and too fast, and as a result, you’re setting yourself up to fail. “Eating clean” is something you have to ease your body into, particularly if, as it sounds, you didn’t eat that clean before. Don’t be so restrictive with your food intake so soon. Stay up until 3:00 a.m. tonight and read EVERYTHING ever written by Berardi and Lowery.

16

[quote]Myllz wrote:
Over this past weekend, I’ve decided to start taking my diet and workout routines more seriously. I would eat well and workout in the past, but it would never last very long and/or I would cheat along the way. I’ve decided I’m done with that, and will continue to workout and eat clean regularly.

However, since I started eating better on Monday, I’ve felt horrible. I’m light-headed, and feel like puking. Is it withdrawl from junk food or what? normally I could eat 2 pieces of pizza for lunch and feel great the rest of the day, but for the past 2 days while not eating this stuff I’ve felt bad. Does this go away at some point?

Just to clarify what I mean by eating “clean”, here’s what I’ve consumed over the past couple days:

Early AM: Oatmeal, plain with a multi-vitamin

Mid AM: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive

Lunch: 2 cans Tuna

Mid Afternoon: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive

Dinner: 2 pieces of skinless chicken, grilled & a light salad

Post workout: Surge

Pretty much the same diet so far today. Is it a lack of carbs that is making me light-headed?

Also, I realize there’s a lack of fruit/vegetables so far, and I plan on adding that. I just didn’t have any readily available yesterday or this morning.[/quote]

Myllz,
First off, what are your current goals? You do need more healthy fats and carbs, regardless of your goals, as it looks like in most of your meals your only eating protein.

If you’re trying to lean out or are afraid of putting on too much bodyfat in a mass gaining phase, just eat your carbs at breakfast, have them pre, peri, and post workout via something like Surge, and then eat them in the first 2-3 hours after your PWO shake. Good luck.
-Greg

17

Thanks for the comments so far.

I did leave out Flameout, so yes, that is in my diet every day.

As for goals, I’m looking to lean out and maintain what muscle I have. I’m not huge or anything, but I like where my muscle currently is…minus the layer of fat around it.

I kind of figured I was taking in less than what I should be, even without the fruits/vegetables that I will add. The reason why it didn’t seem like I was starving myself is because I don’t feel hungry after eating just stuff like this. Of course I wouldn’t have a problem eating more though.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

18

Here is an improvement perhaps:

Meal 1: Large piece of fruit (or two small ones) and protein shake.

Meal 2: Can of Tuna in olive oil (30g protein worth) + Large Salad (700g+) make it yourself with Spinach, carrot, tomato, capsicum, olives, a few sundried tomatoes (in oil).

Meal 3: Large Serve of Fruit + 100g Beef Jerky (or 200g steak)

Meal 4: 60g Nuts (almond/cashews) + 60g Cheese and a small low GI piece of fruit to cleanse the mouth. You could try fatty seeds instead of the nuts.

Meal 5: 150g Salmon + Big serve (300g) of green cruciferous veges (ie. broccoli, chinese veges, spinach, brussel sprouts)

Meal 6: Something like a stirfry or curry. (no rice)

Meal 7: Another protein shake if you want.

Your stimulant: Green Tea.

This is pretty much the template that I go by now and is roughly equicaloric in nature. The split of PFC is about 33/33/33

ie. about 220g carbs, 220g protein, 100g fat. 2500cals in this one.

if you want to lose weight at a nice gradual pace and not interfere with muscle too much… this is my 2c.

added bonus, this template, when you add a bit more fish oil, contains a lipid profile roughly equal to that of a standard japanese diet.

i dont get any headaches, skin feels absolutely unreal. you can take a multivitamin on top of it, but all it really lacks is Thiamine (B1) and dietary vitamin D, and possibly will be a little calcium deficient.

B1 and calcium are cheap to buy.

vitamin D you can get some sun or add 3 dried shiitake mushrooms to your diet.

See? much better.

19

I’d echo what everyone else is saying, eat way more calories, eat more carbs (ideally timed for morning and PWO), and don’t go cold turkey like that. Remember Berardi’s 90% rule, if you’re doing the right thing nutritionally 90% of the time, the other 10% is gonna have a negligible impact on your progress. But it definitely does get easier to eat clean, I don’t feel physically ill during the handful of times a year when I eat candy, but I feel kind of gross, like a glutton, and don’t feel tempted again for a long time.

20

[quote]perseng wrote:
Here is an improvement perhaps:

Meal 1: Large piece of fruit (or two small ones) and protein shake.

Meal 2: Can of Tuna in olive oil (30g protein worth) + Large Salad (700g+) make it yourself with Spinach, carrot, tomato, capsicum, olives, a few sundried tomatoes (in oil).

Meal 3: Large Serve of Fruit + 100g Beef Jerky (or 200g steak)

Meal 4: 60g Nuts (almond/cashews) + 60g Cheese and a small low GI piece of fruit to cleanse the mouth. You could try fatty seeds instead of the nuts.

Meal 5: 150g Salmon + Big serve (300g) of green cruciferous veges (ie. broccoli, chinese veges, spinach, brussel sprouts)

Meal 6: Something like a stirfry or curry. (no rice)

Meal 7: Another protein shake if you want.

Your stimulant: Green Tea.

This is pretty much the template that I go by now and is roughly equicaloric in nature. The split of PFC is about 33/33/33

ie. about 220g carbs, 220g protein, 100g fat. 2500cals in this one.

if you want to lose weight at a nice gradual pace and not interfere with muscle too much… this is my 2c.

added bonus, this template, when you add a bit more fish oil, contains a lipid profile roughly equal to that of a standard japanese diet.

i dont get any headaches, skin feels absolutely unreal. you can take a multivitamin on top of it, but all it really lacks is Thiamine (B1) and dietary vitamin D, and possibly will be a little calcium deficient.

B1 and calcium are cheap to buy.

vitamin D you can get some sun or add 3 dried shiitake mushrooms to your diet.

See? much better.

[/quote]

Seems workable to me. Anyone else want to chime in on this diet recommendation?