Monday, September 5, 2011

Eating Clean

Have you heard of eating clean? I picked up a book at Sams Club probably a year ago called the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.
What amazed me is that Tosca was over 40 and at almost 200 lbs when she woke up. She was me!!! She began to eat a clean diet and work out with weights and looks amazing now. A clean diet is pretty much whole foods that aren't processed. So, you eat meat, veggies, potatoes, rice, fruit, etc. You don't eat stuff that has all the additives and has been packaged in a mix. I cook at home most nights anyway, and since I have been eating gluten free it fits right in. They even have a magazine called Clean Eating that I get and noticed most of the recipes are gluten free, just because they stay away from white pastas and eat more protein/veggie type meals. It is not a low carb diet. You can eat brown rice, potatoes, and whole wheat pastas. They say what you eat is way more important than your exercise in shaping your body. And it pushes weights over cardio, because we have to shape the muscles.


Tosca is a regular writer in Oxygen magazine. It is a fitness magazine. I've been picking it up for inspiration. It is so easy to give up and believe you can't change after so many years. I know I am scared that after five kids and being overweight my skin will sag, that it will not produce the results I want. But, they highlight women, many over 40, who have done it! And they look amazing. I want it!

I have started today. With it being Labor Day and we had to be somewhere at 10:00. I didn't get up to exercise early. I plan to do my Firm DVD later today. I have craved horrible stuff since I woke up, but am determined to fuel my body with what it needs and quit giving in to the cravings for what will only produce more cravings. I am weighing and measuring and need to take some before photos.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are the recipes actually GOOD, or do they taste like you're trying to fake something heartier or richer? I've cut way back on processed stuff in my house, but it's hard to completely eliminate it because the alternatives just don't taste very good or have super weird textures that my family resists.

Southerner said...

I don't substitute, I have eliminated gluten. A lot of people buy alternative flours and make bread and stuff. I tried it and the pasta and they are horrible so I just do without. I eat hamburgers without buns, just add green peppers and onions, mushrooms, etc. I put spaghetti sauce over either spaghetti squash or grilled summer squash/zucchini/or eggplant. You said "the alternatives" below and I am not sure what you are referring to. I eat like a grilled breast or pork chop or steak with bbq (sweet baby rays is gluten free) or italian dressing or herbs sprinkled on it. Then I will have brown rice, potatoe (baked, twice baked, scalloped, mashed), sweet potato, or corn as a starch. I love veggies and they are all ok so I grill squash or eggplant, do a lot of green beans, lima beans, southern field peas, broccoli, cauliflour mashed like mashed potatoes, sauteed onions and peppers. I make fajitas and either eat all the toppings over a salad or rice or just by itself, without a tortilla wrap. I put it over mashed potatoes the other day and it was good.



I have not tried a lot of the recipes in the magazine just because I was in germany and coming home have been eating our same go to meals. I am looking forward to trying a lot more.

Anonymous said...

Is that book related to Eat Clean Magazine?

Unknown said...

This sounds like an interesting concept. I need to lose about 21lbs and it's annoying. I've joined a gym and put on weight - so unfair, and I'm sick of diets! Boo.

Southerner said...

applejuice- yes, it is called Clean Eating magazine. I can't eat anything with pasta, but find many other doable recipes in it.

Southerner said...

smilrnpb- you can do it! Ha, as long as you don't eat all those cookies you just made:)

The one thing they say is diet is 80% of changing your body. Def the weights, too, but Tosca really talks a lot about the difference in skin without sugar- going from blah to glowing/smooth. And then feeding it to work efficiently. I don't know if I can ever be 100%, but know I feel better the closer I am :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Holly, I joined Lisa's blogging bus and decided to follow everybody. I have the food issues. I eat healthy for a year or so, lose weight and get fit and slowly creep up to back where I was after saying"I am NOT doing that again"! Very frustrating. About sugar ....what is recommended? I got off Splenda and all artificials but still have sugar. (in my coffee which is simply one of those things I'm unwilling to do without) You can do it. I gotta get motivated!
Sandy Sholar

Southerner said...

chaviva1- they eliminate sugar and do not recommend artificial sweeteners. I know for me I am not even trying to be 100% strict with everything. I look at it if I can cut out constantly eating sugar every day, multiple times a day, it will help. I already do not eat pasta or bread. Since I started eating gluten free that already made my meals fall in line with the Eat Clean diet. My problem has been my snacking.